Chapter 2

Chapter Two IN WHICH Two Walls Are Explored by Vastly Different Methods The leaks in the roof had made all but three of the upstairs bedroom floors dangerously rotted. Their mother got one, Mallory got another, and Jared and Simon were left to share the third. By the time they were done unpacking, the dressers and nightstands of Simon's side of the room were covered in glass tanks. A few were filled with fish. The rest were crammed with mice,

第二章用截然不同的方法探索两堵墙楼上卧室除了三层外，其余的都有裂缝，腐烂得很危险。 他们的母亲得到了一个，马洛里得到了一个，贾里德和西蒙分享了第三个。 当他们打开行李的时候，西蒙这边的梳妆台和床头柜都被玻璃罐盖住了。 有几个装满了鱼。 其余的都塞满了老鼠，

lizards, and other animals that Simon had confined to mud-furnished cages. Their mother had told Simon he could bring everything but the mice. She thought they were disgusting because Simon had rescued them from a trap in Mrs. Levette's downstairs apartment. She pretended not to notice he'd brought them anyway. Jared tossed and turned on the lumpy mattress, pressing the pillow down over his head like he was smothering himself, but he couldn't sleep. He didn't mind sharing a room with Simon, but

蜥蜴，还有西蒙关在泥笼子里的其他动物。 他们的妈妈告诉西蒙，除了老鼠，他什么都可以带。 她觉得它们很恶心，因为西蒙是从莱维特夫人楼下公寓的陷阱里救出来的。 她假装没有注意到他已经把它们带来了。 杰瑞德在凹凸不平的床垫上翻来覆去，把枕头压在头上，就像闷死自己一样，但他睡不着。 他不介意和西蒙同住一个房间，但是

sharing a room with cages of animals that rustled, squeaked, and scratched was eerier than sleeping alone would have been. It made him think of the thing in the walls. He'd shared a room with Simon and the critters in the city, but the animal noises had dimmed against the background of cars and sirens and people. Here, everything was unfamiliar. The creak of hinges startled him into jerking upright. There was a figure in the doorway, with a shapeless white gown and long, dark hair. Jared slid off the bed so fast he didn't even remember doing it. "It's just me," the figure whispered. It was Mallory in a nightgown. "I think I heard your squirrel." Jared stood up from a crouch, trying to decide if moving so fast meant he was a chicken or if he just had good reflexes. Simon was snoring gently in the other bed. Mallory put her hands on her hips. "Come on. It's not going to wait around for us to catch it."

和笼子里的动物一起住在一个房间里，笼子里的动物沙沙作响、吱吱作响、抓来抓去，这比一个人睡觉更可怕。 这使他想起了墙上的那个东西。 他和西蒙以及城里的动物们住在一个房间里，但在汽车、警笛和人的背景下，动物们的声音变得模糊了。 在这里，一切都是陌生的。 铰链的嘎吱声把他吓得直跳起来。 门口站着一个人，穿着一件难看的白袍子，一头乌黑的长发。 杰瑞德从床上滑下来太快了，他都不记得自己做过什么。 “是我，”人影低声说。 那是穿着睡衣的马洛里。 “我想我听到你家松鼠的声音了。” 杰瑞德从蹲伏的姿势中站了起来，想弄清楚这么快的动作是否意味着他是一只鸡，还是他的反应能力很好。 西蒙在另一张床上轻轻地打鼾。 马洛里双手叉腰。 “来吧。它不会等着我们抓住它。”

Jared shook his twin's shoulder. "Simon. Wake up. New pet. New peeeeeeeeeet." Simon twitched and groaned, trying to pull the covers over his head. Mallory laughed. "Simon." Jared leaned in close, making his voice deliberately urgent. "Squirrel! Squirrel!" Simon opened his eyes and glared at them. "I was sleeping." "Mom went out to the store for milk and cereal," Mallory said, pulling the covers off him. "She said I was supposed to keep an eye on you. We don't have much time before she gets back." The three siblings crept along the dark hallways of their new house. Mallory was in the lead, walking a few paces and then stopping to listen. Every now and then there would be a scratch or a sound like small footsteps inside the walls.

杰瑞德摇了摇双胞胎的肩膀。 ”西蒙。叫醒......。新宠物。新的peeeeeeeeeet。” 西蒙抽搐着，呻吟着，试图把被子拉到头上。 马洛里笑了。“西蒙”。贾里德靠得更近了，故意装出紧急的语气。 “松鼠!松鼠!”西蒙睁开眼睛，瞪着他们。 “我在睡觉。”“妈妈去商店买牛奶和麦片了，”马洛里一边说，一边把被子给他拉开。 “她说我应该盯着你。 在她回来之前，我们没有多少时间了。” 兄妹三人蹑手蹑脚地走在新房子黑暗的走廊上。 马洛里走在前面，走了几步，然后停下来听。 每隔一段时间，墙壁里就会有划痕或类似脚步声的声音。

The scuttling grew louder as they neared the kitchen. In the kitchen sink, Jared could see a pan crusted with the remains of the macaroni and cheese they'd had for dinner. "I think it's there. Listen," Mallory whispered. The sound stopped completely. Mallory picked up a broom and held the wooden end like a baseball bat. "I'm going to knock open the wall," she said. "Mom is going to see the hole when she gets back," Jared said. "In this house? She'll never notice." "What if you hit the squirrel?" Simon asked. "You could hurt—" "Shhhh," Mallory said. She padded across the floor in her bare feet and swung the broom handle at the wall. The blow broke through the plaster, scattering dust like flour. It settled in Mallory's hair, making her look even more ghostly. She reached into the hole and broke off a chunk of the wall.

他们走近厨房时，噼里啪啦的声音越来越大。 在厨房的水槽里，贾里德看到一个平底锅，上面粘着他们晚餐吃的通心粉和奶酪。 “我认为它就在那里。听着。”马洛里小声说。 声音完全停止了。 马洛里拿起一把扫帚，像拿棒球棒一样握着它的木头。 “我要敲开这堵墙，”她说。 “妈妈回来后会看到这个洞的，”贾里德说。 “在这所房子里？”她不会注意到的。” “如果你撞到松鼠怎么办？”西蒙问。 “你会伤到——”“嘘。”马洛里说。 她光着脚在地板上蹑手蹑脚地走着，用扫帚把朝墙上挥去。 那一击打碎了灰泥，灰尘像面粉一样散了开来。 它落在马洛里的头发上，使她看起来更像幽灵。 她把手伸进洞里，把一大块墙掰了下来。

Jared stepped closer. He could feel the hair on his arms stand up. Torn strips of cloth had been wadded up between the boards. As she snapped off more pieces, other things were revealed. The remains of curtains. Bits of tattered silk and lace. Straight pins poked into the wooden beams on either side, making a strange upward-snaking line. A doll's head lolled in one corner. Dead cockroaches were strung up like garlands. Tiny lead soldiers with melted hands and feet were scattered across the planks like a fallen army. Jagged pieces of mirror glittered from where they had been glued with ancient gum.

杰瑞德走近一点。他感到手臂上的汗毛都竖起来了。 木板之间裹着几条破布。 当她掰下更多的碎片时，其他的东西显露出来了。 窗帘的残骸。碎丝和花边。 笔直的大头针插在两边的木梁上，形成了一条奇怪的向上蜿蜒的线。 一个娃娃的头懒洋洋地躺在一个角落里。 死蟑螂像花环一样被串起来。 手脚融化的小铅兵散落在木板上，像一支倒下的军队。 几片参差不齐的镜子从用古旧的树胶粘过的地方闪闪发光。