Where is the lottery ticket translated by shirley jackson?

Shirley Jackson

Shelley Jackson

The morning of June 27th was clear and cloudless, with the freshness and warmth of midsummer. Flowers are in full bloom and green grass is everywhere. At about ten o'clock, people in the village began to gather in the square between the post office and the bank. In some towns, because there are too many people, the lottery will take two days, and it won't start until June 2, but there are only 300 people in this village, and the whole lottery will not last more than two hours at most, so it can start at 10: 00 in the morning, and the villagers can go home for lunch on time.

Of course, the children were the first to gather. Recently, during the summer vacation at school, the sense of freedom fell uneasily on most people; They often have a quiet time together before they go crazy. They are still talking about schools and teachers, books and punishment. Bobby Martin has filled his pockets with stones, and other boys soon followed his example and chose the smoothest stone. Bobby, Harry Jones and Dick Della Rolles-everyone in the village pronounced the name "Della Korol"-finally piled up a lot of stones in one corner of the square, guarding them from other boys. The girls stood aside, chatting with each other, and turned to see their brothers and sisters swarming or snuggling.

Soon, men began to get together. They look at their children and talk about agriculture, rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner. Their jokes were a bit monotonous, and they just smiled calmly. Women in faded casual clothes and sweaters followed their husbands. They greeted each other, chatted for a while, and then joined their husbands. Soon, these women standing beside their husbands began to call their children. The children came reluctantly and had to scream four or five times. Bobby Martin dodged his mother's hand and ran back to the stone pile with a smile. His father shouted sharply, and Bobby quickly came over and stood between his father and his brother.

This kind of lottery-like square dance, youth club and Halloween program-is hosted by Mr. Summers. He has time and energy for civic activities. He is a round-faced and happy man. He deals in coal. People feel sorry for him because he has no children and his wife is such a bitch. When he came to the square with a black wooden box, the villagers whispered to each other. He waved and shouted, "Guys, it's a little late today." Mr. Greus, the postmaster, followed him with a three-legged stool in his hand and put it in the middle of the square. Mr. Summers put the black box on it. The villagers kept their distance and left some space between them and the stools. When Mr. Summers said, "Which one of you will help me?" At that time, two people hesitated. Mr Martin and his eldest son, Baxter, came forward and gripped the box on the stool, while Mr Summers stirred the paper inside.

The props really used for the lucky draw have long been lost, and now the black box on the stool was put into use even before the oldest man in town, Warner, was born. Mr. Summers often tells the villagers to make a new box, but no one cares. Even it has become a tradition to replace it with this black box. It is said that this box is now made of fragments of the previous box, which was made when the first people came here to settle down. Every year after the lottery, Mr. Summers will start talking about the new box again, and this problem will disappear every year. The black box is getting worse every year: it is no longer pure black, but it is badly damaged on one side, revealing the true color of wood, and some places are either faded or discolored.

Mr. Martin and his eldest son Baxter put the black box firmly on the stool until Mr. Summers thoroughly stirred the paper with his hands. Because many ceremonies have been forgotten or abandoned, Mr. Summers succeeded in replacing the wooden blocks used for generations with pieces of paper. Summers thought it was a good thing to use wooden blocks in the village when he was young, but now the population has exceeded 300, and it is likely to continue to grow. At this time, it is necessary to use some materials that are easier to put into the black box. The night before the lottery, Summers and Grace made some paper, put it in a box, and then took it to Summers' coal company warehouse to lock it up until Summers was ready the next morning, and then took it to the square. On other days of the year, the box is put aside, sometimes here and sometimes there; It spent a year in Mr. Grace's barn and another year in the post office. Sometimes it's on the shelf of Martin's grocery store, and then it's always there.

