2015-01-11

【Aiden in English】

        Nothing interesting ever happens on Mulberry Street, Mike thought. There was nothing ever to keep him occupied. He had no video games because his parents didn't allow him to play. There was no television because there wasn't any cable. There were no parties because no one ever saved enough money. The only fun there was on Mulberry Street was the next-door family. They had a daughter named Sarah Whitham, and she was just as bored as he was. These two were Mulberry Street’s only children. They lived in a medium-sized house and were good friends, but since nothing exciting ever happened, they rarely got together. That is, until one day…

        Mike hopped off the school bus one chilly autumn afternoon to find that Mulberry Street was getting another resident. Another victim for the least interesting place on earth, Mike thought. He could hear the whirr of the machinery and the cracking sound of splintering trees. Mike noticed a new pathway next to his house and raced. Leaves crunched under his shoes as he walked down the brand-new black-top driveway. Mike let out a massive gasp as the construction site came into view. Bulldozers had cleared out an enormous area of land, and the foundation of a building was already set. The base was at least ten times the size of Mike’s house. This was probably a recreational center or something, Mike thought. No way this could be someone’s house. But why, questioned Mike, of all the places in the world, would a company want to move here? His suspicions were answered, for he was wrong. A few days later, after the news spread like wildfire, a sign was placed in front of the structure. Mike saw it and couldn’t believe his eyes. His new neighbor was a multi-millionaire. Something exciting was going to happen, and he could feel it in the air.

        Days turned into weeks. Weeks became months. Every day, the mansion grew. One day, Mike stepped off the school bus into the crisp December air to find the mansion had been completed. It stood like a castle above Mike’s house, covering his property in the vast, menacing shadows that it cast. Considering Mike had nothing better to do, he went to the enormous mansion to introduce himself to his new neighbors. As Mike got closer, he looked at the giant monstrosity better. The house had a double door, grand and elegant. The entryway was stylish and had a balcony that overlooked the front yard. The rest of the house extended off the foyer and stairs around the back like a spider. Mike approached the front doors with an overwhelmed feeling in his stomach. Well, the house indeed gave a great first impression, Mike thought. Then, with the word Y.O.L.O. ringing, Mike pressed the doorbell. 

        Ding-Dong! Mike jumped like a rabbit. Immediately, a red-haired girl with pigtails opened the door. She had her hands on her hips and a large frown. She looked a few years younger than Mike and wore a T-shirt that read, “I have A LOT of friends. I, Me, My, Myself…” Immediately, he knew she was one of those spoiled little brats who always wanted things their way or the highway. After studying her new visitor, the girl asked:” So what are you doing here, kid? I’ve got better things to do. Daddy and I are going to town soon for some Ice Cream, so you better explain yourself!” Whoa, Mike thought. It was bad manners and bad grammar. A double whammy to the face! “So? Who are you, and what are you doing on my property?!!” Mike instantly shouted back:” The name is Mike. Michael William Smith! I’m your new neighbor, and you’re being rude to the person who will introduce you to everyone else at school.” When those words left Mike's lips, he knew he had made a big mistake. This wasn’t the girl to get a bad side of, considering that her family was wealthy. Just when the girl was about to smack a retort right back at Mike, a man dressed in a suit and tie walked to the door. He said:” Hey, you two, what’s the fuss about?” Mike replied politely:“ Nothing, sir, it's just that-” He was rude to me, Daddy! He shouted at me and spit at me and yelled and screamed and…and…. He's a very, very, very bad boy, Daddy! I want to move away now, Daddy, because I don’t want to live next to this boy for the rest of my life! I want to lie-“. Before she could waste any more precious oxygen, her father hushed her and told the girl to go inside. “I am extremely sorry for that. Please let me introduce myself. My name is Jim Lucas Cornelius, the founder and president of the Corwell Corps, which I’m sure you’re familiar with (Mike had no idea what that company is or does, nor did he care). You can call me Mr. C if you wish. That was my little daughter. She is named after Julius Caesar, but, after all, she is a girl, hence her name, Julia.” Mike thought that Mr. C could surely make a formal introduction. He was polite, too, so why couldn’t his daughter learn to be more like him? Mike introduced himself politely but failed, stumbling through his full name. He wasn’t the most talkative person among adults. “Calm down, you nervous wreck,” Mr. C casually said,” We’re neighbors now, so any tension between us should be gone.” Mike cracked a smile. “So,” Mr. C continued,” I’ve decided to host a party this coming Saturday. Feel free to come at any time ‘cause I’m planning to party all day. Our home should be in perfect shape by then, assuming my daughter doesn’t trash the place. Please spread the word to your friends, neighbors, and anyone you think would like to come.” Mike nodded. There had never been a party on Mulberry Street, and Mike thought there would never be either. He bid goodbye and raced off to tell everyone the news.

