EARLY-MORNING GUNFIRE beyond the village startled Second Grandma out of a dream in whichshe was fighting Grandma tooth and nail. She sat up, her heart thumping1 wildly, and, try as shemight, she couldn’t decide if the noise had just been part of the dream. The window was coatedwith pale morning sunlight; a grotesque2 pattern of frost had formed on the pane3. Shuddering5 fromthe cold, she tilted6 her head so she could see her daughter, my aunt, who was lying beside her,snoring peacefully. The sweet, even breathing of the five- year- old girl soothed7 SecondGrandma’s fears. Maybe it was only Old Geng shooting at wild game, a mountain lion orsomething, she consoled herself. She had no way of knowing how accurate her prediction was,nor could she have known that while she was sliding back under the covers the tips of Japanesebayonets were jabbing Old Geng’s ribs9.
Little Auntie rolled over and nestled up against Second Grandma, who wrapped her armsaround her until she could feel the little girl’s warm breath against her chest. Eight years hadpassed since Grandma had kicked her out of the house. During that time, Granddad had beentricked into going to the Jinan police station, where he nearly lost his life. But he managed toescape and make his way home, where Grandma had taken Father to live with Black Eye, theleader of the Iron Society.
When Granddad fought Black Eye to a standstill at the Salty Water River, he touchedGrandma so deeply she followed him home, where they ran the distillery with renewed vitality10.
Granddad put his rifle away, bringing his bandit days to an end, and began life as a wealthypeasant, at least for the next few years. They were troubling years, thanks to the rivalry11 betweenGrandma and Second Grandma. In the end, they reached a ‘tripartite agreement’ in whichGranddad would spend ten days with Grandma, then ten days with Second Grandma – ten dayswas the absolute limit. He stuck to his bargain, since neither woman was an economy lantern,someone to be taken lightly.
Second Grandma was enjoying the sweetness of her sorrows as she hugged Little Auntie. Shewas three months pregnant. A period of increased tenderness, pregnancy12 is a time of weaknessduring which women need attention and protection, and Second Grandma was no exception.
Counting the days on her fingers, she longed for Granddad. He would be there tomorrow.
Another crisp gunshot sounded outside the village, and Second Grandma scrambled13 out of bed.
She, too, had heard rumours14 that the Japanese would be coming to sack the village, and she wasunable to drive away the dark premonition of impending15 doom16. She’d willingly go home withGranddad, even if it meant putting up with Grandma’s abuse, for it couldn’t be worse than livingin Saltwater Gap in constant dread17. But Granddad had flatly refused, most likely, I believe,because by then he was cowed by the irreconcilable18 differences between the two women. Hewould come to regret this decision, for on the following morning he stood in a yard bathed by thewarm rays of the late-October sun and gazed upon the tragic19 consequences of his mistake.
Little Auntie, awake by now, let out an affected20 yawn, her eyes shining like small bronzebuttons; then she sighed, just as if she were a grown-up. That frightened Second Grandma, whosepower of speech momentarily deserted21 her.
‘Help me get dressed, Mommy,’ Little Auntie said.
As Second Grandma picked up Little Auntie’s padded red jacket, she looked with unconcealedsurprise at her daughter, who didn’t have to be coaxed22 out of bed for a change. There werewrinkles on her face, her eyebrows23 sagged24, and her mouth was drooping25 – suddenly she lookedlike a little old woman. Poor Second Grandma’s heart constricted26, and the red jacket felt as coldas ice. She called out Little Auntie’s pet name, her voice quivering like a frayed27 zither string:
‘Xiangguan?.?.?. Xiangguan?.?.?. wait a minute?.?.?. till Mommy warms your jacket over thefire.?.?.?.’
‘That’s okay, Mommy, you don’t have to warm it.’
Unable to hold back her tears, and not having the courage to look into her daughter’s face, sheran to the stove as though fleeing for her life, and lit a fire to warm the jacket, heavy in her hands.
The straw crackled like gunfire and burned itself out as easily as it had caught fire, one stalk afteranother transformed into a cindery28 replica29 of its original shape.
Little Auntie’s loud breathing from the inner room brought her out of her daze30. She carried thesteaming jacket inside, where Little Auntie was sitting up in bed, the deep purple of thecomforter contrasting sharply with her delicate white skin. Second Grandma draped the sleevesover Little Auntie’s slight shoulders as explosions rocked the village.
