[摘文1]
歡迎來到古墓路43號
如果這是你第一次來這裡,有幾件事必須先了解一下:
古墓路43號是位在伊利諾州鬼城一棟擁有三十二間半臥室的房子。
有些人叫它史艾書宅邸,因為這是橄欖.C.史艾書在一八七四年興建的。
史艾書女士是位高雅的淑女,一輩子都在寫懸疑小說,並親自配上插圖。
不過,從來沒有人讀過她的懸疑小說——除了那些拒絕幫她出書的出版商。
過世前不久,橄欖.C.史艾書誓言「陰魂不散」,無論是在她的房子或鬼城——除非有人出版她的懸疑小說。
橄欖確實說到做到。舉凡偷瑪芬蛋糕或跟圖書館借書,她總讓其他人感覺到她的存在。偶爾,她還會浮現在鬼城古董店的一面古鏡裡。
(不過沒有人成功捕捉過她的身影就是了。)
她過世八十幾年後,雷斯和戴安.希旺教授買下史艾書宅邸。
希旺夫婦是超自然現象界教授。他們希望靠記錄橄欖.C.史艾書的鬼影研究成果大撈一筆。
無奈橄欖不肯合作。十二年來,她拒絕和雷斯及戴安.希旺教授有任何聯絡。
為什麼?因為她覺得這對夫妻太貪心了。
Welcome to 43 Old Cemetery Road
If this is the first you"ve heard of 43 Old Cemetery Road, you should be aware of the following facts:
43 Old Cemetery Road is the address of a 32½-room house in Ghastly, Illinois.
Some people call the house Spence Mansion because it was built in 1874 by Olive C. Spence.
Miss Spence was an elegant woman who spent her life writingillustrating mysteries.
But no one ever read her mysteries—except the hundreds of publishers who refused them.
Shortly before her death, Olive C. Spence made a solemn vow to haunt her housethe town of Ghastly, Illinois, forever—or until one of her mysteries was published.
And haunt it she did. From stealing muffins to borrowing library books, Olive made her presence known. From time to time she even appeared in an old mirror at Ghastly Antiques.
(Attempts to photograph Olive’s image were never successful.)
More than 80 years after Spence"s death, LesDiane Hope bought Spence Mansion.
The Hopes were professors of the paranormal. They hoped to document the ghost of Olive C. Spencemake a lot of money off their research.
But Olive refused to cooperate. For 12 long years, she declined to have any contact with Professors LesDiane Hope.
Why? Because she thought they were greedy.
[摘文2]
橄欖想得沒錯。
不過,和很多壞大人一樣,雷斯和戴安.希旺教授卻有個完美兒子西摩,誕生在史艾書宅邸。
(那是西摩的貓。他叫黑影。)
西摩和橄欖.C.史艾書很快就變成最好的朋友。
橄欖和西摩也跟伊格艾生契.B.顧仁願變成好朋友(經過一番波折以後)。顧仁願是知名作家,在雷斯和戴安.希旺教授拋棄西摩的那年暑假租下史艾書宅邸。
於是,伊格艾生契.B.顧仁願、橄欖.C.史艾書、西摩.希旺三人合力完成一本鬼故事,名為《古墓路43號》。伊格艾生契和橄欖負責寫故事,西摩負責畫插圖。
他們四處發送書的前三章,請有興趣繼續閱讀的讀者寄三美元到古墓路43號。
唔……結果看樣子,似乎每個人都想讀下去。他們收到世界各地幾千份的訂單,伊格艾生契、橄欖、西摩都非常開心。
這筆稿費大有幫助。西摩用其中一部分,從寧願住在巴黎旅館也不要他的爸媽手裡買下史艾書宅邸。(沒錯!有的爸媽就是●這麼●誇張。)
相較之下,伊格艾生契和橄欖實在好太多了,雖然伊格艾生契偶爾還是會因為遇到瓶頸而鬧情緒。
橄欖有時也會抓狂,尤其是眼鏡失蹤的時候。
不然,古墓路的一切簡直好得嚇人,直到九月的某一天,郵筒裡冒出下面的這封信……
Olive was right.
But as so often happens with wretched adults, LesDiane Hope had a perfectly wonderful son named Seymour, who was born at Spence Mansion.
(↑That"s Seymour"s cat. His name is Shadow.)
Seymour HopeOlive C. Spence quickly became best friends.
OliveSeymour also (after a somewhat rocky start) became friends with Ignatius B. Grumply, a famous author who rented Spence Mansion the summer LesDiane Hope abandoned Seymour.
