【时间旅行者的妻子】33

Why are you hiding?” Clare is glowering¹ at me.

　I toss² her shoes back into the clearing. She picks them up and stands holding them like pistols³. “I’m hiding because I lost my clothes and I’m embarrassed. I came a long way and I’m hungry and I don’t know anybody and now I’m bleeding.”

　“Where did you come from? Why do you know my name?”

　The whole truth and nothing but the truth. “I came from the future. I am a time traveler. In the future we are friends.”

　“People only time travel in movies.”

　“That’s what we want you to believe.”

　“Why?”

　“If everybody time traveled it would get too crowded. Like when you went to see your Grandma Abshire last Christmas and you had to go through O’Hare Airport and it was very, very crowded? We time travelers don’t want to mess things up for ourselves, so we keep it quiet.”

　Clare chews on this for a minute. “Come out.”

　“Loan me your beach towel.” She picks it up and all the pens and pencils and papers go flying. She throws it at me, overhand, and I grab⁴ it and turn my back as I stand and wrap it around my waist. It is bright pink and orange with a loud geometric pattern. Exactly the sort of thing you’d want to be wearing when you meet your future wife for the first time. I turn around and walk into the clearing; I sit on the rock with as much dignity as possible. Clare stands as far away from me as she can get and remain in the clearing. She is still clutching⁵ her shoes.

　“You’re bleeding.”

　“Well, yeah. You threw a shoe at me.”

　“Oh.”

　Silence. I am trying to look harmless, and nice. Nice looms⁶ large in Clare’s childhood, because so many people aren’t.

　“You’re making fun of me.”

　“I would never make fun of you. Why do you think I’m making fun of you?”

　Clare is nothing if not stubborn⁷. “Nobody time travels. You’re lying.”

　“Santa time travels.”

　“What?”

　“Sure. How do you think he gets all those presents delivered in one night? He just keeps turning back the clock a few hours until he gets down every one of those chimneys.”

1 glowering   

v.怒视( glower的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The boy would not go, but stood at the door glowering at his father. 那男孩不肯走，他站在门口对他父亲怒目而视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then he withdrew to a corner and sat glowering at his wife. 然后他溜到一个角落外，坐在那怒视着他的妻子。 来自辞典例句

2 toss   

n./v.突然抬起，摇摆，扔

参考例句：

• Let's toss to see who pays it.让我们来掷钱币决定谁付账吧。
• The matter made him toss in the bed.那件事使他在床上翻来覆去。

3 pistols   

n.手枪( pistol的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Meantime he was loading the pistols. 而同时他在往手枪里装子弹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two strangers menaced him with pistols and forced him to give up his money. 两个陌生人用手枪威胁他并强迫他拿出所有的钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

5 clutching   

抓住，紧紧抓住( clutch的现在分词 )； （因害怕或痛苦）突然抓住

参考例句：

• He was clutching the magazine lovingly with both hands. 他紧紧地捏着杂志，好像害怕琴会把它抢去似的。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Children clutching empty bowls form a line. 紧紧抓着空碗的孩子们排成一队。

6 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stubborn   

adj.难以移动，去除的，固执的，顽固的

参考例句：

• I can not cope with that boy;he is stubborn.我对付不了那个孩子，他很固执。
• When he's in his stubborn mood,he isn't easily talked round.他那股牛劲上来了，一时不容易说服。