登陆注册
2804800000002

第2章 爱是琥珀(2)

“Yeah,I heard you the last hundred times. No pranks. Got it.”

Eli brought it up again at suppertime,when Mom and Dad were home.“For my birthday I thought we could go to Mr. Mike,s for pizza. But no April Fools,jokes,remember?”

Mom said,“Honey,we remember.”

Dad said,“Eli,relax! Mr. Mike,s it is. Do you want to bring Rob?”

Eli didn,t trust any of them.

In the morning,his eyes popped open,and his first thought was be careful. Still in bed,he looked around. His room seemed untouched: no water bucket propped over the door to drench him, no dried peas on the wood floor.

Eli got up and checked the drawer handles and doorknobs for yucky surprises. Nothing. His clothes weren,t pinned together in odd places. The pockets were empty.

The soap in the bathroom was just plain soap,and the shampoo bottle held nothing but shampoo. There wasn,t even plastic wrap covering the sink! He peeked cautiously into the kitchen,and Mom smiled.“I,m making French toast if you want some.”she said.

The sweet cinnamon smell of French toast made Eli want to risk having a slice-almost. He shook his head and reached for the cereal. The milk tasted OK. So did the juice.

In school,Eli didn,t worry. The pranks there were pretty amateurish . Rob managed to fool Mrs. Karsten,though. In the middle of math,he stared at the ceiling above Mrs. Karsten,s head with widening eyes. He covered his mouth with one hand and pointed above her with the other. She actually ducked!

Mrs. Karsten got Rob back,and handed him a sealed note for his dad. She turned away fast,but Eli saw her snickering.

That evening,Eli,s family picked up Rob on the way to Mr. Mike,s.

“Hey,you know that note Mrs. Karsten gave me?”Rob asked.“My dad said it was just a coupon for cat food with April Fool! written on it. I didn,t think teachers could play jokes!”

Eli shook his head,“Live and learn.”

They ate hamburger-and-olive pizza,Eli,s favorite. When the waiters came over to sing Happy Birthday,Eli covered his face and slid under the table,but that was just out of embarrassment.

They dropped Rob off at his apartment,and Eli figured he,d better keep his guard up. April 1st wasn,t over yet. As soon as they got home,Amy threw a gift-wrapped box at him.“Here,baby brother. Enjoy,I guess.”

Here it is,thought Eli.

He played it up-shaking the box,carefully undoing the ribbon,slowly peeling back the paper- and discovered the coolest new video game safely wrapped in plastic.“Urn,thanks.”

“No problem.”Amy started up the stairs.“I,m heading to bed.”

Eli,s parents had already given him a bike as an early present. So that was that.

Still,he lay awake,sure he,d be woken by a last-minute trick. Then,finally,it was midnight. His birthday was over-and so was April Fools,Day.

His mom came in to check on him,“Too excited to sleep?”

“Not exactly. I keep expecting pranks.”

“Hmm. Well,April Fool!”She grinned,kissed him on the forehead,and left.

So,they got me again-by not getting me,thought Eli. Next year. Next year it,s my turn. And he started planning.

“嘿,伊莱,你期待明天的生日吗?”罗伯问。

伊莱摇摇头,说:“你在开玩笑吗?你知道在愚人节过生日是什么样的吗?”说完,他朝罗伯挥挥手,跳下校 车往家里走。

每年,伊莱的家人都认为:开一个更大、更妙的愚人节玩笑一定会很有意思。那么,谁会成为那个被整的人呢?对,就是寿星,伊莱。包装精美的盒子——空的;冰柠檬汁——没有加糖;蛋糕糖衣上加了盐……

当伊莱回到家,他发现姐姐正在厨房。“艾米,你还记得我说过今年不要再搞恶作剧了吗?我是说真的。我从 没过过一个正常的生日。”说完他耸耸肩好让自己看起来不是在发牢骚。

“是的,我听你说了几百次了。不要恶作剧,知道了。”

晚餐时,爸爸妈妈都在家,伊莱又强调了一遍:“我想过生日的时候大家一起去麦克先生的店里吃比萨。但是,不要搞愚人节的恶作剧了,还记得吗?”

妈妈说:“亲爱的,我们记得呀。”

爸爸说:“伊莱,放轻松!我们就去麦克先生的店里。你想邀请罗伯吗?”