They seemed to be coming from beneath the ground: heavy, rumbling31 noises that shook thepaper window-coverings and sent sparrows scurrying32 into the air, wings flapping. The soundshad barely died out when another barrage33 followed, and screams and shouts erupted in thevillage. Second Grandma picked up Little Auntie and hugged her tightly, mother and daughtertrembling as one.
The shouts died out for a moment as a deathly still terror settled over the village, broken onlyby the dull tramping of feet and the occasional bark of a dog or the harsh crack of a rifle. Then,all of a sudden, the village erupted tumultuously, like a river that has broken through its dikes,producing a cacophony34 of women’s shrill35 cries, children’s tortured wails36, chickens’ loud cacklesas they flew up into trees and onto the village wall, and the braying37 of mules39 straining at theirtethers.
Second Grandma bolted the front door and wedged two poles up against it, then climbed ontothe kang and huddled40 up against the wall to await the coming disaster. She longed desperately41 forGranddad, but she hated him, too. When he came tomorrow, she’d have a good cry in front ofhim, then give him hell. The village was immersed in a hail of gunfire, and women’s screamscame from all directions. Second Grandma knew only too well why they were screaming, for shehad heard that the Japanese soldiers were like beasts who wouldn’t even spare seventy-year-oldwomen.
The smell of smoke and fire seeped42 into the room; she heard the crackling of flames,punctuated by the occasional shouts of men. She grew numb43 with fear when she heard apounding on her gate and frenzied44 gibberish. Little Auntie’s eyes widened for a moment, thenshe started to bawl45, but Second Grandma clapped her hand over her mouth. The gate creaked andgroaned. Second Grandma jumped down off the kang and ran to the stove, scooped46 out twohandfuls of ashes, and smeared47 them over her face to make herself appear as ugly as possible.
She did the same to Little Auntie’s face. The gate was about to splinter under the assault, and hereyelids fluttered wildly. Maybe they wouldn’t spare an old woman, but they’d surely let apregnant woman go, wouldn’t they? Taking a bundle from the head of the bed, she undid48 herpants, stuffed it down the front, and retied her belt with a double knot. Little Auntie huddledagainst the wall, watching her mother’s strange behaviour.
The gate burst open, one of its broken panels crashing loudly to the ground. Shutting thebedroom door, Second Grandma jumped up onto the kang and wrapped her arms tightly aroundLittle Auntie. The Japanese shouted as they battered49 down the front door with their rifle butts;flimsier than the gate, it splintered easily, and she heard the poles clatter50 to the floor. Now thatthe Japanese were inside, the last remaining obstacle was the paper-thin bedroom door. It wasonly a matter of whether or not they felt like breaking it down, whether or not they were drivenby a desire to seize their prey51.
Yet even then she trusted to luck; as long as the door was in place, the dangers would foreverremain only in rumours and in her imagination, never becoming a reality. She stared with weakanxiety at the door panels as she heard the heavy footsteps of the Japanese and their urgentconversations. The panels were painted a deep red, the frame was coated with grey dust, and thewhite wooden bolt was spotted52 with dark-red stains – the blood of a black-mouthed weasel.
Second Grandma remembered how she’d beaten the animal with the wooden bolt and listened toits screeches53 as its head cracked open like a peanut shell; it rolled on the ground for a moment, itsbushy tail swishing back and forth54 across the powdery snow, before going into convulsions andheaving one final shudder4. How she had despised that potent55 weasel!
On an autumn day in 1931, just as night was falling, she went out to the sorghum56 field to dig upsome bitter greens, and there, at the head of a weed-covered grave mound57 bathed in the blood-redrays of the setting sun, sat the weasel, its coat golden, its mouth as black as ink. She spotted itwhile she was squatting58 down relieving herself. It rested on its haunches, slowly twitching59 itspaws at her, and she reacted as though she’d been struck by lightning: a powerful spasm60 shot upher back, like a leaping snake. She fell forward, screaming like a madwoman. By the time she’dcome to her senses, the field was dark, and bright stars leaped through the black sky, restlessly,mysteriously. She felt her way out of the sorghum field, found the dirt path, and walked back tothe village. The fanciful image of the weasel, its golden coat emitting a lustrous61 sheen likewhiskers of grain, appeared and disappeared in front of her eyes, over and over, vivid and real. Itwas all she could do to contain the screams ready to rip from her throat; some did in fact getloose – she heard them. But they weren’t human screams, and she was shocked and frightened bytheir sound.
