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Neil Gaiman "American Gods", Chapter 1 (p3)

Chapter 1 (p3)

Shadow was not superstitious. He did not believe in anything he could not see. Still, he could feel disaster hovering above the prison in those final weeks, just as he had felt it in the days before the robbery. There was a hollowness in the pit of his stomach, which he told himself was simply a fear of going back to the world on the outside. But he could not be sure. He was more paranoid than usual, and in prison usual is very, and is a survival skill. Shadow became more quiet, more shadowy, than ever. He found himself watching the body language of the guards, of the other inmates, searching for a clue to the bad thing that was going to happen, as he was certain that it would.

A month before he was due to be released. Shadow sat in a chilly office, facing a short man with a port-wine birthmark on his forehead. They sat across a desk from each other; the man had Shadow's file open in front of him, and was holding a ballpoint pen. The end of the pen was badly chewed.

“You cold, Shadow?”

“Yes,” said Shadow. “A little.”

The man shrugged. “That's the system,” he said. “Furnaces don't go on until December the first. Then they go off March the first. I don't make the rules.” Social niceties done with, he ran his forefinger down the sheet of paper stapled to the inside-left of the folder. “You're thirty-two years old?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You look younger.”

“Clean living.”

“Says here you've been a model inmate.”

“I learned my lesson, sir.”

“Did you? Did you really?” He looked at Shadow intently, the birthmark on his forehead lowering. Shadow thought about telling the man some of his theories about prison, but he said nothing. He nodded, instead, and concentrated on appearing properly remorseful.

“Says here you've got a wife, Shadow.”

“Her name's Laura.”

“How's everything there?”

“Pretty good. She got kind of mad at me when I was arrested. But she's come down to see me as much as she could—it's a long way to travel. We write and I call her when I can.”

“What does your wife do?”

“She's a travel agent. Sends people all over the world.”

“How'd you meet her?”

Shadow could not decide why the man was asking. He considered telling him it was none of his business, then said, “She was my best buddy's wife's best friend. They set us up on a blind date. We hit it off.”

“And you've got a job waiting for you?”

“Yessir. My buddy, Robbie, the one I just told you about, he owns the Muscle Farm, the place I used to train. He says my old job is waiting for me.”

An eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“Says he figures I'll be a big draw. Bring back some old-timers, and pull in the tough crowd who want to be tougher.”

The man seemed satisfied. He chewed the end of his ballpoint pen, then turned over the sheet of paper.

“How do you feel about your offense?”

Shadow shrugged. “I was stupid,” he said, and meant it.

The man with the birthmark sighed. He ticked off a number of items on a checklist. Then he riffled through the papers in Shadow's file. “How're you getting home from here?” he asked. “Greyhound?”

“Flying home. It's good to have a wife who's a travel agent.”

The man frowned, and the birthmark creased. “She sent you a ticket?”

“Didn't need to. Just sent me a confirmation number. Electronic ticket. All I have to do is turn up at the airport in a month and show 'em my ID, and I'm outta here.” The man nodded, scribbled one final note, then he closed the file and put down the ballpoint pen. Two pale hands rested on the gray desk like pink animals. He brought his hands close together, made a steeple of his forefingers, and stared at Shadow with watery hazel eyes.

“You're lucky,” he said. “You have someone to go back to, you got a job waiting. You can put all this behind you. You got a second chance. Make the most of it.”

The man did not offer to shake Shadow's hand as he rose to leave, nor did Shadow expect him to

Chapter 1 (p3) Κεφάλαιο 1 (σελ. 3) Capítulo 1 (p3) 1 skyrius (p3) Capítulo 1 (p3) Глава 1 (стр 3) Bölüm 1 (s3) Розділ 1 (стор. 3) 第 1 章（p3）