There are still many things to do before Mr. Summers announces the lottery. There are all kinds of lists to sort out-the head of the household, the head of each household, and the members of each household. The postmaster sent Mr. Summers an oath of office as a lottery official. At the same time, some people remember that all along, some kind of reading meeting held by lottery officials was so-so. State hymns should be sung on time once a year; Some people think that lottery officials should stand like this when speaking and singing, while others think that they should walk in the crowd, but in the past many years, this part of the ceremony has been allowed to be abolished. In the past, there was a salute ceremony in which lottery officials addressed everyone who came to draw lots, but this changed over time. Now only the officials themselves feel it necessary to talk to everyone who comes. Mr. Summers has done a very good job in this respect; He is wearing a neat white shirt and blue jeans, and his hands are naturally on the black box. When he talked endlessly with Mr. Grace and the Martin family, he looked very serious and polite.

Just as Mr. Summers finally finished his speech and turned to face the gathered villagers, Mrs. Hutchinson hurried from the path to the square, with her sweater over her shoulder. When she came to the back of the crowd, the sweater slipped to the ground. "I forgot all the dates," she said to Mrs. Della Crolais standing next to her, and they both smiled softly. "I thought my husband was piling wood outside," Mrs Hutchinson continued. "Then I looked out of the window and the children were gone. Then I remembered that today is the 27th, so I trotted off. " She wiped her hands on her apron, and Mrs. Della Crolais said, "But you came at the right time. They are still talking there. "

Mrs Hutchinson craned her neck to look over and found her husband and children standing in the front row. She patted Mrs. Della Crolais on the arm as a farewell, and then began to walk through the crowd. People happily made way for her: two or three people said in barely audible voices in the crowd, "You, madam, you're here, Hutchinson." "Bill, she's finally here." Mrs. Hutchinson went to her husband. Mr. Summers had been waiting for her, and now he said happily. "I thought we were going to draw lots, Tessie." Mrs Hutchinson began to laugh. She said, "I can't leave those dishes in the sink, can I?" Hey, don't you think, Joe? " There was a snicker in the crowd, and when Mrs Hutchinson arrived, people returned to their original positions.

"All right, all right." Mr. Summers said seriously, "I think we'd better start and finish this, and then we can go back to work." Who didn't come? "

Mr. Summers looked at the list. Clyde Dunbar. He said. "That's right. He broke his leg, didn't he? Who will draw lots for him? "

"I think I will," said a woman. Mr. Summers turned to look at her. "The wife draws lots for her husband." Mr. Summers said. "Don't you have a grown-up son to do it for you, Jenny?" Although Mr. Summers and everyone in the village are well aware of her answer, it is customary to formally ask such a question in the lottery. Mr. summers waited, and when Mrs. Dunbar answered, he showed a polite concern.

"Horace can't. He is only sixteen years old. " Mrs Dunbar said regretfully. "I think I have to cover for my husband this year."

"ok." Mr. Summers said. He made a mark on the list he was holding. Then he said, "Is Watson going to draw lots this year?"

A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. "Here it is," he said. "I want to draw lots for my mother and myself." He blinked uneasily, and when several people in the crowd shouted, "Good luck, boy." "I'm glad to see that your mother has such a person to do it." He bowed his head.

"Well," said Mr. Summers, "I think everyone is here. Is old man Warner there? "

Mr. summers cleared his throat and the crowd quieted down. He looked at the list. "Is everything ready?" He shouted. "Now, I'm going to call the roll-first of all, the heads of families-and then the men came up and smoked a piece of paper in the box. Hold the paper in your hands before everyone turns around, and don't look. Is that clear? "

People have bought lottery tickets several times. Just listen to the explanation: most people are quiet. They lick their lips and don't look around. Then, Mr. Summers raised a hand and said, "Adams." A man pushed his way through the crowd and stepped forward. "Hello, Steve." Mr. summers said, and then Mr. ADAMS said, "hi, Joe." They grinned at each other uneasily and seriously. Then Mr ADAMS reached into the black box and took out a piece of paper folded in half. He grasped the corner of the paper tightly, and at the same time turned and hurried back to the crowd. He stood a little away from his family and didn't look down.

