第3章 那些烂漫的天真

When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you anymore.But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you,they love you even more.

当你把一些关于自己的不好的事情告诉别人时，你生怕他们不再爱你了。然而，你却惊喜地发现他们不但爱你如故，而且爱得更深了。

Little Prince　小王子

◎Antoine de Saiot-Exupery

It was then that the fox appeared.

"Good morning,"said the fox.

"Good morning,"the little prince responded politely,although when he turned around he saw nothing.

"I am right here,"the voice said,"under the apple tree."

"Who are you?"asked the little prince,and added,"You are very pretty to look at."

"I am a fox,"the fox said.

"Come and play with me,"proposed the little prince."I am so unhappy."

"I cannot play with you,"the fox said."I am not tamed."

"Ah!Please excuse me,"said the little prince.

But,after some thought,he added:

"What does that mean—"tame"?"

"You do not live here,"said the fox."What is it that you are looking for?"

"I am looking for men,"said the little prince."What does that mean—"tame"?"

"Men,"said the fox."They have guns,and they hunt.It is very disturbing.They also raise chickens.These are their only interests.Are you looking for chickens?"

"No,"said the little prince."I am looking for friends.What does that mean—"tame"?"

"It is an act too often neglected,"said the fox."It means to establish ties."

"'To establish ties'?"

"Just that,"said the fox."To me,you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys.And I have no need of you.And you,on your part,have no need of me.To you,I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes.But if you tame me,then we shall need each other.To me,you will be unique in all the world.To you,I shall be unique in all the world..."

"I am beginning to understand,"said the little prince."There is a flower...I think that she has tamed me..."

"It is possible,"said the fox."On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."

"Oh,but this is not on the Earth!"said the little prince.

The fox seemed perplexed,and very curious.

"On another planet?"

"Yes."

"Are there hunters on that planet?"

"No."

"Ah,that is interesting!Are there chickens?"

"No."

"Nothing is perfect,"sighed the fox.

But he came back to his idea.

"My life is very monotonous,"the fox said."I hunt chickens;men hunt me.All the chickens are just alike,and all the men are just alike.And,in consequence,I am a little bored.But if you tame me,it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life.I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others.Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground.Yours will call me,like music,out of my burrow.And then look:you see the grain-fields down yonder?I do not eat bread.Wheat is of no use to me.The wheat fields have nothing to say to me.And that is sad.But you have hair that is the color of gold.Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me!The grain,which is also golden,will bring me back the thought of you.And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..."

The fox gazed at the little prince,for a long time.

"Please—tame me!"he said.

"I want to,very much,"the little prince replied."But I have not much time.I have friends to discover,and a great many things to understand."

"One only understands the things that one tames,"said the fox."Men have no more time to understand anything.They buy things all ready made at the shops.But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship,and so men have no friends any more.If you want a friend,tame me..."

"What must I do,to tame you?"asked the little prince.

"You must be very patient,"replied the fox."First you will sit down at a little distance from me—like that—in the grass.I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye,and you will say nothing.Words are the source of misunderstandings.But you will sit a little closer to me,every day..."

The next day the little prince came back.

"It would have been better to come back at the same hour,"said the fox."If,for example,you come at four o'clock in the afternoon,then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy.I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances.At four o'clock,I shall already be worrying and jumping about.I shall show you how happy I am!But if you come at just any time,I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you...One must observe the proper rites..."

"What is a rite?"asked the little prince.

"Those also are actions too often neglected,"said the fox."They are what make one day different from other days,one hour from other hours.There is a rite,for example,among my hunters.Every Thursday they dance with the village girls.So Thursday is a wonderful day for me!I can take a walk as far as the vineyards.But if the hunters danced at just any time,every day would be like every other day,and I should never have any vacation at all."

So the little prince tamed the fox.And when the hour of his departure drew near—

"Ah,"said the fox,"I shall cry."

"It is your own fault,"said the little prince."I never wished you any sort of harm;but you wanted me to tame you..."

"Yes,that is so,"said the fox.

"But now you are going to cry!"said the little prince.

"Yes,that is so,"said the fox.

"Then it has done you no good at all!"

"It has done me good,"said the fox,"because of the color of the wheat fields."And then he added:

"Go and look again at the roses.You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world.Then come back to say goodbye to me,and I will make you a present of a secret."

The little prince went away,to look again at the roses.

"You are not at all like my rose,"he said."As yet you are nothing.No one has tamed you,and you have tamed no one.You are like my fox when I first knew him.He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes.But I have made him my friend,and now he is unique in all the world."

And the roses were very much embarrassed.

"You are beautiful,but you are empty,"he went on."One could not die for you.To be sure,an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you—the rose that belongs to me.But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses:because it is she that I have watered;because it is she that I have put under the glass globe;because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen;because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars(except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies);because it is she that I have listened to,when she grumbled,or boasted,or ever sometimes when she said nothing.Because she is my rose."

And he went back to meet the fox.

"Goodbye,"he said.

"Goodbye,"said the fox."And now here is my secret,a very simple secret:It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;what is essential is invisible to the eye."

"What is essential is invisible to the eye,"the little prince repeated,so that he would be sure to remember.

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."

"It is the time I have wasted for my rose—"said the little prince,so that he would be sure to remember.

"Men have forgotten this truth,"said the fox."But you must not forget it.You become responsible,forever,for what you have tamed.You are responsible for your rose..."

"I am responsible for my rose,"the little prince repeated,so that he would be sure to remember.

这时，一只狐狸出现了。

“早上好。”狐狸说。

“早上好。”小王子十分有礼貌地回答。可当他转过头去时，却什么也没看到。

“我在这儿，在苹果树的下面呢！”一个声音传来。

“你是谁？”小王子问。他又接着说：“你看起来好漂亮啊！”

“我是一只狐狸。”狐狸说。

小王子提议：“来跟我一起玩吧！我现在很不开心。”

狐狸回答道：“恐怕我不能跟你一起玩。因为我还没有被驯养。”

“啊！对不起。”小王子说。

可是，他想了一会儿，说道：

“什么叫做‘驯养’呀？”

“你不是这里的人吧！”狐狸说。“你在找什么？”

“我在找人，”小王子说，“那什么叫做‘驯养’呢？”

“人！”狐狸说。“人类有枪，他们会打猎。真是讨厌极了。可是人类会养鸡，那是他们唯一的爱好。你在找鸡吗？”

“不是，”小王子回答道，“我在找朋友。什么叫做‘驯养’啊？”

“那是一件常常被人们遗忘的事情。”狐狸说。“驯养就是建立一种关系的意思。”

“建立一种关系？”

“对呀，”狐狸说，“对我而言，你只是一个小男孩，就像其他千千万万个小男孩一样。我不需要你，同样你也不需要我。对你来说，我只是一只狐狸，就像其他千千万万只狐狸一样。但是，如果你驯养了我，我们将会彼此需要。那么对我来说，你就是世上独一无二的了。而我也会成为你的唯一……”

