You'll never find the village of Royston Valley on maps. Traditionally, locals do not abbreviate it to "R.V." or abridge it to "Royston". This would be to abandon a tradition. Royston Valley is an aberration and its inhabitants, who consider themselves aboriginals, are aberrant. Strangers arriving in Royston Valley cannot abscond. Locals abominate them, their situation is abject and they are at the mercy of the local people, who are aboveboard with each other, but hold rules in abeyance with regard to strangers. Rumors abound that hikers in the nearby hills have been abducted and...well, who knows?
The villagers live in almost absolute isolation and don't want the outside world to absorb them. They are abstemious and abstain from most of the modern things that other English people, who are now rarely abstentious, enjoy. Their abstention would be famous if anyone knew of it. A few people keep abreast of events in the outside world, in case anything that could affect the village happens. One of these people discovered that a road to Royston Valley was being built. The locals thought this abominable. How could they stop the abhorrent road? They would have to fight until the threat abated and construction was abrogated. Everyone discussed the abolition of the road to their centuries old abode. Several attempts to stop the road were made, but these failed, abashing the locals, forcing the mayor to abdicate, and leading to rumors that a villager was abetting the road builders. As a result, each villager publicly abnegated any connection to the road builders through ablution.
One woman refused to abide by this and abase herself in this way. She claimed to abhor the road, wanted to abolish it, and would give a verbal abnegation. Others villagers tried to reason with her, saying that, to abjure, ablution was necessary, but the discussion soon became abrasive. Someone pointed out her frequent absenteeism from the village in recent days and the woman was forced to tell her story to absolve herself. Though a series of abscissions and abrasions, she had created a single body from the dead bodies of farm animals. Put together, the body looked frightening. She had left it in the path of the road. A few days later, the road builders discovered it and abraded the mud from it. What they saw horrified them and work came to an abrupt halt on the now abortive road.
通往罗伊斯顿山谷的公路
你在地图上永远找不到罗伊斯顿山谷小村。当地人传统上不会把它缩写为“罗.村”或简写为“罗伊斯顿”。这么做会背离传统。罗伊斯顿山谷是块怪异之地,那儿的居民性格怪异,自认为是土著。到访罗伊斯顿山谷的外来者无法逃脱,处境悲惨,任由当地人摆布。当地人憎恶外来者,虽然彼此间坦诚相见,但对外来者却不如此。关于在附近山地远足者遭绑架的各种谣言绵不绝耳......可是,谁会知道?
居住于此的村民几乎与世隔绝,不愿被外界接纳。 他们生活节俭,有意避开其他英国人所享用的大部分现代产品。现代生活节俭的英国人实属罕见。村民节俭的生活作风一旦为人所知,就会为此大为出名。少数村民坚持了解外界的最新动态,以防出现的任何事件影响小村。这些村民中有人发现一条通往罗伊斯顿山谷的公路正在建造之中。当地人对此非常反感。 他们怎样才能阻止筑造这条可恶的公路?为了消除这种威胁并废止筑路,他们将不得不一直斗争下去。人人都在议论废止这条通往他们繁衍了数世纪的住地的公路。三番五次企图阻止筑路,还屡试屡败,这令逼迫市长辞职的当地人颇为尴尬,还引发出村民唆使筑路工人停止筑路的谣言。结果,每个村民通过洗礼公开否认同筑路工人有任何联系。
有位妇女拒绝洗礼,结果自贬身份。她声称厌恶筑路,想要废止筑路,而且愿意口头否认。其他村民努力劝导她,要发誓断绝联系必须洗礼。但讨论很快变得粗暴起来。有人指出该妇女最近频频离村外出,而该妇女被迫讲述自己的故事以谋求宽恕。经过对农场各种家畜尸体进行一系列的切肢、剥皮后,该妇女制造出一具单独的尸体,拼在一起,模样骇人。她把尸体抛在正在筑造中的公路上,筑路工人发现后用泥巴把它清理掉。他们被所见到的恐怖景象吓坏了,对现在这条未竣工的公路上骤然停止了施工。