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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Budding Writers -> 
Dream (I)
    2018-02-28  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

“Where am I?” This was the first thought to come to Diana’s mind after she woke up. She found that she was in a small, moist, musky room when she opened her eyes.

“This isn’t my bed. It’s like a haystack. Have I been kidnapped?” she murmured to herself. There was no light in the room, so she could only search the room by touch. It was like a storeroom, which made Diana much surer that she was kidnapped.

She ran her hand against the wall, trying to find the location of the door. “Here it is!” When she touched the door handle, she almost jumped. “But it must be locked,” she pondered a short while, trying to open the door. And to her surprise, the door opened.

Looking out through the door, there were no kidnappers or any suspicious characters, just some old-fashion houses and grass fields. No cars, no factories, no asphalt roads. The most backward countryside Diana had ever known was better than this one. It seemed like it was midnight, therefore there was no one on the street. She raised her head; the starry night was amazing, just like the picture painted by Van Gogh. She stood still for a few seconds until the blowing wind really woke her up. She realized that she was still wearing her thin night gown. She mustered up her courage and knocked on the nearest house’s door. After a few seconds of terrifying silence, the door opened. A woman’s face emerged.

They both stared at each other for a long time. Diana looked her up and down; she was wearing an old-fashioned dress, just like what women in the 18th century wore. While she was still thinking, the woman in front of her suddenly said, “Oh my God! My poor lady! Why are you just wearing an underskirt? Look at your face, covered by mud and hay. You must have been out for a long time, right? I know… These years it is easy to start a war… We must stop it… Well, come in first and take a bath, my poor lady!” Without giving Diana time to reply, the woman led her in.

In the bathroom, Diana thought for a long time: “Wars? Where am I? Am I still in America? But... the woman is wearing an 18th century-like dress.” She looked around, and there was no doubt that it wasn’t like a modern bathroom. “The 18th century? Wait! Am I in the 18th century?” This assumption scared Diana. She looked at the clothes the woman gave her; the design was just like what the woman was wearing. Diana tried to calm herself; she was not sure whether she was in the 18th century or if it was just a vivid dream. She looked at the mirror; the girl in the mirror was definitely her. She liked doing sports, so her skin had a kind of healthy bronze about it. The mud and hay on her face must have gotten stuck when she was in the storeroom. She was just like a helpless slave that had just escaped.

Diana washed her face, and when the mud and hay were gone, her face became much more beautiful, and at least she didn’t look like a slave anymore. Her eyes were like pure amber reflecting the light of the oil lamp. She stayed in the bathroom for a long time and finally managed to put on the dress.

Diana walked out. The woman was waiting with some food.

“You must be hungry. Help yourself to some food. Oh, and my name is Emma Parker. Just call me Emma.”

Her smile made Diana feel snug and relaxed, but to tell the truth, she was starving. She kept asking questions while eating.

“Excuse me, Emma, where am I? And… what about the… wars?” Diana thought that Emma must have thought that she was a slave or farmer that escaped from somewhere, so she didn’t asked her what time was it now.

“Oh, my poor lady,” Emma did believe she was an ordinary person. “This is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Poor lady, you must be suffering from the war. We all hate it… Those Englishmen… But we will win the revolution! Mr. Washington will lead us to victory!” Her voice became firm. “Oh, and I am raising sheep here. But I will go to New York City next week for just a few days. Where will you go? Do you want to stay here or maybe go there with me?”

“Mr. Washington? She means the President? She said the war, the American Revolution? Which means that it is 1775 to 1783…?” Diana thought and didn’t answer Emma’s question.

“Are you worried? That’ okay. You can just remain here, I can find you a place to stay…” Emma said.

“Sure, I am happy to go with you.” Diana answered imminently. She was a stranger to this place and knew little about it.

“Oh! That’s great! You know, I don’t want to go such a long way by myself. It’s scary and lonely. Well, welcome, Diana.” Emma replied and seemed glad and showed her the room and left. Diana got in the room, took off the pannier and gown, and lay down on the bed. This dress made her feel really uncomfortable.

“Women are great,” She thought. “How can they bear this kind of terrible dress and hair?” After a few seconds, she was so tired and quickly fell asleep.

The time flies, and now Diana was sitting in a carriage. After a whole week, she has almost gotten used to the complex and troublesome dress and learned how to comb her hair in the 18th century style. That was not an easy job. She spent lots of time observing others and learning. Finally she learned an easier task. She tried her best to make herself not behave strangely. She told Emma that her hometown was far away from here and the customs were little bit different. Emma seemed to believe her, which made Diana more appreciative of her.

She looked out through the window; she had never seen such beautiful view before. The grass was just like a big jade carpet lying on the ground. There were cows and sheep, and the houses were small and bunched together. Compared to modern buildings, they were like small toys. These attractive views made Diana feel much happier.

It took them almost one day to get to New York. They stayed in a small inn. Diana stood on the street, the sun shining down, and there were few people on the street. But later some people appeared, wearing the same uniforms and holding rifles or other weapons like that.

“We are close to the armies, be careful,” Emma said, finding that Diana was staring at the soldiers, and then explained to her. “Miles away is the armies’ camp. They will protect us.” Then, Emma took Diana back to the inn. While walking through the hall, Diana glanced and noticed the date on the calendar- June 28, 1778.

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