幸运海妖币 The Lucky Kraken

作者： Anthony Reynolds

哎！哎呀，好啊，小屁孩。你们这些尖嘴猴腮的小东西，怎么还没爬到床上去啊？说什么？想听独腿的拉尔斯给你们讲个故事？嗯？

Eh! Well, ‘allo there, young ‘uns. Shouldn’t you cheeky little sprats already be a-bed? What’s that? You want a suppertime story from old One-Legged Lars, eh?

好吧，好吧，听完一个你们就睡觉去。都靠过来。但这次，我可不想听到有谁哭哭啼啼的。怎么说这里也是比尔吉沃特，哪怕是睡前故事也会有些骇人的嘛。

Alright, alright, just one ‘afore bed. Gather round. But I don’t wanna hear no cryin’ or whimperin’ this time. This is Bilgewater, after all, and even our bedtime tales have more’n a little darkness in ‘em.

这就对啦。那么，你们都听说过潮汐海灵吧，叫菲兹的，海里的小精怪。听说过？很好，很好。这个故事，说的就是我拉尔斯遇见他的时候。你说什么？一定很有趣？这个嘛，你听的都是什么故事？不，这故事一点都不有趣，我先谢谢你了！他是个恐怖的小怪物，要是你一辈子也碰不上他，那算你走了大运了。但我好像讲得太快了。咳咳。

Right. Now, you’ve heard of the Tidal Trickster, the little ocean sprite they call Fizz, ain’t ya? Ye have? Good, good. Well, this is a story about the time old Lars met him. What’s that? Must have been fun? Well, what sort o’ stories you been told? No it weren’t fun, thank you very much! He’s a malign little terror, that one, and you’ll be lucky if you never cross paths with ‘im in all your lives. But I’m gettin’ ahead of me self. Ahem.

行吧，当时我在锯齿海峡里，抱着一块礁石。我的船已经沉了——怎么沉的不重要，那个故事我们改天再讲，有机会的话。但反正就是这么回事。我抱着礁石捱了三天三夜，能看到很多鱼鳍在旁边绕圈。

Right, so there I was, clingin’ to a rock out in the Jagged Straits. Me ship was sunk don’t matter how it happened, there’s a tale for another night, maybe but that’s as it was. I clung to that rock for three days and nights, with fins a-circlin’.

当我已经开始彻底放弃的时候……他就来了。

And just when I was startin’ to give up all hope... he appeared.

我先是看到一对又圆又大的眼睛，白得像死人一样。他游过来的时候，那些绕圈的鲨鱼全都不见了。绝对是因为害怕他。懂了吗，你们也应该怕才对。他越来越近，越来越近。不瞒你们说，我也怕得要死。但他把想吃我的鱼都赶走了，所以我跳进海里，往比尔吉沃特拼命地游。拼了我的老命！

All I seen at first were those two big, round eyes, pale as death, as he swam towards me. Them circling sharks took off right away, and no mistake they was a-feared of him, see, just as you all should be. Closer, and closer, and closer ‘e came. I don’t mind admittin’ I were scared, but he’d shooed off them hungry fishes, so I dove into the sea, and started swimmin’ for Bilgewater, as quick as ye like!

可是每当我回头看的时候，他总在那儿，一双大眼珠子直愣愣地盯着我！ 等我终于游到了岸边，以为自己终于甩掉他了。可我拉尔斯真的是大错特错！

But every time I looks back, ‘e was there, with those big eyes peerin’ at me! I finally get to shore, and thought I’d lost ‘im... But how wrong old Lars was!

我在去鼠镇的路上，找了一间满是跳蚤的廉租房住下。但我很快就发现……屋里不止我一个人。我先是发觉房间里有一股黏糊糊的鱼腥和海藻的臭味。呜呕！然后第二天早上我醒来的时候，台阶上还有湿漉漉的小脚印……

I got a room in a flea-ridden flophouse down Rat Town way, but it didn’t take long for me to realize... I weren’t alone. What first clued me was the creepin’ stink o’ seaweed and fish in me room. Oh, pooh! That and the little wet footprints on the stair when I awoke in the mornin’...