“我有点明白了，”小王子说，“有一朵花……我想她已经驯养了我……”

“很有可能，”狐狸说，“地球上什么样的事都有可能发生。”

“噢！可这件事并不是发生在地球上！”小王子说。

狐狸很困惑，也很好奇。

“在另一个星球上？”

“对呀。”

“那个星球上有猎人吗？”

“没有。”

“啊！好有趣！那儿有鸡吗？”

“没有。”

“世上没有完美的事情。”狐狸叹了一口气。

狐狸马上又接上刚才的话题。

“我的生活十分无趣，”狐狸说，“我追捕鸡，而猎人追捕我。所有的鸡都长得很像，所有的猎人也都长得差不多。因此，我觉得有点厌烦了。但是，如果你驯养了我，我的生活就会充满阳光。你的脚步声对我来说是与众不同的。其他人的脚步声只会让我急忙躲到地底下。而你的脚步声就像音乐一样，将我召唤出洞穴。那么，你看到远处的那片麦田了吗？我不吃面包。对我来说，麦子是毫无价值的。关于麦田，我也无话可说。这听起来似乎很可悲。但是，你有一头金色的头发。如果你驯养了我，那该多么美好啊！金黄色的麦穗就能让我想起你。我也会喜欢倾听风儿拂动麦穗的声音……”

狐狸盯着小王子，看了许久。

“求求你——驯养我吧！”狐狸央求道。

“我很想，”小王子回答，“可我没有太多时间。我想交朋友，我还想弄懂很多事情呢！”

“你只能了解你所驯养的东西，”狐狸说，“人类没有多余的时间去了解其他东西。他们从商店里购买现成的。但是，没有商店出售友谊，所以人类没有朋友。如果你想交朋友，那就驯养我吧……”

“如果想要驯养你，我该做些什么呢？”小王子问道。

“你必须要非常有耐心，”狐狸回答，“首先，你必须坐得离我远一点，就像那样，坐在不远处的草丛里。我会不经意地瞟你一眼。这时，你千万别多说什么，因为言语会造成误会。这样，你就可以一天天地靠近我了……”

第二天，小王子又来了。

“要是你每天来的时间都一样，那就好了。”狐狸说，“比如说，如果你下午四点来，那么三点开始我就会很开心。随着时间一分一秒临近，我会越来越开心。到了四点的时候，我会变得坐立不安。我要在你面前表现得十分开心。但是，如果你来的时间飘忽不定，我就不知道该在什么时候准备好迎接你的心情了……毕竟，小小的迎接仪式还是需要的……”

“什么是仪式呢？”小王子问道。

“这也是一些很容易被遗忘的事情，”狐狸说，“仪式能让某个日子和其他日子不同，让某个时刻和其他时刻不同。比如说，那些追捕我的猎人就有一种仪式。每个星期四，他们就会和村子里的女孩们一起跳舞。所以呀，对我来说，星期四就是个美好的日子！我可以散步，一直散到葡萄园那儿。然而，如果猎人们不定时来跳舞，天天都那样，那我永远也不会有假日了。”

就这样，小王子驯养了那只狐狸。当分别的时刻慢慢临近时——

“啊！”狐狸说，“我好想哭。”

“这就是你自己的错了，”小王子说，“我从来没想过要伤害你，是你让我驯养你的……”

“是啊，你说的没错。”狐狸说。

“但是现在你开始哭了！”小王子说。

“是啊，你说的没错。”狐狸说。

“看来驯养并没给你带来什么好处啊！”

“有好处的，”狐狸说，“因为金黄色的麦田。”过了一会，狐狸又接着说：

“去看看那些玫瑰吧！这样你就会明白你的那朵玫瑰是独一无二的。然后你再回来和我告别。到时我再告诉你一个秘密，作为礼物。”

小王子离开了。他要去看看那些玫瑰。

“你根本就不是我的玫瑰，”他说，“因为你们对我来说什么都不是。没人驯养你们，而你们也没驯养过任何人。你们就像我的狐狸以前那样。他跟其他千千万万的狐狸没什么两样。但是，我已经和他成为了朋友，所以现在对我来说，他是世上独一无二的。”

玫瑰们尴尬极了。

“你们很美，但你们也很空虚，”他接着说，“没有一个人愿意为你们而死。当然了，一个普通的过路人也许会觉得你们跟那朵属于我的玫瑰很像。然而，单单一朵玫瑰就胜过你们全部。因为她是我精心浇灌的玫瑰；因为她是我放在玻璃灯罩下的玫瑰；因为她是我藏在保护板后面的玫瑰；为了她我愿意去打毛毛虫（只留下两三只，好让它们变成蝴蝶）；因为她是我愿意细心聆听的玫瑰，不管是牢骚，吹嘘或沉默。一切只因她是我的玫瑰。”

然后，小王子又回到了狐狸身边。

“再见。”他说。

“再见，”狐狸说，“我的秘密其实很简单：只有用心才能看清事物的本质。肉眼无法看到真正重要的东西。”

“肉眼无法看到真正重要的东西，”小王子重复着狐狸的话，想要把它记在心里。

“因为你倾注了很多心血在玫瑰身上，所以她才会那么重要。”

“因为我倾注了很多心血在玫瑰身上……”小王子重复着，生怕自己忘记。

“人类已然忘了这个真理，”狐狸说，“但你必须记住它。你要永远为你所驯养的东西负责。你要为你的玫瑰负责……”

“我要为我的玫瑰负责，”小王子重复着，他要让这句话深深地烙进心里。

美丽语录

Among those people that appear in our life,some are to teach us,some to comfort us,some to share and some to love.

在我们生命中出现的人，一些给我们上课，一些让我们痊愈，有的用来分担分享，有的用来真爱。

Peeling Away Artifice for the Pure Original　回归童真

◎Roy H.Barnacle

Sarah came running in."Look what I found."Over the top of the paper I was reading came a crispy,crumbling long object that caused me to jump.It was a snake skin that had been shed by one of our many garden snakes.

"Isn't it beautiful?"said my wide-eyed seven-year-old.

I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really wasn't that beautiful,but I have learned never to appear nonchalant or jaded with children.Everything they see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity;they see only merit and excellence in the world until educated otherwise.

"Why does it do this?"Sarah asked.

Robert,ever the innocent comedian,said,"We have a naked snake in our garden!"

I also try to customize every opportunity to teach my children that there is almost always something beyond the obvious;that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them."Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves."I explained.As it's so often the case in my family,the original subject leads to another and another,until we are discussing something quite different.

"Why do they need to renew themselves?"Sarah asked.

Robert quipped,"Cos they don't like who they are and they want to be someone else."

Sarah and I politely ignored her brother.I suddenly remembered an article on this page many years ago where the writer was expressing her concept of renewal.She used layers of paper over a wall to describe how we hide our original selves,and said that by peeling away those layers one by one;we see the underlying original beneath.