        Saturday arrived in a flash. It seemed like yesterday when Mike was arguing with Julia at the front door of Mr. C’s house. Now, Mike’s family was arguing about the clothes they would wear, the order in which they walked into the house, how we would behave and not break anything, and even learning formal dining manners. All the dining manners that Mike cared about were eating with silverware, eating whatever Mom okayed, not playing with his food, not talking about anything disgusting, and not leaking gas from any part of his body (Mike’s all-time favorite). Then Mom went on talking about things like “ladies first,” “don’t chug down water,” “eating slowly,” and “the fork on the left is the salad fork.” By the time they were finished, Mike’s brain hurt from everything to do, and the sun began to set. Finally, his Mom let him go while she was getting the present she had wrapped for Julia. Mike ran to Mr. C’s house as fast as his clothes allowed. Soon, he approached the giant double doors of the giant entryway to the big house, which once again felt like a colossal castle. This time, the vast mansion was a lot less intimidating. He rang the doorbell, and the doors instantly flew open, startling Mike. A girl with red pigtails stood in the doorway, dressed the same way the last time they met. Julia shouted:” We got another one, Daddy, another one!!!!” A few moments later, Mr. C came to the front door, smiled, and invited Mike inside. The word had spread to every corner of Mulberry Street and even further because as soon as Mike walked inside, he was greeted by a hundred or so “hellos” and “how ya’ do’s.” Mike saw some familiar faces like Sarah and her parents. Mrs. and Mr. Whiteham were there, but mostly everyone else was either a relative or someone that snuck in. Servants sprung up behind him and took his coat. It was then that Mike honestly noticed the beauty of the Cornelius household. The entry hall was grand, like a king’s home, with golden light reflecting off the delicate furniture. Pictures of natural scenery hung on walls, painted with professional skill. The ceiling was a beautiful arch, almost like a dome, and a blue and white sky, and hanging from the dome was a chandelier. It was crystal white glass, bouncing off the light of its elegant long arms. Hundreds of small candles flickered and burned, bathing the entrance in light and warmth. Mr. C clapped his hands and snapped Mike out of his little daydream. “Okay, people, let’s get the show on the road!” shouted Mr. C. “Who’s hungry for turkey?!” 

        The next hour was just a crazy, mad frenzy of people stuffing their faces with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, pizza, sandwiches, and anything else that the Cornelius house cooks made. Before the crowds got to the food, plates of mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, and PBJ sandwiches lined a long table in the dining room. Outside, cooks roasted sausages and ribs, and the smell filtered into the air inside the mansion. Mike couldn’t hold his hunger anymore. The food was so close, but it seemed light-years away since Mr. C said to wait. Finally, the doors to the kitchen swung open downstairs with a bang, and up came two servants who were slowly and carefully carrying a giant, sizzling turkey.  The skin looked golden, crisp, and tasty, and the scent was too good for Mike to wait. He wanted it, and by the looks of the other guests, they were just as, maybe even much hungrier than he was. As the servants set the food on the long table, Mr. C shouted:” Alright, everyone, dinner served!” Immediately, like an overflowing dam on the verge of breaking, the flood of desperate, hungry people was released. The party guests rushed towards the food like it was the treasure after a long, long quest. The enormous, golden turkey had been devoured in minutes, leaving nothing but crumbs. People heaped entire bowls of mashed potatoes onto their bowls while others stuffed sandwiches in their mouths whole. Within a few moments, most of the food was either in someone’s stomach or on the floor, but even food on the floor didn’t last very long. After the food on the table had been eaten so clean that some plates even shined (Mike set a note not to go near them), people began looking to the floor and the trash for “leftovers.” Mike grabbed a sandwich and was even fortunate enough to get hold of a slice of turkey. He backed out of the war zone and ate his dinner silently in a small corner of the room. Mike thought it looked as if I wouldn’t need my table manners now.

