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The woman should
certainly go in Marat's bath. Clive thought of taking off her clothes, but
decided against it, because she would look much funnier sitting in a bath with a
coat and hat on. He took the figure of Marat out of the bath, carried it into
the office and placed it on the desk. Then he carried Mildred to the bath and
put her in. God, she looked funny!
should certainly go: sin duda alguna debería ser colocada; taking off her
clothes: quitarle la ropa, desnudarla; decided against it: decidió lo
contrario;
Now for the men. He decided that the man whose neck was cut would look good in
the place of the old man who was having dinner. After all, the girl with the
long fair hair was pushing a knife into his neck. The figure of the old man was
in a sitting position, so Clive put him on the toilet. He looked so funny there,
with a knife in one hand and a fork in the other, waiting for something to eat.
Clive laughed and laughed.
now for the men:
ahora era el turno de los hombres; whose neck: cuyo cuello; would look
good: se vería bien; after all: al fin y al cabo; fair hair:
cabello rubio; pushing: hundiendo; toilet: retrete, inodoro;
fork: tenedor; laughed and laughed: se mataba de risa;
Last, the little man. Clive looked around and noticed the Woodrow Wilson scene.
The figure of the President was sitting at a large desk, signing a paper; that
was an excellent place, Clive thought, for a man whose head was cut open and
bleeding. He managed to take the wax pen out of Wilson's fingers, carry him into
the office and put him on the chair at the desk. His arms were in a position for
writing, so Clive found a pen on the desk to put into his right hand. Now he
could put the little man in Woodrow Wilson's place. He lifted him up onto the
chair, but his head fell forward onto the desk, and Clive could not make his
hand hold the pen.
last: por último;
whose head: cuya cabeza; bleeding: sangrando; wax pen:
lapicero de cera; he lifted him up: lo levantó; fell forward: se
caía hacia adelante; hold: sostener, mantener con firmeza;
At last it was done. Clive smiled. Then he realized that every part of his body
was tired. Now that he had the keys he could get out, go home, and sleep well in
his own bed. He wanted to be ready to enjoy tomorrow. There was some blood on
his coat, so he must throw it away somewhere. But he needed a coat. He took one
off a wax figure which was about his size, and put that on. Then he used the
inside of his own coat to clean off any possible fingerprints from places he had
touched. He turned off the lights, and found his way to the back door. He locked
it behind him, and dropped the keys on the ground. In the street was a box with
some old newspapers, empty cans and plastic bags in it, where he hid the coat.
at last: por fin; he realized that: se dio cuenta que; tired:
exhausto/a; some blood: algo de sangre; he must throw it away: él
debía tirarlo; which was about his size: que tenía aprox. su medida (de
ropa); put that on: y se puso esa (prenda); the inside: forro
(interior de la prenda); to clean off: limpiar a fondo, eliminar manchas;
fingerprints: huellas digitales. rastros; turned off: apagó; found
his way to: se dirigió hacia; locked it: la cerró con llave;
dropped: arrojó; empty cans: latas vacías; where he hid: donde
él ocultó;
Clive slept very well that night. The next morning, he was standing across the
street from the Hall when the ticket seller arrived just before 9.30. By 9.35
only three people had gone in, but Clive could not wait any longer, so he
crossed the street and bought a ticket. The ticket seller was telling people, 'Just
go in. Everybody is late this morning.' He went inside to put on the lights, and
Clive followed him. There were four other customers now. They looked at Mildred
in her hat and coat sitting in Marat's bath without noticing anything strange
about her. Two more people came in.
across the street from: en la vereda de enfrente del; had gone in:
habían ingresado; wait any longer: esperar más tiempo (debido a su
ansiedad); is late: llegan tarde; customers: visitantes;
without noticing: sin observar;
At last, by the Woodrow Wilson scene, a woman said to the man with her: 'Was
someone shot when they signed that document at the end of the war?' There was
blood, real blood, on the papers on the desk. By now they were dark red.
'I don't know. I don't think so,' the man answered.
by: ubicada al lado de; was someone shot: le dispararon a alguien;
by now: a esta altura; they were dark red: sus rostros estaban rojos;
Clive wanted very much to laugh, but he managed not to. Suddenly a woman cried
out in terror, and at the same time a man shouted, 'My God, it's real!' Another
man was examining the body with its face in the meat and potatoes. 'The blood's
real! It's a dead man!'
The ticket seller, Fred, came in. 'What's the trouble?'
'There are two dead bodies here! Real ones!'
Now Fred looked at Marat's bath. 'Good God! Good God! Mildred!'
'And this one! And this one here!'
'I must call the police!' said Fred. 'Could you all, please – just leave?'
he managed not to:
se las arregló para no reírse; suddenly: de pronto; cried out in
terror: gritó aterrorizada; what's the trouble?: ¿qué está ocurriendo
acá?; dead bodies: cuerpos (reales) muertos; just leave: salir ya
mismo (del museo);
He ran into the office, where the telephone was, and Clive heard him cry out. He
had seen Woodrow Wilson at the desk, of course, and Marat.
Clive thought it was time to leave, so he did. No one looked at him as he made
his way out.
That was all right, he thought. That was good.
it was time to leave:
era hora de retirarse; so he did: y así lo hizo;
He decided to go to work and to ask for the day off. He told his employer he
felt ill, and put his hand on his stomach. Old Mr Simmons had to let him go.