Second Grandma’s deranged63 state lasted a long time, leading her fellow villagers to concludethat she’d been possessed64 by the weasel. She was convinced that it had absolute control over herin some deep, dark place. Whatever it ordered her to do, she did: cry, laugh, speak in tongues,perform strange acts. Whenever the lightning bolt hit her in the middle of her back, it was asthough she’d been split in two, and was struggling in a dark- red quagmire65 filled with theseductiveness of lust62 and death, sinking beneath the surface, then floating back to the top, only tosink once again. Spotting a rope with which she could pull herself out of the quagmire of lust, shegrabbed it with both hands, but it too became part of the quagmire of desire, and she sankhelplessly beneath the surface again. Always, the image of the potent, black-mouthed weaselswayed before her eyes, grinning hideously66 and whisking her vigorously with its tail; each timeits tail brushed against her skin, a shout of uncontrollable excitement burst from her mouth.
Finally, the exhausted67 weasel walked off, and Second Grandma crumpled68 to the ground, spittledrooling from the corners of her mouth, her body lathered70 in sweat, her face the colour of goldfoil.
In order to free Second Grandma from her demon71, Granddad rode his mule38 to the market atCypress Orchid72 to fetch the Taoist exorcist Mountain Li, who lit incense73 and burned candles,then drew strange symbols on a piece of paper with a brush dipped in red ink, after which hemixed some dog blood with the incense ashes, pinched Second Grandma’s nose shut, and pouredthe concoction74 into her mouth. The stuff streamed down her throat and she cried, she tried toscream, she flailed75 her arms and legs, as the soulful essence oozed76 out through her pores.
Her condition began to improve after that, and some time later the weasel came to steal achicken. While it was locked in a desperate struggle with a large yellow-legged, fiery-red rooster,one of its eyes was pecked out by its feathered adversary77. It was writhing78 in agony in the snowwhen Second Grandma ran into the yard, stark-naked yet oblivious79 to the cold, holding the whitewooden bolt in her hands and bringing it down with all her might on the weasel’s shameless,pointed snout. Having got her revenge, finally, she stood absently in the snow for quite a while,the bloody80 wooden bolt still in her hands. Then she bent81 over and beat her mentor82, the weasel, toa pulp83. Her madness spent, she turned and went back inside, carrying a residue84 of hatred85 withher.
As Second Grandma stared at the dried weasel blood on the white wooden bolt, she was suddenlygripped by a dormant86 and profoundly disturbing terror; she knew that her eyeballs were rollingwildly, and she heard a terrifying shriek87 erupt from her throat.
The flimsy door rocked only slightly before it came crashing open, and a golden- huedJapanese soldier, bayonet-tipped rifle in his hands, leaped nimbly into the room. In that shriekingsplit second, his ratlike features and crafty89 expression were transformed into the black-mouthedweasel that had died at her hands. His pointy chin, his black moustache above a pointy mouth,and his sly look were the spitting image of the weasel. From a hidden recess90 of SecondGrandma’s memory, her derangement91 resurfaced, stronger and more violent than before. LittleAuntie, her ears still ringing from Second Grandma’s shriek, was scared witless by the sight ofher mother’s mouth distorted with hate on her ash-smeared face. Straining with all her might, shebroke free of Second Grandma’s vicelike grip and jumped up onto the windowsill, where shestared at the six Japanese soldiers – the first and the last that she would ever see.
Light glinted off the bayonets as the Japanese soldiers walked up to Second Grandma’s kangand stood shoulder to shoulder. To Little Auntie their weasely faces were like sorghum cakesright out of the pan: brown with dark-red edges, warm and beautiful, lovely and inviting92. Thoughshe was only slightly frightened by their bayonets, her mother’s face terrified her.
The Japanese soldiers grinned, baring their teeth, some even, some bright. Second Grandma,torn between derangement and terror, stared at the soldiers’ ominous93 grins. She shrieked94 as shewrapped her arms tightly around her belly95 and pressed up against the wall. One of the soldiers,who must have been about five feet four and somewhere between thirty-five and forty years old,edged up to the kang, removed his cap, and scratched his balding scalp. In pidgin Chinese hesaid, ‘You, pretty girl, no be scared.?.?.?.’ He leaned his rifle against the edge of the kang, thencrawled up clumsily, like a fat, squirming maggot. Second Grandma wished she could crawl intothe cracks of the wall.