伊莱并不相信他们。

早上,伊莱一睁开眼的第一个念头就是:要小心。他躺在床上,环顾四周,发现房间没人动过:门上没放准备淋湿他的水桶,木地板上也没有干豆子。

伊莱起床检查抽屉和门的把手,原以为会有令人讨厌的“意外惊喜”,结果什么都没有。他的衣服没有被钩到 奇怪的地方;口袋里也没装什么奇怪的东西。

卫生间里的肥皂还是普通的肥皂;洗发露的瓶子里还是装着洗发露,也没有塑料袋罩住盥洗池!他小心翼翼地 朝厨房瞥了一眼,只听妈妈笑着说:“我正在做法式吐司,想尝尝吗?”

法式吐司甜甜的肉桂香味差点儿让伊莱想要冒险尝一块。不过,他摇摇头,伸手去拿了燕麦片。牛奶喝起来没 问题,果汁也是。

在学校,伊莱一点也不担心,因为那里的恶作剧很幼稚——尽管罗伯成功地愚弄了卡丝汀老师。在数学课上,他睁大眼睛看着卡丝汀老师头顶上的天花板,一只手捂住嘴,另一只手指着她的头顶上方。结果她就被淋成了 落汤鸡!

卡丝汀老师将罗伯遣送回家,并递给他一封密封的信让他交给他爸爸。她很快地转身走了,但伊莱看见了她在 窃笑。

那晚,伊莱一家在去麦克先生店铺的路上接到了罗伯。

“嘿,你知道卡丝汀老师给我的信吧?”罗伯问,“我爸爸说那只是一张猫粮的赠券,上面写着愚人节傻瓜!没想到老师也会搞恶作剧啊!”

伊莱摇了摇头,说:“真是活到老学到老。”

他们吃了汉堡和橄榄比萨,这是伊莱的最爱。当服务员过来唱生日歌的时候,伊莱捂住脸,溜到桌子底下,因 为他觉得挺不好意思的。

他们把罗伯送回家,伊莱心想自己最好还是保持警惕,愚人节还没结束呢。他们一回到家,艾米就扔给他一个 包装好的礼物盒。“给你,亲爱的弟弟。我想,你一定会很开心的。”

(恶作剧)终于来了,伊莱想。

他举起盒子摇了摇,然后小心翼翼地解开彩带,慢慢地撕开包装纸,结果发现塑料壳里装着的是现在最酷的新 款游戏。“呃,谢谢。”

“没事。”艾米边说边走上楼梯,“我去睡觉了。”

伊莱的爸妈之前已经送他一辆自行车作为礼物了。事情就是这样。

伊莱躺在床上,并没有入睡。当然,他得保持清醒以防在最后一刻会有恶作剧发生。终于,午夜来临——他的生日过去了,愚人节也结束了。

他的妈妈来房间看他,说:“兴奋得睡不着了吗?”

“也不是,我一直都以为会被整呢。”

“呃,好吧,愚人节傻瓜!”妈妈咧开嘴笑了,亲了亲伊莱的额头,然后离开了。

所以,他们通过不糊弄我的方式愚弄了我!伊莱心想。明年,明年换我了。他要开始计划一下了。

prop

【释义】n. 支柱;支持者 vt. 支撑;维持

【短语】prop up 支撑

embarrassment

【释义】n. 窘迫,难堪;使人为难的人或事物

【短语】handle embarrassment 应付难堪

figure

【释义】n. 数字;人物;图形;价格;画像

【短语】figure out 计算出,估计,想出

ribbon

【释义】n. 带;缎带;带状物;勋表

whiny

【释义】adj. 烦躁的;爱抱怨的;常发牢骚的

【短语】whiny people 爱抱怨的人

drench

【释义】n. 滂沱大雨;浸液 vt. 使湿透;给(牲畜)灌药

【短语】drench in 浸泡在……

yucky

【释义】adj. 恶心的;讨人厌的;不愉快的

coupon

【释义】n. 息票;赠券;联票

【短语】coupon rate 票面利率;interest coupon 息票,利息券

Footsteps on My Attic/阁楼上的脚步声

“Mummy,does the boogie man live upstairs in our attic?”

“No,darling. There is no boogie man,and even if there was,he doesn,t live in our attic. Why do you ask,Samantha?”

“Because I can hear him walking around up there at night.”Samantha shivered as she revealed this fact to me.