        After the horrible dinner experience, Mr. C calmed the guests and told everyone they would play a game. “Alright! Alright! Now we’re going to have some fun. I do it at all my parties and call it “Security.” It’s hidden and seek, and I hope everyone knows the game ‘cause I’m the security guard for this round or the Seeker for the first round. You all must play and have ten seconds to hide, so off you go!” Still recovering from the food, guests were startled as the entertainment suddenly began, so they wobbled to a hiding place to sit and digest. Mike took the lead over the older people, and Sarah emerged beside him. “Hey, it looks like the parties are going pretty rough so far, right?” ”You bet!” replied Mike as he ran up the stairs to the second floor. The next floor seemed like his own, with cheap furniture, carpets, and not as many paintings and pictures. They found a small room where they doubted Mr. C would find them. When they went inside, Mike was shocked to see everyone’s stuff piled in neat stacks or hanging in the closet. This is the perfect place, Mike thought. And judging by the facial expression on Sarah’s face, she was thinking the same thing that he was thinking. So, they jumped behind stacked suitcases and other belongings and waited.

        Waiting patiently was never Mike’s strong suit, so he shifted a lot during his wait with Sarah. On one movement, though, Mike accidentally knocked over the stacked belongings. The sound of the items hitting the floor was loud, even though the carpet softened the noise. But that didn’t stop Mr. C from coming up and taking a look. He stuck his head inside the room, and there Mike sat. The only thing was that Mike’s attention wasn’t on Mr. C. He crawled forward a few steps and picked up a small square box with the words “Please Do Not Open” on one of the sides. It must’ve fallen when I knocked the things over, thought Mike. He examined the box and then opened it. He gasped.

        The box was for a ring. It had a soft linen cloth on the bottom and top to protect the precious jewel, but the container was empty. Mr. C walked over and took the box from Mike’s hands. A few moments later, he had gathered all the guests in the dining room, which was surprising to be suddenly so immaculate. Getting everyone together was hard, considering everyone thought it was a trick to get them caught. But when the word “robbery” left Mr. C.’s mouth, people filled the dining room like moths attracted to light. First came the Hills, a couple. They were trailed by the Millers, a family with a grown-up daughter who still lived with them even though she had graduated college three years ago. Then came the Jacksons, the Flinchers, the Weggenhoffers, the Helens, the Clarks, and the Hugglinduoppliers. “Okay, people,” announced Mr. C. “I’ll keep this simple. If you stole something, please raise your hand.” No one did. Then Mr. C showed everyone the box. There were only two people that reacted. They were the Thorkens, a couple that had been married for forty years (rumor is that today was their anniversary) and lived a few houses down from Mike’s home. Mrs. Thorken said: “That box holds a ring that my great-great-great-grandparents passed down to me. It holds so many memories. I can’t bear it if I am the one to lose them in the entire family tree. I would be so ashamed of myself!” Mr. Thorken hugged her to comfort her and then faced the rest of the guests. “I will find the ring,” said Mr. Thorkens, “and I’ve got experience on my side!” He’s right, Mike thought. Mr. Thorkens was a detective when he was younger. He was like the Sherlock Holmes of Mulberry Street. Only the most complex case he ever had was probably in Calculus. “The first thing is first. To the crime scene!” shouted Mr. Thorken.