The tears running down her cheeks formed ruts in the ashes on her face. The Japanese soldier’sthick lips parted as he reached out with a coarse, fleshy finger and touched her face, making herskin crawl, as though a slimy toad96 had wriggled97 into the crotch of her pants. She shrieked louderthan ever, and the soldier grabbed her legs, pulling her towards him, banging her head loudlyagainst the wall. She lay there flat on her back with her belly sticking up like a little mound. Thesoldier rubbed it with his hand, then, his eyes nearly bursting with anger, drove his fist down intoit, hard. Then, pinning her legs with his knees, he reached down and undid his belt. By then shehad begun to fight back; struggling to a sitting position, she sank her teeth into his garlic-shootnose.
The Japanese soldier let out a strange scream and released her belt. Grabbing his bleedingnose, he glared at Second Grandma, as though seeing her in a new light. His buddies98 roared withlaughter as he pulled a grimy handkerchief out of his pocket and held it against his nose. Hestood up, his expression swiftly transformed from that of a poet passionately99 declaiming hisundying love into the savage100 look of a jackal, which suited him better. He picked up his rifle andheld the glinting tip of his bayonet against Second Grandma’s belly. The final shriek burst fromher mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Little Auntie, still perched on the windowsill, read no malicious101 intent in the cold soldier’sfleshy round face; in fact, she even tried to grab the curious light reflected off his bald head, andwas disgusted with Second Grandma for shrieking88 like a wild animal. But when she noticed thesudden change in his expression and saw him aim his bayonet at her mother’s belly, fear and anoverpowering sense of love flooded her heart. She jumped down from the windowsill and rushedup to Second Grandma.
The rat-faced, shrunken-cheeked Japanese soldier who’d been the first into the room saidsomething to his fat comrade, then jumped up onto the kang and dragged him back down to thefloor, mocking him with laughter. Still holding on to the rifle, he reached out his other bonyyellow hand and grabbed Little Auntie by the hair, tearing her violently from Second Grandma’sgrasp, as if he were yanking a carrot out of the hard ground. He flung her against the window,then back onto the kang. Little Auntie forced back the sobs102 in her throat as the colour drainedfrom her face. The form and spirit of that part of Second Grandma controlled by the loathsomefanciful image of the weasel was suddenly released, and she flung herself like a she-wolf at theJapanese soldier, who deftly103 met the charge by kicking her in the belly. Although the force wasabsorbed by the bundle of clothes, the kick sent her reeling up against the thin connecting wall ofthe bedroom.
The sobs Little Auntie had been holding back suddenly burst forth, loud and resounding104.
Second Grandma’s head quickly cleared, and the gaunt Japanese soldier standing105 in front of herwas no longer linked to the phantasm of the weasel. His face was thin, the bridge of his nosehigh, sharp, and hooked, his eyes black and shiny; he looked like an articulate man of wideexperience and considerable learning, someone well read and clever. Second Grandma knelt onthe kang and pleaded in a sobbing106 voice: ‘Mister?.?.?. honourable107 Commander?.?.?. spare us?.?.?.
please spare us.?.?.?. Don’t you have wives and daughters at home?.?.?. sisters?.?.?. ?’
The ratty pouches108 on the soldier’s cheeks twitched109 a couple of times beneath his black eyes.
Although he couldn’t have understood Second Grandma’s tearful pleas, he seemed to know whatthey meant, for she saw his shoulders slump110 briefly111 in the din8 of Little Auntie’s wails. WhenSecond Grandma glanced furtively112 at the other five Japanese soldiers, their expressions were alldifferent; but she saw an oily-green, watery113 softness rolling gently beneath the hard crust ofmalevolence on their faces. Trying hard to maintain their malicious mockery, they stared at theskinny soldier standing on the kang. He quickly looked away; Second Grandma just as quicklysought out his eyes. Gnashing his teeth as though trying to control some deep emotion, he stuckthe tip of his glinting bayonet against Little Auntie’s open mouth.
‘You, drop your pants! You, drop your pants!’ He spoke114 Chinese as though his tongue werepetrified.
At that moment Second Grandma began to crumple69 under the spell of the weasel again; shesaw the Japanese soldier standing on her kang as a gentle, bookish man one instant and thespitting image of the black-mouthed weasel the next. She was racked by loud, spasmodic sobs.
The tip of the bayonet was nearly buried in Little Auntie’s mouth. A rush of concern for heryoung and a total disregard for her own well-being115 snapped her back to her senses. She quicklytook off her pants, her underpants, and her shirt, then lay back and said resolutely116, ‘Come on,come on and do it! But don’t touch my child! Don’t you touch my child!’
