The monkey doesn't live there anymore. The monkeymoved to Kentucky and took his people with him. And I was glad because Icouldn't listen anymore to his wild screaming at night, the twangy yakkety-yakof the people who owned him. The green metal cage, the porcelain tabletop, the familythat spoke like guitars. Monkey, family, table. All gone.
And it was then we took over the garden wehad been afraid to go into when the monkey screamed and showed its yellowteeth.
There were sunflowers big as flowers onMars and thick cockscombs bleeding the deep red fringe of theater curtains.There were dizzy bees and bow-tied fruit flies turning somersaults and hummingin the air. Sweet sweet peach trees. Thorn roses and thistle and pears. Weedslike so many squinty-eyed stars and brush that made your ankles itch and itchuntil you washed with soap and water. There were big green apples hard as knees.And everywhere the sleepy smell of rotting wood, damp earth and dustyhollyhocks thick and perfumy like the blue-blond hair of the dead.
猴子再也不住那里了。猴子搬走了，去了肯塔基，带着它的家人。我很开心，因为晚上再也不用听它的狂嘶乱叫，听它的主人们嘭嚓嚓摇滚乐般的动静。那绿色的金属笼子，陶瓷桌面，那说话声音跟吉他似的一家人。猴子，一家人，桌子。都消失了。
从那时起我们接管了花园。以前我们不敢走进去，因为猴子在那里尖叫，并且龇出它黄黄的牙齿。
那里有向日葵，大得像火星上的花儿；还有肥厚的鸡冠，花朵漫溢出来像剧院帷幔上深红的裙边。那里有令人头晕的蜜蜂和打着领结的果蝇翻着跟头，在空中嗡嗡鸣唱。有很甜很甜的桃树。还有刺玫瑰、大蓟和梨树。野草多得傻眯眼睛的星星，蹭得你脚踝痒痒的，直到你用肥皂和水洗净。还有大个青苹果，硬得像膝盖。到处都是那种令人昏昏欲睡的气味：腐烂的木头、潮湿的泥土，以及那蒙了灰尘的蜀葵，像老去的人那白到发蓝的金发一样浓密而馥郁。
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