Before You Read
阅读准备

Myself　我

I am a tragic figure. Deep inside, I have a terrible vice. I have fallen victim to alcohol. This has caused me to be cruel to my wife and to animals. Once I was very gentle with all living creatures. But the curse of alcohol has turned me into a monster. Because of my cruelty, I brought a curse upon me and my wife.

我是一个悲剧性的人物。我的内心深处有一桩可怕的罪行。我成为了酒精的受害者。这使我变得对我的妻子和动物十分残酷。我曾经是一个对待所有生灵都十分温柔的人。但是酒精的诅咒把我变成了一个怪物。正因为我的残酷，我给自己和妻子带来了不幸。

My Wife　我的妻子

How can I describe my wife without the slightest bit of shame and remorse? She was also a gentle creature who loved animals. She loved me once, before I became a drunken monster. Perhaps she still did, up until her horrible end. I wish she had found peace at last.

我要怎样描述自己的妻子，才能不带有一丁点儿的羞愧和悔恨呢？她也是一个温柔善良、热爱动物的人。在我变成酒鬼之前，她曾经爱过我。也许她仍然还爱着我，直到她的生命悲惨地结束的那一刻。我希望她的在天之灵能够安息。

Pluto, the Cat　黑猫普卢托

Pluto was the greatest of all the pets I had in my life. He was the largest cat I've ever seen, with a shiny coat of black fur. In addition, he was very intelligent and even seemed to understand what my wife and I said to each other! He loved me, and I loved him, at first. But again, the terrible curse of alcoholism made me mistreat this animal so terribly that in the end, he would run in terror at the sight of me.

普卢托是我一生中所拥有过的最棒的宠物。它是我所见过的最大的猫，披着一身闪亮的黑色毛皮。而且它非常聪明，甚至似乎能理解我和妻子之间的对话！它爱我，开始的时候我也爱它。可是酒精可怕的诅咒使我狠狠地虐待这只动物，以至于最后它一看见我就会恐惧地逃走。

The Second Black Cat　第二只黑猫

This creature is more of a monster than a cat. He resembled Pluto very much, except for a patch of white fur on his chest. At first, I was glad to meet him, because I wanted to have a pet again. But this creature would not seem to leave me alone. In fact, he seemed to want to be near me, in order to torture me with the memory of Pluto.

与其说这个生物是一只猫，不如说它是一只怪物。它长得和普卢托非常相像，除了它胸口上的一撮白毛。一开始，我很高兴能遇见它，因为当时我又想养宠物了。但是这只生物似乎不肯让我独自呆着。事实上，它似乎总想呆在我附近，以便勾起有关普卢托的回忆来折磨我。 D4G2u91RSrn7a76m/0byUCZhc7O7atJVjwLFd0E5i6aXOkuaXHKKz7N7MZIlycqq