Shadow was not superstitious. |||迷信的 |||not superstitious |||مُتَشَائِم |||суеверний He did not believe in anything he could not see. 他不相信任何他看不见的事物。 Still, he could feel disaster hovering above the prison in those final weeks, just as he had felt it in the days before the robbery. 然而|||||逼近|||||||||||||||||||抢劫事件 |||||يهدد||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||theft event |||||suspendida||||||||||||||||||| ||||катастрофа|нависая|||||||||||||||||||ограбление 然而，在最后的几周里，他仍然能感觉到灾难笼罩着监狱，就像抢劫案发生前的几天一样。 There was a hollowness in the pit of his stomach, which he told himself was simply a fear of going back to the world on the outside. |||пустота||||||желудке||||||||||||||||| there|||emptiness|||bottom|||stomach||||||||||||||||| ||||||胃部|||||||||||||||||||| |||فراغ||||||||||||||||||||||| |||порожнеча||||||||||||||||||||||| |||vacío|||hoyo|||||||||||||||||||| 他的胃部感到一阵空虚，他告诉自己那只是害怕回到外面的世界。 But he could not be sure. He was more paranoid than usual, and in prison usual is very, and is a survival skill. |||параноидальный||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||habilidad |||||通常||||通常||||||| Он был более параноиком, чем обычно, а в тюрьме обычно очень даже и есть навык выживания. 他比平常更加偏执，而在监狱里这很正常，而且是一种生存技能。 Shadow became more quiet, more shadowy, than ever. |||||阴暗|| |||||مظلم|| He found himself watching the body language of the guards, of the other inmates, searching for a clue to the bad thing that was going to happen, as he was certain that it would. |||||||||||||囚犯们|||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||prisoners|||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||reclusos|||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||узников|||||||||||||||||уверен||| 他发现自己正在观察狱警和其他囚犯的肢体语言，寻找即将发生的坏事的线索，因为他确信这会发生。

A month before he was due to be released. |||||预定||| |||||debía||| |||||должен был|||освобождён 距离他获释还有一个月的时间。 Shadow sat in a chilly office, facing a short man with a port-wine birthmark on his forehead. ||||прохладном||||||||||родимое пятно||| ||||cold||||||||fortified wine|||||forehead ||||寒冷的||||||||波特||酒渣鼻胎|||额头 ||||بارد||||||||||علامة ولادة||| ||||||||||||||родимка||| ||||fría||||||||||||| They sat across a desk from each other; the man had Shadow’s file open in front of him, and was holding a ballpoint pen. ||||||||||||档案||||||||||圆珠笔| ||||||||||||||||||||||قلم حبر| ||||||||||||||||||||||ручка| ||||||||||||||||||||||шариковая ручка| Они сели за стол друг напротив друга; перед мужчиной был открыт файл Шэдоу, и он держал шариковую ручку. The end of the pen was badly chewed. ||||||плохо|погрызена |||||||مضغ |||||||mordido |||||||咬坏了 Конец ручки был сильно изжеван.

“You cold, Shadow?”

“Yes,” said Shadow. “A little.”

The man shrugged. ||пожал плечами ||هزّ ||se encogió de hombros “That’s the system,” he said. «Такова система, — сказал он. “Furnaces don’t go on until December the first. 炉子||||||| Öfen||||||| Furnaces (1)||||||| hornos||||||| печи||||||| "Os fornos só começam a funcionar no dia 1 de dezembro. «Печи не пускают до первого декабря. “炉子要到 12 月 1 日才能启动。 Then they go off March the first. ||||三月|| Затем они уходят первого марта. I don’t make the rules.” Social niceties done with, he ran his forefinger down the sheet of paper stapled to the inside-left of the folder. ||||||вежливости||||||указательный палец|||лист|||прикреплённый|||||||папка ||||||||||||||||||attached||||||| ||||||||||||||||||heftet||||||| ||||||社交礼仪||||||||||||钉在||||左侧|||文件夹 ||||||||||||سبابة||||||المثبتة|||||||المجلد ||||||приємності||||||||||||прикріпленого||||||| ||||||cortesías||||||índice|||hoja|||enganchada||||||| “我不是制定规则的人。”社交礼节说完，他用食指顺着文件夹左内侧钉着的纸张滑动。 “You’re thirty-two years old?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You look younger.” ||年轻