“No,darling,it,s not the boogie man,s footsteps. It,s probably the central heating making funny clanking noises. Don,t worry about it,darling. Now settle down,I,ll tuck you in and read you a nice story before you go to sleep.”I pulled up the covers around Samantha,and opened the book of fairy tales we had bought her for Christmas.“Once upon a time there lived a fairy princess called Esmeralda...”

“I,ve heard that one,”said Samantha,“Daddy read it to me yesterday.”

“Okay then,Once upon a time there lived a little green frog,in a lovely big pond at the bottom of the garden of Princess Annika,s palace...”

That did the trick. I read a couple of pages,and soon Samantha was sleeping soundly. I turned out the reading lamp,just leaving her little bedside night light casting a rosy glow over her lovely blond curls,and crept out of her room.

同类推荐
  • The Siege

    The Siege

    Ismail Kadare's The Siege dramatizes a relentless fictional assault on a Christian fortress in the Albanian mountains by the Ottoman Army in the fifteenth century. As the bloody and psychologically crushing struggle for control over the citadel unfolds, Kadare's newest work opens a window onto the eternal clash between religions and empires as well as the exhilaration, despair, and immediacy of the wkkk.net is a hugely respected novelist and a hero to his people, as well as an outspoken critic of all forms of totalitarianism. The Siege is a powerfully atmospheric … and vividly rendered (The Telegraph) novel of considerable cumulative power and resonance for our own times.
  • Beyond the Mask

    Beyond the Mask

    In this dramatic conclusion to the Grasslands Trilogy, Corki, Pippa, and all their friends are reunited for a final fight to determine the future of Grassland. After escaping the mountains of Grassland, where Corki and Pippa and their friends were slaves and soldiers, the fugitives finally found a new life, and are seemingly safe at last. But as the former slaves explore new lands to the north, they discover that cruelty and injustice are not only found in Grassland, and that the people they visit may need their help. Grassland, too, may need assistance. When an appeal from an old friend reaches Corki and Pippa in their travels, will they have the courage to do what's right for their old land, despite its cruel history? What will it cost them to change Grassland for the better?
  • Once Hunted (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 5)

    Once Hunted (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 5)

    "A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page."--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)ONCE HUNTED is book #5 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 600 five star reviews!A prison break from a maximum security prison. Frantic calls from the FBI. Special Agent Riley Paige's worst nightmare has come true: a serial killer she put away years ago is loose.And his main target is her.
  • Tales from the Hood (The Sisters Grimm #6)

    Tales from the Hood (The Sisters Grimm #6)

    Fans of fractured fairy tales will be delighted to discover the fantasy, mystery, adventure, and humor in the beloved New York Times bestselling Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, now with new cover art. The nine wildly popular books are favorites around the world. They were among the first books to bring a distinctly girl-power spin to fairy tales—a trend followed by hit television series and movies such as Grimm and Maleficent; the bestselling book series the Land of Stories; and more. Now, books one through six in this smash-hit series appear with new covers, with books seven, eight, and nine available as revised editions soon.
  • A Kiss for Queens (A Throne for Sisters—Book Six)

    A Kiss for Queens (A Throne for Sisters—Book Six)

    "Morgan Rice's imagination is limitless. In another series that promises to be as entertaining as the previous ones, A THRONE OF SISTERS presents us with the tale of two sisters (Sophia and Kate), orphans, fighting to survive in a cruel and demanding world of an orphanage. An instant success. I can hardly wait to put my hands on the second and third books!"--Books and Movie Reviews (Roberto Mattos)The new #1 Bestselling epic fantasy series by Morgan Rice!In A KISS FOR QUEENS (A Throne for Sisters—Book Six), it is time for Sophia to come into her own. It is time for her to lead an army, to lead a nation, to step up and be the commander of the most epic battle the realm may ever see. Her love, Sebastian, remains imprisoned and set to be executed. Will they reunite in time?
热门推荐
  • 曼德拉的传奇人生

    曼德拉的传奇人生

    纳尔逊·曼德拉1918年7月18日生于南非特兰凯斯。先后获南非大学文学士和威特沃特斯兰德大学律师资格。曾任南非大青年联盟全国书记、主席。于1994年至1999年任南非总统,是南非首位黑人总统,被尊称为南非国父。本书从曼德拉的童年开始,记录了他从酋长继承者,到青年领袖,直到入狱27年,并且在出狱后成为首位南非总统的传奇人生。带领读者去认识去喜欢去尊敬一位全世界人都爱戴的自由战士。向读者传达曼德拉的精神之光。
  • 通玄真经注

