Picture of an Angel 天使的照片
Picture of an Angel 天使的照片
◎ Algernon
Golden sunlight danced in the treetops, and children’s laughter filled the park. The smell of popcorn played on the breeze, and life seemed good. It was one of the happiest Saturday mornings I had spent with my little daughter, Gigi.
金色的阳光在树梢舞动，孩子们的笑声洋溢在公园的各个角落。爆米花的香味在微风中飘荡，生活是如此的美好。这是我和小女儿小吉一起度过的一个最幸福的周六上午之一。
That is, until two strangers threw her into their car and sped away. It seemed like a bad dream. I could barely whisper when the police questioned me. For hours we waited, but there was no word on the whereabouts of the car. Tears would start to come. Then nothing. I was numb with fear.
然而，当两个陌生人把她塞进车里并疾驰而去之后，一切美好都被打破了。这个经历像是一场噩梦。警察询问我时，我几乎说不出话来。我们等了很久，但还是没有关于那辆车的行踪的消息。我欲哭无泪，整个人惊恐而麻木。
“Go home, Ma’am,” the sergeant said. “I’ll have an officer drive you. We’ll also want to monitor your telephone. The kidnappers might call, and we’ll want to get a trace. Trust me, these guys can’t get far.” After what had just happened, it was hard for me to trust anything.
“女士，回家吧。”警察说，“我会让人开车送你回去的。我们想监听你的电话。绑匪可能会给你打电话，我们想进行追踪。相信我，这些人跑不远的。”然而，在经历过所发生的一切后，我几乎无法相信任何事情。
My friend Gloria came over that afternoon. “I heard about Gigi on the radio,” she said. “Everyone is looking for the car. The interstates are all blocked.” She took my hand.
我的朋友格劳雷亚当天下午过来看我。“我从收音机上听说了关于小吉的事情，”她说，“每个人都在找那辆车。所有洲际公路都被封锁了。”她握住了我的手。
“Look here,” Gloria said. “I want you have this picture, and I want you to pray with me.”
“你看这儿，”格劳雷亚说，“我想把这张图片给你，希望你和我一起祈祷。”
It was a picture of a little girl sound asleep in her bed. Standing by the bed was a tall, blond angel. His hand was touching the girl’s shoulder as he smiled down at her.
这是一张一个小女孩在床上熟睡的照片。床边站着一个金发碧眼、身材高挑的天使。天使正朝着女孩微笑，手放在她的肩膀上。
My nerves were frazzled. “You know I don’t believe in that kind of thing!” I snapped. “I’m too exhausted for any hocus-pocus right now, Gloria! I want my daughter home!” I started to shake, and then I began sobbing.
我的神经一下子就崩溃了。“你知道我不相信这类东西的！”我厉声说道。“格劳雷亚，我现在已经精疲力竭了，受不了任何戏弄！我想要我的女儿回家！”我开始发抖，之后便开始抽泣。
Gloria placed the photo on our mantle and knelt down beside me. “Just pray with me.” she said, holding my hand.
格劳雷亚把图片放在我们的披风上，在我旁边跪下来。“和我一起祈祷吧。”她握住我的手说。
I had no strength left, so we prayed and waited what seemed an eternity. Together, we waited by the phone until sundown. The phone never rang.
我已经没有力气挣脱了，于是我们一起祈祷，但是，等待的时间如此漫长。我们一起在电话旁等到太阳落山。但它始终都没有响。
Suddenly, the front door swung open. I looked up and screamed.
突然，前门被推开了。我抬起头看了看，便尖叫起来。
There stood Gigi. “Gigi! Thank God!” I cried, throwing my arms around her. “Where did those men take you? How did you get home? Did the police find you?”
是小吉站在门口。“小吉！谢天谢地！”我喊出声来，跑过去抱住她。“那些人带你去哪里了？你怎么回家的？警察找到你了吗？”
“No Mommy!” said Gigi. “I was real scared because those men said they were taking me far away. We were going real fast on an old rock road I’d never seen before. But then a tall man walked out in front of the car, and they ran off the road and hit a tree. Then the tall man ran up and opened the car door and pulled me out. He was real nice, and said I would be okay now, and that those men couldn’t hurt me. I must have gone to sleep, because then I woke up here in front of our house. He must have brought me home.”
