芒果街上的小屋貓皇后凱茜

貓皇后凱茜

　　她說，我是法蘭西皇后的遠遠遠房表親。她住在樓上，那邊，那個「捉小孩的人」喬的隔壁。離他遠點，她告訴我說，他很危險。街角那家小店是賓尼和布蘭卡的。他們還蠻好，可只是靠在糖果櫃檯上時才對你好。兩個像老鼠一樣邋遢的女孩住在街對面。你不會想去認識她們的。埃德娜是你家隔壁房子的主人。她過去有幢大得像鯨魚的房子，可她弟弟把它賣了。他們的媽媽說，別，別呀，千萬別賣。我不會的。可後來她一閉眼，他就賣了它。阿莉西婭自從上了大學就傲氣起來了。她過去挺喜歡我，可現在不了。

　　貓皇后凱茜養了好多好多好多貓。貓寶寶、大個貓、瘦貓、病貓。睡姿像個麵包圈的貓。爬到冰箱頂上的貓。在餐桌上散步的貓。她的房子就像個貓天堂。

　　你想要個朋友。她說，好的，我會做你的朋友，可只能做到下星期二，那時我們就得搬走了，不得不搬了。然後，她似乎忘了我才搬進來，說，這個社區的人越來越雜了。

　　凱茜的父親有一天會要飛到法國去，找到遠方的、她父親那邊的遠遠遠房表親，去繼承家宅。我是怎麼知道這些的呢？是她告訴我的。同時，他們要從芒果街向北搬遷，離開這裡一點路，在每次像我們這樣的人家不斷搬進來的時候。

　　She says, I am the great great grand cousin of the queen of France. She lives upstairs, over there, door to Joe the baby-grabber. Keep away from him, she says. He is full of danger. Benny and Blanca own the er store. They're okay except don't lean on the dy ter. Two girls raggedy as rats live across the street. You don't want to know them. Edna is the lady who owns the buildio you. She used to own a building big as a whale, but her brother sold it. Their mother said no, no, don't ever sell it. I won't. And then she closed her eyes and he sold it. Alicia is stuck-up ever since she went to college. She used to like me but now she doesn't.

　　Cathy who is queen of cats has cats and cats and cats. Baby cats, big cats, skinny cats, sick cats. Cats asleep like little donuts. Cats on top of the refrigerator. Cats taking a walk on the diable. Her house is like cat heaven.

　　You want a friend, she says. Okay, I'll be your friend. But only till uesday. That's when we move away. Got to. Then as if she fot I just moved in, she says the neighborhood is getting bad.

　　Cathy's father will have to fly to Frane day and find her great great distant grand cousin on her father's side and i the family house. How do I know this is so? She told me so. In the meahey'll just have to move a little farther north from Mango Street, a little farther away every time people like us keep moving in.

學達書庫(xuoda.com)