The Japanese soldier on the kang withdrew his bayonet and dropped his weary arms. SecondGrandma lay there, her naked body the burnt, aromatic117 colour of fried sorghum. A radiant,almost magical ray of sunlight shone between her legs, as though illuminating118 an ancient,beautiful myth or legend, a fairy grotto119, the kindly120 yet majestic121 eye of God. As the Japanesegazed at the path through which all mankind must pass, at the same organ possessed by their ownloved ones, their eyes glazed122 over and their faces hardened, like six clay statues. SecondGrandma waited for them, her mind a grey void.
I sometimes wonder if Second Grandma might have avoided being ravaged123 if it had only beenone Japanese soldier facing her splendid naked body that day. I doubt it, for a sole virile124 beast inhuman125 form, freed of the need to act like a performing monkey, might have been even morefrenzied, shedding his handsomely embroidered126 uniform and pouncing127 on her like a wild animal.
Under normal circumstances, it is the power of morality that keeps the beast in us hidden beneatha pretty exterior128. A stable, peaceful society is the training ground for humanity, just as cagedanimals, removed from the violent unpredictability of the wild, are influenced by the behaviourof their captors in time. Do you agree? Yes? No? Well, say it, yes or no? If I weren’t a manmyself, and if I were holding the sword of vengeance129 in my hand, I’d slaughter130 every last man onearth! If there had been just one Japanese soldier facing Second Grandma’s naked body that day,maybe he would have thought of his mother or his wife, and left quietly. What do you think?
The six soldiers didn’t budge131. They were gazing upon Second Grandma’s naked body asthough it were a sacrificial offering. None was willing to leave; none dared to. She layoutstretched like a huge dogfish baking under a blazing sun. Little Auntie’s voice was hoarsefrom all her crying, the sound growing weaker, the intervals132 longer. The once animated133 soldiershad been subdued135 by Second Grandma’s offering up of her body, her stretching out on the kanglike a loving mother in front of her sons, each of whom was thinking about the path he hadtravelled.
I believe that if Second Grandma had been able to hold out just a bit longer she might haveachieved victory. Second Grandma, why, after lying there like that, did you have to get up andstart putting your clothes back on? You had barely managed to stick one leg into your pants whenthe Japanese soldiers began to get restless. The one you’d bitten on the nose threw down his rifleand climbed onto the kang, and as you looked at him in disgust, your derangement took over.
Then the skinny Jap who had found the way to subdue134 you jumped up and kicked his fat buddyaway, swinging his fists and growling136 at his buddies in a language you didn’t understand. Then,before you knew it, he was on top of you, gasping137 like a rooster and breathing foul138 air into yourface.
The black-mouthed weasel flashed before your eyes, and once again you shrieked madly. Butyou only stimulated139 the madness of the Japanese soldiers; your shrieks140 were met by a concert ofshrieks from them.
It was the balding, middle-aged141 soldier who dragged the skinny one off you. Then he pressedhis savage face up to yours, and you closed your eyes in revulsion. You thought you could feelyour three-month-old foetus writhing in your belly, and could hear the desperate screeches ofLittle Auntie, like a rusty142 knife being drawn143 across a whetstone. The balding Jap chewed on yourface with his daggerlike teeth, as though he wanted to pay you back for biting his nose. Your facewas covered with tears, fresh blood, and his thick, sticky slobber. Hot red blood suddenly gushedfrom your mouth, and a vile144 stench filled your nostrils145. The squirming foetus in your bellyproduced waves of liver-rending, lung-filling pain; every muscle, every nerve in your bodytensed and knotted up, like so many bowstrings. The foetus seemed to be burrowing146 into somedeep recess of your body to hide from a shame that could never be washed away. Anger festeredin your heart, and when the Japanese soldier’s greasy147 cheeks brushed up against your lips youmade a feeble attempt to bite his face. His skin was tough and rubbery and had a sour taste.
The last one to mount Second Grandma was a short young soldier. Only shame showed on hisface, and his lovely eyes were filled with the panic of a hunted rabbit. His body smelled likeartemisia; the silvery glint of his teeth shone between trembling, fleshy red lips. Second Grandmafelt a rush of pity for him, as she recognised his tortured look of self-loathing and shame under athin layer of beaded sweat. He rubbed against her body at first, but then stopped and didn’t daremove any more. She felt his belt buckle148 press up against her belly and his body quake.
