Carolan Chapter 1

Coraline

□ Neil Gaiman

Flying Passengers · Sweeping School

This article is “2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella”

[English] Neil Gaiman by

Duan Chong The translation of

fairy tales is actually the most real: not because of It tells us that the devil exists, but because it tells us that the devil can be conquered. — Not long after G.K.

Chesterton moved into the house, Coraline discovered the door. This is a very old, very old house. There is an attic on the roof, a cellar under the ground, and a garden full of weeds and shrubs, and there are several very old trees in the garden. The house was not owned by the Coralines because it was too big. The Coraline family only owns part of the house. There are other people living in this old house. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible lived in a suite on the first floor, downstairs from Coraline’s. They were both chubby old women with a large group of very old Highland Terriers in the suite, all named after Hamish, Andrew, York, and the like. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible were actors a long time ago. Miss Spink had told Coraline the first time they met. “Tell you, Caroline,” Miss Spink called Coraline wrong. “Miss Forcible and I were famous actors when we were young. On stage, darling. Yo, don’t give Hamish a fruitcake or you’ll have to have a tummy night.” “My name is Coraline. , not Caroline. Coraline,” said Coraline. Coraline’s upstairs attic suite lived in a crazy old man with a big beard. He told Coraline that he was training a mouse circus, but he wouldn’t let anyone see it. ① Caroline and Caroline glyphs are close, but the name Caroline is more common.

“One day, little Caroline, when they’re ready, the whole world will see this miracle: my rat circus. Well, you were just asking me why I can’t watch it right now, right? Isn’t it?”

“No,” Coraline whispered, “I just said, please don’t call me Caroline. My name is Coraline.”

“Why can’t you see it now?” The old man who lived upstairs The son said, “Because the mice weren’t ready, they weren’t rehearsed. Also, they wouldn’t play the tune I wrote for them. The tune I wrote for them was like this: ‘Boom clap, bum clap’, But the guinea pig is only willing to play ‘did-dah-dah’. That’s what it is. I’m going to try another cheese.”

Coraline didn’t believe that there really was a mouse circus, she felt that the old man was making up .

The day after moving here, Coraline set off on an adventure.

She explored the garden. It’s a big garden, and the back part of the garden is a dilapidated tennis court. No one plays tennis in the house, so the fence around the court is full of potholes, and the net is almost rotten; Rose bush: There is also a rockery, all stones; there is a mushroom circle, a circle of small soft mushrooms, if you accidentally step on them, the smell is not to mention how unpleasant.

There is also a well. The day before the Coraline family moved in, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible had repeatedly warned Coraline how dangerous the well was and how far away it was. So Coraline deliberately went to investigate and investigate, so as to avoid it.

It wasn’t until the third day that Coraline discovered the well. In a field of wormwood behind the tennis court, blocked by a cluster of trees. A circle of brick-built well rails were almost obscured by grass. The well was covered with a few wooden boards so that no one would fall. One of the boards originally had a knot, but the knot fell off and became a small hole. Coraline spent the afternoon throwing stones and acorns into the hole. Throw one in, wait, count in your heart, and it takes a long time to hear the popping sound of falling into the water.

In terms of animals, Coraline also made some explorations. She found a hedgehog, a slough of a snake (not a real snake), a rock that looked like a toad, and a toad that looked like a rock.

There is also a black cat with a very arrogant attitude, squatting on the top of the wall and on the stump, staring at Coraline, but as long as she walks over to play with it, it will swipe away and slip away.

The first two weeks of moving into the house were like this: exploring the garden, checking out the surroundings.

At lunch and dinner, her mother would take her home and force her to dress warmly every time before going out, because the weather is very cold this summer. Although troublesome, Coraline can always go out and explore the garden. Day after day passed, and finally it started to rain, and Coraline had to stay indoors.

“What should I do?” Coraline asked.

“Get the book,” said Mom. “Watch the video, play with the toys. Go to Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, or the crazy old man upstairs.”