"We often need to shed our skins,those coatings and facades that we cover ourselves with."I said to my now absorbed daughter."We outgrow some things and find other stuff unwanted or unnecessary.This snake no longer needs this skin.It is probably too stiff and crinkly for him,and he probably doesn't think he looks as smart in it as he once did.Like buying a new suit."

Of course,I'm sure this explanation won't sit well with bona fide naturalists.But Sarah was getting the point.As we talked,I knew that she began to comprehend,albeit slightly,that renewal is part of progress;that we need to take a good look at ourselves,and our rooms and schoolwork and creativity and spirituality,and see what we need to keep and what we need to cast off.I was careful to point out that this is a natural process,not one to be forced.

"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it."I explained."It happens as a natural consequence of their growth."

"I see,Dad."said Sarah and jumped off my lap,grabbed the snakeskin,and ran off.

I hoped she would remember this.That often,in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture with which we cloak ourselves year after year,we need to start examining these layers.We need to gently peel some away,as we recognize them to be worthless,unnecessary,or flawed,or at best,store the discarded ones as mementoes of our promotion to a better vitality or spirit.

莎拉兴冲冲地跑了进来，“看我找到什么了。”那时我正在看书。突然，一个卷卷的、皱皱的、长长的东西出现在书上。我吓得跳了起来。定睛一看，原来是蛇皮，想必是花园中的哪条蛇蜕皮留下来的。

“是不是很漂亮呀？”7岁的小莎拉问道，两只眼睛睁得大大的。

我盯着那块自然脱落的蛇皮，心想：“它真的没那么漂亮。”然而，我早就学会了不在孩子面前表现出冷漠和腻烦。因为对孩子而言，与世间万物的第一次亲密接触会影响他们的审美观和创造性。未被教导如何辨认世间丑恶之前，他们眼中的世界只有美德和功绩。

“蛇为什么要蜕皮呢？”莎拉问道。

罗伯特，这个曾经做过天真喜剧演员的人答道，“这样我们的花园里就有了一条没穿衣服的蛇啦！”

我也会抓住每一次机会告诉我的孩子：有些事情他们可能常常无法理解；除了呈现在他们眼前的东西，另外一些事情也正在悄然发生。“蛇蜕皮是为了替自己换上一套新衣服呀！”我这样解释道。在我们家，这样的情况时常发生：最初的话题却能引出许许多多各不相同的话题。直到最后，我们讨论的居然是一个截然不同的新话题。

“为什么它们要换上新衣服呢？”莎拉问道。

“因为它们不喜欢自己的样子，它们想要变成别人呗！”罗伯特很不屑地答道。

我和莎拉很委婉地就把她的哥哥晾在一旁。突然间，我想起多年前在这本书上看到的一篇文章。文章的作者十分巧妙地表达了自己对于“更新”的理解。她用一层层墙纸来描述我们是如何隐藏最真实的自我。用她的话说，将这些墙纸一层层撕下时，我们看到的就是深埋其中的纯真自我。

“我们常常需要脱去那些用来自我掩饰的外在的东西。”我这样向我那个全神贯注的女儿解释。“我们会长出一些新的东西。这样，我们就会觉得其他一些东西是无用的，多余的。这条蛇就是不再需要这身皮了。也许是因为这身皮太硬太皱。或者，它觉得自己穿上这身衣服时不再像以前那样英俊潇洒。总之啊，它就像是给自己买了一套新衣服！”

当然，我深知这样的解释无法让真正的自然主义者满意。但莎拉明白了。谈话过程中，我意识到她已然开始浅浅地领悟着：“更新”意味着进步；我们必须仔细审视自己、房间、家庭作业、创造性和灵魂。看看哪些值得保留，而哪些应该摒弃。我小心翼翼地告诉她，这是一种自然的过程，而不是被迫的结果。

“如果蛇喜欢它的皮，它就不会蜕皮的。”我解释道。“蜕皮是蛇成长过程中自然而然产生的结果。”

“爸爸，我明白啦！”莎拉一边说一边从我的膝上跳下。她抓起那块蛇皮，跑开了。

我希望她能记住我说过的这些话。通常，为了找寻深埋于社会和文化里的纯真自我，我们必须开始审视这些外在的东西。当我们意识到它们已然毫无价值，不再有用，不再完美时，我们就该将其轻轻地脱去。或者，最好将这些逝去的美好封存起来，找到纯真的自我供我们回味！

美丽语录

Be yourself.That's when you're beautiful.

做你自己，那才是你的美丽时刻。

A Mad Tea-party　发疯的茶会

◎Lewis Carroll

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house,and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it:a Dormouse was sitting between them,fast asleep,and the other two were using it as a cushion,resting their elbows on it,and talking over its head."Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,"thought Alice;"only,as it's asleep,I suppose it doesn't mind."

The table was a large one,but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it."No room!No room!"they cried out when they saw Alice coming.

"There's plenty of room!"said Alice indignantly,and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

"Have some wine,"the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table,but there was nothing on it but tea."I don't see any wine,"she remarked.

"There isn't any,"said the March Hare.

"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,"said Alice angrily.

"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,"said the March Hare.

"I didn't know it was your table,"said Alice;"it's laid for a great many more than three."

"Your hair wants cutting,"said the Hatter.He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity,and this was his first speech.

"You should learn not to make personal remarks,"Alice said with some severity;"it's very rude."

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this;but all he said was,"Why is a raven like a writing-desk?"

"Come,we shall have some fun now!"thought Alice."I'm glad they've begun asking riddles.—I believe I can guess that,"she added aloud.

"Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?"said the March Hare.

"Exactly so,"said Alice.

"Then you should say what you mean,"the March Hare went on.

"I do,"Alice hastily replied;"at least—at least I mean what I say—that's the same thing,you know."

"Not the same thing a bit!"said the Hatter."You might just as well say that"I see what I eat'is the same thing as"I eat what I see"!"

"You might just as well say,"added the March Hare,"that"I like what I get'is the same thing as"I get what I like"!"

"You might just as well say,"added the Dormouse,who seemed to be talking in his sleep,"that"I breathe when I sleep'is the same thing as"I sleep when I breathe"!"

"It is the same thing with you,"said the Hatter,and here the conversation dropped,and the party sat silent for a minute,while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks,which wasn't much.

The Hatter was the first to break the silence."What day of the month is it?"he said,turning to Alice:he had taken his watch out of his pocket,and was looking at it uneasily,shaking it every now and then,and holding it to his ear.

Alice considered a little,and then said"The fourth."

"Two days wrong!"sighed the Hatter."I told you butter wouldn't suit the works!"he added looking angrily at the March Hare.

"It was the best butter,"the March Hare meekly replied.

"Yes,but some crumbs must have got in as well,"the Hatter grumbled,"you shouldn't have put it in with the bread-knife."

The March Hare took the watch and looked at it gloomily;then he dipped it into his cup of tea,and looked at it again;but he could think of nothing better to say than his first remark,"It was the best butter,you know."