"Allen." Mr. Summers said. "Anderson ... Bentham."

"There seems to be no long interval between the two lottery games," said Mrs. Della Crolais to Mrs. Grace, standing in the back row.

"It seems that the last lottery was last week."

"Time flies." "Mrs. Grace said.

"Clark ... Della Crolais"

"It's my husband's turn." Madame de la Rolles said. She held her breath when her husband stepped forward.

"Dunbar," said Mr. Summers, and Mrs. Dunbar walked leisurely to the box. At the same time, one woman said, "Go, Jenny," and another woman said, "No, she did."

"It's our turn next." Mrs. Grace said. She watched Mr. Grace bypass the box, solemnly saluted Mr. Summers, and then chose a piece of paper from the box. Now, all the men in the crowd are holding a small piece of paper folded in half in their big hands and turning it uneasily. Mrs Dunbar stood with her two sons. Mrs Dunbar took a piece of paper.

"Hubert ... Hutchinson."

"Hurry up, Bill," said Mrs. Hutchinson, and everyone around her laughed.

Jones. '

"They did say," Mr. Adams said to the old man Warner standing next to him, "that they were discussing giving up the lottery in the northern village."

Old man Warner snorted. "A bunch of crazy idiots," he said. "Listen to those young people, nothing good. Next thing you know, they'll want to go back to the cave and live. People will stop working and just live for a while. There is an old saying,' In June, the lottery draws, and the corn ripens quickly.' First of all, you know, we all have to eat stewed chickweed and acorns. Lottery tickets are always there, he added angrily. It's bad enough to watch young Joe Summers standing there joking with everyone. "

"Some places have stopped shaking numbers." Mrs. ADAMS said.

"That will only bring trouble," the old man Warner said firmly. "A bunch of little idiots."

Martin. Bobby Martin watched his father walk forward. "Overtek ... Percy."

"I wish they would hurry," Mrs Dunbar said to her eldest son. "I hope they can hurry."

"Are you going to tell your father?" said Mrs Dunbar.

Mr. summers called his name, then stepped forward seriously and took out a piece of paper from the box. Then he shouted, "Warner."

"This is the seventy-seventh year since I won the lottery," said the old man Warner as he walked through the crowd. "Seventy-seventh time."

Watson, a tall boy, lumbered through the crowd. Someone said, "Take it easy, Jack," and then Mr. Summers said, "Take it easy, son."

"Gianini"

After that, there was a long pause until Mr. Summers held his paper in the air and said, "All right, everyone." For a minute, people didn't move, and then all the pieces of paper were opened. Suddenly, all the women began to talk at once, as if they had been saved.

"Who is it?" "Who has?" "Is it Dunbar's house?" "Is this the Watson family?" Then these voices began to say, "It's Hutchinson. It's Bill. " "Bill Hutchinson has."

People began to look around for Hutchinson's family. Bill Hutchinson stood quietly, staring down at a piece of paper in his hand. Suddenly. Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers. "You didn't give him enough time to choose the pieces of paper he wanted. I saw it. This is not fair! "

"Don't be such a failure, Tessie." Mrs. Della Rolles shouted, and Mrs. grouse also said, "We all have the same opportunity."

"Shut up, Tessie," said Bill Hutchinson.

"Well, everyone," said Mr. Summers, "it used to be done quite quickly, but now we must hurry up so as to finish it on time." He looked at the next list. "Bill," he said, "you draw lots for the Hutchinson family. Are there any other households in the Hutchinson family? "

"and don and EVA," Mrs Hutchinson shouted. "Let them try their luck!"

"Daughters and their husbands draw lots, Tessie," Mr. Summers said politely. "You should know this as well as anyone else."

"It's not fair," Tessie said.

I don't think so, Joe. Bill Hutchinson said regretfully. "My daughter draws lots with her husband's family; This is fair. I have no other relatives except children. "

"So, you draw lots for the family," Mr. Summers explained, "and you draw lots for the family. Right? "

"Yes," said Bill Hutchinson.

