英语灵异故事-Lucy's Letters 露西的信

In this small town, my family and I had lived at several places, before settling down in a house on Pennsylvania Ave. A very quiet neighborhood, my folks quickly made friends with those all around.

In the house on the left of ours lived an old woman named Lucy. She and my parents got along splendidly. Her husband had died about two years prior¹, and having no family close by, we became sort of a surrogate family. Lucy and her husband had bought their house and property in the 1940's. Her husband loved to tinker around the house and yard, but the yard was his real passion. He gave meticulous² care all year long, while she would type letters to distant relatives about the progress being made.

Lucy's husband brought the yard to a beautiful state. Everybody admired and remarked on its condition. When he died Lucy thought it befitting to spread his ashes in the back yard, the place where he had spent countless³ hours. But after some time Lucy was convinced⁴ that her husband had come back to his yard. She was especially frightened of the sprawling⁵ back yard where he had spent many daylight hours. Lucy would tell us of hearing the sound of footsteps⁶ coming across the grass or of someone or something tapping her on the shoulder. So she would try and avoid that area stating simply "it just spooks me out."

Over the next several years were lonely times for Lucy. We often had her at our house for family functions, but it didn't quite make up for losing a loved one. She spent the majority of her time typing letters on an old typewriter to family and friends. During the spring and summer months when we had our windows open, we could hear her busily typing away.

When Lucy died the house remained vacant⁷ for a long time. Before the new owners were to take over, my Father did some repair work inside. He often said he heard footsteps on the old hardwood floors. But we all knew something was happening when we heard the unmistakable striking⁸ of typewriter keys. Lucy had come back to type her ghostly letters. I guess you could say that neither Lucy nor her husband was going to give up the things they loved the most!

在我们居住的这个小镇上，我家已经搬了好几个地方，直到我们终于在宾西法尼亚大街的一所房子安定了下来。这里的邻居都很平易近人，很快父亲母亲就和他们交上了朋友。

我家左边住着一位老太太，名字叫露西，我们的关系相处得尤其的好。她丈夫两年前去世了，附近也没有其他家人，我家几乎就成了她的代理人。露西夫妇在四十年代就买下了这所房子和土地，她丈夫很喜欢把房子和屋后的小院粗粗拉拉的修补一番，但是那个小院可是他生命中的寄托。多年来他精心的照料着院子里的一草一木，而露西就在屋里给远方的亲戚写信，讲述这边生活的点点滴滴。

小院在露西丈夫的打理之下显得格外漂亮，人们都不免对那里品头论足，夸奖称赞一番。他去世以后，露西决定就把他的骨灰撒在这个占据了他生命中无数时间的院子里。但是一段时间过后，露西确信她丈夫又回到了他的小院。而此时这个曾经让他日夜不离的地方已经是杂草丛生，露西觉得很害怕。她告诉我们说听到了有脚步声在院里的草坪上踱来踱去，还感觉到有人或是什么东西轻轻地拍她的肩膀。于是，她就努力再也不到那个闹鬼的地方去。

接下来的几年里露西就这样孤孤单单的生活着，我们经常请她过来参加我们的家庭会议，但是这对于失去爱人的她来说是于事无补的。她依然成天的用那台古老的打字机给家人和朋友写信。春天夏天的时候只要我们一打开窗户便能听到打字机忙碌的声音。

露西去世后，房子空了好长一段时间。新房东搬进去之前，父亲进去做了一些修缮的工作。他说经常听到有人在老的硬木地板上走路的声音。我们也都知道那里确实是发生了什么，因为我们又听见了熟悉的打字机发出的声音。露西回来写信了。你应该会说，露西夫妇都割舍不下他们一生中的挚爱吧，我想是这样的。

1 prior   

adj.更重要的，较早的，在先的；adv.居先；n.小修道院院长；大修道院副院长

参考例句：

• The duty to protect my sister is prior to all others.保护我的妹妹是我最重要的责任。
• I took up one-year prior course in German in this college.我在这所大学读了一年的德语预科。

2 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。

3 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

4 convinced   

adj.确信的；深信的；有坚定信仰的v.使确信(convince的过去分词)；说服

参考例句：

• I am convinced of her innocence. 我坚信她是清白无辜的。
• I'm convinced there's a jinx on this car. 我看这辆汽车是灾星。

5 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

6 footsteps   

n.脚步（声），一步的距离，足迹；脚步（声）( footstep的名词复数 )；一步的距离；足迹

参考例句：

• the sound of footsteps on the stairs 楼梯上的脚步声
• Their footsteps echoed in the silence. 他们的脚步声在一片寂静中回荡着。

7 vacant   

adj.未被占用的，空着的；空缺的

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• He stared into space with a vacant expression.他茫然地凝视着天空。

8 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。