他们说这是海灵，狡诈得很。绝对名副其实。趁我不注意，往我的粥里倒海水！把我的靴子系在一块儿，我一抬脚就摔倒了！而且还往我的毯子下面塞鳗鱼！跟你们说，它们一动起来，把我结结实实地吓了一大跳！

They call ‘im the Trickster, and he certainly lived up to the name. Put seawater in me porridge when I weren’t lookin’! Tied me bootlaces together, so I fell as soon as took a step! And slipped eels under me blankets! Give me a right proper scare when they started wrigglin’, I’ll tell ye!

而且从头到尾，我都能听见他在笑。现在光是想起来我就起鸡皮疙瘩。菲兹耍了我整整一个星期。都快把我逼疯了！我尖叫地问他：“小怪物，你到底想干什么？！”

And all the time, I hears ‘im laughing. Still makes me skin crawl, just to think of it. For a whole week Fizz haunted me. Drove me fairly to the brink o’ madness! “What do ye want, you little monster?” I screams!

但最后一天晚上，我醒了。我听到了地板上传来带蹼的脚步声。

But on the final night, I woke. I heared his webbed feet, flappin’ on the floor. Slap. Slap. Slap.

他越来越近，越来越近。我心想：“没错了！他要来杀我了！一了百了！”所以我藏进了被子里。

Closer, ‘e came, and closer. “This is it!” I thought. “He’s come to end me, once and for all,” and I hid me self under the covers.

啪嗒，啪嗒，啪嗒。他的脚步，又湿又冷！然后就……没声了。我躺在床上，缩成一团。过了大概一个钟头吧，我大起胆子偷看了一眼。我慢慢地伸出手，点着了台灯。你们知道后来发生什么事了吗？

Slap. Slap. Slap, went his cold, wet feet! And then... silence. I lay there, cowering, for what must’ve been an hour, ‘afore I dared a peek. Slowly, I reaches out, lights the lamp, and do you know what happened next?

什么也没有。

Nothin’.

没错，菲兹终于，不见了。 但他给我留了样东西，放在了床边的一个木头盒子上。是一枚金币，一枚金海妖。想不到吧。就是这个，看！喂，喂，看就行了，爪子收回去！这是我的幸运海妖币，明白吗？

Aye, Fizz were gone, at long last. But he left something for me, on the wooden box ‘aside me bed. A coin, a gold Kraken, no less. This coin here, in fact! Eh, eh, look wi’ your eyes, not your ‘ands! That’s my lucky Kraken, ye know.

但老实说，我并没有多高兴——虽然那时候我浑身上下一个子儿也没有。我一看到金币，就吓坏了。因为这枚金币，就是在我们出港之前，我的船长当时发誓扔到了海里的那枚。他用这枚金币来向胡子女士祈祷旅途平安，但是却被潮汐海灵拿走了！所以我们的船后来就沉了！这个讨厌的，爱恶作剧的小恶魔。他脸上挂着鱼头鱼脑的怪笑，害死了我们全船的人。

But I tell you, rather than make me happy for I hadn’t a penny to me name back then the sight of that coin filled me with dread. ‘Cos this were the very coin that our captain swore he tossed into the ocean, on our way out o’ port. That was his offering to the Bearded Lady for safe passage, but the Tidal Trickster had took it! That was the reason our ship’d sunk! That playful, hateful little imp, he’d doomed the whole crew, and done it with a wicked, fishy grin on his face.

所以，小崽子们听好了，你们要祈祷自己永远不会碰到他。他看起来喜欢做游戏，好像很好玩，但我告诉你们，他一点也不好玩。

So, I tell you little sprats now, pray you never encounter ‘im, ‘cos while ‘e might seem all fun and games, let me tell you now – he ain’t.

好啦，你们现在睡觉去！睡着之前要祈祷，醒来的时候不会在地板上看到湿漉漉的小脚印！哈！

Now, off to bed with ye! And pray you don’t see no little wet footprints on the floorboards when you wake! Hah!