        The room was in the same way when Mike discovered the empty container. “Alright. First, I need everyone except a spectator of the crime scene and everyone else down the hall,” ordered Mr. Thorken. “Come on! Chop chop! We don’t exactly have all day!” He told Mike and Sarah, who was also with him, to describe everything, even the smallest detail. He said everything he could remember, remembering when he walked in with Sarah. Sarah chimed into his description when detail was left out or to offer her point of view. Mr. Thorken thanked them and let them go to join the others. As Mike walked towards the other guests, he noticed Julia standing in a small corner, quiet for her standards. She seemed to be hiding from everyone else. “It wasn’t me! I swear.” “Not me either!” Mike’s attention was torn away from Julia and focused on the fuss that was taking place. “I was hiding downstairs the whole time,” declared Mr. Clark, “It couldn’t have been me!” “I would never do something like that!” shouted Mrs. Helen. Sarah moved to a quiet room to avoid the talk and sat there to calm herself. Then, Mr. Thorken came over and said:” Hey everyone. I’ve figured out how to get the robber. I have brought a small gizmo that sees fingerprints, and I can match them to one of yours. But I’m going to fetch a battery from my bag. As soon as I’m back, I can scan the box to find the culprit.” Then, he pulled Mike over and whispered:” Okay, Mike. When I’m gone, hide in the closest room. If someone comes in and touches the box, jump out and shout their name. I’m counting on you.” Mike nodded since he knew the trick. The thief would come into the room and clean the box because they were afraid to be caught with the fingerprint scanner. But there was no scanner. However, another person or Mike was in the room, so if anyone came in, the person in the room caught the thief. Mike crept into the room and went into the closet.  He waited and waited and waited afterward. Finally, a shadow covered the entrance, and a figure emerged. It was Sarah, and she looked around the room. As she scanned the area, she entered the closet and opened the door. “I knew you were there, Mike, and I know the plan. I just wanted to see the robber myself, that is, if they fall for it.” Mike nodded, afraid to make any more sound. The closet was huge, able to fit ten or so people. Sarah wedged in, and another figure entered the room just as she did. The person wore gloves and looked around. Mike and Sarah held their breaths. The figure walked towards the box, opened it, and pulled a towel from his pocket. The person wiped the cushion for the ring thoroughly. At that instant, Mike knew this person was looking at the thief. “Hey!” shouted Mike as he leaped from the closet. “Put your hands in the air!” The figure shrieked, and immediately, Mike recognized the voice. The thief was Julia.

        “How could you, Julia?” shouted Mr. C. “How could you do such a thing!” After everyone heard the fuss in the room and came over, Julia started one of her fits after things didn’t go her way. “It was so beautiful, Daddy! I wanted it! I wanted it more than anything else!” The somewhat different conclusions to the fun night made most guests go, and Mike’s family wanted to leave, too. Julia had the ring in her pocket for the whole party and kept quiet after she stole the ring. When Mike caught Julia red-handed, she fell, and the ring fell out of her pocket. That solved any further suspicion about whether Julia wasn’t the thief. Everyone filed out quickly, and Mr. and Mrs. Thorkens got their ring back. The next day, a sign in front of the mansion said the Cornelius family was moving. No one cared because that long night was too much excitement for the residents of Mulberry Street.

【红霞译】

        迈克认为，桑树街上没啥有趣的事情可谈，实在找不出什么东西能吸引住他，没有游戏可玩，父母一向不准沾手；没有电视可看，家里尚未安装有限装置；没有派对可搞，无人手头有闲钱。桑树街上唯一说得过去的就是隔壁邻居，他们有一女儿，名叫萨拉·瓦特汉姆，她像迈克一样闲得无聊，整条街上就这么两个孩子。两家房子不大不小，邻里关系比较好，既然没啥新鲜玩意，因此他俩难得凑在一块，直到有一天……

