(2024) ÈÇÓ×ÅÍÈÅ ßÇÛÊΠ| ßÇÛÊÈ ÂÎÑÒÎÊÀ | ÊÈÒÀÉÑÊÈÉ

Chinese Short Story 心锁 Lock of The Heart [Elementary Level]
心锁 35
为什么真相是这样无情？ Why truth has to be so merciless all the time?
wèishénme zhēnxiàng shì zhèyàng wúqíng？  
空白的记忆，反复的恶梦，
其实主角竟然是自己！		 Out of all the blank memories and endless nightmare,
the main culprit was actually myself!
kòngbái de jìyì， fănfù de èmèng，
qíshí zhŭjué jìngrán shì zìjĭ！		  
小吉记得爸爸有一个皮箱子，
她好几次在深夜里，
看到他坐在箱子旁，
从里面拿出一卷一卷的画，
认真地看过，又小心地放回。		 In Xiaoji’s memory, her Dad had a leather luggage.
Many times in night,
she saw him sitting beside the luggage,
taking out scrolls of drawing one after another,
studying them and carefully placing them back.
xiăo jí jìde bàba yŏu yī gè píxiāng zĭ，
tā hăo jĭcì zài shēn yèli，
kàn dào tā zuò zài xiāngzi páng，
cóng lĭmiàn náchū yī juăn yī juăn de huà，
rènzhēn de kàn guò， yòu xiăoxīn de fàng huí。		  
关上箱子后，
他会听着小提琴曲，
点上一支烟，抽到很晚。		 Had his luggage closed,
he would light up a cigarette and listen to violin songs
in the smoky air till very late.
 
guānshang xiāngzi hòu，
tā huì tīng zhe xiăotíqín qŭ，
diăn shàng yī zhī yān， chōu dào hěn wăn。		  
小吉知道箱子里是妈妈的画作，
和爸爸的小提琴。		 Xiaoji knew that the things kept in the luggage
were Mom’s drawing and Dad’s violin.
xiăo jí zhīdào xiāngzi lĭ shì māma de huà zuò，
hé bàba de xiăotíqín。		  
它们对于爸爸来说，象是有生命的东西。
又象是一段人生，一段被封存起来的，
精彩的人生。		 To Dad, they are things with lives.
They are sealed as if they were part of Dad’s life,
the part that had once shone so brightly in the past.
tāmen duìyú bàba láishuō， xiàng shì yŏu shēngmìng de dōngxi。
yòu xiàng shì yī duàn rénshēng， yī duàn bèi fēngcún qilai de，
jīngcăi de rénshēng。		  
心锁 36
在她的记忆里，离开柳镇后，
就再没听爸爸拉过琴。		 As far as she could remember, since they left Liu Town,
Dad had never played his violin.
zài tā de jìyì lĭ， líkāi liŭ zhèn hòu，
jiù zài méi tīng bàba lā guò qín。		  

爸爸总是很忙，
为了生计，四处奔波。

 He had always been so busy.
To make ends meet, he had kept moving on his feet.
bàba zŏngshì hěn máng，
wèile shēngjì， sìchù bēnbō。		  
小吉央求过爸爸拉琴，爸爸却总不答应，
他说，音乐由感而发，由心而生，
找不到感觉，不如不拉。		 Xiaoji asked Dad to play violin for her, but he never did.
He said that music was the natural flow from one’s heart and feelings.
Without the right feelings, there was no point to play it.
xiăo jí yāngqiú guò bàba lā qín， bàba què zŏng bù dāying，
tā shuō， yīnyuè yóu găn ér fā， yóu xīn ér shēng，
zhăobudào gănjué， bùrú bù lā。		  
为此，小吉很生爸爸的气。 For that, Xiaoji was upset of him.
wèicĭ， xiăo jí hěn shēng bàba de qì。  
后来，爸爸和别人合开了＂恒远电器＂，
变得更加忙碌。		 Later, Dad set up “Heng Yuan Electronics” with others.
He has become even busier since then.
hòulái， bàba hé biéren hé kāi le＂ héng yuăn diànqì＂，
biànde gèngjiā mánglù。		  
   