“妈妈，不是那样的！”小吉说。“那些人说要把我带到很远的地方，我害怕极了。他们在一条我从未见过的碎石路上开得飞快。但之后有一个高个子的人走到车前，他们的车就偏离了公路，撞到了一棵树上。然后那个高个子的人跑了过来，打开车门把我拉了出来。他人非常好，告诉我说现在没事了，那些人不会再伤害我了。我想我当时一定是睡着了，因为我醒来时就已经在家门前了。一定是他把我带回了家。”
“But who...how did he know...where to bring you?” My voice broke and trailed to a whisper.
“但是……他怎么知道……要把你带到哪里？”我的嗓子哑了，只能小声说话。
“I don’t know, Mommy,” Gigi said. “But he was real friendly, and I wasn’t scared of him at all.”
“妈妈，我也不知道，”小吉说，“但他确实非常友好，我一点儿都不怕他。”
Just then Gigi noticed Gloria’s picture on the mantle. “That’s him!” She squealed, pointing at the picture. “Mommy, the tall blond man dressed like an angel. That’s the man that pulled me out of the car!”
就在那个时候，小吉看到了格劳雷亚放在披风上的图片。“那就是他！”她手指着那张图片尖声叫道。“妈妈，那个金发碧眼的高个子的人穿的衣服就像这个天使一样，就是他把我从车里拉出来的！”
I felt chill-bumps across my neck and arms. Gloria turned pale. “Are you sure that’s the man?” Gloria asked.
我感到脖子和胳膊上都泛起了鸡皮疙瘩。格劳雷亚脸色也变得苍白。“你确定就是这个人？”格劳雷亚问她。
“Yeah, that’s him okay. Except he didn’t have wings, and he was wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt. But that’s him exactly. I’d remember him anywhere!”
“对，就是他。但他没有翅膀，他穿的蓝色牛仔裤和一件T恤。但绝对是他。到哪里我都能记得他！”
Later that night, the police found the injured kidnappers in their wrecked car fifty miles from our home. When questioned, the driver remembered swerving to avoid hitting a tall blond man. The backseat door that Gigi sat by had been completely torn off its hinges.
那天夜里，警察在距离我家50英里外的地方找到了受伤的绑匪，他们的车已经撞坏了。被审问时，司机记得当时是为了躲开一个高个子金发碧眼的人才把车突然转向。小吉所坐的后座的门已经完全被从合页上摘了下来。
Twenty years have gone by. We have never heard from anyone claiming to have rescued Gigi. There have been no logical explanations for Gigi’s miraculous escape and return home from a wreck so far away.
20年过去了。我们从未听说有人宣称救过小吉，也没有任何合理的解释能够对小吉奇迹般的逃脱和从如此远的车祸中回家作出说明。
There have always been things that people can’t explain. But, from that day forward, I’ve never doubted that many of those things are divine miracles. I believe that all experiences, positive and negative, are given to us for our strengthening and learning.
总有一些人们无法作出解释的事情。但是，从那天起，我不再怀疑许多事都是神圣的奇迹了。我相信所有的经历，好的也罢，坏的也罢，都给了我们力量和教导。
Gigi now takes her little girl to the park on Saturdays. They enjoy the sunlight as it dances in the treetops, the smell of popcorn, and the laughter of children. She keeps Gloria’s picture on her mantle, and she remembers her angelic friend. And, like my daughter, I have a faith that has carried me through many trials since that day many years ago.
小吉现在也会在周六带着自己的小女儿去公园。她们尽情地享受在树梢舞动的阳光，爆米花的香味，孩子们的笑声。她把格劳雷亚的图片放在自己的披风里，她思念自己的天使朋友。像我的女儿一样，从多年之前的那天起我也怀有一种信仰，这种信仰帮我克服了许多困难。
