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PART ONE 3
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The old woman led the boy to a room at the back of her house; it was separated from her living room by a curtain of colored beads1. The room's furnishings consisted of a table, an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and two chairs.
The woman sat down, and told him to be seated as well. Then she took both of his hands in hers, and began quietly to pray.
It sounded like a Gypsy prayer. The boy had already had experience on the road with Gypsies; they also traveled, but they had no flocks3 of sheep. People said that Gypsies spent their lives tricking others. It was also said that they had a pact4 with the devil, and that they kidnapped children and, taking them away to their mysterious camps, made them their slaves. As a child, the boy had always been frightened to death that he would be captured by Gypsies, and this childhood fear returned when the old woman took his hands in hers.
But she has the Sacred Heart of Jesus there, he thought, trying to reassure5 himself. He didn't want his hand to begin trembling, showing the old woman that he was fearful. He recited an Our Father silently.
"Very interesting," said the woman, never taking her eyes from the boy's hands, and then she fell silent.
The boy was becoming nervous. His hands began to tremble, and the woman sensed it. He quickly pulled his hands away.
"I didn't come here to have you read my palm," he said, already regretting having come. He thought for a moment that it would be better to pay her fee and leave without learning a thing, that he was giving too much importance to his recurrent dream.
"You came so that you could learn about your dreams," said the old woman. "And dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret6 what he has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand. But, whichever it is, I'm going to charge you for the consultation7."
Another trick, the boy thought. But he decided8 to take a chance. A shepherd always takes his chances with wolves and with drought, and that's what makes a shepherd's life exciting.
"I have had the same dream twice," he said. "I dreamed that I was in a field with my sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals. I don't like people to do that, because the sheep are afraid of strangers. But children always seem to be able to play with them without frightening them. I don't know why. I don't know how animals know the age of human beings."
"Tell me more about your dream," said the woman. "I have to get back to my cooking, and, since you don't have much money, I can't give you a lot of time."
"The child went on playing with my sheep for quite a while," continued the boy, a bit upset. "And suddenly, the child took me by both hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids."
He paused for a moment to see if the woman knew what the Egyptian pyramids were. But she said nothing.
"Then, at the Egyptian pyramids,"—he said the last three words slowly, so that the old woman would understand—"the child said to me, If you come here, you will find a hidden treasure.' And, just as she was about to show me the exact location, I woke up. Both times."
 
 
 The woman was silent for some time. Then she again took his hands and studied them carefully.
"I'm not going to charge you anything now," she said. "But I want one-tenth of the treasure, if you find it."
The boy laughed—out of happiness. He was going to be able to save the little money he had because of a dream about hidden treasure!
"Well, interpret the dream," he said.
"First, swear to me. Swear that you will give me one-tenth of your treasure in exchange for what I am going to tell you."
The shepherd swore that he would. The old woman asked him to swear again while looking at the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
"It's a dream in the language of the world," she said. "I can interpret it, but the interpretation9 is very difficult. That's why I feel that I deserve a part of what you find.
"And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich man."
The boy was surprised, and then irritated10. He didn't need to seek out the old woman for this! But then he remembered that he wasn't going to have to pay anything.
"I didn't need to waste my time just for this," he said.
"I told you that your dream was a difficult one. It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them. And since I am not wise, I have had to learn other arts, such as the reading of palms."
"Well, how am I going to get to Egypt?"
"I only interpret dreams. I don't know how to turn them into reality. That's why I have to live off what my daughters provide me with."
"And what if I never get to Egypt?"
"Then I don't get paid. It wouldn't be the first time."
And the woman told the boy to leave, saying she had already wasted too much time with him.
 