Alice had been looking over his shoulder with some curiosity."What a funny watch!"she remarked."It tells the day of the month,and doesn't tell what o'clock it is!"

"Why should it?"muttered the Hatter."Does your watch tell you what year it is?"

"Of course not,"Alice replied very readily,"but that's because it stays the same year for such a long time together."

"Which is just the case with mine,"said the Hatter.

Alice felt dreadfully puzzled.The Hatter's remark seemed to have no sort of meaning in it,and yet it was certainly English."I don't quite understand you,"she said,as politely as she could.

"The Dormouse is asleep again,"said the Hatter,and he poured a little hot tea upon its nose.

The Dormouse shook its head impatiently,and said,without opening its eyes,"Of course,of course;just what I was going to remark myself."

"Have you guessed the riddle yet?"the Hatter said,turning to Alice again.

"No,I give it up,"Alice replied,"what's the answer?"

"I haven't the slightest idea,"said the Hatter.

"Nor I."said the March Hare.

Alice sighed wearily."I think you might do something better with the time,"she said,"than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers."

"If you knew Time as well as I do,"said the Hatter,"you wouldn't talk about wasting it.It's him."

"I don't know what you mean,"said Alice.

"Of course you don't!"the Hatter said,tossing his head contemptuously."I dare say you never even spoke to Time!"

"Perhaps not,"Alice cautiously replied,"but I know I have to beat time when I learn music."

"Ah!That accounts for it,"said the Hatter."He won't stand beating.Now,if you only kept on good terms with him,he'd do almost anything you liked with the clock.For instance,suppose it were nine o'clock in the morning,just time to begin lessons;you'd only have to whisper a hint to Time,and round goes the clock in a twinkling!Half-past one,time for dinner!"

"I only wish it was,"the March Hare said to itself in a whisper.

"That would be grand,certainly,"said Alice thoughtfully,"but then—I shouldn't be hungry for it,you know."

"Not at first,perhaps,"said the Hatter,"but you could keep it to half-past one as long as you liked."

"Is that the way you manage?"Alice asked.

The Hatter shook his head mournfully."Not I!"he replied."We quarreled last March—just before he went mad,you know—"(pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare),"—it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts,and I had to sing:

‘Twinkle,twinkle,little bat!How I wonder what you're at!’

"You know the song,perhaps?"

"I've heard something like it."said Alice.

"It goes on,you know,"the Hatter continued,"in this way—

"Up above the world you fly,like a tea-tray in the sky.Twinkle,twinkle—""

Here the Dormouse shook itself,and began singing in its sleep"Twinkle,twinkle,twinkle,twinkle—"and went on so long that they had to pinch it to make it stop.

"Well,I'd hardly finished the first verse,"said the Hatter,"when the Queen jumped up and bawled out,"He's murdering the time!Off with his head!"

"How dreadfully savage!"exclaimed Alice.

"And ever since that,"the Hatter went on in a mournful tone,"he won't do a thing I ask!It's always six o'clock now."

A bright idea came into Alice's head."Is that the reason so many tea-things are put out here?"she asked.

"Yes,that's it,"said the Hatter with a sigh:"it's always tea-time,and we've no time to wash the things between whiles."

"Then you keep moving round,I suppose?"said Alice.

"Exactly so,"said the Hatter:"as the things get used up."

"But what happens when you come to the beginning again?"Alice ventured to ask.

"Suppose we change the subject,"the March Hare interrupted,yawning."I'm getting tired of this.I vote the young lady tells us a story."

From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

屋前的大树下摆放着一张桌子。三月兔和帽匠正在桌旁喝茶。一只睡鼠在他们中间酣睡着。可那两个家伙却把睡鼠当成垫子，把胳膊支在它身上，而且就在它的头上聊天。“睡鼠应该很不舒服吧！”爱丽丝想，“可它睡着了，也就不在乎了吧！”

桌子很大，可他们三个都挤在桌子的一角。“没地方啦！没地方啦！”他们看见爱丽丝走过来就开始大声嚷嚷。

“这儿有的是地方呀！”爱丽丝生气地说道。接着她就在桌子一端的大扶手椅上坐了下来。

“想喝酒吗？”三月兔热情地问道。

爱丽丝扫视了一下桌面，发现除了茶什么也没有。“我没看见酒！”爱丽丝回答。

“这儿根本没有酒。”三月兔说。

“那你邀请我喝酒也太不礼貌了。”爱丽丝生气地说道。

“那你没有受到邀请就坐下来也是不太礼貌的。”三月兔说。

“我不知道这是你的桌子，”爱丽丝说，“这张桌子可以坐下好多人呢！远远不止三个。”

“你的头发该剪了。”帽匠说。他十分好奇地看了爱丽丝一会儿。这是他第一次开口说话。

“你必须懂得不要随便评论别人，”爱丽丝一脸严肃地说道，“这是很不礼貌的。”

听到这句话，帽匠的眼睛睁得大大的。最后他说：“一只乌鸦为什么像一张写字台呢？”

“来吧！现在我们有好玩的事了！”爱丽丝想，“我很高兴他们开始猜谜语了。”“我觉得我能猜出来。”她接着大声说道。

“你的意思是你找到这个谜语的答案了？”三月兔说。

“没错。”爱丽丝说。

“那你说说你的想法吧！”三月兔接着说。

“我就是这样的，”爱丽丝急忙回答，“至少……至少凡是我说的就是我想的，你也知道这是一回事。”

“根本不是一回事！”帽匠说，“那么你说‘凡是我吃的东西我都能看见’跟‘凡是我看见的东西我都能吃’是一样的？”

三月兔补了一句：“那样的话，‘我得到的东西我都喜欢’跟‘我喜欢的东西我都能得到’也是一样的咯？”

睡鼠也说了一句，就像说梦话那样：“也就是说‘我睡觉时要呼吸’跟‘我呼吸时要睡觉’也是一样的啦！”

“这对你来说还真是一样。”帽匠接着睡鼠的话说道。谈话告一段落，大家沉默了一会儿。这时，爱丽丝费劲脑汁想着有关乌鸦和写字台的事，可她知道的实在不多。

帽匠最先打破沉默，“今天是几号呀？”他一面问爱丽丝，一面从口袋里掏出一只怀表，不安地看着，还不停地摇晃，拿到耳朵旁听听。

爱丽丝想了想说：“四号。”

“错了两天！”帽匠叹了一口气，“我跟你说过不该加黄油的！”他生气地瞪着三月兔说。

“这是最好的黄油了。”三月兔弱弱地解释。

“没错。可一些面包屑也掉进去了，”帽匠抱怨着，“你不该把黄油和切面包的刀放在一起。”

三月兔从帽匠手里接过手表看了看，他懊恼极了。接着他把表泡在自己的茶杯里，过了一会又拿起来看了看。但是，除了刚开始说的那句“这是最好的黄油”之外，他再也无话可说了。

