▸ 周Zhōu兰lán喝hē了le一口yī kǒu热茶rè chá，开始kāi shǐ讲jiǎng那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang的de事shì。

Zhou Lan took a sip of hot tea and began to tell the story of that night.

▸ “我们wǒ men家jiā的de老lǎo房子fáng zi里lǐ，有yǒu三sān间jiān卧室wò shì，排pái成chéng一排yī pái。”

"In our old house there are three bedrooms, all in a row."

▸ “第一dì yī间jiān是shì继父jì fù的de房间fáng jiān，中间zhōng jiān是shì姐姐jiě jie的de，最后zuì hòu一yī间jiān是shì我的wǒ de。”

"The first is my stepfather's room, the middle one was my sister's, and the last is mine."

▸ “姐姐jiě jie死sǐ以前yǐ qián的de那nà几个jǐ ge晚上wǎn shang，她tā总是zǒng shì睡shuì不好bù hǎo。”

"In the nights before my sister died, she could never sleep well."

▸ “她tā告诉gào sù我wǒ，半夜bàn yè三sān点diǎn，她tā听见tīng jiàn一种yī zhǒng很hěn低dī的de哨shào声shēng。”

"She told me that at three in the morning she heard a low whistle."

▸ “我wǒ自己zì jǐ没有méi yǒu听见tīng jiàn，因为yīn wèi我wǒ睡shuì得de太tài熟shú了le。”

"I never heard it myself, because I was sleeping too deeply."

▸ “她tā死sǐ的de那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang，外面wài miàn刮guā着zhe很大hěn dà的de风fēng。”

"On the night she died, a great wind was blowing outside."

▸ “半夜bàn yè，我wǒ忽然hū rán听见tīng jiàn姐姐jiě jie的de房间fáng jiān里lǐ传来chuán lái一声yī shēng大叫dà jiào。”

"In the middle of the night, I suddenly heard a scream from my sister's room."

▸ “我wǒ跑过去pǎo guò qù，看见kàn jiàn她的tā de门mén慢慢地màn màn de开了kāi le。”

"I ran over and saw her door slowly open."

▸ “姐姐jiě jie站在zhàn zài门口mén kǒu，全身quán shēn发抖fā dǒu，脸liǎn白bái得de像xiàng纸zhǐ一样yī yàng。”

"My sister stood in the doorway, shaking all over, her face as white as paper."

▸ “她tā抓住zhuā zhù我的wǒ de手shǒu，大声dà shēng喊hǎn：‘是shì……斑点bān diǎn的de带子dài zi！’”

"She seized my hand and cried out: 'It was... the speckled band!'"

▸ “然后rán hòu她tā就jiù倒dǎo在zài地上dì shang，再也zài yě没有méi yǒu醒xǐng过来guò lái。”

"Then she fell to the floor and never woke again."

▸ 沈默shěn mò问wèn：“那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang，你nǐ听见tīng jiàn哨shào声shēng了吗le ma？”

Shen Mo asked, "That night, did you hear the whistle?"

▸ “我wǒ不能bù néng确定què dìng，风fēng的de声音shēng yīn太tài大dà了le。”

"I cannot be sure — the wind was too loud."

▸ “姐姐jiě jie房间fáng jiān的de门mén是shì从cóng里面lǐ miàn锁suǒ着zhe的de，窗子chuāng zi外面wài miàn有yǒu铁tiě条tiáo。”

"My sister's door was locked from the inside, and there were iron bars outside the window."

▸ “没有méi yǒu人rén能néng进去jìn qù，也yě没有méi yǒu东西dōng xi能néng进去jìn qù。”

"No person could get in — and nothing else could either."

▸ “医生yī shēng检查jiǎn chá了le她的tā de身体shēn tǐ，没有méi yǒu伤口shāng kǒu，也yě没有méi yǒu他们tā men认识rèn shi的de毒药dú yào。”

"The doctors examined her body: no wound, and no poison that they knew."

▸ “到dào今天jīn tiān，没有méi yǒu人rén知道zhī dào她tā是shì怎么zěn me死sǐ的de。”

"To this day, no one knows how she died."

▸ 周Zhōu兰lán停tíng了le一会儿yī huìr，声音shēng yīn变得biàn de更gèng低dī了le。

Zhou Lan paused a moment, and her voice grew lower still.

▸ “两个liǎng gè星期xīng qī以前yǐ qián，继父jì fù说shuō我的wǒ de房间fáng jiān要yào修理xiū lǐ。”

"Two weeks ago, my stepfather said my room needed repairs."

▸ “所以suǒ yǐ我wǒ只好zhǐ hǎo搬bān进jìn了le中间zhōng jiān那个nà ge房间fáng jiān——姐姐jiě jie以前yǐ qián的de房间fáng jiān。”

"So I had no choice but to move into the middle room — my sister's old room."

▸ “昨天zuó tiān半夜bàn yè三sān点diǎn，我wǒ听见tīng jiàn了le同样tóng yàng的de哨shào声shēng。”

"Last night at three in the morning, I heard the same low whistle."

▸ “我wǒ马上mǎ shàng点diǎn了le灯dēng，坐zuò到dào天亮tiān liàng，然后rán hòu就jiù坐zuò第一dì yī班bān火车huǒ chē来了lái le。”

"I lit the lamp at once, sat until dawn, and then took the first train here."

▸ 房间fáng jiān里lǐ安静ān jìng得de可怕kě pà。

The room was terribly silent.

▸ 沈默shěn mò慢慢地màn màn de说shuō：“我们wǒ men今天jīn tiān就jiù去qù看看kàn kan那个nà ge房间fáng jiān。”

Shen Mo said slowly, "We will go and look at that room today."

▸ 周Zhōu兰lán走了zǒu le以后yǐ hòu，沈默shěn mò在zài窗边chuāng biān坐zuò了le很久hěn jiǔ，一句话yī jù huà也yě不bù说shuō。

After Zhou Lan left, Shen Mo sat by the window for a long time without a word.

▸ 最后zuì hòu他说tā shuō：“华huà医生yī shēng，这个zhè ge案子àn zi很hěn黑hēi。”

At last he said, "Dr. Hua, this case is a dark one."

▸ 华huà医生yī shēng看着kàn zhe窗外chuāng wài的de雾wù，觉得jué de身上shēn shang有一点yǒu yī diǎn冷lěng。

Dr. Hua looked at the fog outside the window and felt a slight chill.

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