Together, Ignatius B. Grumply, Olive C. Spence,Seymour Hope collaborated on the first three chapters of a ghost story, which they called 43 Old Cemetery Road. IgnatiusOlive wrote the words; Seymour drew the pictures.
They gave away the first three chapters of the bookasked anyone who wanted to read more chapters to kindly send $3 to 43 Old Cemetery Road.
Well, everyone, it seemed, wanted to read more. Ignatius, Olive,Seymour were delighted by the thousands of orders they received from all over the world.
The money was nice, too. Seymour used part of it to buy Spence Mansion from his parents, who preferred living without him in a hotel in Paris. (Yes, some parents really are that awful.)
And IgnatiusOlive really were much nicereven though Ignatius did get a bit grumpy nowthen when he got writer"s block.
And sometimes Olive was cranky, especially when she misplaced her reading glasses.
But other than that, everything at 43 Old Cemetery Road was frighteningly perfect until one day in September, when the following letter arrived . . .
[摘文3]
/09.05/
TO:伊格艾生契.B.顧仁願先生 收
伊利諾州,鬼城
古墓路43號
FROM:國際兒童暨青少年安全保護運動
20505華盛頓特區,官僚大道2號
執行長:獨裁.泰特
────────────────────────────
親愛的顧仁願先生:
據我了解,西摩.希旺和你住在一起,身邊沒有父母照顧。
身為「國際兒童暨青少年安全保護運動」(簡稱IMSPOOKY*)執行長,我有義務保護全世界的兒童遠離危險人士、危險情況、危險思想。
請寫信說明你是以什麼名義照顧西摩.希旺。你是那孩子的親戚?法定監護人?還是受僱的保母?
另外,我還聽說西摩.希旺今年沒到學校報到。這件事也請一併解釋。
具有威信的
獨裁.泰特**
*:此簡稱「IMSPOOKY」是全名The International Movement for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth的頭字縮寫,英文中雖無此字,卻會令人聯想成「毛骨悚然、幽靈般地」(spooky)的反義字,暗含反諷,也有反對幽靈、反鬼的意思。
**:原文Dick Tater音近「獨裁者」(dictater),中譯名為「獨裁.泰特」。
/September 5/
TO: Ignatius B. Grumply
43 Old Cemetery Road, Ghastly, Illinois
FROM: International Movement for the Safety & Protection
Of Our Kids & Youth
2 Bureaucracy Avenue, Washington, D.C.20505
Dick Tater Director
-
Dear Mr. Grumply,
It has come to my attention that Seymour Hope is living with you in a domicile without the benefit of his parents.
As director of the International Movement for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth (IMSPOOKY), it is my duty to see that every child in the world is protected from dangerous people, circumstances,ideas.
Please submit a letter explaining by what authority you are caring for Seymour Hope. Are you a relative, the boy"s legal guardian,a hired caregiver?
Also, I understand that Seymour Hope has not yet reported for school this year. Please explain that, too.
Authoritatively,
Dick Tater
[摘文4]
/09.09/
TO:IMSPOOKY執行長:迪克‧泰特先生 收
20505華盛頓特區,官僚大道2號
FROM:伊格艾生契.B.顧仁願
常駐作家
古墓路43號2樓,伊利諾州,鬼城
-------─────────────────────
泰特先生:
我不是西摩的親戚,不是他的法定監護人,更不是他的保姆。我只是暑假租下一棟老房子時,剛好在史艾書宅邸發現他而已。因為租賃合約裡一條奇特的規定,於是由我接收這孩子——他爸媽三個月前去歐洲巡迴演講時拋棄他了。
從那時候起,西摩就跟橄欖.C.史艾書和我住在這裡。我們三個人組成一間出版社。至於我們擅長什麼題材?鬼故事。
在搬進史艾書宅邸以前,我得承認我照顧孩子的經驗不多。甚至還得承認,我根本不●喜歡●小孩。但是橄欖教會我很多東西。對西摩而言,她是個很棒的母親角色。我也很高興的向你報告,西摩在古墓路43號既安全又快樂。
至於上學的部分,是橄欖和我要西摩待在家裡的。一個十一歲的小男生能自己出版鬼故事,還有什麼是比這更好的教育?
若你尚有任何問題,請儘管寫信。
伊格艾生契.B.顧仁願上
/September 9/
IGNATIUS B. GRUMPLY
A Writer in Residence
43 Old Cemetery Road 2nd floor Ghastly, Illinois