爱丽丝好奇地透过他的肩膀看了看。“好奇怪的表！”她说，“它能告诉我们几月几号，却不能告诉我们几点！”

“为什么要告诉时间？”帽匠嘀咕着，“你的手表能告诉你今年是哪一年吗？”

“当然不能啦！”爱丽丝胸有成竹地答道，“那是因为年份在很长时间内都是不变的。”

“这也是我的表无法说明时间的原因。”帽匠说。

爱丽丝困惑极了。帽匠的话听起来似乎没有任何意义，但不可否认他说的是标准的英语。“我不是很明白你说的话。”她尽可能礼貌地说道。

“睡鼠又睡着了。”帽匠说。然后他在睡鼠的鼻子上倒了一点热茶。

睡鼠急忙晃了晃头，还没睁开眼睛就说：“当然，当然，这正是我要说的。”

“你猜出这个谜语了吗？”帽匠再一次问爱丽丝。

“还没呢！我猜不出来。”爱丽丝回答，“谜底是什么？”

“我也不知道。”帽匠说。

“我也不知道。”三月兔说。

爱丽丝轻轻地叹了一口气说：“我觉得你们可以做一些更有意义的事情，不应该把时间浪费在没有谜底的谜语上。”

“如果你也像我一样熟悉时间，”帽匠说，“你就不会喊它‘宝贵的时间’而会是‘老朋友’了。”

“我不明白你说的是什么意思。”爱丽丝说。

“你当然不明白啦！”帽匠很得意地晃着头说，“我敢说你从来没有跟时间对话过。”

“好像没有。”爱丽丝小心翼翼地回答，“可我在学唱歌的时候总是按着时间打拍子的。”

“啊！糟糕了。”帽匠说，“他最讨厌人家打他了。现在，如果你跟他保持友好关系，他会为你做任何事情，他能让钟表乖乖听你的话。就比如说吧，假设现在是早上九点，是你上学的时间。这时你只要对时间说上一句悄悄话，钟表上的时间就会马上显示为下午一点半，就变成吃饭的时间啦！”

“我真希望这是真的。”三月兔轻声地自言自语着。

“如果真是那样就好了。”爱丽丝若有所思地说，“可那时候我还不饿的话怎么办？”

“刚开始的时候是不饿，”帽匠说，“但是只要你喜欢，你可以让时钟一直停留在一点半。”

“你就是这样做的吗？”爱丽丝问。

帽匠伤心地摇了摇头回答：“我再也不能那样做了。三月份的时候我和时间吵架了，就是在他发疯前——”（他用自己的茶匙指着三月兔），“记得那是在红心皇后举办的一次大型音乐会上，我演唱了：

‘一闪一闪的小蝙蝠！我多想知道你在哪儿！’”？

“你听过这首歌吗？”

“我好像听过类似的歌。”爱丽丝说。

“我接着唱，”帽匠继续说道，“就像这样——

‘你飞翔于天际，就像一只盘旋在空中的茶盘。闪呀，闪呀……’”

这时睡鼠摇了摇身体，在睡梦中唱了起来：“闪呀，闪呀，闪呀，闪呀……”睡鼠唱得太久了，直到他们捅了他一下才停下来。

“我还没唱完第一段呢，”帽匠说，“皇后就大喊‘他简直是在糟蹋时间，把他的头砍下来！’”

“太残忍了吧！”爱丽丝嚷道。

“就是从那以后，”帽匠伤心地接着说，“时间再也不愿为我做任何事情了。它就一直停留在六点钟。”

爱丽丝的脑中突然闪现一个好主意：“这就是为什么这儿有这么多茶具吗？”她问。

“对呀，就是这个缘故。”帽匠叹了一口气说，“我们只有喝茶的时间，却没有洗茶具的时间。”

“所以你们才围着桌子转？”爱丽丝说。

“没错。”帽匠说，“只要茶具脏了，我们就挪到下一个位置。”

“可是你们转回到第一个位置时又该怎么办呢？”爱丽丝进一步问道。

“我们换个话题吧！”三月兔打了一个哈欠，打断了他们的谈话，“我都听烦了。让小姑娘讲个故事吧！”

摘自《爱丽丝漫游奇境记》

美丽语录

Use your smile to change the world.Don't let the world change your smile.

用你的笑容去改变这个世界，别让这个世界改变了你的笑容。

Information Please　在别的世界里歌唱

◎Paul Villard

When I was quite young,my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood.I remember well the polished,old case fastened to the wall.The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.I was too little to reach the telephone,but used to listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to it.Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person her name was"Information Please"and there was nothing she did not know."Information Please"could supply anybody's number and the correct time.

My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor.Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement,I whacked my finger with a hammer.The pain was terrible,but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger,finally arriving at the stairway.

The telephone!Quickly,I ran for the foot stool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing.Climbing up,I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear."Information Please,"I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear,"Information."

"I hurt my finger..."I wailed into the phone.The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?"came the question.

"Nobody's home but me,"I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?"the voice asked.

"No,"I replied."I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."

"Can you open your icebox?"she asked.I said I could."Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger."said the voice.

After that,I called"Information Please"for everything.I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was.She helped me with my math.She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before,would eat fruit and nuts.Then,there was the time Petey,our pet canary died.I called"Information Please"and told her the sad story.She listened,then said the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child.But I was unconsoled.I asked her,"Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families,only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"She must have sensed my deep concern,for she said quietly,"Paul,always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone."Information Please."

"Information."said the now familiar voice.

"How do you spell fix?"I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.When I was nine years old,we moved across the country to Boston.I missed my friend very much."Information Please"belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the tall,shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.As I grew into my teens,the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.Often,in moments of doubt and perplexity,I would recall the serene sense of security I had then.I appreciated now how patient,understanding,and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later,on my way west to college,my plane put down in Seattle.I had about half-an-hour or so between planes.I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister,who lived there now.

Then,without thinking what I was doing,I dialed my hometown operator and said,"Information please."

Miraculously,I heard the small,clear voice I knew so well.

"Information."

I hadn't planned this,but I heard myself saying,"Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause.Then came the soft-spoken answer,"I guess your finger must have healed by now."

I laughed,"So it's really still you,"I said."I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."

"I wonder,"she said,"if you know how much your calls meant to me.I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do,"she said."Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle.A different voice answered,"Information."

I asked for Sally."Are you a friend?"she said.

"Yes,a very old friend."I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this,"she said."Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick.She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up she said,"Wait a minute.Is your name Paul?"

"Yes."

"Well,Sally left a message for you.She wrote it down in case you called.Let me read it to you."The note said,"Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in.He'll know what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up.I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.Whose life have you touched today?

