19-12-30【英语美文】《小型哺乳动物馆》“HALL OF SMALL MAMMALS”

“HALL OF SMALL MAMMALS”

THOMAS PIERCE

1.       Like always, Val had on hisblue backpack that contained what I understood to be his novel in progress,plus his supply of granola bars, cookies, and popcorn. He was my girlfriend’s twelve-year-old son, and I wantedhim to like me. We were at the end of a very long line. It seemed that everyonewas at the zoo to see the baby Pippins too. They were endangered monkeys, andprobably would go extinct soon.

2.       By this point we’d been waitingfor almost an hour and had not even moved further in line for 5 meters. It washot, very hot. All of this was exhausting. I was ready to give up and go home,but seeing the pippins ‘would make him so happy’, his mother had said. Val hadstudied up on Pippins and knew all there was to know about their intelligenceand diet, and their leafy forest home in wherever it was. Frankly, I didn’twant to hear any more about the godforsaken Pippins.

3.       “So,” I said, trying not tosound bored, “tell me about your novel.” Val looked up at me like I’d justasked him to squash the family hamster.“First of all,” he said, “it’s not a novel. It’s a screenplay.” “Oh,” I said. “Sorry, I was under the impression itwas a novel. What’s it about?” The boy sighed. “Well, you probably won’t get it”he said. He gave me his backpack. “Don’t get out of line. I’ll be right back.” Iwatched him go toward the bathrooms.

4.       I checked my watch as we shuffledforward. The zoo would close its gates in two hours. I searched Val’s backpackfor some candy. He had some peppermints and half a bag of peach gummies, and I helped myself to a handful of those. I also couldn’t resistlooking at his screenplay. I suppose that’s why, really, I’d opened the bag inthe first place. Just to have a quick peek.

5.       The story was abouttime travel. Val’s hero was the son ofa famous scientist, who in the first scene turned up dead in her lab. The hero’s mother had figured outa way to move through time. Soon, using his mother’s notes, the hero was whipped back to the Bronze Age. Miraculously everyone spokeEnglish. The villain was some sortof tribal chief who was holding the mother captive. Yes, she wasstill alive. Reading further, I had no trouble working out what was going on.The villain was me, clearly, and I was probably going to die before the end ofthe movie. I should have hated the script, I suppose, but partly I was honouredto be included at all.

6.       We were finally moving now. Icould see the entrance to the Hall of Small Mammals, but where was Val? I scanned the crowds. Had I been wrong tolet a twelve-year-old go off on his own at a public zoo? He’d been gone formore than twenty minutes. “Would you mind holding my place?” I asked a couplebehind me. The woman said of course they wouldn’t mind, but my request agitated the man. “Well,” he added, “wecan try.”

7.       I set off for the bathrooms.Children streamed by eating cotton candy and peanuts andhugging plush animal toys—. I wasbeginning to panic. I imagined the boy in the trunk of a kidnapper’s car. I imagined him lying in the back of an ambulance.  I walked faster. Maybe the zoo was going tohave to make one of those announcements over the loudspeaker that has shamed so many parents over the years. In theend though, Val was the one who found me.

8.       “What are you doing?” he asked.“I was looking for you,” I said. I was relieved but also a little irritated tosee him again. “Just great,” he said. “Wonderful. I leave you alone for tenminutes. Was I not clear enough? “He called me useless. He called me hopelessand worse. “Actually,” I yelled back to him when I remembered it, “someone isholding our place in line.” If Val heard me, he gave no indication. When we got back to the line, the couple holding ourplace had already gone inside. Val despaired.“You do realize this is a temporary exhibit?”he said.

9.       And as if it could not havegotten any worse, a zoo official announced that the zoo was about to close, and wished everyone who was waitingto go into the hall better luck next time. Nobody was allowed to enter the Hallof small mammals and see the pippins anymore today. Val however, was not dissuaded. He started running towardsthe entrance gate of the hall, but the zoo official jumped in front of him andstopped him from entering. “Sorry buddy, closed.” the official said to him, andlocked the entrance gate.

10.    “Open the gate!” Val said, and tugged at theman’s arm, and for the first time ever, he gazed hopefully over at me. Heseemed to be on the verge of tears. Isensed an opportunity. Maybe the tribal chief wouldn’t have to die at the endof Val’s movie after all. “Now, wait a minute,” I said to the official. “Can wetalk?”

11.    I took him aside far enough so that Val couldnot hear us. “Listen. “I said.” The thing is, he’s not mine. He’s mygirlfriend’s kid, and he hates me, okay? But listen, he’s got to see thesemonkeys. Please, help me with this.” The official shook his head. “He first ofall needs to apologize,” he said. “Yes, of course,” I said. “Definitely.” Wewalked over to Val, who had never stopped trying to open the gate himself. “Val,apologize to this gentleman,” I said. Val was about to say something—something offensive, I was sure of it—so I made aface that I hoped he would understand. Thank God he did for once.  “Okay,” he said, and looked up at theofficial. “Sorry. I am. I was just excited.”

12.   “He can go in,” the zooofficial said, then turned to me. “But just him. You’ll have to wait outside.” “Why?”I asked. “We’re together.” “Take it orleave it,” the man said. “I’m only letting in one more person.” Val lookedup at me victoriously. I decided to let it slide and stepped back. “To beperfectly honest, I wouldn’t mind a little more appreciation, pal.” I said. “Thanks for that,” hesaid. He was such an easy kid to dislike. He walked into the hall. He didn’t saythank you or I’ll see you on the other side or anything else. He acted like Iwasn’t even there, like he’d already forgotten me.