Roald dahl [England]

in the kitchen

"Time is up!" My grandmother said, "The great moment has come! Are you ready, my baby? "

It's exactly half past seven. Bruno is about to finish the fourth banana in the glass jar. "Wait a minute," he said. "Just a few mouthfuls."

"no!" My grandmother said, "We have to go!" She picked him up and held him tightly in her hand. She's nervous. I have never seen her like this. "I'll put you two in my handbag now," she said, "but don't button up." She let Bruno play first. I waited with a small bottle in my arms. "Now it's you," she said, grabbing me and kissing my nose. "Good luck, my baby. Oh, you know you have a tail, right? "

"A what?" I said.

"A tail. A long curved tail. "

"To be honest, I didn't expect it." I said, "God, I really have a tail! I see it now! I can still swing it! Isn't it great? "

"I only mentioned it because you might need it when you are crawling in the kitchen." My grandmother said, "You can roll it up and hook something with it, so that you can shake your body and drop it from a height to the ground."

"I wish I knew," I said, "so I can practice using it."

"It's too late now," my grandmother said. "We have to go." She put Bruno and me in her handbag. As usual, I immediately got into the small bag on the side so that I could stick my head out and look around.

My grandmother picked up her crutches, walked into the corridor and got on the elevator. She pressed the button. The elevator came and she got in. There is no one else in the elevator.

"Listen," she said, "I can't talk to you as soon as I get to the restaurant. If I talk, people will think I'm crazy and talking to myself. "

The elevator came to the first floor and stopped as soon as it shook. My grandmother got out of the elevator, crossed the hotel lobby and walked into the restaurant. This is a big room, with gold painted on the ceiling and large mirrors embedded in the surrounding walls. Guests always reserve seats in advance, and most of them have sat down to eat dinner. The waiter came and went with plates, and he was very busy. Our table is very small, in the middle of the dining room, near the wall on the right. My grandmother walked all the way there and sat down.

I stuck my head out of my handbag and saw two long tables in the middle of the room. No one is there yet. On each long table, there is a card clip on the silver socket, which reads: Member of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

My grandmother looked at two long tables and said nothing. She opened the napkin and spread it on the handbag on her leg. Her hand reached under her napkin and caught me gently. She covered me with a napkin, held me up in front of her and whispered, "I'm going to put you under the table." The tablecloth almost covers the ground, so no one will see you. Do you have a bottle? "

"Yes," I answered calmly, "I'm ready, Grandma."

Just then, a waiter in black came and stood at our table. I saw his leg from under the napkin, and I recognized him by his voice. His name is William. "Hello, madam," he said to my grandmother, "where is your little master tonight?"

"He's not feeling well." My grandmother said, "He stays in his room."

"What a pity," said William. "There is mung bean soup tonight. Please choose pork lung fried flounder or roast mutton for the main course. "

"Please give me mung bean soup and roast mutton," said my grandmother, "but not too fast, William. I am free tonight. You can give me a glass of sherry first. "

"Certainly, madam." William said that and left.

My grandmother pretended to have left something behind, bent down and put me under the napkin on the floor under the table. "Go, baby, go!" She said softly. Then she sat back.

Now it's all on my own. I stood up with a small bottle in my arms. I know where the kitchen door is. I had to go around half a big restaurant to get there. Come on, I think. I ran from under the table to the wall like lightning. I don't want to go through the restaurant. That's too dangerous. My plan is to bypass the kitchen door along the wall.

I run. Oh, how fast I run! I don't think anyone saw me. But you have to go through the main entrance of the restaurant to reach the kitchen door. I was about to pass when a large group of women rushed in. I put the bottle close to the wall. At first, I only saw the shoes and ankles of the women flooding in, but when I looked up a little, I immediately saw who they were. All the people who come to dinner are witches!

I waited until they all left, and then rushed to the kitchen door. A waiter was opening the door to the kitchen, so I followed him in and hid behind a big trash can. I hid for a few minutes and listened to all the conversations with my ears open. God, what a place is the kitchen! It's steaming noisy! Plates and pots are banging! The chefs are shouting! The waiters hurried in and out of the restaurant, shouting the names of the dishes at the chefs! "Table 28, four soups, two mutton and two fish! /kloc-table 0/7, two apple pies and two strawberry ice creams! " It's always called this stuff.

Not far from my head, a handle extends from the trash can. I jumped up with the bottle, did a somersault and grabbed the handle with my tail. Suddenly, I turned over and rocked back and forth. It's terrible. But I like this. I said to myself: trapeze artists must feel this way when they shake at the height of the acrobatic shed. The only difference is that his high pendulum can only swing back and forth, while my high pendulum (my tail) can swing in any direction. Maybe I can be an acrobatic mouse.