当我年幼的时候，父亲是我们社区里第一个为家里装上电话的人。我还记得那个固定在墙上、擦得锃亮的旧式电话机，闪闪发亮的听筒挂在电话盒旁边。那时我太小，还够不着电话，倒是常常在母亲拿起它讲话时，在一旁听得入迷。后来，我发现就在这只神奇的盒子里，住着一个了不起的人，她的名字是“樱芙美心·葡丽丝”，而且她简直无所不知。“樱芙美心·葡丽丝”能答出任何人的电话号码，报出正确的时间。

我第一次与这“瓶中妖”的接触，是在妈妈去拜访一位邻居的那一天。我自己在地下室的工具凳上玩的时候，锤子砸到了我的手指头。当时痛极了，但看起来似乎没任何理由哭泣，因为家里除我之外别无他人，没有人会同情我。我吮吸着疼得钻心的指头，在房间里走来走去，最后来到了楼梯口。

电话！我快步冲向放在客厅的脚凳，把它拖到了楼梯口。爬上脚凳，摘下了听筒，我将听筒贴近我的耳边。“樱芙美心·葡丽丝，”我对准头上方的送话口说道。听筒里传来一两声嘟嘟声后，我的耳畔响起了一个清脆的声音。“樱芙美心。”

“我弄伤了手指……”我朝着话筒哭泣道，眼泪肆无忌惮地汹涌而出，我终于有了一个观众。

“妈妈不在家吗？”她问。

“没人在家，只有我一个人！”我哭得更伤心了。

“流血了吗？”那个声音又说道。

“没有，”我回答。“锤子砸到了我的手指头，好疼啊！”

“你能打开冰箱吗？”她问。我说可以。“那取出一小块冰来，然后敷在手指头上。”那个声音又说。

在那之后，不管有什么事，我都给“樱芙美心·葡丽丝”打电话。我问她地理，她就告诉我费城在哪里。她帮我补习数学。她告诉我，前天我在公园捉住的那只宠物花栗鼠想吃水果或坚果。后来，有一次我们的宠物金丝雀“皮蒂”死了。我又一次拨通了“樱芙美心·葡丽丝”，告诉她这个伤心的消息。她静静地听着，然后说了些大人常常安慰小孩子的话。但是，我并没得到宽慰。我问她：“为什么鸟儿唱歌那么好听，还把欢乐带给所有的家庭，可是死的时候却变成了蜷在笼底的一堆羽毛？”她一定感觉到了我深深的悲伤，因为她轻声说道：“保罗，一定要记住，它们还可以在别的世界里歌唱！”不知为什么，我感觉好多了。

一天，我再次来到了电话旁。“樱芙美心·葡丽丝。”

“樱芙美心，”耳边传来了熟悉的声音。

我问，“Fix怎么拼写？”

这一切发生在太平洋西北部的一个小镇上。当我9岁的时候，我们全家搬迁到了波士顿。我特别想念我的朋友。“樱芙美心·葡丽丝”永远属于老家的那个老式木盒子，不知为什么，我从没有想过去试试放在客厅桌上那个高高的、闪亮的新电话。当我到了十多岁的时候，那童年记忆的对话也从未从我的脑海中逝去。常常在我感到疑虑与困惑时，我会回想起那时拥有的那种宁静的安全感。我感激她在那个小男孩身上付出的时间，感激她的耐心、理解和善良。

几年后，在我奔赴西部去上大学的路上，我的飞机在西雅图降落。我有半小时的转机时间。我给住在那里的姐姐打了约15分钟的电话。

然后，还没有意识到自己在做什么，我就拨通了家乡小镇的接线员，说：“樱芙美心·葡丽丝。”

奇迹般地，我又听到了那清脆而温柔的无比熟悉的声音。

“樱芙美心。”

我本来并没打算这么做，但是我听见自己说：“你能告诉我怎么拼写fix吗？”

一阵长时间的沉寂。接下来是一个轻言细语的回答：“我猜你的小手指头现在一定痊愈了。”

我笑了，“所以，还真的是你！”我说，“你知不知道，在那个时候，你对我有多么重要。”

“我想，”她说，“你是否知道你的电话对我意味着什么。我没有孩子，所以常常期盼着你的电话。”

我告诉她，这些年我一直很想念她。我问她我再回来看姐姐时，是否还能打电话给她。

她欣然许诺：“当然啦！找萨莉就行！”

三个月后，我再次回到西雅图。接电话的是一个不同的声音，“樱芙美心。”

我说我要找萨莉。她问：“你是她的朋友吗？”

“是的，很熟悉的老朋友。”我说。

“我很抱歉要告诉你，”她说，“萨莉病了好长时间了，所以过去几年来她一直做兼职。五个星期前她去世了。”

在我就要挂断电话前，她说：“等一等，你是不是叫保罗？”

“是。”

“对了，萨莉给你留了一张便条，她怕你万一打电话来。我读给你听。”便条上写着，“告诉他，我依然会说，还可以在别的世界里歌唱。他知道我的意思。”

我谢过她之后，挂上了电话。我明白萨莉的意思。

永远不要低估你给别人留下的印象。今天你又走进了谁的生活？

美丽语录

If you be loved,be worthy of love.

如果有人爱你，你就该做个值得人爱的人。

The Pure Love in the Kids'Eyes　孩子眼中纯净的爱

◎John Wesley

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds:"What does love mean?"The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.See what you think.

"When my grandmother got arthritis,she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.So my grandfather does it for her all the time,even when his hands got arthritis too.That's love."—Rebecca,age 8

"When someone loves you,the way they say your name is different.You know that your name is safe in their mouth."—Billy,age 4

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."—Chris,age 6

"Love is when someone hurts you.And you get so mad but you don't yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."—Samantha,age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

—Terri,age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him,to make sure the taste is OK."—Danny,age 7

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

—Bobby,age 5

"Love is hugging.Love is kissing.Love is saying no."

—Patty,age 8

"When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you anymore.But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you,they love you even more."—Matthew,age 7

"There are two kinds of love.Our love.God's love.But God makes both kinds of them."—Jenny,age 4

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt,then he wears it everyday."—Noelle,age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."—Tommy,age 6

"During my piano recital,I was on a stage and scared.I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.He was the only one doing that.I wasn't scared anymore."—Cindy,age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody.You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

—Clare,age 5

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."

