鬼屋9 鬼屋

lannsing

当一切又恢复如常，我病恹恹地爬出床外，颤抖着手把油灯点亮，这手虚弱得像是年过百旬老人的手。这灯火让我振作了点。我坐下来对着那灰烬上的巨大脚印陷入了空幻的沉思。过了不久脚印在脑海里变得捉摸不定和模糊起来。我瞥一眼油灯，油灯行将熄灭，与此同时，我又听到巨大的脚步声。我注意到这脚步声在靠近，越来越近，沿着发霉的走廊，油灯变得越来越暗。这脚步声在离门近在咫尺间停住了--这油灯的火焰已变也微弱的蓝色，现在所有的一切对我来说昏暗而又模糊。门并没有开，但我却觉得我一股微弱的风吹拂着我的脸，不久这微风变得巨大，云雾出现在我的面前。我出神地注视着它。在那上面是一件暗暗地发着光的圣带，云雾慢慢聚拢化成一个形体--手臂，腿，还有身体，一个个出现，最后一张巨大沮丧的脸透过云雾看着。剥去它薄薄的外壳，裸露着，强壮而美丽的，庄严的Cardiff Giant在我面前！隐约可见。


  When everything was still once more,I crept out of bed, sick and feeble,and lit the gas with a hand that trembled as if it were aged with a hundred years. The light brought some little cheer to my spirits.I sat down and fell into a dreamy contemplation of that great footprint in the ashes.By and by its outlines began to waver and grow dim.I glanced up and the broad gas-flame was slowly wilting away .In the same moment I heard that elephantine tread again.I noted its approach,nearer and nearer,along the musty halls,and dimmerand dimmer the light had dwindled to a sickly blue,and all things about me lay in a spectral twilight.The door did not open,and yet I felt a faint gust of air fan my cheek,and presently was conscious of a huge,cloudy presence before me.Iwatched it with fascinated eyes.A pale glow stole over the Thing;gradually its cloudy folds took shape-an arm appeared,then a body,and last a great sad face looked out ot the vapor.Stripped of its filmy housings,naked,muscular and comely,the majestic Cardiff Giant loomed aboved me