心锁 37
但不管多忙碌，小吉的事，
永远是爸爸的头等大事。		 However, no matter how busy her Dad was, Xiaoji
has always been his top priority.
dàn bùguăn duō mánglù， xiăo jí de shì，
yŏngyuăn shì bàba de tóuděng dàshì。		  
小吉长大了，也慢慢理解爸爸了。
单亲的孩子不容易，
单亲的父亲更不容易。		 When Xiaoji grew older, she started to understand her Dad better.
Life is not easy for a child in a single family.
It’s even harder for the single father.
xiăo jí zhăngdà le， yě mànmàn lĭjiě bàba le。
dānqīn de háizi bù róngyì，
dānqīn de fùqīn gèng bù róngyì。		  
然而，这一切的起源竟然是她自己！
母亲的生命，爸爸的人生，
都毁于自己的一个愚蠢游戏。		 However, it now turned out that she was the root cause to all of this!
Mom’s life, Dad’s life,
all of them were ruined by a stupid game she had played.
rán’ér， zhè yīqiè de qĭyuán jìngrán shì tā zìjĭ！
mŭqīn de shēngmìng， bàba de rénshēng，
dōu huĭ yú zìjĭ de yī gè yúchŭn yóuxì。		  
那天，
她只想和妈妈玩魔法救人。		 On that day,
all she intended to do was to play magic-saving-the-world with Mom.
nàtiān，
tā zhĭ xiăng hé māma wán mófă jiù rén。		  
为此，
在妈妈下到地窖取菜后，
她找来了一把玩具锁，
学着妈妈的样子把地窖门锁了起来。		 In order to do that,
when Mom went down to the cellar to get vegetables,
she managed to find a toy lock
and locked the cellar door the same way as Mom did.
wèicĭ，
zài māma xià dào dìjiào qŭ cài hòu，
tā zhăo lái le yī bă wánjù suŏ，
xué zhe māma de yàngzi bă dìjiào ménsuŏ le qilai。		  
   
心锁 38
可是，魔法公主的魔法
却不灵验！
门怎么也打不开！		 However, the magic her Magic Princess supposed to have
didn’t work as she expected!
The door was not opened at all!
kěshì， mófă  gōngzhŭ de mófă
què bù língyàn！
mén zěnme yě dă bù kāi！		  
妈妈在地窖里敲门，
让小吉找钥匙开门。		 Mom knocked on the cellar door from below
and asked her to find the key.
māma zài dìjiào lĭ qiāomén，
ràng xiăo jí zhăo yàoshi kāimén。		  
可她怎么也找不着。 But the key was nowhere to be found.
kě tā zěnme yě zhăobuzháo。  
四岁的她哪里知道危险？ Being as young as a four-year old, she couldn’t see the danger of it.
sì suì de tā nălĭ zhīdào wēixiăn？  
后来，她竟然抱着洋娃娃，
在衣橱里玩到睡着！
有哮喘的妈妈在地窖里
没挣扎多时就走了。		 Some time later, she somehow dozed off
in the big cabinet holding her doll!
Her poor Mom who had asthma
died in the cellar after a short period of struggle.
hòulái， tā jìngrán bào zhe yángwáwa，
zài yīchú lĭ wán dào shuìzháo！
yŏu xiàochuăn de māma zài dìjiào lĭ
méi zhēngzhá duō shí jiù zŏu le。		  
   