—Chris,age 8

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."—Mary Ann,age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

—Lauren,age 4

"When you love somebody,your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."—Karen,age 7

"You really shouldn't say"I love you'unless you mean it.But if you mean it,you should say it a lot.People forget."—Jessica,age 8

一群专业人士向一群4到8岁的孩子提出了这样的问题：“什么是爱？”他们得到的答案广泛而深刻，远远超出了所有人的想象。看看这些答案，你想到了什么？

“我的祖母患关节炎的时候无法弯腰，不能涂脚趾甲。所以，祖父一直替她涂脚趾甲，尽管他也患有关节炎。这就是爱。”——丽贝卡，8岁

“当别人爱上你的时候，他（她）们叫你名字的方式都会与众不同。你知道他（她）们总是小心翼翼地呼喊着你的名字。”——比利，4岁

“爱就是外出吃饭时，你愿意不求回报地将大部分法国炸薯条赠送给别人。”——克丽丝，6岁

“爱就是当别人伤害你的时候，即使你很生气，也不会冲着他们大吼大叫，因为你知道这样做会伤害他们的感情。”——萨曼莎，6岁

“爱是当你疲惫时让你开怀一笑的东西。”

——特里，4岁

“爱是当妈妈为爸爸泡咖啡时，她会轻轻地嘬上一小口，保证她端到爸爸面前的是最好喝的咖啡。”

——丹尼，7岁

“爱是你在圣诞节的夜晚停下忙于拆卸礼物的双手，转而细心聆听。”——鲍比，5岁

“爱是拥抱。爱是亲吻。爱是说不。”

——帕蒂，8岁

“当你把一些关于自己的不好的事情告诉别人时，你生怕他们不再爱你了。可是，你却惊喜地发现他们不但爱你如故，而且爱得更深了。”——马修，7岁

“爱分为两种：人类的爱和上帝的爱。但是，这两种爱都源自上帝。”——甄妮，4岁

“爱是在你告诉一个小伙子你喜欢他的衬衫后，接下来的每一天他都穿那件衬衫。”

——诺艾尔，7岁

“爱是彼此了解的老奶奶和老爷爷仍旧还能成为朋友。”

——汤米，6岁

“钢琴独奏会上，舞台上的我害怕极了。我看到台下所有人都在看我。这时，爸爸朝我招手微笑。只有他那样做。这让我不再害怕了。”——辛迪，8岁

“妈妈对我的爱胜过一切。除了她，没人会在睡前亲吻我的脸颊。”——卡莱尔，5岁

“爱是即使爸爸浑身汗臭味，妈妈也会觉得他比罗伯特·雷德福还要帅得多。”——克里斯，8岁

“爱是即使你将小狗独自关在家中一整天，它也会亲昵地舔舔你的脸颊。”——马莉安，4岁

“我知道我的姐姐很爱我，因为她把所有的旧衣服都给了我，然后给自己买新的。”——劳伦，4岁

“当你爱上某人时，你的睫毛就会眨呀眨的，像小星星那样。”——卡伦，7岁

“如果不是真心实意，请别轻易地说‘我爱你’。然而，如果你是真心实意，那就经常说‘我爱你’吧，免得人们忘记了。”——杰西卡，8岁

美丽语录

If you look for it,love actually is all around.

只要你用心寻找，你会发现爱无处不在。

The Importance of Conscience　我的好妹妹

◎Elisha M.Webster

I was faced with a decision.While delivering laundry into the appropriate bedrooms,I stumbled upon my thirteen-year-old sister's diary,a modern-day Pandora's Box,suffused with temptation.What was I to do?I had always been jealous of my little sister.Her charming smile,endearing personality and many talents threatened my place as leading lady.I competed with her tacitly and grew to resent her natural abilities.I felt it necessary to shatter her shadow with achievements of my own.As a result,we seldom spoke.I sought opportunities to criticize her and relished surpassing her achievements.Her diary lay at my feet,and I didn't think of the result of opening it.I considered not her privacy,the morality of my actions,nor her consequential pain.I merely savored the possibility of digging up enough dirt to soil my competitor's spotless record.I reasoned my iniquity as sisterly duty.It was my responsibility to keep a check on her activities.It would be wrong of me not to.

I tentatively plucked the book from the floor and opened it,fanning through the pages,searching for my name,convinced that I would discover scheming and slander.As I read,the blood ran from my face.It was worse than I suspected.I felt faint and slouched to the floor.There was neither conspiracy nor defamation.There was a succinct description of herself,her goals and her dreams followed by a short portrayal of the person who has inspired her most.I started to cry.

I was her hero.She admired me for my personality,my achievements and ironically,my integrity.She wanted to be like me.She had been watching me for years,quietly marveling over my choices and actions.I ceased reading,struck with the crime I had committed.I had expended so much energy into pushing her away that I had missed out on her.

I had wasted years resenting someone capable of magic—and now I had violated her trust.It was I who had lost something beautiful,and it was I who would never allow myself to do such a thing again.

Reading the earnest words my sister had written seemed to melt an icy barrier around my heart,and I longed to know her again.I was finally able to put aside the petty insecurity that kept me from her.On that fateful afternoon,as I put aside the laundry and rose to my feet,I decided to go to her—this time to experience instead of to judge,to embrace instead of to fight.After all,she was my sister.

我正面临着一个抉择。当我把洗好的衣服分别放进相应的卧室时，我不经意地看到了我那13岁妹妹的日记本，那就像一个现代的潘多拉盒子，深深地吸引着我。我该怎么做？我一直都嫉妒我的小妹妹。我嫉妒她迷人的微笑、可爱的个性，还有她的多才多艺，因为这些都挑战着我的老大地位。我私底下偷偷地和她较劲，对她才能的憎恨更是与日俱增。我迫不及待地想把她的影子从我的个人成就上抹去。结果，我们平时很少说话。我寻找任何可以批评她的机会，并且急切地想要胜过她。现在，她的日记就躺在我脚边，我根本没有考虑过打开它的后果。我在意的不是她的隐私，不是我的行为道德，也不是她可能会受到的伤害。我仅仅是想从日记中发现一些罪证，来打破我的竞争者始终优秀的可能性。我把自己的坏念头归咎为姐姐的职责：检查她的行为举止是我的责任。如果我没有尽义务，这才是我的错误。

我犹豫不决地拨弄了几次地板上的日记本，最终打开了它。我迅速翻着书页，寻找着我的名字，确信一定能找到什么相应的证据。可是，当我发现自己的名字时，脸一下子涨得通红。这远比我想象得糟糕多了。我的脑袋一阵眩晕，瘫坐在了地板上。既没有阴谋也没有诽谤，有的只是她对自己的简单陈述、她的人生目标和梦想，其中还有一个对她影响深远的人。我哭了起来。

我就是她心目中的英雄。她钦佩我的个性、我的成就，更加讽刺的是，还有我的正直。她想成为像我这样的人。原来，这些年来她一直默默地看着我，观察着我的选择和行为。我不再读了，结束了我的罪行。我花了太多的精力把她从身边推开，我已经失去她了。

这么多年来，我一直在浪费时间憎恨一个有魔力的人——并且现在还辜负了她对我的信任。是我自己失去了这么美好的东西，也是我决心再也不允许自己犯这样的错误。

看了妹妹写在日记里真诚的语言后，裹在我心上的冰已经慢慢融化，我要重新去了解她。最终，我抛弃了那种不信任，正是它造成了我们之间的隔阂。在那个意义深远的下午，我把洗好的衣服放在一边，站起来准备去找她——这一次是去感受而不是责难，去拥抱而不是争执。无论如何，她是我的妹妹。

美丽语录

Don't compare your life to others.You have no idea what their journey is all about.

不用拿你的人生和别人作比较，因为你根本不知道别人人生的全部。

The Little Girl Who Dared to Wish　许愿的小女孩

◎Alan D.Shultz

As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom,she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.

