魏浩东

Deep down in Misty Hollow was a small town surrounded by ancient forests. Unable to be located on the map， it was known by few people. To its settlers， nevertheless， its the most tranquil2 town in the world with everything necessary for one to live a decent life. There was only one thing unpleasant—the yearly mist which always came punctually in December. Then the entire valley would be shrouded in it， leaving no other choice for the villagers but to stay at home.3

There lived a warm-hearted Asian couple of the most equable4 temperament， smiling to others all the time. A brown-colored house where a Latino family settled stood alongside the large cornfield. Growing delicious avocados5， the Latino couple always shared them with other residents in the village， which earned them good esteem. Talkative and super active when it came to protests or other public activities， a European couple were well known for their contributions to the towns construction. But strangely enough， no one seemed to remember what contributions they had made.

But the most eminent6 figure in the village was Mr. Rob， a middleaged African who had been the head of the town for many years（though no one could tell exactly how many years）. Sophia， Mr. Robs wife and the deputy leader of the town， had also long been revered by all the villagers， for she always had brilliant ideas： The restoration of a bridge which was reduced to rubble after the great flood， the introduction of a new device carrying water from the mountain and distributing it to everyone as well as a homemade fertilizer which was undeniably creditable in the process of mass agricultural production in their village， etc.7 The countrymen were all grateful to Mrs. Rob who was pregnant but still worked assiduously from dawn to dusk.8 Speaking of her pregnancy， no one could recall the exact date when Mrs. Rob said she was going to have a baby. It seemed that she herself didnt remember it， either. Anyway， Sophia said she was going to have a baby， and thats a good thing.

古老的小鎮深林环绕，迷雾定期而来，村民们举动异常。面对突如其来的“闯入者”与随之而来的谋杀案，村民们将如何应对？人类与人工智能、理性与感性、野蛮与人性的冲突相互交织，矛盾不断升级。这样的小镇究竟是“智能”还是“低能”，值得思索。

Everything went on perfectly until November 25th. “December is coming，” said Mr. Rob at a monthly meeting， “and as usual， we shall all stay at home until the mist is gone.” Everyone was listening with their full attention， eyes not blinking.9

Suddenly， a girl came in. No one had seen her before （they actually never had a stranger in the village）. Everyone was staring at the girl， their eyes not blinking.

“Hello， my name is Humia. Ive just moved into this town. Oh！ Sorry for interrupting you. I didnt realize you were having a meeting. May I join in？”

After a bit of hesitation， they all went over to welcome the new girl except Mr. Rob. Wearing a grim face，10 he slowly opened his lips， “Tell me where you come from， why you come， and how long you shall stay.”

“I was travelling around and somehow I came across this beautiful town—a town in ancient forests， with a river flowers... Yes！ The flowers！ Isnt it incredible that the flowers are blooming outside in such a freezing cold season！ I mean， its almost December.”

The word “December” dragged the villagers back to reality from the surprise brought by the appearance of Humia. They bade farewell11 to each other and soon hurried away.

After all had left， Humia strolled alone， imbued with12 vigor and curiosity. Sun rays slanting across her face， she herself was already a beautiful picture.13 Seeing Humia at a distance， Sophia chirped14， “Shes beautiful， isnt she？ Im so glad that we finally have a new...” But before she could finish her words， Mr. Rob stopped her by snapping15， “Shut up！”

The next few days went well. On the seventh day of Humias arrival—December 1st， however， something dreadful happened： Sophia vanished16.

Mr. Rob said he found a note on his table：

Im going to ask if Humia needs anything to prepare for the mist season. I will soon be back.

Love， Sophia.

Now all the villagers gathered in the meeting hall. For the first time， the European couple didnt know what to say； the Asian couple bent their heads down and made a long sigh； and the Latino couple sympathetically looked at Mr. Rob， waiting for him to speak. Mr. Rob slowly opened his lips， but couldnt manage a single word. Finally， he murmured17， “My Sophia is gone. That strange girl... she... she murdered my wife and... and my baby. Oh... my Sophia！...” He wept， but no tears came to his eyes.

The sun set silently. Then darkness prevailed18.

Before long， Mr. Rob calmed himself and bellowed， “That girl is a monster—she murdered my wife to lure us out， snare us in the mist and get us all killed！”19

Strangely， the villagers all nodded their heads. With their eyes firing with anger， the villagers looked like bulls—wild and untamed20 bulls.

“We should drive that girl out of our town，” the European couple shouted.

“That would be too kind to her. I mean， that girl slew21 Mrs. Rob who was trying to help her. What an ungrateful and disgusting monster！” the Latino couple snarled22.

“Yes， youre right. That girl deserved to be drowned for the crime she committed，” the Asian couple echoed23.

Again， everyone agreed and nodded their heads.

With flaming torches， they together marched to the girls house. They accused the girl of murder. The girl denied and pleaded that she would never do such a horrible thing： “I didnt murder Sophia. She never came to my house！”

What she said only infuriated24 the already angry crowd： The Asian woman crazily grabbed the girls hair and clothes； the Latino couple were together pushing the girl down into the river； the European couple， who were trying to give a push too， couldnt even get their hands on her—the girl was all surrounded by others. In a fit25 of despair， the girl scratched the Latino womans face， which was extremely cold and hard as rock.

Humia was stunned. At the same time， the Latino woman felt water rushing into her eyes and ears， and there was a buzzing sound26 in her head. Suddenly， her hands struggled in an uncontrollable way. Then Humia slipped into the river and drowned in seconds.

The mist had thickened.

The villagers silently stepped into it and disappeared.

1. hollow： 洼地，山谷。

2. tranquil： 安静的，平静的。

3. 届时迷雾将笼罩整个村落，村民们除了呆在家里，别无他选。shroud： 笼罩，覆盖。

4. equable： 宁静的，平和的。

5. avocado： 油梨，鳄梨。

6. eminent： 知名的，显赫的。

7. deputy： 副的；revere： 尊重，尊敬；be reduced to：陷于（悲惨或不顺的）境地；rubble： 瓦砾，碎石；fertilizer： 肥料，化肥。

8. 罗布夫人即便在怀有身孕的日子里，依然为了村里事务日出而作、日落而息，村里上上下下皆心存感激。assiduously： 兢兢业业地，勤勤恳恳地；from dawn to dusk： 从早到晚。

9. 大家都聚精会神地听着，眼睛都不眨一下。blink：眨（眼睛）。

10. 脸色凝重。grim： 严肃的，沉重的。

11. bid farewell： 告别，说再见。

12. imbue with： 洋溢着……，充斥着……。

13. 晨曦灑落在她的脸颊，美丽如画。slant： 歪斜，斜射。

14. chirp： 叽喳而鸣，尖声说道。

15. snap： 厉声道，声色俱厉地说。

16. vanish：（强调突然间）消失不见，销声匿迹。

17. murmur： 低声说，喃喃细语。

18. prevail： 占上风，占优势。

19. bellow： 咆哮，大声吼；snare： 设陷阱。

20. untamed： 未驯服的，野性的。

21. slay： 屠杀，残害。

22. snarl： 吼道，愤怒地叫嚷。

23. echo： 应声说道，附和道。

24. infuriate： 激怒，使暴怒。

25. fit： 一阵……。

26. a buzzing sound： 嗡嗡声。