    通玄真经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 黑暗的苏醒

    黑暗的苏醒

    据说脚下的土地方舟曾经降落,据说黑暗里绽放的鲜花其实十分婀娜。我们只想展开天书的长卷,在文字间找到梦中出现的银河。这是无比漫长的旅程,沿途一起欣赏月升与日落。这是荆棘遍布的旅程,衣衫褴褛的我们没钱却快活。烈日蒸发时光,我们用勇敢书写十二奇迹的传说。有朋友的人生不迷路,流行真爱的时代不荒芜。我们是多么逍遥,我们是多么洒脱,为了使命穿越时空忍受寂寞,然后一起回家敷个面膜。无论峡谷还是云中,管他勇士还是河洛,朝着目的地我们齐声呐喊:....吼吼,欢迎来到王者荣耀!
  • 网游之绝顶锋芒

    网游之绝顶锋芒

    新书《宿主饶命啊》发布,欢迎移步围观,求支持~~《战界》,划时代的全息网游,一个能让人真正变强的游戏。阵营林立,纷争四起,万千强者路,谁人能称王?叶笙死了,但她又活了。死于战界人魔大决战初始,活于战界开服之前。再入战界,定名“锋芒”。不一样的开始,她走上一条不可思议的道路,誓要成为最强大的刺客,却也站在所有人的对立面。我是锋芒,我欲成神!纵横于战界,十步杀一人,千里不留行!书友Q群831128426,可以加群一起聊天讨论剧情哟~
  • 麻辣春秋

    麻辣春秋

    本书以春秋时期,吴国、楚国、越国之间自由竞争,人人都有机会创造财富,职场激烈角逐的时代作为背景,叙述了地处偏远的越国公司的草根老板勾践以及范蠡、文种怎样发挥民营企业的低成本优势,占领低端市场,与吴国公司总经理夫差和营销大师孙武,打造销售团队,进行竞争并最终成为业界王者的传奇故事。
  • 不求医的生活方式:增强疾病抵抗力的自然养生法

    不求医的生活方式:增强疾病抵抗力的自然养生法

    本书旨在告诉读者,保持健康的体质,就是要在平时养成良好的生活习惯,顺从人体机能的自然规律去保健,从而提高预防疾病的能力,达到自然养生的目的。
  • 礼拜六的快行列车

    礼拜六的快行列车

    本书收入邵丽的九个中短篇小说,《明惠的圣诞》《城外的小秋》《糖果》《木兰的城》《马兰花的等待》等。集中体现了邵丽走上文坛以来的大致创作风貌。
  • 痕迹

    痕迹

    魏民、章琪、罗来金三个大中专毕业生从金口乡走向社会,由于各人的性格特点和价值取向的不同,他们留下了不同的人生痕迹,发人深省。面对女友分手、领导打压以及同事勾心斗角、干群矛盾尖锐、地方势力挑衅等复杂局面,魏民独辟蹊径,在波澜壮阔的农村改革和发展中,书写了精彩的人生,实现了事业和爱情的双丰收……
  • 醉花阴:旧梦红阁

    醉花阴:旧梦红阁

    少时拜师入红阁,暖情暖语护安康。一入红尘深似海,唯心不悔忆初衷。也许,上天注定了要我遇到她,那个改变了我一生的人,不过我无悔,若是从来一次我还要遇见她。耳畔似乎又听到了那个一身着红衣的女子撑着油纸伞缓步而来,倾城而无双,却在她面前喃喃自语“跟我走,我给你一个家。”眼前似乎又看到了那个一身着白衣的女子在桃花树下笑颜如花,风华而绝代,却在她面前许下诺言“你是我妹妹,我必然护你一生。”一路走来,聚散离合,引起无数悲欢,是谁一直陪在了她的身边,不曾离去?是谁无论如何,都对她宠溺如初?(不主单人CP,讲述的是一个人独特的一段人生经历,不喜误入)
  • 余生我只想要你

    余生我只想要你

    “喂,如果有一天我离开了,你们会想我吗?”一个不经意间的玩笑,没想到居然变成了真的。当她变成了她,便是王者崛起之时。校园里多了一个学神,音乐界多了一个鬼才,金融界多了一个大佬……没错,说的都是本姑娘。咳咳,低调低调。前面自恋的那姑娘,你归我管了,某帅哥喊话了。凭什么啊?某帅哥高调拿出两个红本本来向全世界宣布这个女人是我的。