Читать «Английский язык с С. Кингом "Верхом на пуле"» онлайн - страница 29

inscription [In'skrIpS(q)n], relative ['relqtIv], graveyard ['greIvjRd]

I looked both ways along the road. Nothing coming, not so much as a glow on the horizon. Putting my pack down in the wheelrut where I'd been dangling my feet, I got up and walked into the cemetery. A lock of hair had fallen onto my brow; the wind blew it off. The mist roiled lazily around my shoes. The stones at the back were old; more than a few had fallen over. The ones at the front were much newer. I bent, hands planted on knees, to look at one which was surrounded by almost fresh flowers. By moonlight the name was easy to read: george staub. Below it were the dates marking the brief span of George Staub's life: January 19, 1977, at one end, October 12, 1998, at the other. That explained the flowers which had only begun to wilt; October 12th was two days ago and 1998 was just two years ago. George's friends and relatives had stopped by to pay their respects. Below the name and dates was something else, a brief inscription. I leaned down farther to read it and stumbled back, terrified and all too aware that I was by myself, visiting a graveyard by moonlight.

FUN IS FUN AND DONE IS DONE was the inscription (“что весело, то весело, а что кончено, то кончено”, — гласила надпись).

My mother was dead (моя мать была мертва), had died perhaps at that very minute (умерла, возможно, в эту самую минуту), and something had sent me a message (и что-то отправило мне послание; to send). Something with a thoroughly unpleasant sense of humor (что-то с совершенно неприятным чувством юмора).

I began to back slowly toward the road (я начал медленно отступать назад к дороге; back — спина; to back — пятиться; отступать), listening to the wind in the trees (прислушиваясь к ветру в деревьях), listening to the stream (прислушиваясь к ручью), listening to the frog (прислушиваясь к лягушке), suddenly afraid I might hear another sound (внезапно испугавшись, что я могу услышать другой звук), the sound of rubbing earth and tearing roots (звук трескающейся земли и рвущихся корней; to rub — тереть/ся/) as something not quite dead reached up (когда что-то не вполне мертвое вытянется вверх), groping for one of my sneakers (хватая меня за ногу: «один из моих кед») ---