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I had never seen the dead before, not for real, not in somebody's living room for people to kiss and bless themselves and light a candle for. Not in a house. It seemed strange.

后来我就没见过她们了。一次也没有，两次也没有。从此再也没有。

We know.

她们一定是知道了，那三姐妹。她们有那种能力，能够感觉出什么是什么。她们说，过来，给了我一条香口胶。她们身上的气味像面纸，又像一个丝缎手袋里面的味道。于是我不觉得害怕。

许个愿吧。

我们知道。

我站起来走到露西和拉切尔一起去，她们已经等在门外了，正在奇怪我和那三个散发着肉桂气味的老女人做什么。她们告诉我的事情我不是都明白。我转过身。她们微笑着，挥了挥手，用她们轻烟似的姿态。

Yes, I said.

你要记得回来。为了那些不像你那么容易离开的人。你会记得吗？她那么问我似乎是在告诉我。是的，是的。我有点迷糊地说。

A wish?

They came with the wind that blows in August, thin as a spider web and barely noticed. Three who did not seem to be related to anything but the moon. One with laughter like tin and one with eyes of a cat and one with hands like porcelain. The a

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unts, the three sisters, las comadres, they said.

Esperanza. The one with marble hands called me aside. Esperanza. She held my face with her blue-veined hands and looked and looked at me. A long silence. When you leave you must remember always to come back, she said.

Good, she said, rubbing my hands. Good. That's all. You can go.

How do you know? I asked.

She's special.

是的，是的，嗯。

你叫什么名字，那个长着猫眼的问。

I closed my eyes.

好。她说，揉了揉我的手。好。就这样。你可以走了。

My knees hurt, the one with the funny laugh complained.

许愿？

她很特别。

Tomorrow it will rain.

什么？

埃斯佩朗莎。那个老而且青筋突起的用一种尖细的声音重复着。埃斯佩朗莎……多好的名字。

We know, we know.

The baby died. Lucy and Rachel's sister. One night a dog cried, and the next day a yellow bird flew in through an 九*九*藏*书*网open window. Before the week was over, the baby's fever was worse. Then Jesus came and took the baby with him far away. That's what their mother said.

好，就这样，它会实现的。

I got up to join Lucy and Rachel who were already outside waiting by the door,wondering what I was doing talking to three old ladies who smelled like cinnamon. I didn't understand everthing they had told me. I turned around. They smiled and waved in their smoky way.

Did you wish already?

婴儿死了。露西和拉切尔的小妹妹。有天晚上一条狗哭了，第二天一只黄色的鸟飞进了打开的窗户。那个星期还没过完，宝宝烧得更厉害了。然后耶稣来了，把宝宝带到远方去了。她们的妈妈这么说。

埃斯佩朗莎。我说。

Anything? I said.

明天要下雨了。

How do you know? I asked.

When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, unde

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rstand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are.

你离开时要记得为了其他人回来。一个圈子。懂吗？你永远是埃斯佩朗莎。你永远是芒果街的人。你不能忘记你知道的事情。你不能忘记你是谁。

于是她们把我的手翻过来翻过去，好像在找什么东西一样。

然后客人来了……在小屋里穿进穿出。很难让地板保持干净。过去想知道墙壁是什么颜色的人来了一批又一批，看着那个糖果盒一样的盒子里拇指般的小人。

我的膝盖疼。那个笑声滑稽的抱怨说。

她们和八月里吹来的风一起来到，像蛛网那么轻渺，不易为人知晓。除了月亮，似乎和其他任何事物都不相关的三个。一个笑声像铁皮，一个有着猫一样的眼，一个的手像瓷。婶婶们。三姐妹。妈妈们。他们说。

Esperanza, the old blue-veined one repeated in a high thin voice. Esperanza……a good good name.

And they turned them over and o九-九-藏-书-网ver as if they were looking for something.

你们怎么知道？我问。

你怎么知道？我问。

是的，许个愿。你想要什么？

是的，她会去很远的地方。

Esperanza, I said.

Yes, make a wish. What do you want?

Yes, yes, hmmm.

我闭上了眼睛。

什么都可以？我问。

然后我不知道说什么好。她似乎能看懂我的心思。她似乎知道我刚才许下了什么愿。我为许下那么自私的一个愿望感到羞愧。

是的，为什么不是？

看看她的手。猫眼说。

是的，明天。她们说。

Well, why not?

Then the visitors came……in and out of the little house. It was hard to keep the floors clean. Anybody who had ever wondered what color the walls were came and came to look at that little thumb of a human in a box like candy.

You must remember to come back. For the ones who cannot leave as easily as you. You will remember? She asked as if she was telling me. Yes, yes, I said a little confused.

Make a wish.

What?

Yes, tomorrow, they said.

你许好了吗？

Well, th九-九-藏-书-网at's all there is to it. It'll come true.

埃斯佩朗莎。那个长着大理石样的手的把我叫到一旁。埃斯佩朗莎。她用她青筋突起的手捧着我的脸，看了又看。许久的沉默。你离开时总要记得回来。她说。

Then I didn't know what to say. It was as if she could read my mind, as if she knew what I had wished for, and I felt ashamed for having made such a selfish wish.

They must've known, the sisters. They had the power and could sense what was what. They said, Come here, and gave me a stick of gum. They smelled like Kleenex or the inside of a satin handbag, and then I didn't feel afraid.

What's your name, the cat-eyed one asked.

是的。我说。

我们知道。我们知道。

Look at her hands, cat-eyed said.

Yes, she'll go very far.

Then I didn't see them. Not once,or twice,or ever again.

我以前从来没看到过死人，没看过真的，像这样躺在某个人的客厅里，等着人们来亲吻和祝福，并点上一枝蜡烛的。这样在一所房子里的。这好像有点奇怪。