        秋天寒冷的下午，迈克走出校车，发现桑树街搬来新家，世上又多了一个无聊的人，迈克心里嘀咕着。这时只听马达轰鸣砍树声响，迈克注意到新开辟出来的一条小道恰好直通自家大门，走在刚刚铺完的柏油路面，脚底吱吱嘎嘎踩出一地碎叶。施工现场映入眼帘，迈克禁不住倒吸了一口气，推土机已开辟出大块空地，地基也初具规模，地下室面积至少比迈克家大上十倍，在他看来，如此偌大的地盘也许只能用来修建娱乐中心之类的场所，而绝非私人住宅。迈克开始纳闷，世界之大无奇没有，但哪家公司居然要搬到这里？迈克很快消除了心中疑虑，不能不叫他跌破眼睛。几天之后，消息如同熊熊火焰迅速蔓延开来，工地前面标牌伫立，迈克看后甚至不敢相信自己的眼睛，新邻居竟然是位千万富翁，好戏还在后面，迈克感觉到空气中弥漫着舒心的味道。

        几天过去了，数周消逝了，若干月不见了，随着时间拉长，豪宅建筑变大。一天当迈克再度走下校车，十二月凛冽的寒风一股脑儿把落成的豪宅吹到了自己眼前，它像一座城堡傲然挺立于迈克家之上，其可怕的背影恰好把迈克家罩得严严实实。反正闲着没事，迈克便主动登门拜访新来的邻居。迈克越走近这座豪宅越觉得耐看，大门为双对门，既气派又漂亮；门径通道别致，设计讲究；阳台正面对着前院，背面衔接门厅，楼梯宛如蜘蛛藏在其后。迈克诚惶诚恐地朝前门走去，由衷感叹豪宅大气，脑海里下意识响起叮咚声，迈克顺手按下了门铃。

        叮咚！迈克像只兔子跳了一下，只见一位满头红发扎着马尾辫的小姑娘过来开门，她两手放在屁股背后，紧紧锁住眉头，看上去好像比迈克小几岁，其身上穿的T恤上面写着“我有很多朋友：主语的我、宾语的我、定语我、还有我自己……”迈克当即意识到站在眼前的女孩肯定是高速公路上横冲直撞的那主。女孩上下打量这位不速之客，毫不客气地问：“小孩，有何贵干？我有很多要事在身，正打算和爸爸进城买冰激凌吃，赶紧如实道来你是谁！” 喔，迈克不由得一愣，瞧她那副玩世不恭的态度，听她那口出言不逊的腔调，也不撒泡尿照照自己什么德行！“喂，你到底是什么人，来我家干啥好事？！！”迈克毫不示弱地回答：“我叫迈克，迈克尔·威廉·史密斯！本人住你家隔壁，你为何如此无理对待一位想主动把你引荐给学校其他同学的好心人呢？”话音刚落，迈克立刻意识到犯了大忌，她不过是个有钱任性的丫头片子。正当女孩准备反驳时，一位身穿西服打着领带的绅士朝大门走来，只听他说：“嘿你们两位，怎么呛来呛去？”迈克听后礼貌地解释：“没什么，先生，是……”“爸爸，他对我无理！还大声叫喊还吐唾沫还狂吼还尖叫还…还…，爸爸，他是一个彻头彻尾的十足的真正的痞子！我现在就要搬走，从今往后再也不跟这个臭小子做邻居！我要住……”尚未等她来得及耗完宝贵的氧气，爸爸打断女儿并示意她回到房间里去。“我非常抱歉，请允许我先介绍一下自己。我叫吉姆·卢卡斯·科尼利厄斯，是考维尔有限公司创始人及其董事长，想必你已听说（迈克对之一无所知，也不了解公司是干什么的，根本不在乎他所说的）。如果愿意，你直接叫我C先生好了。刚才你见到的那位是我小女儿，其名字由尤利乌斯·凯撒而来，既然身为女孩，也就改称朱莉娅。”迈克觉得C先生待人接物非常得体，为何他的女儿不多多地向老爸学习？迈克开始毕恭毕敬地介绍自己，但说得极为瘪嘴，报姓名时竟然卡了壳，在大人面前他并不健谈。“放松点，冒失鬼”，C先生漫不经心地说：“现在既然我们已成邻居，彼此之间不应再有任何摩擦。”迈克咧嘴一笑。“好吧，” C先生继续说：“本周六我决定举办聚会，欢迎你随时参加，因为我打算要热闹一整天，假如我女儿没有节外生枝，想必到时家里会一切就绪，请你务必把话转达给你的朋友、邻居、任何愿意参加的人。”迈克点头应允。桑树街上从未搞过聚会，迈克也从未期待举行。道别了C先生，迈克急忙跑去告诉大家这个消息。

