The Neighbor
英语小故事：邻居
I laid poolside perfecting my tan for the start of school next month, mom was in the kitchen cooking her famous fettuccine alfredo and dad was on the way home with a movie from Redbox. My life was perfect, but everything was about to change with the arrival of a new neighbor next door.
下个月就要开学了, 我躺在游泳池边晒日光浴, 争取让肤色看起来更完美. 妈妈正在厨房里煮她拿手的阿尔弗雷多白脱奶油意面, 而爸爸正带着Redbox(美国著名的光碟出租服务公司) 的电影回家。我的生活很完美，但是随着隔壁一个新邻居的到来, 一切都改变了。
He was a former police officer, probably mid 50’s, possessed a firm drill sergeant like tone, but was very friendly and talkative. Initially, he seemed like a good fit for the neighborhood. He was cordial, always made an effort to wave or say hi and the presence of someone with a law enforcement background provided a sense of security. But things began to unravel quickly and the catalyst seemed to be me.
他曾是一名警官, 年纪大约50多岁, 语调如同警长般沉稳又坚定, 但他非常友好和健谈。起初他看起来很适合这个社区, 很亲切, 总是主动向大家挥手或问好, 而且有执法背景的人的存在也让大家有了更多安全感。但好景不长, 似乎是因我引发了后面的事情。
My neighbor took a sudden and keen interest in me. Whenever I went outside I could feel his eyes examining me. He would always wander over and try to start conversations with me, but as soon as he heard or saw my parents he would leave. He asked me if I had any social media accounts. When I lied and said no, he asked if he could take a picture of me and proceeded to snap a pic before I could reply.
邻居突然对我产生了浓厚的兴趣。每当我走到外面, 都会感觉到他在注视着我。他总是在周边徘徊并尝试与我谈话, 但是一旦他看到或听到我父母的声音, 就会立刻离开。他还曾问我是否有社交媒体帐户,我撒谎否认了。他问是否可以给我拍张照片, 可我还没回应他就按下了拍照。
I felt completely unnerved and frightened about his intentions for me. For all I knew we could have a murderer or pedophile living a mere feet from our home. I knew I needed to delve deeper, so one night I aimed my telescope at his window and what I saw only amplified the alarm bells going off in my head. This man was fixated on the picture of me on his phone and I could even see a small stack of photos on his night stand, a young girl’s image on top. My blood ran cold as this all but confirmed my fear, he must be a pedophile.
他的行为企图让我感到十分不安和恐惧。在我看来, 他很有可能是个杀人犯或恋童癖者, 而且离我家仅几步之遥! 我想要更深入地调查, 于是在某天晚上，我用望远镜对准了他的窗户, 但所看到的东西让我头脑中疯狂响起了警报声。他正凝视着手机上我的照片, 在他的床头柜上还能看到一小叠照片，最上面是一个年轻女孩。我感到不寒而栗, 所有这一切证实了我的猜测, 他是个恋童癖者!
The next night I saw him sneakily rummaging through our trash can. I watched in horror and disbelief as he removed my used tampon, got into his car and sped off in the night. This was the final straw. I knew that in the morning I would have to alert my parents and get in contact with police.
第二天晚上，我看到他偷偷摸摸地翻遍我家的垃圾桶。我惊恐地看着他拿走我用过的卫生棉条, 并飞快地开车离去。我的内心崩溃了, 我明天早上必须提醒父母, 赶快报警。
I awoke to the sound of police sirens and a loud commotion downstairs. I hopped out of bed and saw my parents being taken away in handcuffs. I started screaming and crying as I rushed towards the door, but I was stopped by the neighbor. With a horrified expression he muttered “I’m so sorry. Those aren’t your real parents. You were kidnapped and missing for the past 14 years. DNA test confirmed it”.
转天早上, 我被警笛声和楼下的喧闹声惊醒。我跳下了床, 看到父母被拷上了手铐带走。我尖叫哭喊着冲向大门想要拦住他们, 但邻居阻止了我。他不安地喃喃道：“我很抱歉, 他们不是你真正的父母。你被绑架并失踪了14年, DNA测试证实了这一切。”
