4 The Creature from the Black Pond

The CREATURE from the Black Pond THE WATER IN THE POND had turned black. It wasn't really water any more- it was a thick, dark sludge. Nothing could survive in it. The fish and frogs had died off years before. Even the waterlilies had disappeared under the surface, never to be seen again.

池塘里的水已经变黑了。 那已经不是真正的水了，而是一层又厚又黑的污泥。 没有东西能在里面存活。 鱼和青蛙早在几年前就灭绝了。 就连睡莲也消失在水面下，再也看不见了。

The pond was just one small part of an unloved garden. It was a jungle of weeds and stinging nettles, with the tallest tree you ever did see looming at the end. The tree was barren of leaves. Just an endless knot of dead wood. It was the garden of an old country house, long forgotten in the deep, dark countryside. It had been left to rot for a hundred years, and was now a crumbling wreck. Floorboards were broken. Wallpaper was peeling from the walls. Windows were cracked or boarded up. It wasn't really a home. But it was the only one Sally had. The girl was an orphan and had been sent to live with her grandmothers, who loathed each other with a passion.

这个池塘只是一座无人喜爱的花园的一小部分。 那是一片杂草丛生、荨麻丛生的丛林，尽头耸立着一棵你从未见过的最高的树。 那棵树光秃秃的。 只是一堆没完没了的枯木。 这是一座古老的乡间别墅的花园，早已被遗忘在幽深、黑暗的乡间。 它已经腐烂了一百年，现在成了一堆摇摇欲坠的残骸。 地板都坏了。墙上的墙纸正在剥落。 窗户裂了，或者用木板封上了。 那不是真正的家。但这是莎莉唯一拥有的。 这个女孩是个孤儿，被送去和她的祖母们住在一起，而她的祖母们对彼此非常厌恶。

Sometimes you have a nice grandmother and a nasty one. A nice one who gives you fudge, and a nasty one who then snatches it out of your hand. Sally had two nasty ones. The grandmothers lived together out of convenience. It was cheaper to share the costs of the bills, not that they ever lit the fireplaces or ran a hot bath. They could afford to: under their bed they kept old leather suitcases stuffed full of cash. They were just too mean. Their names were Grandma Grub and Grandma Grot. It was easy to remember who was who. Grandma Grub looked like an unformed beetle. Meanwhile, Grandma Grot was so filthy a cloud of dirt followed her around like a bad smell. A bad smell followed her around too. PONGY WONGY WOO!

有时你有一个善良的祖母和一个讨厌的祖母。 一个好心的会给你软糖，一个讨厌的会从你手里抢走软糖。 莎莉有两个讨厌的。祖母们为了方便住在一起。 分担账单的费用更便宜，并不是说他们曾经点过壁炉或洗过热水澡。 他们负担得起：他们在床底下放着装满现金的旧皮箱。 他们太刻薄了。他们的名字是格鲁奶奶和格罗奶奶。 很容易记住谁是谁。 格鲁布奶奶看起来像一只未成形的甲虫。 与此同时，格罗奶奶是如此肮脏，一团泥土像一股难闻的气味一样跟着她。 一股难闻的气味也跟着她。 呜呜呜呜！

These were the nastiest grandmas in the history of grandmadom.* *See your Walliamsictionary for this and a gazillion other bonkers words. The grandmothers were nasty to each other. They would put electric eels down each other's toilets so that when they sat down to go they received electric shocks on their bottoms. BUZZ! They were nasty to strangers. If anyone dared knock on their front door asking for charity donations, they would pelt them with rotten eggs, then steal their collection tins. CRACK! They were nasty to animals. If a cat dared find its way into their garden, the grandmas would SQUIRT water at it with the hose. SPLOOSH!

这是奶奶史上最讨厌的奶奶。* *看看你的Walliamsictionary这个和无数其他疯狂的词。 祖母们互相仇视。 他们会把电鳗放在彼此的厕所里，这样当他们坐下来要去的时候，他们的臀部就会受到电击。 嗡嗡声!他们对陌生人很粗鲁。 如果有人敢敲他们的前门要求慈善捐款，他们就会向他们扔臭鸡蛋，然后偷走他们的募捐罐。 裂缝!他们对动物很恶劣。 如果一只猫敢闯进他们的花园，奶奶们就会用水管向它喷水。 SPLOOSH !

They were nasty to their friends. Oh no. Hang on. They didn't have any friends. Grub and Grot were far too nasty for that. However, they saved up all their most nasty nastiness for one person and one person only. Their granddaughter, Sally. They had taken the orphan in purely for her to become their servant. The poor girl had to do everything for her grandmothers: Grate the dead skin off the bottom of their feet with a cheese grater Pluck the hairs out of their chins and then stick them in a scrapbook to save for posterity Pick their noses for them (On her birthday, she was told she could eat the bogies as a special tasty treat, but Sally declined their kind offer) Clean the filth out of their fingernails with the end of a pencil Suck the wax out of their ears with a straw

他们对朋友很刻薄。 哦,不。坚持下去。他们没有任何朋友。 格鲁布和格罗太讨厌了。 然而，他们把所有最龌龊的事都留给了一个人，而且只有一个人。 他们的孙女，莎莉。 他们收留这个孤儿纯粹是为了让她做他们的仆人。 这个可怜的女孩必须做一切为了她的祖母:炉篦底脚的死皮和奶酪刨丝器拔毛的下巴,然后把它们放入剪贴簿为后代保存为他们选择他们的鼻子(在她生日那天,她被告知她可以吃妖怪作为一种特殊的美味的治疗,但莎莉拒绝提供)清理污物的指甲用的铅笔吸蜡用稻草的耳朵