绿野仙踪

龙卷风

The Cyclone

多萝茜和亨利叔叔、艾姆婶婶住在堪萨斯的大草原上。亨利叔叔是农夫，他们的小房子只有一个房间。

Dorothy lived on the great Kansas prairie with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Uncle Henry was a farmer, and their small house had only one room.

龙卷风可以毁掉任何一座房子，所以一家人需要一个藏身的地方。地板中间有一扇活板门。门下面有一架梯子，通向一个又小又黑的地窖。

A cyclone could break any house, so the family needed somewhere to hide. There was a trap door in the middle of the floor. Under it, a ladder went down into a small, dark cellar.

多萝茜站在门口，只看见灰色的平坦草原。没有一棵树，也没有别的房子。太阳和雨把土地、长长的草，甚至房子都变成了灰色。

When Dorothy stood in the doorway, she saw only the flat gray prairie. There was not one tree and not one other house. The sun and rain turned the land, the long grass and even the house gray.

艾姆婶婶刚来农场的时候，是一个年轻漂亮的妻子。太阳带走了她眼睛里的光和嘴唇上的红色。现在她又灰又瘦，从来不笑。

When Aunt Em first came to the farm, she was a young, pretty wife. The sun took the light from her eyes and the red from her lips. Now she was gray and thin, and she never smiled.

多萝茜没有爸爸妈妈，所以来和婶婶住。一开始，多萝茜的笑声让艾姆婶婶很害怕。每次听到，她都会尖叫，还用手按着胸口。

Dorothy had no mother or father, so she came to live with her aunt. At first Dorothy’s laugh scared Aunt Em. She screamed and put a hand on her heart each time she heard it.

“有什么好笑的，孩子？”艾姆婶婶还是常常这样问。

“What is there to laugh at, child?” Aunt Em still asked.

亨利叔叔从来不笑。他从早到晚辛苦地工作，几乎不说话。他也是灰色的，从长胡子到粗糙的靴子都是。

Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning to night, and he almost never spoke. He was gray too, from his long beard to his rough boots.

是托托让多萝茜笑，也是他让她没有变成灰色。他是一只黑色的小狗，有长长的软毛和一个好玩的小鼻子。他整天都在玩，多萝茜非常爱他。

It was Toto who made Dorothy laugh, and he saved her from turning gray too. He was a little black dog with long soft hair and a funny little nose. He played all day long, and Dorothy loved him very much.

可是今天他们没有玩。亨利叔叔坐在门口的台阶上，看起来很担心。天空比平时更灰。

But today they were not playing. Uncle Henry sat on the doorstep and looked worried. The sky was even grayer than usual.

多萝茜抱着托托站在门口。艾姆婶婶在洗碗。

Dorothy stood in the door with Toto in her arms. Aunt Em was washing the dishes.

“要下雨了吗，亨利叔叔？”多萝茜问。

“Will it rain, Uncle Henry?” Dorothy asked.

亨利叔叔没有回答。

Uncle Henry did not answer.

远处的北方传来一阵低低的风声，草一波一波地弯下去。然后南方传来一个尖尖的声音，那里的草也动了。

A low cry of wind came from the far north, and the grass bent in waves. Then a sharp sound came from the south, and the grass moved there too.