“Clean living.” “干净的生活。”

“Says here you’ve been a model inmate.” |||||примерный|узник ||||||囚犯 “这里说你是个模范囚犯。”

“I learned my lesson, sir.” |||教训|

“Did you? Did you really?” He looked at Shadow intently, the birthmark on his forehead lowering. |||||||внимательно||родимое пятно||||опускаясь |||||||بتركيز||||||تتدلى |||||||||||||зменшуючися |||||||||||||下沉 Ти справді?” Він пильно подивився на Шедоу, родима пляма на його лобі опустилася. 你真的这么做了？”他专注地看着 Shadow，额头上的胎记垂了下来。 Shadow thought about telling the man some of his theories about prison, but he said nothing. |||||||||理论|||||| Тінь||||||||||||||| Шедоу подумав, що скаже чоловікові деякі свої теорії про в'язницю, але нічого не сказав. 影子想告诉这个人一些关于监狱的想法，但他什么也没说。 He nodded, instead, and concentrated on appearing properly remorseful. ||||||||сожалеющим ||||||||sorry ||||专注于||表现得|恰当地|懊悔的 ||||||الظهور||ندم ||замість цього|||||належним чином|кається |asintió|||||||remordimiento Вместо этого он кивнул и сосредоточился на том, чтобы выглядеть должным образом раскаявшимся. Він лише кивнув і зосередився на тому, щоб виглядати належним чином розкаянням.

“Says here you’ve got a wife, Shadow.” |здесь||имеешь||| “说你有老婆，影子。”

“Her name’s Laura.” |名字是|

“How’s everything there?” “那边一切都好吗？”

“Pretty good. She got kind of mad at me when I was arrested. |разозлилась||||||||| But she’s come down to see me as much as she could—it’s a long way to travel. |||||||||||могла|||долгий||| 但她还是尽可能多地来看我——尽管路途遥远。 We write and I call her when I can.” |пишем||||||| 我们写信，只要我有时间我就会给她打电话。”

“What does your wife do?” |делает||жена|

“She’s a travel agent. ||туристический| |||旅行社代理 Sends people all over the world.”

“How’d you meet her?” 你是怎么||| как ты|||

Shadow could not decide why the man was asking. He considered telling him it was none of his business, then said, “She was my best buddy’s wife’s best friend. |考虑|||||||||||||||朋友||| ||||||||||||||||друга||| ||||||||||||||||amigo||| |подумал о|||||||||||||||друга||| 他考虑了一下是否应该告诉他这不关他的事，然后说道：“她是我最好朋友的妻子最好的朋友。 They set us up on a blind date. |||||||约会 We hit it off.” |nos llevamos|| 我们一拍即合。”

“And you’ve got a job waiting for you?” — А тебя ждет работа?

“Yessir. 是的，先生 Да сэр My buddy, Robbie, the one I just told you about, he owns the Muscle Farm, the place I used to train. |друг|Робби|||||||||владеет||Мускульная||||||| |||||||||||拥有||肌肉||||||| 我的朋友罗比，就是我刚才跟你们提到的那位，他拥有肌肉农场，那是我以前训练的地方。 He says my old job is waiting for me.” Он говорит, что меня ждет моя старая работа».

An eyebrow raised. ||抬起 |ceja|levantada ||поднялась 扬起眉毛。 “Really?”