        眨眼工夫到了周六，对于迈克来说，站在C先生门口与朱莉娅斗嘴就好像昨天发生的事情。现在迈克一家正忙于为聚会穿什么衣服、走进主人家的顺序、做客举止及不损害东西、甚至学习就餐礼仪上等问题而争论不休，其中最让迈克纠结的莫过于使用银器餐具吃饭，其它方面只要照妈妈说的去做就成，不玩食物、不说脏话、不放屁打嗝（迈克专长），妈妈还强调“女士优先”、“喝水不要发出咕嘟咕嘟的响声”、“细嚼慢咽”、“沙拉叉位于左边”。等全家聊完该做的不该做，不仅迈克的脑袋瓜趋于崩溃，而且太阳也下山了。最后妈妈让他先走，自己留下来准备给朱莉娅打点礼物。迈克在保持衣冠成型的前提下以最快速度朝C先生家奔去，不久便踏上通往豪宅两扇气派双门前那条讲究的门径通道上，这回再度看到这座豪宅已不像早先那样局促不安。他按下门铃，几乎就在同时大门自动打开，吓了迈克一跳，门内站着一位红发马尾辫穿着打扮与上次见过完全相仿的女孩，朱莉娅大声喊道：“爸爸，又来了一位，新的！！！！” 片刻之间，C先生走到门前面带微笑，邀请迈克进屋。显然，消息早已传遍桑树街各个角落乃至更远的地方，因为等迈克一走进门厅，差不多听见一百遍“招呼声” 及“问候语”，迈克认出其中一些熟悉的面庞，像萨拉和瓦特汉姆夫妇，但多数来宾要么是邻居们的亲戚朋友要么是趁机夹三进来的局外人。佣人不觉出现在迈克身后并顺手接过外衣，直到这个时候他才真正目睹科尼利厄斯家的精美之处。门厅宽敞如同国王的宫殿，金光闪闪的灯光把家具衬托得富丽堂皇；墙上贴着风景画，作品都是出自专业画家之手；天花板为拱形圆顶，被蓝天白云衬托得十分好看；吊灯悬挂在圆顶之下，纤细的白色水晶玻璃折射出瑰丽的光彩；数以百计的烛光闪烁，营造出明快温馨的氛围。C先生拍了一下手，把迈克从遐思中惊醒过来。“大家来吧，让我们一起同欢共乐！” C先生高声叫道：“想吃火鸡吗？！”

        接下来的一个钟头人们大块朵颐，凡是科尼利厄斯家厨子烹饪的火鸡、肉汁、土豆泥、比萨饼、三明治及其它上桌的饭菜统统一包在内，餐厅长条桌面上摆满了一盘盘土豆泥、蔬菜及花生酱果冻三明治。厨子正在院子里忙着烧烤香肠排骨，一股股喷香扑鼻的气味飘进室内，迈克实在难忍饥饿煎熬，况且食物就在身旁，可C先生仍让来宾稍等片刻，对他来说好比若干光年一样漫长。终于楼下厨房门“嘭”地一声忽然打开，两位佣人端着刚出炉的大火鸡慢慢走过来。火鸡看上去色泽金黄酥脆可口，甜腻的油香味让迈克甚感馋涎欲滴，真恨不得马上咬上一口。迈克侧目环视四周，其他来客也好不到哪里，甚至比他更望眼欲穿。等佣人把火鸡搁到长桌上摆好位置，C先生一声令下：“各位来宾，晚宴开始！”顿时，饥肠辘辘的人潮宛如大坝决堤洪水泛滥，纷纷涌向食物，在他们看来眼前面对的仿佛是一堆期盼良久的金银财宝。几分钟的工夫，硕大无比金光四射的火鸡被一扫而光，只剩下少许残屑碎渣；有人蒯上一大碗土豆泥，有人索性把整个三明治塞进嘴巴。之后大部分能吃的东西不是吞进肚里就是落到地板上，而地板上的没待多久瞬间也荡然无存，大家把桌上的吃得干干净净，空无一物的盘子显得比先前更加锃亮（迈克还留下勿摸字条）。有人开始把目光转向地面，毫不犹豫地清理完毕所有“残羹剩饭”。迈克捡起一个三明治，同时还非常幸运地找到一块火鸡肉，明智地离开这个是非之地，独自躲到墙角静静地享受美味珍馔，这样反倒更好，犯不上顾忌用餐规矩，迈克宽慰地想。