心锁 39
当爸爸撬开地窖，
抱出已无生命气息的妈妈，
年幼的小吉
终于明白自己闯了大祸。		 When her Dad forced open the cellar door
and carried her Mom out, Mom was lifeless.
As young as she was at that time,
she realized the severe consequence of what she had done.
dāng bàba qiàokāi dìjiào，
bào chū yĭ wúshēngmìng qìxī de māma，
niányòu de xiăo jí
zhōngyú míngbai zìjĭ chuăng le dàhuò。		  
从那刻起，
她把自己与世界隔离开来，
不断用图画来＂拯救＂妈妈。		 From that moment,
she had closed herself up from the rest of the world.
She had kept on drawing her attempt to “rescue” Mom.
cóng nà kè qĭ，
tā bă zìjĭ yŭ shìjiè gé líkāi lái，
bùduàn yòng túhuà lái＂ zhěngjiù＂ māma。		  
没多久，爸爸带她离开了家。
去到新的城市。		 Not long after that, Dad took her away to a new city.
méi duōjiŭ， bàba dài tā líkāi le jiā。
qù dào xīn de chéngshì。		  
不知为什么，也不记得从什么时候起，
她的记忆出现了问题，
这段黑暗的记忆彻底消失了！		 Not sure why and when she began to have issue with her memories .
Those dark memories completely faded out in her mind.
bùzhī wèishénme， yě bù jìde cóng shénmeshíhou qĭ，
tā de jìyì chūxiàn le wèntí，
zhè duàn hēi’àn de jìyì chèdĭ xiāoshī le！		  
   
心锁 40
她仿佛又回到了童年，
穿着那件粉色裙子，
熟练地拉开碗柜上的抽屉，		 She had the illusion that she had returned to her own childhood.
She was wearing that pink skirt again
and opened the cabinet drawer as usual.
tā făngfú yòu huídào le tóngnián，
chuānzhuó nà jiàn fěnsè qúnzi，
shúliàn de lākāi wănguì shàng de chōuti， 		 
在右边的角落里，
找到她熟悉的烛台和火柴盒。		 At the right most corner,
she found the candle holder and match box.
zài yòubian de jiăoluò lĭ，
zhăodào tā shúxī de zhútái hé huŏchái hé。		  
蜡烛亮了，
灰暗的屋子立时多了一层光晕。		 As soon as candle was lit up,
a halo appeared in the dull room.
làzhú liàng le，
huī’àn de wūzi lì shí duō le yīcéng guāng-yùn。		  
她一手抬起烛台，
一手打开地板上的门，
顺着地窖的梯子走下去。		 With candle in one hand,
she opened the door on the ground
and stepped down on the ladder to the cellar.
tā yīshŏu táiqĭ zhútái，
yīshŏu dăkāi dìbăn shàng de mén，
shùnzhe dìjiào de tīzi zŏu xiàqù。		  
门又关上了。 The door was again closed.
mén yòu guānshàng le。  
借着烛光，她进入了另一个世界，
一个她渴望能与母亲对话的世界。		  
jiè zhe zhúguāng， tā jìnrù le lìngyī gè shìjiè，
yī gè tā kěwàng néng yŭ mŭqīn duìhuà de shìjiè。		  
这是一个极其窄小的空间，
除了不多的一点杂物堆在墙角，
剩下的只有黑黑的墙壁。		 The space was rather narrow.
Other than a small pile of junk along the wall,
the rest was just four dark walls.
zhè shì yī gè jíqí zhăi xiăode kōngjiān，
chúle bù duō de yīdiăn záwù duī zài qiángjiăo，
shèngxià de zhĭyŏu hēi hēi de qiángbì。		  
＂妈妈，你在吗？＂
小吉闭上眼睛，
渴望看到那张梦到过无数次的,
模糊的脸。		 “Mom, are you there?”
Xiaoji closed her eyes,
prayed to see the blurred face of her Mom
that had appeared in her dreams so many times.
＂ māma， nĭ zài ma？＂
xiăo jí bìshang yănjing，
kěwàng kàn dào nà zhāng mèng dào guò wúshù cì de,
móhu de liăn。		  
＂妈妈，对不起，真的对不起 …
请把我一起带走吧！＂
两行泪珠滚落脸颊。		 “Mom, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry …
could you please just take me away with you!”
Tears streamed down her face.
＂ māma， duìbuqĭ， zhēn de duìbuqĭ …
qĭng bă wŏ yīqĭ dàizŏu ba！＂
liăng háng lèizhū gŭnluò liănjiá。		  
烛光一闪一闪，
在黑暗中徒劳地挣扎。。。		 The candle wick blinked on and off,
struggled to stay lit in the darkness…
zhúguāng yī shăn yī shăn，
zài hēi’àn zhōng túláo de zhēngzhá。。。