   So the boy was disappointed; he decided that he would never again believe in dreams. He remembered that he had a number of things he had to take care of: he went to the market for something to eat, he traded his book for one that was thicker, and he found a bench in the plaza11 where he could sample the new wine he had bought. The day was hot, and the wine was refreshing12. The sheep were at the gates of the city, in a stable that belonged to a friend. The boy knew a lot of people in the city. That was what made traveling appeal to him—he always made new friends, and he didn't need to spend all of his time with them. When someone sees the same people every day, as had happened with him at the seminary, they wind up becoming a part of that person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.
He decided to wait until the sun had sunk a bit lower in the sky before following his flock2 back through the fields. Three days from now, he would be with the merchant's daughter.
He started to read the book he had bought. On the very first page it described a burial ceremony. And the names of the people involved were very difficult to pronounce. If he ever wrote a book, he thought, he would present one person at a time, so that the reader wouldn't have to worry about memorizing a lot of names.
When he was finally able to concentrate on what he was reading, he liked the book better; the burial was on a snowy day, and he welcomed the feeling of being cold. As he read on, an old man sat down at his side and tried to strike up a conversation.
"What are they doing?" the old man asked, pointing at the people in the plaza.
"Working," the boy answered dryly, making it look as if he wanted to concentrate on his reading.
Actually, he was thinking about shearing13 his sheep in front of the merchant's daughter, so that she could see that he was someone who was capable of doing difficult things. He had already imagined the scene many times; every time, the girl became fascinated14 when he explained that the sheep had to be sheared15 from back to front. He also tried to remember some good stories to relate as he sheared the sheep. Most of them he had read in books, but he would tell them as if they were from his personal experience. She would never know the difference, because she didn't know how to read.
Meanwhile, the old man persisted16 in his attempt to strike up a conversation. He said that he was tired and thirsty, and asked if he might have a sip17 of the boy's wine. The boy offered his bottle, hoping that the old man would leave him alone.
But the old man wanted to talk, and he asked the boy what book he was reading. The boy was tempted18 to be rude, and move to another bench, but his father had taught him to be respectful of the elderly. So he held out the book to the man—for two reasons: first, that he, himself, wasn't sure how to pronounce the title; and second, that if the old man didn't know how to read, he would probably feel ashamed and decide of his own accord19 to change benches.
 
 
 "Hmm…" said the old man, looking at all sides of the book, as if it were some strange object. "This is an important book, but it's really irritating20."
The boy was shocked. The old man knew how to read, and had already read the book. And if the book was irritating, as the old man had said, the boy still had time to change it for another.
"It's a book that says the same thing almost all the other books in the world say," continued the old man. "It describes people's inability to choose their own destinies21. And it ends up saying that everyone believes the world's greatest lie."
"What's the world's greatest lie?" the boy asked, completely surprised.
"It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."
"That's never happened to me," the boy said. "They wanted me to be a priest22, but I decided to become a shepherd."
"Much better," said the old man. "Because you really like to travel."
"He knew what I was thinking," the boy said to himself. The old man, meanwhile, was leafing through the book, without seeming to want to return it at all. The boy noticed that the man's clothing was strange. He looked like an Arab, which was not unusual in those parts. Africa was only a few hours from Tarifa; one had only to cross the narrow straits by boat. Arabs often appeared in the city, shopping and chanting their strange prayers several times a day.
"Where are you from?" the boy asked.
"From many places."
"No one can be from many places," the boy said. "I'm a shepherd, and I have been to many places, but I come from only one place—from a city near an ancient castle. That's where I was born."
"Well then, we could say that I was born in Salem."
The boy didn't know where Salem was, but he didn't want to ask, fearing that he would appear ignorant. He looked at the people in the plaza for a while; they were coming and going, and all of them seemed to be very busy.
"So, what is Salem like?" he asked, trying to get some sort of clue.
"It's like it always has been."
No clue yet. But he knew that Salem wasn't in Andalusia. If it were, he would already have heard of it.
"And what do you do in Salem?" he insisted.
"What do I do in Salem?" The old man laughed. "Well, I'm the king of Salem!"
People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say anything. And better still to be alone with one's books. They tell their incredible23 stories at the time when you want to hear them. But when you're talking to people, they say some things that are so strange that you don't know how to continue the conversation.
"My name is Melchizedek," said the old man. "How many sheep do you have?"
"Enough," said the boy. He could see that the old man wanted to know more about his life.
"Well, then, we've got a problem. I can't help you if you feel you've got enough sheep."

