《英语沙龙》(原版阅读)︱Speechless羞言涩语萨姆?阿伯内西不善表达

By Anita Sitarski Illustrated by Amy Wummer Narrated by Lilly Yu

本文刊载于《英语沙龙》（原版阅读）2017年全年合订本

萨姆?阿伯内西不善表达，一紧张还有点口吃，不过他的悠悠球玩得不错。这天，班上每人有三分钟的展示才艺时间，萨姆第一个上场。他拿着自己最好的悠悠球，准备给同学们演示，只是由于紧张，一出场就闹出不少乱子，惹得同学哈哈大笑。不过这一笑倒是放松了紧张的心情，萨姆调整一下状态，重新登场，赢得了老师和同学们热烈的掌声。登场前的紧张一扫而空，萨姆内心不由得有点自信的小骄傲。

When I felt the sharp jab in my back and heard the hiss, I almost yelled, “Snake!” Then I realized it was just Jerry Epstein trying to save me from looking stupid.

“First up is Sam Abernathy,” Mr. Mead said for probably the fourth time.

This was the moment I’d been dreading. I shook my head, trying to unglaze my eyes. Fire Dragon, my best yo-yo, was frozen into my fist. It had been there since Mr. Mead had told the class to get ready for our three minute-long demonstrations.

I walked toward the front of the room. My heart was pounding. “I would like to yemonstrate some do-do tricks,” I began. “I mean, demonstrate some yo-yo tricks.”

Mary Grace Lewis giggled. Bobby Watkins squirmed as if it were painful to listen to me. Three minutes? I wouldn’t last one!

“My first trick is The Sleeper,” I said. “It is a necessary part of any other tricks, so it is very necessary.” My jaw felt like it was held by rubber bands.

“I’ll th-throw the yo-yo down, and instead of pulling it, uh, right back, I’ll let it, um, spin first for about twenty minutes—er, I mean seconds.”

I pried the yo-yo out of my sweaty fist and held it up so that everyone could admire its colors: bright red with flecks of gold. “It’s c-called Fire Dragon.”

“It doesn’t look very dangerous,” someone whispered with a snicker.

My hands were shaking. I snatched the yo-yo back into my palm and crooked my elbow. To begin the move, I straightened my arm and let go of the yo-yo. Smack! Fire Dragon hit the floor.

The string! I’d forgotten to loop it around my finger. I now looked officially stupid. Mary Grace wasn’t the only one giggling.

I tried once more. This time the yo-yo snapped back to my hand after a sleep—or should I say catnap—of about a half-second.

“Well, you get the idea,” I mumbled. I tugged at the loop around my finger to loosen it. Maybe it was cutting off the circulation to my brain.

“My next trick is, um, Walk the Dog. I will throw a sleeper and, uh, set it down. It will w-walk across the floor. Like a dog.”

Everyone stood up to see better. I got in a good power throw, but the string slid off my finger! Fire Dragon, still spinning, went hopping and rolling under desks and over toes. Mary Grace let out a squeal when it landed by her feet.

“Fire Dragon on the loose!” somebody yelled.

“Don’t worry, Mary Grace. I’ll save you!” called Bobby in his best hero’s voice.

He dove toward the yo-yo, but tripped over his backpack and fell in a heap on the floor. There was a second of silence, then Bobby looked up with the funniest expression on his face. Waves of laughter began to spread through the classroom.

Giggling, Mary Grace looked down at Bobby and said, “Thanks, Dragon Slayer, but I can handle this one.” She picked up Fire Dragon, which lay two inches from Bobby’s outstretched hand, and gave it back to me.

By then, everyone was cracking up. That’s when I felt a strange sensation. My face started twitching, my shoulders began shaking, and the whole mess kind of dissolved around me. I realized that I was laughing!

I was in mid-chuckle when Mr. Mead announced, “OK, Sam. I think we’re ready for you to try again.”

Try again? Was he kidding? But then I realized that this was a second chance to show the class that I really could handle a yo-yo. My professional pride was at stake.

“I’m ready,” I heard myself saying. And it’s weird, but I really was. The laughing had left me feeling loose and relaxed.

“Would you like to see Around the World?” I asked. “I’ll start with a Forward Pass, then Fire Dragon will go in a circle over my shoulder as it sleeps. Finally I’ll pull it back to my hand.”

Everyone moved to the sides of the room. Maybe they were afraid of injury, but at least they seemed interested. I noticed that Mary Grace was protecting her head with her hands.

I took a deep breath and let the yo-yo rip.

It was a beautiful sight. I could tell right away that I had a good sleep. I whipped Fire Dragon around in a red blaze, not once but twice, before snapping it back home.

The crowd went wild! Everyone clapped, even Mr. Mead. Only Mary Grace looked a little confused. I guess she missed the whole thing while ducking for cover.

After class, a few of my classmates asked if I’d show them how to do some yo-yo tricks. I agreed, of course, with my professional pride intact.

unglaze [??n?ɡle?z] vt. 擦亮（眼睛）

yo-yo 悠悠球，是一种流行玩具。悠悠球最早记录出现在公元500年前的希腊，18世纪初叶，悠悠球在法国和英国的上流社会盛行。此后流传到世界各地，大约300年前，悠悠球传到了日本，深受年轻人的欢迎。经过多年的不断创新与发展，悠悠球成为一项风靡全球的手上技巧运动

squirm [skw??m] vi. 蠕动；扭动；坐卧不宁

The Sleeper 悠悠球的基础花式，劲力旋风

pry [pra?] vt. 撬起

crook [kr?k] vt. 使（手指或手臂）弯

smack [sm?k] ad. <口>啪地一声

loop [lu?p] vt. 使成环，使绕成圈

catnap [?k?tn?p] vi. 打瞌睡，假寐

Walk the Dog 悠悠球的基础花式，遛狗

trip over 被…绊倒；失足

in a heap 一堆儿

slayer ["sle??] n. 杀手

at stake 濒于险境，处于成败关头

Around the World 悠悠球的基础花式，环游世界

Forward Pass 悠悠球的基础花式，前抛（瞬雷出击）

rip [r?p] vi. 猛冲，突然拉开

duck [d?k] vi. 躲闪，躲避

（图文授权 Highlights）

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