英美故事赏析：The Ghost at the Crossroads

There is a village with several households in a wild land. Nobody from the village would go near the crossroads after midnight. Everyone said the place was haunted, and lots of people said they had seen a white woman figure there -- a horrible one-eyed woman with a big black cat.

One night, Tom and Mick were in the village pub having a drink. They were talking about the ghost at the crossroads. "I don't believe in ghosts," said Tom with a smile. "I bet you won't go to the crossroads, by yourself, after midnight," said Mick.

Tom laughed and said, "I'll go if you will." So the two men agreed to meet at midnight at the crossroads.

Tom wanted to play a trick on Mick. He went to the crossroads just before midnight. He took a bag of flour and put it all over his face, hair. It was a very dark and quite night. As the village clock struck twelve, a shrill cry from bird broke the black and made your blood run cold and your flesh creep. Then he heard Mick calling, "Tom, Tom are you there?" Tom didn't speak.He sat on the stone, very still, as well as held back to laugh. When Mick came close enough to see Tom, he took one look and ran off down the road screaming. Tom laughed so much he fell off the stone.

Early the next day, Tom went to Mick's house. Mick was in the kitchen.He had locked all the doors and windows. He had a shot-gun on the table. He opened the door and let Tom in. Then he locked the door again. He was tired and frightened. He had not been to bed.

"Well," said Tom trying not to laugh, "did you see the ghost last night?" "Oh yes," whispered Mick, "I saw her as plain as day." Then Tom said, "You fool! That was me you saw sitting on the stone by the crossroads!"

"Oh yes," said Mick, "I saw you on the stone, and I also saw that evil one-eyed witch with her cat, standing right behind you."

When he heard this, Tom went quite white, as if someone had dusted his face with flour...