第八回 老婦人給男孩解夢（2）

Paulo Coelho

小男孩的夢究竟是什么？ 老婦人在解夢前提出了什么要求？

題材冒險體裁小說文章詞數 難度 建議用時409 ★★★ 7 分鐘

“I have had the same dream twice,” he said. “I dreamed that I was in a field with my sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals. I don't like people to do that,because the sheep are afraid of strangers. But children always seem to be able to play with them without frightening them. I don't know why. I don't know how animals know the age of human beings.”

“Tell me more about your dream,” said the woman. “I have to get back to my cooking, and,since you don't have much money, I can't give you a lot of time.”

“The child went on playing with my sheep for quite a while,” continued the boy, a bit upset. “And suddenly, the child took me by both hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids.” He paused for a moment to see if the woman knew what the Egyptian pyramids were.But she said nothing.

“Then, at the Egyptian pyramids,” he said the last three words slowly so that the old woman would understand. “The child said to me,if you come here, you will find a hidden treasure. And, just as she was about to show me the exact location, I woke up. Both times.”

The woman was silent for some time. Then she again took his hands and studied them carefully. “I'm not going to charge you anything now,” she said. “But I want one-tenth of the treasure, if you find it.”

The boy laughed—out of happiness. He was going to be able to save the little money he had because of a dream about a hidden treasure!

“Well, interpret the dream,” he said.

“First, swear to me. Swear that you will give me one-tenth of your treasure in exchange for what I am going to tell you.”

The shepherd swore that he would. The old woman asked him to swear again while looking at the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“It's a dream in the language of the world,”she said. “I can interpret it, but the interpretation is very difficult. That's why I feel that I deserve a part of what you find. And this is my interpretation: you must go to the pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist.There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich man.”

Reading Check

What was the boy's dream? What did the old woman ask for if the boy realized his dream?