"Watch it,squirt."The boy yelled as he dodged around the little third-grader.Then,with a smirk on his face,the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.

Amy closed her eyes.Ignore him,she told herself as she headed for her classroom.

But at the end of the day,Amy was still thinking about the tall boy's mean teasing.It wasn't as if her were the only one.It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade,someone teased her every single day.Kids teased her about her speech or her limping.Amy was tired of it.Sometimes,even in a classroom full of other students,the teasing made her feel all alone.

Back home at the dinner table that evening,Amy was quiet.Her mother knew that things were not going well at school.That's why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter.

"There's a Christmas wish contest on the radio station,"Amy's mom announced."Write a letter to Santa,and you might win a prize.I think someone at this table with blonde curly hair should enter."

Amy giggled.The contest sounded like fun.She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.

A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her.Out came pencil and paper,and Amy went to work on her letter."Dear Santa Claus,"she began.

While Amy worked away at her best printing,the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa.Amy's sister,Jamie,and Amy's mom both thought a three-foot Barbie doll would top Amy's wish list.Amy's dad guessed a picture book.But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then.Here is Amy's letter to Santa,just as she wrote it that night:

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Amy.I am nine years old.I have a problem at school.Can you help me Santa?Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk.I have cerebral palsy.I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

Love,Amy

At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne,Indiana,letter poured in for the Christmas wish contest.The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.

When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station,manager Lee Tobin read it carefully.He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy's who didn't understand her disability.He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third-grader and her unusual wish.Mr.Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day,a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the News Sentinel.The story spread quickly.All across the country,newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne,Indiana,who asked for such a simple yet remarkable Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.

Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house.Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation.They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.

During that unforgettable Christmas season,over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support.

Amy and her family read every single one.Some of the writers had disabilities;some had been teased as children.Each writer had a special message for Amy.Through the cards and letters from strangers,Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other.

She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up.Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high.Lynn,a sixth-grader from Texas,sent this message:

"I would like to be your friend,"she wrote,"and if you want to visit me,we could have fun.No one would make fun of us,cause if they do,we will not even hear them."

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School.Additionally,everyone at school got another bonus.Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.

That year the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21 as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city.The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish,Amy taught a universal lesson.

"Everyone,"said the mayor,"wants and deserves to be treated with respect,dignity and warmth."

在艾米绕过她教室对面的走廊的拐角时，她迎面撞到了一个五年级的高个男孩。

“看路，小个子。”那男孩在避开这个三年级的学生时大叫道，然后，脸上带着厌恶的笑容，把手按在右腿上，模仿着艾米走路一瘸一拐的样子。

艾米闭上了眼睛。“不理会他。”她在返回教室时对自己说。

但是在那天结束时，艾米仍然想着那个高个子男孩的嘲笑。他并不是唯一一个做出这种事的人。好像自从艾米上三年级以后，每天都有人嘲笑她。孩子们嘲笑她的讲话或是她的跛行。艾米受够了这些。有时，即使在坐满了学生的教室里，别人的嘲笑也会使她感到孤单无助。

那晚，回到家里，艾米坐在餐桌旁沉默不语。她的母亲知道肯定是在学校里遇到不顺心的事了。所以，派蒂决定告诉她女儿一些激动人心的消息。

“电台里有一个圣诞节愿望竞赛的节目，”艾米的母亲告诉她。“给圣诞老人写封信，或许你就能得到奖品。我想，坐在餐桌旁的某个金发卷毛的人应该参加。”

艾米咯咯地笑了。这个竞赛听起来很有趣。她开始思考她最想要的圣诞节礼物。

当艾米第一次想起这个主意时，她的脸上挂满了微笑。她拿出铅笔和纸，然后开始写信。“亲爱的圣诞老人，”她写下开头。

当艾米正起劲地写作文时，家里的其他人试图猜测她可能向圣诞老人要求什么。艾米的姐姐，杰米，和艾米的妈妈都认为3英尺大的芭比娃娃是艾米最想要的东西。艾米的爸爸认为是一本图画书。但是艾米当时还不想告诉他们她的秘密圣诞节愿望。以下就是艾米写给圣诞老人的信，就是她在那晚写的：

亲爱的圣诞老人：

我的名字叫艾米。我9岁了。我在学校有一个麻烦。你能帮我吗，圣诞老人？孩子们嘲笑我走路、跑步和讲话的方式。我患有脑瘫。我只想拥有一天，一个没人笑话我、取笑我的一天。

爱你的，艾米

在印地安那州的韦恩堡WJLT广播电台，参加圣诞节愿望竞赛的信件蜂拥而至。工作人员开心地读着来自全市的男孩女孩寄来的各种各样的圣诞节礼物信件。

当艾米的信到达电台时，经理李·托宾仔细地阅读了内容。他知道脑瘫是一种肌肉紊乱的病症，所以可能艾米的同学从外表看不出她有残疾。他认为让韦恩堡的市民听到这位特别的三年级的故事以及她非一般的愿望是件好事。托宾先生给当地报纸打了电话。

第二天，艾米的照片和她写给圣诞老人的信登上了《新闻前哨》的首页。故事迅速传开了。全国的报纸、广播和电视台都报道了这个印地安那州韦恩堡的小女孩的故事，她要求的只是这样一个简单却值得注意的圣诞节礼物——只是没有取笑的一天。

突然，邮差成了艾米家的常客。每天都有各种型号的信件寄给艾米，来自于全国的小孩和大人们。信里充满了节日的问候和鼓励的话语。

在那个难以忘怀的圣诞节期间，世界范围内超过两千人寄给艾米信件以表达友情和支持。艾米和她的家人阅读了每一封信。有一些来信者也身患残疾，有一些人在小时候也被嘲笑过。每位来信者都向艾米表达了一种特别的信息。通过来自陌生人的卡片和信件，艾米瞥见了一个充满了真正的互相关怀的人类社会。她认识到，再多或者再恶毒的嘲笑都不能再使她感到孤单了。

很多人都被艾米勇敢地说出心声而感动。其他人则鼓励她不去理睬嘲笑，勇敢面对。林恩，一位来自德克萨斯州的六年级生，寄给了她一封信：

“我希望和你交个朋友，”她写道，“如果你想来看望我，我们可以一起玩。没人会取笑我们，因为，如果他们取笑，我们听都不会听到。”

艾米的确实现了她的愿望，在南韦恩堡小学度过了没有取笑的一天。还有，学校的每个人都学到了额外的东西。教师和学生们一起讨论取笑他人会给人带来多么不好的感觉。

那一年，韦恩堡市长正式宣布12月21号作为全市的艾米日。市长解释说，因为艾米敢于做出这样一个简单的许愿，她让大家都学到了特别的一课。

“所有人，”市长说道，“都希望得到并且应该得到尊重、尊严和友善。”

美丽语录

There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can't.What you've got to do is turn around and say"Watch me."

总会有许多人对你指手画脚，告诉你：你做不到。你所要做的就是转过头去对他们说：看我的！