雙語讀電影 《沉睡魔咒》第06章 :你對我做了什么？

CHAPTER  6
Lying by the riverbank that only an evening before had seemed so beautiful, Maleficent let darkness take hold of her heart. She lay there for hours, occasionally feeling the flapping of phantom wings. She wanted to stay there until her heart stopped. There was nothing left for her in this cruel world. So she closed her eyes and waited for the end.
But the end didn’t come. For as night fell once more, Maleficent slowly awoke, aware of the sounds of nature all around her. Keeping her eyes closed, she heard the trees rustling overhead and groaned. But the trees just rustled louder, as though trying to rouse her. Their branches began to thrash angrily and the wood creaked and groaned.
Opening her eyes, Maleficent watched the trees shake. She knew they were trying to help, but she didn’t care. Reaching into her robe, she pulled out a broken, crooked branch of the Rowan, a piece of home that she often carried with her. With a sigh, she let it fall to the ground.　
To her surprise, the branch began to straighten out. Then it began to grow. It grew longer and thicker until it was the size of a staff. As Maleficent picked it up, her fingers wrapped tightly around it. She felt a surge of power, and despite her misery, she began to pull herself up. When she was standing, she leaned on the staff. It was hardy and bore her weight well.　
Interesting, she thought as she began to limp forward. With each step, her resolve grew. True, Stefan had taken her wings. True, he had broken her heart. But she still had her magic. And now she had something stronger than magic. She had a mission. She was going to make Stefan and the humans pay for what they had done.
Maleficent wandered the countryside, and wherever she went, destruction and chaos followed. When she passed by a shepherd’s paddock, the gate magically swung open and the flock of sheep ran out and scattered in all directions, their bleats slowly fading away as they disappeared into the nearby woods. The sky grew darker and the clouds thundered. As she walked through the middle of a farmer’s field, the scarecrow rotted and the wheels on a nearby cart fell off. Moving down the road, she raised her staff high. The ground shook and then broke apart, rocks and debris flying high in the air. Pointing at a mound of hay in the distance, she smiled maliciously as it caught on fire and began to burn, the flames licking the sky.　
With each step Maleficent grew stronger, and with each act of destruction she grew more intense, her focus fiercer. She leaned less and less on the staff until, finally, she didn’t need it at all. Still, she kept it in her hand, unwilling to let go of the last part of her old life.　
After a few weeks of wandering aimlessly, Maleficent found herself outside the ruins of a long-abandoned castle. Birds’ nests had replaced the panes of glass in its many windows. Whole sides of the massive building had fallen down, and only a few of the outbuildings still had roofs. Moss had overtaken the stone floors and walls, giving the whole place a green, muted atmosphere, and where horses had once munched hay in stalls, nothing remained but a few empty, rotting buckets. But as she made her way amid the broken stone and around the fallen timber, Maleficent felt at peace. This place was like her. Left to rot and ruin. And like her, it held on despite being broken. Lying down on the grass that had grown in the middle of the ruins, Maleficent looked up at the stone gargoylesperched on the roof. They glared back at her, their mouths frozen in grimaces that Maleficent found oddly comforting.　
Hearing the rustle of wings, Maleficent watched as a large raven flew into the castle. The bird was carrying a piece of corn in his beak. Landing on the ground, the bird dropped the corn and then began to preen, clearly proud of his prize. As the creature pecked at the corn, Maleficent watched him sadly. The black bird’s wings reminded her of the ones she had lost, and she wished, not for the first time, that she had never allowed them to be taken.
As the bird flew off, Maleficent sighed and got to her feet. It was no good to wish for things that could never happen. She had done that before and it had only ended up hurting her. She had to focus on the real things that could be done. Like making this abandoned castle her home.　
For the next few days, Maleficent kept busy at the castle. There was not much she could do to rebuild, but she could at least try to make parts of it livable. And it wasn’t like she needed a lot. Just a place to stay dry and hidden from any snooping humans. Having grown thirsty from her efforts, she made her way to a nearby stream. But as she bent over to drink, she heard the frightened cry of a bird from somewhere nearby. Quietly she made her way to the high reeds that lined the stream, and looked through them, kneeling down to keep herself out of sight.
On the other side, she saw the raven that had visited the ruins trapped under a thick net. Two farmers were approaching, clubs in their hands and dogs at their sides. The dogs growled at the raven, causing the creature to flap his wings frantically. But there was nowhere for him to go.　
Feeling the familiar rage toward the cruel humans building up inside her, Maleficent waved her hand. “Into a man,” she said.　
There was a shimmer of magic, and before the shocked farmers’ eyes, the raven transformed into a man. Throwing off the net, the raven-man climbed to his feet unsteadily.
“It’s a demon!” one of the farmers cried. The two men turned and took off, the dogs following close behind.
When she was sure they were gone, Maleficent stood up. Her gaze fell on the bird she had transformed. As a human he was tall, with silky black hair and dark eyes that darted around nervously. While man wasn’t her first choice of form, at least she had saved the creature.
Catching sight of the faerie, the raven-man cocked his head. “What have you done to me?” he asked, gesturing at his body, clearly unhappy with its present form. His voice was surprisingly rich and melodic for one not used to having the power of speech.
“Would you rather I let them beat you to death?” Maleficent asked.
The raven-man lifted his wingless arms into the air. “I’m not certain,” he replied.　
“Stop complaining,” Maleficent said as she began to walk around him slowly, scrutinizing. She had to admit he wasn’t terrible to look at, even for a human. She could have created far worse. “I saved your life.”
Uncomfortable with her penetrating stare, the raven-man shifted on his feet. “Forgive me,” he said.
Maleficent nodded. “What do I call you?”　
“Diaval,” he answered. “And in return for my life, I am your servant. Whatever you need.”　
Whatever I need? Maleficent mused. Well, that was certainly an interesting twist. There were so many things she did need and so much she could use. Then a smile slowly spread across her face. There was one thing she needed more than anything. “Wings,” she said, nodding. “You’ll be my wings.”