The Sister's Last Words (Part 2)

HSK 3 · 462 characters · The Speckled Band

A locked room, a low whistle at three in the morning, and a dying sister's impossible last words.

周Zhōu兰lán喝hē了le一口yī kǒu热茶rè chá，开始kāi shǐ讲jiǎng那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang的de事shì。Zhou Lan took a sip of hot tea and began to tell the story of that night.“我们wǒ men家jiā的de老lǎo房子fáng zi里lǐ，有yǒu三sān间jiān卧室wò shì，排pái成chéng一排yī pái。”"In our old house there are three bedrooms, all in a row."“第一dì yī间jiān是shì继父jì fù的de房间fáng jiān，中间zhōng jiān是shì姐姐jiě jie的de，最后zuì hòu一yī间jiān是shì我的wǒ de。”"The first is my stepfather's room, the middle one was my sister's, and the last is mine."

“姐姐jiě jie死sǐ以前yǐ qián的de那nà几个jǐ ge晚上wǎn shang，她tā总是zǒng shì睡shuì不好bù hǎo。”"In the nights before my sister died, she could never sleep well."“她tā告诉gào sù我wǒ，半夜bàn yè三sān点diǎn，她tā听见tīng jiàn一种yī zhǒng很hěn低dī的de哨shào声shēng。”"She told me that at three in the morning she heard a low whistle."“我wǒ自己zì jǐ没有méi yǒu听见tīng jiàn，因为yīn wèi我wǒ睡shuì得de太tài熟shú了le。”"I never heard it myself, because I was sleeping too deeply."“她tā死sǐ的de那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang，外面wài miàn刮guā着zhe很大hěn dà的de风fēng。”"On the night she died, a great wind was blowing outside."

“半夜bàn yè，我wǒ忽然hū rán听见tīng jiàn姐姐jiě jie的de房间fáng jiān里lǐ传来chuán lái一声yī shēng大叫dà jiào。”"In the middle of the night, I suddenly heard a scream from my sister's room."“我wǒ跑过去pǎo guò qù，看见kàn jiàn她的tā de门mén慢慢地màn màn de开了kāi le。”"I ran over and saw her door slowly open."“姐姐jiě jie站在zhàn zài门口mén kǒu，全身quán shēn发抖fā dǒu，脸liǎn白bái得de像xiàng纸zhǐ一样yī yàng。”"My sister stood in the doorway, shaking all over, her face as white as paper."“她tā抓住zhuā zhù我的wǒ de手shǒu，大声dà shēng喊hǎn：‘是shì……斑点bān diǎn的de带子dài zi！’”"She seized my hand and cried out: 'It was... the speckled band!'"“然后rán hòu她tā就jiù倒dǎo在zài地上dì shang，再也zài yě没有méi yǒu醒xǐng过来guò lái。”"Then she fell to the floor and never woke again."沈默shěn mò问wèn：“那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang，你nǐ听见tīng jiàn哨shào声shēng了吗le ma？”Shen Mo asked, "That night, did you hear the whistle?"

“我wǒ不能bù néng确定què dìng，风fēng的de声音shēng yīn太tài大dà了le。”"I cannot be sure — the wind was too loud."“姐姐jiě jie房间fáng jiān的de门mén是shì从cóng里面lǐ miàn锁suǒ着zhe的de，窗子chuāng zi外面wài miàn有yǒu铁tiě条tiáo。”"My sister's door was locked from the inside, and there were iron bars outside the window."“没有méi yǒu人rén能néng进去jìn qù，也yě没有méi yǒu东西dōng xi能néng进去jìn qù。”"No person could get in — and nothing else could either."“医生yī shēng检查jiǎn chá了le她的tā de身体shēn tǐ，没有méi yǒu伤口shāng kǒu，也yě没有méi yǒu他们tā men认识rèn shi的de毒药dú yào。”"The doctors examined her body: no wound, and no poison that they knew."“到dào今天jīn tiān，没有méi yǒu人rén知道zhī dào她tā是shì怎么zěn me死sǐ的de。”"To this day, no one knows how she died."周Zhōu兰lán停tíng了le一会儿yī huìr，声音shēng yīn变得biàn de更gèng低dī了le。Zhou Lan paused a moment, and her voice grew lower still.

“两个liǎng gè星期xīng qī以前yǐ qián，继父jì fù说shuō我的wǒ de房间fáng jiān要yào修理xiū lǐ。”"Two weeks ago, my stepfather said my room needed repairs."“所以suǒ yǐ我wǒ只好zhǐ hǎo搬bān进jìn了le中间zhōng jiān那个nà ge房间fáng jiān——姐姐jiě jie以前yǐ qián的de房间fáng jiān。”"So I had no choice but to move into the middle room — my sister's old room."“昨天zuó tiān半夜bàn yè三sān点diǎn，我wǒ听见tīng jiàn了le同样tóng yàng的de哨shào声shēng。”"Last night at three in the morning, I heard the same low whistle."“我wǒ马上mǎ shàng点diǎn了le灯dēng，坐zuò到dào天亮tiān liàng，然后rán hòu就jiù坐zuò第一dì yī班bān火车huǒ chē来了lái le。”"I lit the lamp at once, sat until dawn, and then took the first train here."房间fáng jiān里lǐ安静ān jìng得de可怕kě pà。The room was terribly silent.

沈默shěn mò慢慢地màn màn de说shuō：“我们wǒ men今天jīn tiān就jiù去qù看看kàn kan那个nà ge房间fáng jiān。”Shen Mo said slowly, "We will go and look at that room today."周Zhōu兰lán走了zǒu le以后yǐ hòu，沈默shěn mò在zài窗边chuāng biān坐zuò了le很久hěn jiǔ，一句话yī jù huà也yě不bù说shuō。After Zhou Lan left, Shen Mo sat by the window for a long time without a word.最后zuì hòu他说tā shuō：“华huà医生yī shēng，这个zhè ge案子àn zi很hěn黑hēi。”At last he said, "Dr. Hua, this case is a dark one."华huà医生yī shēng看着kàn zhe窗外chuāng wài的de雾wù，觉得jué de身上shēn shang有一点yǒu yī diǎn冷lěng。Dr. Hua looked at the fog outside the window and felt a slight chill.