"How many children are there, Bill?" Mr. Summers asked formally.

"Three," said Bill Hutchinson.

"Little Bill, Nancy and little Dave. And Tessie and me. "

"Well, then," said Mr. Summers. "Harry, did you get all their tickets back?"

Mr. Grace nodded and held up a piece of paper at the same time. "Then, put them in the box," Mr. Summers ordered. "Take Bill's and put it in."

"I think we should start over," Mrs. Hutchinson said as calmly as possible. "I tell you it's not fair. You didn't give him enough time to choose. Everyone saw it. "

Mr. Grace chose five pieces of paper and put them in the box. Then he threw all the other pieces of paper on the ground. The breeze blew the paper away.

Mrs. sen is talking to the people around her.

Are you ready, Bill? Mr. Summers asked. Bill Hutchinson glanced quickly at his wife and children, and then nodded.

""Remember, "said Mr. Summers." Take the pieces of paper and don't open them until everyone gets them. Harry, help little Dave. "Mr. Grace took the little boy by the hand and he followed him to the box automatically." David, take out a piece of paper from the box. "Mr. Xia said. David reached into the box and smiled. Just take one. "Mr. Summers said, Harry, you hold it for him. "Mr grouse took the child's hand, took the folded paper out of his clenched fist and held it in his hand. At this moment, little Dave stood beside him and looked up at him doubtfully.

"Next, Nancy," said Mr. Summers. When Nancy was twelve, she shook her skirt and walked forward. Then she gracefully took out a piece of paper from the box. At the same time, her friends at school were panting. "Little Bill," said Mr. Summers, and Billy with red face and big feet came over. When he took out the paper, he almost knocked over the box. "Tessie," said Mr. Summers. She hesitated for a moment, looked around with challenging eyes, then pursed her lips and walked to the box. She grabbed a piece of paper, took it and turned around.

"Bill," said Mr. Summers, and Bill Hutchinson reached into the box, felt it, and finally took out a piece of paper in his hand.

The crowd was quiet. A girl whispered, "I hope it's not Nancy," and the whisper reached the end of the crowd.

"This is different from before." The old man Warner said bluntly. "People's practices are different from before."

"All right," said Mr. Summers. "Open the paper. Harry, you go and open little Dave's. "

Mr. Grace opened the newspaper. When he lifted it, everyone saw that it was blank and the crowd generally sighed. Nancy and Little Bill opened their papers at the same time. Then both of them laughed. They turned to the crowd and held the newspaper over their heads.

"Tessie," said Mr. Summers. There is a pause. Then, Mr. Summers looked at Bill Hutchinson. Bill opened his paper for everyone to see. It's blank.

"It's Tessie," said Mr. Summers, and his voice softened. "Let's have a look at her paper. Bill. "

Bill Hutchinson went to his wife and took the newspaper from her. There is a black spot on the paper, which Mr. Summers drew with a thick pencil in the office of the coal company last night. Bill Hutchinson lifted it, and then there was a commotion in the crowd.

"All right, guys." Mr. Summers said. "Let's finish it quickly."

Although the villagers forgot the ceremony and lost their original black boxes, they still remembered to use stones. The stone pile made by the boys before is ready; There are also stones on the ground. They are accompanied by pieces of paper blown out of the box. Della Rolles picked out such a big stone that she needed two hands to move it. She turned to Mrs Dunbar. "Come on," she said. "Hurry up."

Mrs Dunbar, with a small stone in her hands, panted. "I can't run. You go first and I'll catch up. "

The children all took the stones. A child gave little David Hutchinson a few pieces.

Tessie Hutchinson is now in the middle of a clearing. When the villagers approached her step by step, she stretched out her hands in despair. "It's not fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Warner said, "Go ahead, go ahead, big guy." Steve Adams walked in front of the villagers, and Mrs. Grace was beside him.

"It's not fair, it shouldn't be," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they jumped up.