        刚刚见识过晚餐上争先恐后一幕，C先生招呼来宾平静下来，接着开始动员大家玩游戏。“好！好！这下到了我们一起热闹的时候，下面即将进行的是我家每次聚会必玩的游艺项目，我叫它“保安”，基本算作捉迷藏的一种，希望人人都知道怎么玩，因为第一轮先由我来做“保安员”即追捕者，你们必须做好准备，只有十秒躲藏时间，现在开始！”来的客人正撑得要命，一时缓不过劲来，他们摇摇晃晃先把自己藏起来再说，起码可以坐下喘口气，好生消化刚才海吃山喝的东西。迈克先于老人帮一步，萨拉紧随其后。“嘿，聚会搞得还挺闹腾，是不是？”“没错！”迈克一边回答，一边跑往二楼楼梯。二楼上的摆设跟他自己房间差不多，家具简易地毯普通，没有装饰过多的绘画与图片。他俩发现一个小房间，自以为C先生无法找到他们。他俩钻了进去，迈克惊奇地发现里面有一壁橱，每样东西全部堆放或悬挂得整整齐齐，迈克认为这正自己喜欢的地方，从萨拉面部表情上来看，她感同身受，就这样，他俩躲进成堆的箱子及物品背后等待起来。

        耐心等待绝不是迈克的强项, 所以在与萨拉一块静候的时候，他老是动来动去。有一次，迈克不慎碰翻了物品盒子，东西掉在地板上带来的动静很大，尽管地毯削弱噪声，但C先生还是忍不住亲自前来察看，他探过头朝迈克坐的地方瞧了一眼。迈克不再把注意力放在C先生身上，而是向前爬了几步，伸手够出一个侧面写着“请勿打开”字样的小方盒子，心想肯定是刚才自己撞翻箱子时掉出来的东西。他先检查盒子外表，然后打开一看，呼吸变得急促起来。

        这是装戒指的盒子，其底部顶部铺有亚麻软布以保护贵重珠宝，但盒子是空的，里面什么也没有，C先生走上前来，从迈克手上拿起盒子。过了一会儿，C先生召集全体来宾到餐厅碰头，令人佩服的是餐厅已被清理得一尘不染。此时组织大家凑在一起实在不易，因为难免会被人误解为故意设套，但是当“盗窃”一词从C先生口中说出之后，人们像飞蛾扑火似的纷纷出现在指定地点，先是黑尔夫妇；后面跟着米勒一家，尽管其长大成人的女儿已大学毕业三年，仍旧啃老住在父母家；还有杰克逊夫妇、弗林车夫妇、崴根好佛夫妇、海伦夫妇、克拉克夫妇以及哈格林杜普里亚夫妇。“来宾们，” C先生宣布：“我长话短说，如果你偷了东西，那么请举手。”没人举手。然后C先生拿出盒子给大家看，只有两个人看后有所反应，他们是结婚差不多有四十年之久的索尔肯夫妇，传说今天是他俩的结婚周年纪念日，他们住在与迈克家相隔几处房子以远的地方。索尔肯太太说：“盒子里有一个戒指，那是曾曾曾祖父母传给我的，它隐含许多记忆，我无法想象这个传家宝从我手中丢失，如果真是那样，我会为自己感到羞愧！” 索尔肯先生紧紧拥抱她，藉之深表安慰之情，然后转过身来面对大家。“我要找到这个戒指，” 索尔肯先生说：“在破案方面我有经验！”没错，迈克陷入沉思，索尔肯先生年轻时曾是一位侦探，可以说他是桑树街的夏洛克·福尔摩斯，唯一能难倒他的问题恐怕只有微积分。“当务之急，先来看犯罪现场！” 索尔肯先生提高嗓门说道。

