2015-10-31
【Aiden in English】
Some people think Halloween’s just a way kids get fat. Others may think it is a day that kids are kidnapped by strangers. Whatever the reason was, I wasn’t going Trick-or-Treating this year. Until this Saturday I realized that I was going to have no activities at the last minute. Neither did I even have a costume? Plans do change faster than expected of course, and life is all about being flexible.
I haven’t Trick-or-Treated since third grade. Issues with mom have come up when I asked if I could miss a piano lesson for Halloween (typical Chinese), and my braces kind of killed my chances at free candy ever since. But, my salvation was in sight, as my braces would be coming off in a month or so, and mom, with a bit of persuasion on my part, agreed to let me hold onto the candy until my braces came off.
This year I went with my friends, and they began in their neighborhood at six in the afternoon. One problem with my neighborhood was how far apart each house was, whereas my friends could get twice as much candy in their neighborhood. Unlike four years ago, there were a lot more people outside than usual while many of them were watching the Notre Dame vs. Temple college football game outside their houses. Not to be a downer, but Temple is going to lose. The night rapidly cooled down, and in no time I was shivering in my costume. Now, we were ready to roll. As soon as we started, I saw how my bag was going to heavy. After hitting up about ten houses, the group was out of breath, and the bags were getting heavy already. One thing I noticed about the candies that many people preferred to give out Kit-Kats and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, nearly everyone was either giving out good, delicious kinds of candy. Back at my neighborhood, a few houses gave out toothpaste and tooth brushes. Last time I checked, toothpaste wasn’t edible, and the only reason I took one was to be polite. My friend’s streets were nothing like that. They gave out chocolate bars the size of my hand, and allowed us to take as many as we wished. The night went on, and we stopped sprinting to catch our breath. One house gave out soda, and we all took one, but I threw it out. It was way too gassy.
This year many kids dressed up as M&M’s or wore tuxes, taking the easy way out. I was a minion from Despicable Me, and nearly every parent I saw said how there were a ton of me around. Passing by each house, I tried to respond to each adult, other than the usual “have a nice day” comment. For a football fan, I said how Temple would get a beating, but he replied otherwise. To a police man, I commented on how this was the one night where people went faster when they saw a cop. I missed Trick-or-Treating terribly, and from now on, I don’t care what mom says. It won’t change my decision.
【紅霞譯文】
有人覺得萬聖節極易讓少兒們發胖,還有人認為那一天小孩極易被陌生人拐騙,無論什麼原因,起先我並沒打算參加今年“不給糖就搗亂”活動,直到本周六萬聖節當天意外發現閒得無聊,才萌發過節的念頭,可我連一身入時的化裝禮服也沒有,真可謂計劃趕不上變化。但識事務者為俊傑,我只有順應變化才能緊跟時代的腳步。
自三年級以來,我連續錯過了幾回萬聖節,問題出在媽媽不肯讓我以翹鋼琴課為代價來換取“不給糖就搗亂”,典型的中國家長作風;而武裝到牙齒的口腔矯形器又將一切可能得到免費糖果的機會扼殺在搖籃中。但曙光就在前頭,再過一個月,我將徹底告別牙箍時代;同時,媽媽也在我的感召下同意把家裡庫存的糖衣炮彈留待我解除枷鎖擺脫束縛之後享用。
今年我與住在其它小區的同學朋友結伴,定於晚上六點鐘開始行動,之所以這麼做是因為我家左鄰右舍間距太遠,花同樣功夫可以在朋友那裡收穫兩倍以上的成果。與四年前相比,現在熱衷過萬聖節的民眾越來越多,有些人家乾脆把電視機搬到屋外,一邊忙於給來客發糖,一邊觀看聖母大學與天普大學之間的橄欖球賽實況,別怪我士氣低落,天普大學肯定會輸。晚間氣溫很快降了下來,身上穿的這套行頭讓我頗感透心涼,好在大家一切就緒。上路後不久,我便發覺自己手上拎的糖袋子不斷膨脹,差不多剛走過十戶已累得氣喘吁吁,袋子變得沉甸甸的。有一點值得慶幸,今年發放的糖果多為杏仁夾心威化餅和瑞芝花生醬巧克力玲瓏杯,各家競相拿出最好吃的東西與大家共享。相比之下,我家小區卻為奇葩一朵,個別人家甚至贈送牙刷牙膏,據最新資料顯示,牙膏萬萬吃不得,要不是出於禮貌,我才不願欣然接受。朋友家的街坊鄰里則大相徑庭,送來的巧克力棒足有我巴掌那麼大,而且我們想拿多少就拿多少。就這樣一家接着一家,大夥不由得停下腳步好生喘口氣消停一下;有一家還拿出蘇打飲料,每人各取一聽,不過我隨後又把它扔掉,裡面碳酸氣過多。
今年有很多小朋友打扮成“只溶在口,不溶在手”巧克力模樣,或者為圖省事索性套上西服革履,我以電影《神偷奶爸》中的小黃人為模版,難怪家長們見狀不無感慨,滿城盡帶黃金甲。每當離開各家各戶,我不再沿用客套術語“祝你有個美好的一天”,而是因事而異,看人下菜碟。譬如:對於橄欖球迷,我情願談點天普大學如何技遜一籌,而對方也接着我的話把聊上幾句;面對警察,我直言不諱,只有在今晚萬聖節上,老百姓才敢窮追警察不放,若不給糖定拿你們興師問罪。我真的很喜歡“不給糖就搗亂”,從今往後不管媽媽再說什麼,都無法動搖我參與決心。