Just then, a waiter came in with a plate. I heard him say, "/kloc-the old witch at table 0/4 said the meat was too old!" She wants to change a piece! " A chef said, "Give me her plate!" " "I fell to the ground and peeked from behind the trash can. I saw the chef shovel the meat off the plate and replace it with another piece. Then he said, "Come on, guys, give her some gravy!" " "He handed the plates to the people in the kitchen one by one. Do you know what they do? Every cook and kitchen boy spat on the old lady's plate! "Now let's see if she likes it!" The cook said to return the plate to the waiter.

After a while, another waiter came in and shouted, "Now soup will be served at the banquet of the Wang Family Child Abuse Prevention Association!" " At this time, I began to be alert. Now I pricked up my ears. I came out from behind the trash can and saw everything in the kitchen. A man in a white hat must be a cook. He shouted, "Use a big silver soup pot to hold the soup for the party!" " "

I saw the chef put a big silver soup pot with a lid on a long wooden table, along the wall from one end of the kitchen to the other. I said to myself: put the soup in that silver soup pot. That's where the contents of my bottle must be poured in.

I saw a long shelf near the ceiling above the long table, which was filled with deep pots and flat pots. I think if I can climb that shelf, I will succeed. I went straight to the silver soup pot.

But I have to go to the kitchen first, and then get on the shelf. I have a good idea! I jumped up again and hooked the handle of the trash can with my tail. Then I hung upside down and began to tremble. Shake higher and higher. I remember the last time I saw a circus trapeze at Easter. The actors shook higher and higher, and finally released their hands and flew in the air. I am shaking higher and higher now. At the top, I let go of my tail and flew over the kitchen, just landing on the shelf in the middle!

God, I think what great things a mouse can do! And I'm just a novice!

Nobody saw me. They are busy cleaning up their pots and pans. I climbed a small hose from the middle shelf, and suddenly I was on the top shelf under the ceiling, between those deep pots and frying pans. I know I'm here. No one can see me. This is the best position. I started walking along the shelf until I reached the top of the big silver empty jar where they were going to hold soup. I put down the bottle, unscrewed the lid, climbed to the edge of the shelf and quickly poured the contents of the bottle into the silver soup pot below. Then a chef came with a big pot of steaming green soup and poured it all into a silver soup pot. He covered the silver soup pot and shouted, "The soup for the party is ready!" " "Then the waiter came in and took the silver soup pot away.

I made it! Even if I can't get back to grandma alive, those witches will take the rat poison! I put the empty bottle behind a big saucepan and began to walk back along the shelf. It is much easier to walk without a bottle. I began to use my tail more and more. On the top shelf, I flew from the long handle of one pot to the long handle of another. Anyway, the chefs and waiters below are very busy, the kettle is steaming, the frying pan is crackling and the deep pot is boiling. I said to myself: Oh, this is life! How exciting it is to be a mouse to do such an exciting thing! I keep shaking and shaking. I use the best skills to shake from one long handle to another. I was so proud that I completely forgot that anyone in the kitchen would look up and see me. What happened next came so fast that I didn't have time to run for my life. I heard someone shout, "Rat! Look at that dirty little mouse! " I looked down and saw a man in white and a tall white hat. Then the steel flower flashed and a kitchen knife flew through the air. I have a sharp pain at the tip of my tail I fell headlong on the floor below.

Just as it fell, I knew what had happened. I know that the tip of my tail has been cut off, and I'm going to collapse to the floor, and everyone in the kitchen is going to chase me. "Rat!" They are shouting, "A mouse! A mouse! Grab it! " As soon as I touched the ground, I jumped up and ran away. A lot of big black boots were stomping around on the ground. I ran around them, running around, hiding, and running around the kitchen floor. "Catch it!" They were screaming. "Kill it! Step on it! " The whole floor seems to be stepping on my black boots. I was so desperate to hide and turn around. I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted to find a place to hide. Finally, I met a chef's trouser leg and grabbed his socks and hung them there!

"hey!" The cook cried, "It climbed into my pants! Freeze, guys! I will catch it this time! "

The man's hand began to beat his trouser legs. If I don't run away quickly, I'll get beat up this time. There is only one way now, and that is to keep running. I grabbed the furry skin on the man's leg with my small paws, and climbed higher and higher, passing the calf, knee and thigh.

"My God!" The man shouted, "It climbed on me! It is climbing up my thigh! " I heard other chefs laughing. But I promise you, I won't laugh at myself. I'm running away. The man's hands clapped around me, and he jumped around like he was standing on a hot brick. I kept hiding and crawling, and soon I got above my trouser legs. The trouser legs are at the end.