“No,” Coraline said , “I don’t want to go. I want to explore.”

“Anything,” said Coraline’s mother, “as long as you don’t get all dirty.”

Coraline went to the window and watched the rain outside . This is not the kind of light rain that you can go out and play in the water, it is another kind, like water pouring down from the sky. As soon as the water hits the ground, it splashes all over the place. It’s the kind of rain that’s ready to make a name for itself. Now, what it does is to turn a good garden into a thick muddy soup.

Coraline had seen all the videos at home, got bored with toys, and read all her books. She turned on the TV and changed channels one by one, all of which were full of people in suits and ties talking about the stock market or talking shows. It was hard for Coraline to find one to look at. It’s a show about nature. It’s halfway through. It’s talking about something called protective color. She looked at animals, birds, and insects, and dressed herself up as leaves, twigs, or other animals to avoid their adversaries. It’s pretty cool, but it’s over in a while. The next show is the dim sum factory.

Time to talk to dad.

Coraline’s dad is at home. Both her parents work on the computer, which means they are often at home. Mom and Dad each have their own study.

“How are you, Coraline?” Dad buried himself in his work and didn’t turn around.

“Well,” Coraline said, “it’s raining.”

“Yeah,” Dad said. “It’s pouring rain.”

“Not really,” Coraline said, “just normal rain. I can go out and play.

“What did Mom say?” ”

She said, Caroline Jones, you’re not allowed to go out in this weather.”

“Then, no.”

“But I want to go on the adventure.”

“Then let’s explore the house.” Dad gave her an idea, “That’s right—here’s a piece of paper, a pen. Count how many doors, how many windows. Make a note of all the blue things. Find out where the hot water tank is in the house. Don’t Interfering with my work.”

“Can I play in the living room?” After Coraline’s grandmother died, the Joneses left a collection of expensive furniture (very uncomfortable to use). It was all in the living room. Mom and Dad usually don’t allow her to go to the living room, and neither do anyone else. The living room is just a place to show off.

“Just don’t make a mess. Also, don’t touch anything.”

Coraline thought for a while, then picked up a pen and paper and went to explore the house.

She found the hot water sink (hidden in a cupboard in the kitchen).

She counted all the blue things (153).

She counted the windows (21).

She counted the doors (14).

Of all these doors , or open or close a total of thirteen. The last one was in a corner of the living room, a large, carved pattern, a brown wooden door. The door was locked tightly.

She asked her mother, “What’s behind the door?”

“Nothing.”

“There must be something.”

Mother shook her head. “Just look at it,” she said to Coraline.

She looked for it, took the bunch of keys from the kitchen door frame, and carefully selected among a large number of keys, and finally picked out the oldest, largest, darkest, and most rusted one. The two of them went into the living room, and Mom opened the door with it.

The door opened.

Mom is right. There was nothing behind the door, only a brick wall when opened.

“There used to be only one family in this house,” Coraline’s mother said. “At that time, this door led to something else. Later, they converted the house into suites and built a wall here. , seal the door. Behind the wall is a set of vacant rooms on the other side of the house, not yet sold.”

She closed the door and put the set of keys back on the kitchen door frame.

“You didn’t lock the door,” Coraline said.

Mom shrugged. “Why lock it?” she said. “There’s nothing behind the door anyway.”

Coraline said nothing.

It’s getting dark outside. The rain was still falling, beating on the windows, making it impossible to see even the lights of the cars coming and going on the street outside.

Coraline’s dad stopped working to cook dinner for everyone.

Coraline looked unhappy. “Dad,” she said, “you’re following the recipe again.”

“Leek and potato bisque with a little cilantro and melted Swiss cheese,” Dad admitted.

Coraline sighed, opened the refrigerator, and took out the chips and small pizzas that had been heated in the microwave.

“You know, I don’t like your recipes,” she said to her father. In the microwave, her dinner went round and round, and the little red numbers on the oven door kept counting down until it finally became zero.

“You taste it, maybe you like it.” Ka