“Says he figures I’ll be a big draw. говорит|||||||привлечение людей dice||||||| ||认为|||||吸引力 «Говорит, что он считает, что я буду большой ничьей. “他说他认为我会有很大的吸引力。 Bring back some old-timers, and pull in the tough crowd who want to be tougher.” ||||старожилов||привлечь|||сильные|трудная публика|||||жестче ||||старожили||||||||||| ||||||吸引||||艰难的观|||||更强大 Верните некоторых старожилов и соберите крутую толпу, которая хочет быть еще круче». 让一些老前辈回归，并吸引那些想要变得更强硬的人群。”

The man seemed satisfied. |||удовлетворён He chewed the end of his ballpoint pen, then turned over the sheet of paper. |жевал|||||шариковой ручки||||||лист|| ||||||||||||hoja||

“How do you feel about your offense?” ||||||进攻 ||||||offensive performance ||||||атака

Shadow shrugged. |пожал плечами |se encogió de hombros “I was stupid,” he said, and meant it. ||||||说的| ||||||intended|

The man with the birthmark sighed. |||||叹了口气 ||||birthmark| |||||تنهد He ticked off a number of items on a checklist. |勾选||||||||清单 |||||||||قائمة التحقق |||||||||список задач Then he riffled through the papers in Shadow’s file. ||перелистал|||||| ||flipped through|||||| ||تصفح|||||| ||revisó|||||| |||||文件||| 然后他快速翻阅了Shadow档案里的文件。 “How’re you getting home from here?” he asked. 你怎么||||||| كيف||||||| cómo||||||| как||||||| “你怎么从这里回家？”他问道。 “Greyhound?” 灰狗 غريهاوند Greyhound Грейхаунд “灰狗？”

“Flying home. “飞回家。 It’s good to have a wife who’s a travel agent.” ||||||是个||| 有个当旅行社代理的老婆真好。”

The man frowned, and the birthmark creased. ||||||поморщилась ||||||wrinkled or furrowed ||||||falten ||皱眉||||皱起 ||عبس||||تجعد ||||||зморщилася ||frunció|||| “She sent you a ticket?” “她给你寄了一张票吗？”

“Didn’t need to. “没必要。 Just sent me a confirmation number. ||||确认号码| ||||номер подтверждения| 刚刚给我发了一个确认号码。 Electronic ticket. 电子| All I have to do is turn up at the airport in a month and show 'em my ID, and I’m outta here.” ||||||||||||||||||身份证|||离开| |||||||||||||||||||||خارج| |||||||||||||||||||||виходжу| |||||||||||||||||||||fuera| ||||||||||||||||||удостоверение личности|||уеду отсюда| The man nodded, scribbled one final note, then he closed the file and put down the ballpoint pen. |||潦草地写|||笔记||||||||||| |||كتب|||||||||||||| ||asintió|escribió|||||||||||||| |||написал быстро|||||||||||||шариковая ручка| 那人点点头，匆匆写了最后一句话，然后合上文件，放下圆珠笔。 Two pale hands rested on the gray desk like pink animals. |||отдыхали||||||розовые| |||استندت||||||| ||||||灰色的||||动物 Две бледные руки покоились на сером столе, словно розовые животные. He brought his hands close together, made a steeple of his forefingers, and stared at Shadow with watery hazel eyes. ||||||||пальцы в форме шпиля|||указательные пальцы|||||||ореховые| ||||||||finger pyramid|||index fingers|||||||colored eyes| ||||||||尖塔|||||||||含泪的|榛色| ||||||||هرم|||سبابتيه|||||||| |||||||||||вказівних пальців|||||||| ||||||hizo||torre|||||||||aguados|| Он сложил руки вместе, сложил указательные пальцы и уставился на Тень водянистыми карими глазами. 他双手合拢，食指拱成尖塔状，用水汪汪的淡褐色眼睛盯着影子。

“You’re lucky,” he said. “You have someone to go back to, you got a job waiting. “你还有可以回去的人，还有工作在等着你。 You can put all this behind you. 你可以把这一切都抛在脑后。 You got a second chance. Make the most of it.”

The man did not offer to shake Shadow’s hand as he rose to leave, nor did Shadow expect him to ||||主动提出||||||||||也|||期待|| ||||||dar la mano|||||se levantó|||||||| Человек не предложил по손нб ручку Шадоуз, когда встал, чтобы уйти, и Шадоуз не ожидал этого. 当 Shadow 起身离开时，那人并没有主动与他握手，Shadow 也没有指望他会