"Help! Help! Help! " The man screamed, "It got into my underwear! Get it out of here! Who will help me get it out! "

"Take off your pants, you idiot!" Someone shouted, "Take off your underwear, and we'll catch it soon!" "

Now I'm in the middle of that man's pants, where his legs meet. That's where the zipper at the front of the trousers begins. It is dark and hot there. I know I have to keep running. I jumped forward and came to the top of the other leg. I ran down like lightning again. I ran to the floor again. I heard the stupid chef still shouting, "It's in my pants! Get it out of here! Please help me get it out before it bites me! " I took a quick look and the whole kitchen was smiling around him. No one has seen my little brown mouse run across the floor and get into a bag of potatoes.

I got into the middle of the dirty potatoes and held my breath.

The chef must have taken off his pants, because now they are shouting, "It's not in there! There are no mice in it, you idiot! "

"yes! I swear I did it! " The man cried, "You've never seen a mouse in your pants! You don't know what that smells like! "

I am proud that a small matter like me can make a large group of adults so uneasy. Although my tail hurts, I still can't help laughing.

I stayed in that bag of potatoes until I was sure that they had forgotten me. Then I climbed out of the potato pile and carefully put my little head out of the bag. Now there are cooks and waiters running around in the kitchen. I saw the waiter who came in earlier and said the meat was too old come in again. "Hey, guys!" He cried and said, "I asked the old witch if the meat she gave her was better. She said it was delicious!" " She said it was really delicious! "

I have to sneak out of the kitchen and go back to my grandmother. There is only one way: I must cross the kitchen floor and follow a waiter out of the kitchen door. I waited motionless for the opportunity. My tail hurts badly. I'll roll it up and have a look. It's about two inches shorter and there's a lot of blood. A waiter carries several plates of pink ice cream. One dish in one hand and two dishes in each arm. He went to the door and pushed it open with his shoulder. I quickly jumped down from the potato bag, ran across the kitchen floor like a light, and rushed into the dining room until I stopped under grandma's desk.

It's so happy to see grandma's feet wearing old-fashioned black leather shoes with shoelaces and buckles again. I climbed one of her legs and squatted on her knee. "Hello, Grandma!" I whispered, "I'm back! I made it! I poured all the medicine into their soup! "

Her hand touched me. "Well done, my baby!" She calmly replied, "You did a good job! They are having soup at the moment! " She suddenly drew back her hand. "You are bleeding!" She whispered, "My baby, what's wrong with you?"

"A chef cut off my tail with a kitchen knife." I calmly replied, "It hurts."

"Let me see." She looked down at my tail. "You poor little thing." She said quietly, "I wrapped it in a handkerchief. So the blood will not flow. "

She took a small lace handkerchief from her handbag and wrapped my tail. "You are all right now." She said, "Forget it. Did you really pour the whole bottle into their soup? "

"Every drop has been poured in." I said, "Can you put me where I can see them?"

"Of course," she replied, "my handbag is on the empty chair next to you. Now I put you in the bag, and you can stick your head out at will, as long as you are not seen. Bruno is here, too, but ignore him. I gave him a bread roll, which was enough for him to eat. "

Her hand caught me. I left her knee and got into my handbag. "Hello, Bruno." I said.

"This paper is really delicious." He chewed under his handbag. "But I hope there is butter."

I stuck my head out of my handbag. I clearly saw those witches sitting at two long tables in the middle of the room. They have finished their soup now, and the waiter is taking the soup plate away. My grandmother lit one of her smelly black cigars and was smoking everywhere. Around us, the guests staying in this luxury hotel for the summer vacation are chatting and having dinner. Half of them are elderly people with crutches, but many are family members: husband, wife and several children. They are all rich people. You must be rich to stay in this gorgeous hotel.

"That's her, Grandma!" I whispered, "that's the witch king!" " "

"I know!" My grandmother calmly replied, "It's the little woman in a black skirt sitting at the end of that long table near here!" " "

"She can kill you!" I whispered, "She can kill anyone in this room with her fiery spark!" " "

"Look out!" My grandmother whispered, "Here comes the waiter!"

I put my head into my handbag and heard William say, "Madam, this is your roast mutton. What vegetables do you like? Green beans or carrots? "

"Thanks, carrot," said my grandmother. "There are no green beans."

I heard the sound of putting carrots on the plate Silence for a moment. Then grandma's voice whispered again, "Well, he's gone." I stuck my head out again. "I'm sure no one will see me sticking my head out like this."

"No," she replied, "I don't think so. My problem is I can't move my lips with you. "

"You did a good job." I said.

"I counted the witches," she said, "not as many as you think. You said that 200 is a guess, right? "

"Just like two hundred." I said.

"I was wrong, too," my grandmother said. I thought there were more witches in England.

"How much is it altogether?" I asked.

"Eighty-four." She said.

"Then the total should be eighty-five," I said. "One was cremated."

