【英文短篇小说】Debarking（4）

He had never been involved with the mentally ill before, but he now felt more than ever that there should be strong international laws against them being too good-looking. How are you liking Zora? asked Mike over a beer, after work, after theyd mulle

【英文短篇小说】The Clothes They Stood Up In（4）

Such were Mr. Ransomes thoughts as he sat across from his wife, who was having another stab at Barbara Pym. She knew he wasnt listening to Mozart though there were few obvious signs and nothing so vulgar as a bulge in his trousers. No, there was just

【英文短篇小说】The Clothes They Stood Up In（3）

This way chaps and chapesses. Over here. Mr. and Mrs. Ransome stumbled across the last of the grass onto the concrete where silhouetted against the open door stood a young man. Dazed, they followed him into the hangar and in the light they made a sor

【英文短篇小说】The Tunnel Under The World（2）

Burckhardt loosened his tie and ordered another Frosty-Flip from the waiter. If only they wouldn't keep the Crystal Cafe so hot! The new paint jobsearing reds and blinding yellowswas bad enough, but someone seemed to have the delusion that this was J

【英文短篇小说】The Tunnel Under The World（3）

We're all right for a while here, he wheezed. They don't come here much any more. If they do, we'll hear them and we can hide. Who? demanded Burckhardt. The little man said, Martians! His voice cracked on the word and the life seemed to go out of him

【英文短篇小说】The Tunnel Under The World（4）

Swanson, after a single inarticulate sound, walked over to the desk and sat staring at the wall. Burckhardt rocked back and forth beside the shattered puppet on the floor. He had no words. The girl managed to say, I'msorry all this happened. The love

【英文短篇小说】Debarking（1）

Ira had been divorced six months and still couldnt get his wedding ring off. His finger had swelled doughily around ita combination of frustrated desire, unmitigated remorse, and misdirected ambition, he said to friends. Im going to have to have my e

【英文短篇小说】Debarking（2）

You cant imagine the daily dreariness of routine pediatrics, said Zora, not touching her wine. Ear infection, ear infection, ear infection. Whoa. Heres an exciting one: juvenile onset diabetes. Day after day you just have to look into the parents eye

【英文短篇小说】Debarking（3）

Why dont you come to dinner? Zora phoned one afternoon. Im making spring spaghetti, Brunys favorite, and you can come over and meet him. Unless you have Bekka tonight. No, I dont, Ira said mournfully. What is spring spaghetti? Oh, its the same as reg

【英文短篇小说】The Tunnel Under The World（1）

n the morning of June 15th, Guy Burckhardt woke up screaming out of a dream. It was more real than any dream he had ever had in his life. He could still hear and feel the sharp, ripping-metal explosion, the violent heave that had tossed him furiously

【英文短篇小说】The Emperor（4）

The marlin had come to 300 yards when he walked again. This time the boat was in a trough and the Emperor burst the surface pointing straight towards them. He came in a climbing leap, shaking spray from his back. The arc of his leap was down the wake

【英文短篇小说】The Emperor（3）

'Maybe we could have it for dinner,' said Higgins. Kilian shook his head regretfully. 'Bonito are for bait fish,' he said. 'The locals eat them in soups, but they don't taste much good.' They made a second run through the shoal and there was a second

【英文短篇小说】The Emperor（2）

It was on the Friday evening that Higgins sidled up to him in the main hall as he waited for his wife to come out of the ladies. 'I've got to talk to you ... alone,' Higgins hissed from the corner of his mouth with enough secrecy to attract attention

【英文短篇小说】The Emperor（1）

The Emperor 'And there's another thing,' said Mrs Murgatroyd. Beside her in the taxi her husband concealed a small sigh. With Mrs Murgatroyd there was always another thing. No matter how well things were going, Edna Murgatroyd went through life to th

【英文短篇小说】The Book Signing（1）

[ADVISORY : Story contains adult language] Carmody came up from the subway before dusk, and his eyeglasses fogged in the sudden cold. He lifted them off his nose, holding them while they cooled, and saw his own face smiling from a pale green leaflet

【英文短篇小说】The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains（4）

When the sun was up, I entered the cave. It was damp in there. I could hear water running down one wall, and I felt a wind on my face, which was strange, because there was no wind inside the mountain. In my mind, the cave would be filled with gold. B

【英文短篇小说】The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains（3）

The rope held, and the rock beside me held. Calum MacInnes dangled from the end of the rope. He looked up at me, and I sighed, anchored myself by a slab of crag, and I wound and pulled him up and up. I hauled him back onto the path, dripping and curs

【英文短篇小说】The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains（2）

In the high lands, people spend words as if they were golden coins. But the custom is strong there: strangers who ask for hospitality must be granted it, though you have a blood feud against them and their clan or kind. The womanlittle more than a gi

【英文短篇小说】The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains（1）

You ask me if I can forgive myself? I can forgive myself for many things. For where I left him. For what I did. But I will not forgive myself for the year that I hated my daughter, when I believed her to have run away, perhaps to the city. During tha

【英文短篇小说】Monsieur Rose（2）

Well, thought Monsieur Rose, Ill get even with him tomorrow. Tomorrow where would he be tomorrow? He knew there was an airfield not far away, and an army camp a bit farther on. Even farther away there were railway lines, bridges, and large factories.