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 beads 894701f6859a9d5c3c045fd6f355dbf5     
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链
参考例句:
  • a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
  • Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
2 flock VgCzA     
n.羊群,一群,大量;vi.群集,聚集,成群
参考例句:
  • A flock of customers were waiting for the store to open.一群顾客在等候着商店开门。
  • A few sheep have been lost from the flock.羊群里少了几只羊。
3 flocks 58ab768421a90d0fec6ecff8ea0b1bf5     
n.畜群( flock的名词复数 );鸟群;人群;同一教会团体的教徒v.群集,成群结队而行( flock的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Vistors came in flocks to see the new bridge. 参观者成群结队地来观看这座新桥。 来自《用法词典》
  • They move with their flocks to upland pastures. 他们带着牲畜迁往高原上的牧场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 pact ZKUxa     
n.合同,条约,公约,协定
参考例句:
  • The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
  • The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。
5 reassure 9TgxW     
v.使放心,使消除疑虑
参考例句:
  • This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点,于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
  • The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。
6 interpret G5lxP     
vt.解释,说明,理解;vi.作口译
参考例句:
  • We have to interpret his words in a modern light.我们不得不用现代观点来解释他的话。
  • Please interpret the comments of our foreign guest.请把外宾的话翻译一下。
7 consultation VZAyq     
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议
参考例句:
  • The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
  • The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。
8 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
9 interpretation P5jxQ     
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理
参考例句:
  • His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
  • Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。
10 irritated 2qezRf     
a.恼怒的
参考例句:
  • His little affectations irritated her. 他的装腔作势令她不快。
  • Her genteel accent irritated me. 她那矫揉造作的腔调使我感到难受。
11 plaza v2yzD     
n.广场,市场
参考例句:
  • They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
  • The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。
12 refreshing HkozPQ     
adj.使精神振作的,使人清爽的,使人喜欢的
参考例句:
  • I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
  • The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼,特别解乏提神。
13 shearing 3cd312405f52385b91c03df30d2ce730     
n.剪羊毛,剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 );切断;剪切
参考例句:
  • The farmer is shearing his sheep. 那农夫正在给他的羊剪毛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The result of this shearing force is to push the endoplasm forward. 这种剪切力作用的结果是推动内质向前。 来自辞典例句
14 fascinated YtKzID     
a.被强烈地吸引住,感到着迷的
参考例句:
  • China has always fascinated me. 中国一直令我心驰神往。
  • The children watched, fascinated, as the picture began to appear. 电影开始以后孩子们入迷地观看着。
15 sheared 1e4e6eeb7c63849e8f2f40081eedb45c     
v.剪羊毛( shear的过去式和过去分词 );切断;剪切
参考例句:
  • A jet plane sheared the blue sky. 一架喷气式飞机划破蓝空。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The pedal had sheared off at the pivot. 踏板在枢轴处断裂了。 来自辞典例句
16 persisted 3af65799b58d5c9938325b3af06a0d91     
坚持( persist的过去式和过去分词 ); 维持; 保持; 持续存在
参考例句:
  • They persisted in going there in spite of the bad weather. 尽管天气很坏,他们还是坚持去那里。
  • She persisted that she was strong enough to go back to work. 她反复地说她身体已经好了,可以去上班了。
17 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量
参考例句:
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
18 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
  • I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
19 accord Gfby7     
vt.给予(欢迎、称颂等) vi./n.符合,一致
参考例句:
  • Most people are in accord with their desire for peace.在渴望和平这一点上,大多数人都是一致的。
  • The hearts of our people accord with those of yours.我们两国人民心心相印。
20 irritating 1qOzR6     
adj.使愤怒的;气人的;恼人的;v.使恼怒
参考例句:
  • She found his preoccupation with money irritating.她对他一心只想着钱感到很厌烦。
  • He has this irritating mannerism of constantly scratching his nose.他老是挠鼻子,这个习惯真让人不舒服。
21 destinies ed62ece5145154aa749baf08b2394718     
命运( destiny的名词复数 ); 天命; 天数; 主宰事物的力量
参考例句:
  • the destinies of nations 国家的命运
  • The need for villagers to control their own destinies has prompted a new plan. 村民们想要掌握自己的命运,这促成了一项新的计划。
22 priest D1JzH     
n.神父,牧师,司铎,司祭,领导者,神甫;vt.使成为神职人员
参考例句:
  • He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
  • The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。
23 incredible q8fx7     
adj.难以置信的,不可信的,极好的,大量的
参考例句:
  • Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
  • Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。


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