The soldiers around the kang roared with laughter and shouted derisively149 at this impotentyoung soldier. Having got his second wind, the skinny one jumped up onto the kang, jerked theyoung soldier away roughly, and flaunted150 his own abilities without a trace of shame orembarrassment, making a grand display. Second Grandma felt dead below the neck. Somethingyellow spun151 around in her brain, yellow and elliptical.
Afterwards, way off in the distance, she heard Little Auntie let out a blood-curdling scream.
Struggling to open her eyes, she could not believe what she saw. The young soldier with thelovely eyes stood on the kang and lifted Little Auntie on the point of his bayonet, swung her in acouple of arcs, then flung her away. Like a huge bird flapping its wings, she sailed slowlythrough the air and landed on the floor next to the kang. Her little red jacket fell open in thesunlight and began to spread out like a piece of soft, smooth red silk, gradually filling the roomwith undulating waves.
During her flight, Little Auntie’s arms froze in the air and her hair stood up like porcupinequills. The young Japanese soldier, rifle in hand, wept clear blue tears.
Second Grandma screamed for all she was worth and strained to sit up. But her body was deadby then. A wave of yellow flashed before her eyes, followed by a green light. Finally, she wasswallowed up by an inky-black tide.
Swing your sabres at the heads of Japs!
The sorghum is red, the Japs come from the east.
Trampling152 our soil and disgracing my second grandma.
Patriotic153 brethren everywhere, the day of resistance is now!
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1
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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pregnancy
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| n.怀孕，怀孕期 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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irreconcilable
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| adj.（指人）难和解的，势不两立的 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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constricted
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| adj.抑制的，约束的 | |
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frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
cindery
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| adj.灰烬的，煤渣的 | |
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29
replica
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| n.复制品 | |
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30
daze
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| v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏 | |
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31
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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32
scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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33
barrage
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| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
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34
cacophony
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| n.刺耳的声音 | |
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35
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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36
wails
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| 痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
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37
braying
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| v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的现在分词 )；发嘟嘟声；粗声粗气地讲话（或大笑）；猛击 | |
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38
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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39
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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40
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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41
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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42
seeped
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| v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
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43
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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44
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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45
bawl
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| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
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46
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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47
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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48
Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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49
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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50
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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51
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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52
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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53
screeches
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| n.尖锐的声音( screech的名词复数 )v.发出尖叫声( screech的第三人称单数 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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54
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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55
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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56
sorghum
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| n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西 | |
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57
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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58
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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59
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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60
spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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61
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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62
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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63
deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 | |
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64
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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65
quagmire
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| n.沼地 | |
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66
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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67
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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68
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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69
crumple
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| v.把...弄皱，满是皱痕，压碎，崩溃 | |
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70
lathered
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| v.（指肥皂）形成泡沫( lather的过去式和过去分词 )；用皂沫覆盖；狠狠地打 | |
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71
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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72
orchid
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| n.兰花，淡紫色 | |
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73
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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74
concoction
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| n.调配(物)；谎言 | |
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75
flailed
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| v.鞭打( flail的过去式和过去分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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76
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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77
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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78
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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79
oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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80
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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81
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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82
mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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83
pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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84
residue
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| n.残余，剩余，残渣 | |
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85
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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86
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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87
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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88
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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89
crafty
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| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
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90
recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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91
derangement
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| n.精神错乱 | |
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92
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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93
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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94
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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96
toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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97
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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98
buddies
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| n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人 | |
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99
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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100
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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101
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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102
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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103
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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104
resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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105
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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106
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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107
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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108
pouches
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| n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋 | |
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109
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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110
slump
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| n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌 | |
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111
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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112
furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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113
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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114
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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115
well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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116
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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117
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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118
illuminating
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| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
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119
grotto
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| n.洞穴 | |
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120
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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121
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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122
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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123
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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124
virile
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| adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的 | |
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125
inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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126
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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127
pouncing
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的现在分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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128
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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129
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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130
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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131
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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132
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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133
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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134
subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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135
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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136
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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137
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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138
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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139
stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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140
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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141
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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142
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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143
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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144
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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145
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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146
burrowing
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻 | |
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147
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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148
buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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149
derisively
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| adv. 嘲笑地，嘲弄地 | |
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150
flaunted
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| v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的过去式和过去分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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151
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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152
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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153
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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