谎言书：20

“No . . . uh-uh. No offense¹ to Sunday school, but spare us the lecture,” I

shoot back. “Just tell us why it’s important.”

“Cal, this guy tried to kill you. Both of you,” Roosevelt says as my father

shoots me a look. “Dontcha wanna hear why?”

On the highway, the car plows² over a flat sheet of ice. We don’t go flying or

spinning out of control, but for a full two or three seconds, I turn into the skid³

and know — as we glide⁴ in perfect, soundless silence across the ice — that

I’m not in control. Since the moment I found my father, that’s my life.

“Just listen to him,” my dad insists, sounding like a dad.

I hold tight to the steering⁵ wheel, and the tires again gain traction⁶.

“So back to brother Cain,” Roosevelt says through the speaker. “God created

Adam and Eve — making Cain the first human ever born. First killer⁷. First

human villain⁸, correct?”

“Depends what you want to believe: the Bible . . . ” I say, “or every single

carbon-dated archaeological dig of the last hundred years that proves people

existed fifty thousand years before Adam and Eve ever supposedly went on

their apple rampage.”

“Here — exit here,” Serena calls out from the backseat, and I tug⁹ the wheel

and veer¹⁰ toward the sign for I-90 East. Behind us, the Jeep with no lights

does the same. I slow down, giving it a chance to pass, but it doesn’t.

“The Bible ain’t just a bunch of stories about dead people, Cal. It’s the

greatest and oldest book of human civilization — a book that people through

the centuries have given their lives for. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t

problems of translation. It’s like Adam and Eve and the apple, right? Like you

mentioned, one of the Bible’s most famous tales, except for the problem that

there was no apple.”

“Says who?” my father asks.

“Look at the text, sir: The word apple never appears in the Bible. It ain’t

there. Eve ate a fruit — probably a fig¹¹ — but in ancient Greece, when the Old

Testament¹² was translated from Hebrew, the scribes put in the word apple

because at the time, apples were the big symbols of desire and destruction.

And those slight editorial changes — over time, they start affecting how we

think about the Bible, even though they’re not even in the original text.”

“But now, thanks to the wonders of Bible college, you’ll reveal the far more

interesting alternate history that’ll surprise us all,” I say.

“Cal, this ain’t about what you believe. It’s about what Ellis believes. And

right now, you gotta understand that he’s coming at you with what he

perceives is the power of God on his side.”

We all fall silent. Serena scootches up in her seat and scratches my dad’s

shoulder. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose.

“So to understand the tattoo¹³, we need to understand Cain,” I say as Serena

points to the right, signaling for us to get off at the next exit. In the rearview,

the Jeep with no lights is barely two car lengths back. I tap on the brakes and

slow down to get a better look. Annoyed, the Jeep pulls around us and passes

on our right. I get my first good look at the driver: a pissed-off mom with

three kids in the back.

“It all goes back to how we view him,” Roosevelt says. “Cain’s the ruthless

brother-killer, right? For thousands of years, he’s the symbol of our worst sins

— the bad man who makes us feel better about ourselves. But when you

check out the earliest theories — like those geniza fragments they found in

Cairo centuries ago — those fragments are as close as we get to the earliest

copies of the Bible, and in there, they question the entire premise,” he adds

with a brand-new seriousness in his voice. “Or to put it more bluntly: Instead

of thinkin’ Cain’s the ultimate villain, what if he’s the good guy in the tale?”

“Yeah, except for that part in act one where he kills his own brother,” I point

out.

“Forget your Sunday school, Cal. Sure, over the years, we all demonized

Cain. But the Bible doesn’t.”

“That’s not true,” I say. “When Cain asks, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ —

those’re hardly the words of a saint.”

“And that’s fine. But the story of Cain and Abel isn’t just about fratricide. It’s

about what happens after Abel’s death. God’s reaction. Punishment versus¹⁴

redemption.”