Clive wanted to take a long bus ride somewhere. He didn't know why he wanted to
do this, but the need was very strong. He had brought all his cash with him,
about twenty-three dollars, and now he bought a ticket for a bus going west –
for seven dollars, one way. This took him, by the evening, to a town in Indiana.
ask for the day off:
pedir el día libre; he felt ill: se sentía mal; stomach: estómago;
take a long bus ride: alejarse en en autobús; very strong: muy fuerte;
he had brought: había traído; all his cash: todo su dinero; going
west: que iba en dirección oeste; one way: el viaje de ida;
There was a cafe here where the bus stopped. As he went in, he saw newspapers on
sale. There it was, in big letters:
MYSTERY KILLER: THREE DEAD IN WAXWORKS HALL
on sale: en
venta; mystery killer: misterioso asesino; three dead: tres
muertos;
He bought a paper and read it at the bar, drinking beer.
This morning at 9.30 ticket man Fred Keating and several visitors to Madame
Thibault's Waxworks discovered three real dead bodies. They were the bodies of
Mrs Mildred Veery, aged 41, George Hartley, 43, and Richard MacFadden, 37, all
employed at the Hall. Police believe the murders happened at about ten yesterday
evening. Because the bodies were put in place of wax figures, police are looking
for a killer with a sick mind.
discovered:
descubrieron; police are looking for: la policía está buscando; with a
sick mind: con una enfermedad mental;
Clive laughed over that. 'Sick mind!' But he was sorry that there were no
details about the really amusing things: the old man sitting on the toilet, the
man signing the document with his head broken and bleeding.
there were no
details: el diario no comentara detalles; the really amusing things:
las cosas realmente divertidas;
Two men were standing at the bar beside him.
'Did you read about the murders at the Waxworks?' he asked one of them.
'Not really' He didn't seem interested.
'You see, I did them,' said Clive. He pointed to a picture of the bodies.
'That's my work.'
'Listen, boy,' said the man. 'We're not troubling you, and don't you trouble
us.' They moved away from Clive.
I did them: yo
cometí esos asesinatos; we're not troubling you: no te estamos molestando;
don't you trouble us: no nos molestes tú a nosotros; they moved away from:
se alejaron de;
Clive slept in the street that night. On the road the next day he waved at a
passing car, which took him to another town, nearer his hometown. That day's
newspapers did not have any more news about the murders. In another cafe that
evening he had a similar conversation, this time with two young men. They didn't
believe him, either.
he waved at: le
hizo señas a; nearer his hometown: más cerca de donde él vivía; they
didn't believe him, either: tampoco le creyeron;
Next day he stopped a few more cars, and finally reached his hometown. He went
straight to the police station.
'I have something important to say about a murder,' he told the policeman
sitting at a desk. He was sent to the office of a police officer who had grey
hair and a fat face. Clive told his story.
reached: llegó a;
went straight to: fue directo a; grey hair: cabello canoso;
'Where do you go to school, Clive?'
'I don't. I'm eighteen.' He told him about his job.
'Clive, you've got troubles, but they're not the ones you're
talking about,' said the officer.
Clive had to wait in a small room in the police station, and nearly an hour
later a doctor was brought in. Then his mother. They didn't believe him. They
said he was just telling this story to attract attention to himself.
you've got troubles:
tienes problemas; nearly: casi; an hour later: una hora después;
a doctor was brought in: trajeron a un médico; then his mother: y
luego a su madre;
'Clive needs a man around the house,' his mother told them; 'someone who can
teach him how to behave like a man. Since he was fourteen he's been asking me
questions like "Who am I?" and "Am I a person?'"
needs a man around
the house: necesita un hombre en la casa; how to behave like a man: a
conducirse como un hombre; since he was fourteen: desde los 14 años;
The policeman told Clive he must see the doctor twice a week for treatment.
Clive was very angry. He refused to go back to the supermarket, but found
another delivery job.
he must see: el
tenía que ver a; for treatment: por un tratamiento; he refused to go
back: se negaba a regresar; delivery job: trabajo de repartidor;
'They haven't found the murderer, have they?' Clive said to the doctor on one of
his visits. 'You're all stupid – stupid!'
The doctor only laughed at him.
they haven't found
the murderer, have they?: aún no han encontrado al asesino, ¿verdad?;
only laughed at him: solamente se le rió en la cara;
There was one thing which might help to prove his story: Woodrow Wilson's tie,
which was still in his cupboard. But he wasn't going to show it to these stupid
people. As he delivered things on his bicycle, as he had supper with his mother,
he was planning. Next time, he would do something really big. He would take a
gun up to the top of a high building, and shoot at the people in the street.
Kill a hundred people at least. Then they would take notice of him – then they
would realize that he was a person!
which might help to
prove: que podría ayudar a probar; was still in his cupboard: aún
estaba en su ropero; something really big: algo realmente impactante;
he would take a gun: llevaría un arma; up to the top: hasta la
terraza; shoot at people: disparar a las personas; kill a hundred
peope at least: matar por lo menos a cien personas; then they would take
notice of him: entonces sí que le prestarían atención; then they would
realize: entonces se darían cuenta. |