Then I saw Bruno's father, Mr Jenkins, coming to our table. "Look out, Grandma," I whispered, "Bruno's father is here!"

(Translated by Ren Rongrong)

This fairy tale, written in 1983, is another masterpiece of Dahl after The Kind Giant (1982), which is regarded by critics as the pinnacle of Dahl's fairy tale art. 1983 won the new york Excellent Book Award, 1986 won the British Children's Book Award (White Bread Award), the World Fantasy Literature Conference Lifetime Achievement Award and the Western Australia Award.

In a sense, the witch is a new fantasy world created along the road of a kind giant. Although the two works are similar in story background, core plot and character design, The Witch presents a very complete original charm in specific content and style, showing a different emotional tone from The Kind Giant. It is Dahl's artistic wisdom and charm to create a new plot full of suspense in similar story elements.

The heroine of the witch is a little boy, and the author tells the story from the first-person perspective. The author wrote at the beginning: "Shortly after my seventh birthday, my parents took me to Norway to spend Christmas with my grandmother as usual. It was there that my parents and I drove to the north of Oslo in cold weather. Our car skidded off the road and turned into a deep rocky valley. My parents died because of this, and I was only slightly injured in the forehead because I was firmly tied to the back seat of the car. I don't want to talk about the terrible things that happened that terrible afternoon. I still shudder at the thought of it. Naturally, I finally returned to my grandmother's house. She held me tightly in her arms and they cried all night. " Through this narrative, we not only clearly understand the life background and situation of the characters when the story happened, but also deeply feel a kind of introversion and restraint in narrative. This restraint gives the little hero and his grandmother a reasonable foundation for their courage in the development of the story.

Then, with the help of grandma's narrative, the author began to describe the witch in great detail. Here, the author fully tapped the legendary imagination resources and rendered the witch's characteristics, terror and evil in unprecedented details. On the one hand, this rendering strengthens the entertainment of the work, on the other hand, it also highlights the hero's heroism from the overall height of the work. In spite of this, the author appropriately showed the appropriate limits. A children's book did not make this book written for children slide into an uncontrollable bloodiness and horror.

As we all know, Dahl was the first successful writer in the field of adult thriller literature. Therefore, in this "Witch", the author organically combines the suspense setting skills of thrillers, and always attracts readers' curiosity with closely connected plots. Grandma's detailed description of the witch, my first meeting with the witch, grandma's serious illness and a series of plots have made full preparations for the arrival of the main plot. When "I" strayed into the Witch Conference in the seaside hotel, the biggest suspense in this book has been unconsciously formed: What kind of danger will "I" encounter? This suspense just echoes the introduction at the beginning of the story: "I met witches twice before I was eight years old. The first time I escaped safely, the second time I was not so lucky. But I am still here, and I can tell you what happened to me (no matter how strange my appearance looks), which is entirely due to my great-grandmother. " In the main part of the following story, the author shows an unforgettable picture with extremely fast narrative rhythm and full details: overhearing the witch's plot, being discovered by the witch, turning into a mouse, fleeing to grandma's room, discussing countermeasures, stealing rat poison, successfully pouring the medicine into the soup pot, being cut off by the chef, turning the witch into a mouse ... all the things and details that happened in a few hours. The excerpt from "In the Kitchen" is a complete presentation of this feature, full of ups and downs, full of courage and wit.

At the same time, the author always keeps a sense of humor in the highly nervous story narration. Dahl is a writer with unique views on children's literature. He believes that the main purpose of children's literature creation is not to give children cognition and education, but to let children often feel surprise and happiness in reading. Therefore, in writing, he never sticks to the norms of some details of life, but lets his humorous nature freely show and share this happiness with children. "Just wash less. For a smart child, washing once a month is enough. " "I don't care how old you are, smoking cigars won't catch a cold." "This is the smell of the witch. This reminds me of the smell of the men's toilet in our local railway station. " Of course, this is Dahl's humor.

Nevertheless, Dahl showed deep love in this exciting and interesting work. "I" finally became a mouse that could not recover its human form, with a life span of only nine years. "My baby, do you really care about being a mouse all the time?" "I don't care at all. As long as someone loves you, you won't care what you are and what you look like. " This sentimental dialogue between grandparents and grandchildren has a stirring influence on this thrilling story in an instant, and it also makes this witch finally become a love story, gentle and never sentimental. Because the little boy and his grandmother will spend the rest of their lives in the heroic action of eliminating witches all over the world.

It can be said that "The Witch" is an incredible but extremely sincere book, which shows some topics that are crucial to children: the feeling of children's insignificance, the existence of evil, mourning, separation and death. So when "The Witch" 1983 won the White Bread Award, the jury commented: "Funny, witty, interesting and scary, a real children's book, from beginning to end, made us feel that it was a big event."

(Chen) According to