“So now the Mark of Cain is God’s way of rewarding Cain?”

“Again, look at the translation. According to most modern Bibles, Cain thinks

God’s punishment is too much — ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear,’

is what the text says — which is why Cain is seen as such a remorseless

monster. But when you go back to the original text — like in the geniza

fragments — that same passage can just as easily be translated as ‘My sin is

too great to forgive.’ See the difference there? In this version, Cain feels so

awful . . . so sorry . . . for what he’s done to poor Abel, he tells God he should

never be forgiven. That’s a pretty different view of Cain, no?” Roo-sevelt

asks, letting it all sink in. “Of course, most religions prefer the vicious Cain. A

little threat of evil is always the far better way to fill the seats. But sometimes

the monsters aren’t who we think they are.”

In the backseat, Serena has long forgotten the map. My dad stares down at

the phone. “So God forgave Cain?” he asks.

“Think about it: What if that’s the whole point of the story? The Mark of Cain

wasn’t a punishment. It was God’s reward: to show Divine mercy — to teach

us that those who repent¹⁵ get forgiveness.”

“So the Mark of Cain could be something good?” Serena asks.

“This is a gift straight from God,” Roosevelt replies, his southern accent

lingering on the final word. “So, yeah, I’d wager¹⁶ ‘good’ covers it.”

“C’mon, you’re telling me that the whole reason we’re running around — the

reason my dad got shot—”

“I think he got shot for the address,” Serena interrupts. When I glance in the

rearview, she adds, “From the comic. It’s just a feeling, but it’s the only thing

that makes sense. You said there’re other copies of the comic. But the

address . . . That’s the new piece of information, right? Maybe that’s their

meeting place. Or their storage place.”

“Or their hiding place,” my dad says without turning back to either of us.

“Whatever it is, they wanted that address on the comic,” Serena points out.

“They thought your dad had it. Maybe . . . I don’t know . . . you think that’s

why Mitchell Siegel got shot eighty years ago, too?”

“Perfect, just perfect,” I continue. “So what Timothy and Ellis and everyone

else — what they’re really all after is the long-lost, barely believable Mark of

Cain, which is somehow on a Superman comic from some crappy

neighborhood in Cleveland?”

“I’m not saying it exists,” Roosevelt’s voice goes on as we reach the exit for

Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. “You asked about Ellis’s tattoo; I’m telling you

what it stands for. And when you look at what the Bible says about the Mark

— ‘The Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whoever found him should not kill

him.’ Look at the last part there — ‘should not kill him.’ The images in Ellis’s

tattoo, those are God’s gifts to Cain: things that’re gonna protect him from all

the wild beasts in the wilderness¹⁷.”

“Y’mean like weapons?” my dad asks.

“Or a dog,” Roosevelt says. “Named Benoni.”

Everyone is silent as I tug the wheel to the right, and we all sway to the left,

curving around the exit. At the red light, it’s no different from the Martin

Luther King Jr. street at home: Even with the darkness, it’s clear we’re in a

rough neighborhood. Within a few quick turns, nearly all the businesses are

either burnt out or boarded up. On each corner, there’s some kid in a thick

winter coat bouncing in place to find some warmth. Not one of them gets on

the passing buses. I work in these neighborhoods every day. I know drug

dealers¹⁸ when I see them.

“You still there?” Roosevelt asks.

“You were saying about the dog,” I reply as Serena and my dad glance out

their respective windows. Both of them sit up straight. Like they know we’re

close. “That from Bible college, too?”

“Nah, that was Google,” Roosevelt says. “Benoni was apparently¹⁹ Abel’s dog,

then when Abel got killed, God supposedly gave the dog to Cain as

protection.”

“Okay, so Ellis renamed his dog,” I say. “Big deal.”

“Maybe it ain’t just the dog,” Roosevelt says. “Most people are taught Cain

wandered through the Land of Nod for seven generations. But another

interpretation²⁰ says that God’s gift — that no one should kill Cain — was

literal. That God let him live forever.”

