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【英文原文2】
Old John wiped his beard with the back of his hand. “OK, ”he said. “I’ll play along with you. My first wish is this. People are always coming in here borrowing my hammer, you know, to fix a cart wheel or something. Just when I need it, I can’t find it and have to go looking for it. Now what I wish is that anyone who tries to borrow my hammer will get stuck fast right to it and that hammer will pound them around until I say, ‘Hammer, let go.’That should stop people from borrowing my hammer all right. ”“
If that is what you wish for, that shall be granted, “the figure said, its voice sad.
“Second, ”Old John said. “I’m tired to death of people sitting in my rocking chair in the yard there. When I get tired and want to sit down with a pitcher of water, I’m always finding some lout with a pipe and his legs crossed rocking and chatting like he never did a lick of work in his life. Now I want that rocking chair to grab hold of people who sit in it and rock and spin them around and bounce them silly, until I say‘Rocking chair, stop.’And that will take care of that little problem.”
“You are wasting your chances for salvation6), Old John, ”the figure said, “but if that is what you wish, so be it. What is your last wish？You have one last chance to wish for something good. Please consider your answer. ”
“I don’t need to consider it half a second, ”Old John said. “I know exactly what I want. You see that forsythia7) bush beside the the door？Well, people are always tearing branches off that bush to use as whips for their horses. From now on when anyone tries to break a branch off that bush, I want that bush to grab them and haul them inside and whip them until they holler, and not let go or stop whipping until I say‘Bush, stop. ’”
The figure shook its head in despair. “Your wishes are granted. ”Then it disappeared.
In the days that followed, Old John had a merry time watching his customers and neighbors get pounded by the hammer, rocked and bounced by the rocking chair, and thrashed by the bush. He was delighted that his wishes had come true. He couldn’t conceal his merriment at the sight of some fellow staggering home with bumps all over his head, or another careening about with dizziness8), or someone else howling with dismay and agony as the bush ripped him up.
“That’ll teach you.”Old John told his victims as they ran off. “Maybe now I can get some work done around here.”
Of course it didn’t take people long to stop hanging around the blacksmith shop. They left Old John alone to do his work and barely even said“hello”if they had to have any dealings with him. Whenever possible, of course, people took their work to other blacksmiths, even if it meant the inconvenience of having to travel quite a long way to do so. In time, Old John just became meaner and surlier and he wasn’t even amused any more when some innocent new customer made the mistake of trying to borrow his hammer or sit in his rocking chair or break a branch from his forsythia bush.
When the time came for John to die, his soul, of course, was turned over to the Devil. And as soon as the Devil got the news, he popped over to John’s blacksmith shop. He appeared beside John just as the figure in white had done. John was, as usual, clanging away at his work.
“Your time’s up, ”the Devil said. “Let’s go. ”
“Go？”John said, astonished. “Go where？”
