Waltey
Odtis roke duha
059 Mark of the Spirit Hand
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Odtis roke duha
- Vir
- Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
- Avtor
- Charles M. Skinner
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 2 min branja
- Obseg
- 2 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 059 Mark of the Spirit Hand
O izvirniku
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
Obsežna zgodovinska zbirka ameriških legend, ki jih je Skinner zbral in avtorsko rekonstruiral. Bralni jezik je Slovenščina, izvirnik pa prihaja iz vira Myths and Legends of Our Own Land v jeziku English.
Besedilo
Odtis roke duha
Andover v New Jerseyju je bil v časih pred revolucijo ljubek in tih kraj — še danes ni bučno velemesto — in ker je ponujal le malo priložnosti za družabno življenje, so se ljudje več zbirali po točilnicah in popili več flipa, kot bi bilo prav. Med tistimi, ki se niso branili krepčilne kupice, so bili tudi trije dobri pajdaši, Bailey, Hill in Evans, kmetje iz okolice. Krčma jim je bila ljubša od cerkve, pa tudi cerkveni ljudje jih, po pravici povedano, niso posebno marali, saj so jih sumili, da gojijo najbolj prepovedane krivoverske nazore. Ko so nekoč ob kozarcih razpravljali o verskih vprašanjih, je eden izmed njih iz objestnosti predlagal, naj se tisti, ki bo prvi umrl, vrne iz groba in se pokaže drugima dvema — če bo le mogel — ter tako razreši vprašanje, ali obstaja posmrtno življenje.
Kmalu po tem dogovoru — kajti vsi trije so soglašali — je Hill zapustil ta svet. Prijatelja sta ga pogrešala, zlasti v krčmi, vendar nista pričakovala, da jima bo skušal kakor koli izkazati posebno naklonjenost, ki jo je čutil do svojih starih pajdašev. Minilo je nekaj tednov, a nobenega znamenja ni bilo, in preživela prijatelja sta med počasnim vračanjem domov v hišo, kjer sta oba živela, že vse redkeje mislila in govorila o pokojniku. Neke noči pa je hišo predramil strašen krik. Bailey je prižgal luč in pohitel k prijateljevi postelji. Našel ga je smrtno bledega; oklepal se je prsi, kakor da ga muči bolečina. »Bil je tukaj!« je zasopel Evans. »Še pravkar je stal tukaj.«
»Kdo?« je vprašal Bailey in po hrbtenici ga je spreletel srh. »Hill! Stal je tam, kjer si zdaj ti, in se me dotaknil z roko, ki je bila tako mrzla — mrzla —« Evans se je silovito stresel. Ko mu je Bailey odgrnil srajčni ovratnik, se je na koži ob rami pokazal odtis roke: bela roka, ki ji je manjkal en prst. Hill je bil izgubil prst. Po tisti noči sta redkeje zahajala v krčme, kajti Evans je znamenje tistega prikazenskega obiska nosil na telesu, dokler ni tudi sam odšel razvozlat velike skrivnosti.
Izvirnik
059 Mark of the Spirit Hand
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
Andover, New Jersey, was quaint and quiet in the days before the Revolution--it is not a roaring metropolis, even yet--and as it offered few social advantages there was more gathering in taprooms and more drinking of flip than there should have been. Among those who were not averse to a cheering cup were three boon companions, Bailey, Hill, and Evans, farmers of the neighborhood. They loved the tavern better than the church, and in truth the church folk did not love them well, for they were suspected of entertaining heresies of the most forbidden character. It was while they were discussing matters of belief over their glasses that one of them proposed, in a spirit of bravado, that whichever of the trio might be first to die should come back from the grave and reveal himself to the others--if he could--thus settling the question as to whether there was a future.
Not long after this agreement--for consent was unanimous--Hill departed this life. His friends lamented his absence, especially at the tavern, but they anticipated no attempt on his part to express the distinguished consideration that he had felt for his old chums. Some weeks passed, yet there was no sign, and the two survivors of the party, as they jogged homeward to the house where both lived, had begun to think and speak less frequently of the absent one. But one night the household was alarmed by a terrible cry. Bailey got a light and hurried to the bedside of his friend, whom he found deathly white and holding his chest as if in pain. “He has been here!” gasped Evans. “He stood here just now.”
“Who?” asked Bailey, a creep passing down his spine.
“Hill! He stood there, where you are now, and touched me with a hand that was so cold--cold--” and Evans shivered violently. On turning back the collar of his shirt the impression of a hand appeared on the flesh near the shoulder: a hand in white, with one finger missing. Hill had lost a finger. There was less of taverns after that night, for Evans carried the token of that ghostly visit on his person until he, too, had gone to solve the great secret.
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