“You mean Ellis thinks he’s Cain?” Serena asks.

Next to me, my dad’s now mesmerized²¹ by our surroundings, staring out the

window. “I think it’s the next right,” he blurts²². When I look at him, he adds, “I

saw it on the map.”

“It’s only been a few hours. I gotta do more research,” Roosevelt says. “But

for a book like the Bible, where nearly every major figure’s death is pointed²³

out — Noah lived for X years; Moses lived for Y — the Bible is completely, and

almost strangely, silent about the death of Cain.”

“This is it — Kimberly Avenue,” my dad blurts as I turn onto the narrow

block that’s lined with small, beaten two-story houses and barely any cars.

It’s one thing to be in a bad neighborhood; it’s another to be in an abandoned

one.

“Do people live here?” Serena asks as the car bangs through one of the

street’s ice-filled potholes²⁴. On both sides of the block, the sidewalks are

barely plowed²⁵. I check the windows and front porches of every house we

pass. It’s only four-thirty. There’s not a person in sight.

“Roosevelt, can we deal with the rest of the nutty Cain stuff later?” I ask.

“You’re missing what I said, Cal. Ellis thinks he has God on his side. Take it

from the former pastor²⁶: The true believers are the ones who’ll burn you the

worst,” he says. “Though what all this has to do with an address on a comic

book, now you’re out of my biblical league.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about,” I say as we reach the middle of the

block and pull up to the peeling blue two-story house with the even more

peeling red trim. Unreal. The whole house, including the front steps: bright

blue and red. Like Superman.

From my backpack, I pull out the old 1938 comic and its protective wax

paper.

If found, please return to:

10622 Kimberly Ave. Cleveland

I scan the alleys²⁷ on both sides of the house (dark but empty), then doublecheck

the numbers on the front porch: 10622. This is it. The address from the

coffin²⁸.

Before I can even stop, my father’s out of the car.

1 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

2 plows   

n.犁( plow的名词复数 )；犁型铲雪机v.耕( plow的第三人称单数 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• Alex and Tony were turning awkward hands to plows and hoe handles. 亚历克斯和托尼在犁耙等农活方面都几乎变成新手了。
• Plows are still pulled by oxen in some countries. 在一些国家犁头仍由牛拖拉。

3 skid   

v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨

参考例句：

• He braked suddenly,causing the front wheels to skid.他突然剎车，使得前轮打了滑。
• The police examined the skid marks to see how fast the car had been travelling.警察检查了车轮滑行痕迹，以判断汽车当时开得有多快。

4 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

5 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

6 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

7 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

8 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

9 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

10 veer   

vt.转向，顺时针转，改变；n.转向

参考例句：

• He is unlikely to veer from his boss's strongly held views.他不可能背离他老板的强硬立场。
• If you fall asleep while driving,you'll probably veer off the road.假如你开车时打瞌睡，可能会驶离道路。

11 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

12 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

13 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

14 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

15 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

16 wager   

n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌

参考例句：

• They laid a wager on the result of the race.他们以竞赛的结果打赌。
• I made a wager that our team would win.我打赌我们的队会赢。

17 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

18 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

19 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

20 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

21 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

22 blurts   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He blurts out all he hears. 他漏嘴说出了他听到的一切。 来自辞典例句
• If a user blurts out an interesting idea, ask "What problem would that solve for you?" 如果用户不假思索地冒出一个有趣的想法，则询问他：“这可以解决哪些问题？” 来自互联网

23 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

24 potholes   

n.壶穴( pothole的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Potholes are also home to tiny desert animals. 洞穴也是弱小动物的家。 来自互联网
• If you're going to enjoy the good times, you've certainly got to deal with some potholes. 如果要享受甜美的胜利果实，当然要应付这些战绩不佳的指责压力。 来自互联网

25 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

26 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

27 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

28 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。