        房间摆设保持原样完全，与迈克发现空盒子并无任何差异。“这样好了，首先，除了检查人员以外，我需要每个人都到楼下去。”索尔肯先生以命令口吻说：“来吧，动作快点！加油！我们可不想花上一整天时间！”他要求迈克与莎拉详细介绍所见所闻，迈克回忆起当时与莎拉共同目睹一幕，莎拉插话补充迈克忽略的细节，并同时发表个人见解。索尔肯先生对他俩的描述表示感谢，并允许两人回到听众席上。正当迈克朝人群走去，只见朱莉娅安安静静地站在角落里，与往常判若两人，她好像有意避开公众视线。“不是我干的，我发誓！”“也不是我干的！”迈克的注意力从朱莉娅身上转移到其他人争吵上来。“我一直躲在楼下，”克拉克先生郑重申明：“这不可能是我！” “我从来不做这种事！”海伦太太喊道。莎拉不愿再谈什么，独自走进一间没人的房间想坐下来清静一会。索尔肯先生又开始发话：“嘿来宾们，我已经想出找到小偷的办法，这个小装置可以用来辨认指纹，里面的指纹将与你们其中一位相吻合，现在我要去取袋子里装的电池，等我回来以后，立刻扫描查找罪犯。”随后他把迈克拉到一边小声说道：“迈克，我离开期间，你要把它藏到屋里壁橱中，如果有人来动这个盒子，你就站出来道出名字，这里全靠你了。”迈克点点头，因为他知道其中的玄机。做贼心虚，窃贼肯定会溜进房间，试图擦干净盒子，只要没留下指纹，指纹扫描仪就无据可查。但根本就没有什么扫描仪，然而迈克需要做的就是留在屋内守株待兔，只要有人进来，那人肯定是小偷。迈克钻进壁橱，等呀、等呀、等呀、不停地等。终于，门口被影子遮住，接着真人现身，是萨拉，她环视了一下房间，锁定目标后动手打开橱门。“迈克，我猜你在这里，当然也知道你想干什么。假如有人露面，我想亲眼看见小偷的模样。”迈克点了点头，因为担心动静太大而没敢吱声。壁橱超大，足以容下十个人左右，莎拉钻了进来，这时另一人影闪进房间，那人带着手套，扫了一眼四周。迈克和萨拉屏住呼吸，眼瞅着那人径直朝扫描仪走来，先打开盒子，然后再从口袋里掏出手纸仔细擦拭戒指垫子，迈克猜测这人恐怕就是小偷。“嘿！”迈克迅速从壁橱窜了出来，大声疾呼：“举起手来！”那人尖叫了一声，迈克马上识别出这一声音，原来小偷是朱莉娅。

        “怎么是你，朱莉娅？”C先生吼道：“你怎么能干这种事！”人们一听到喊声都涌了过来，朱莉娅眼见事情败露只好坦白交待：“爸爸，它很漂亮！我想要它！除了它，我什么都不想要！”快乐今宵就这样落下帷幕，客人们先后离去，迈克一家也打算道别。晚会期间，朱莉娅一直把戒指放在衣兜里，因为赃物在身而使她沉默寡言。迈克现场抓贼时，她摔倒在地，戒指从衣兜里掉了出来。到此为止悬案已告一段落，既然水落石出，也就无需进一步讨论朱莉娅是不是小偷的问题。人们很快各奔东西，索尔肯夫妇带回戒指。第二天，豪宅前立了牌子，上面写着科尼利厄斯一家要搬家，没人真正关心此事，因为桑树街的居民仍然沉浸在昨晚快乐时光中。

Farm Field @ Ridley Creek State Park

(小海龟溪宾州州立公园·农田 09-16-2007)

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