The Tidy Drawer 整齊的抽屜－米達想想(生活大小事)

The Tidy Drawer

One Saturday morning Abby's Mum came upstairs to see Abby in her bedroom. Or tried to. There was so much mess on the floor she could only poke her head around the door. Abby sat in the middle of it all reading a book.

"What a tip," Mum said. "You need to have a clear up in here."
"Why?" Abby asked.
"Why?" Mum repeated. "Because things get broken or lost when they're all willy-nilly like this. Come on, have a tidy up now."

"But I'm very busy," Abby argued, "and it's boring on my own. Can't you help me?"
"No I can't, I'm busy too. But I'll give you extra pocket money if you do a good job."
When Mum came back later all the toys and clothes and books had disappeared.
"I'm impressed," said Mum. "But I'll inspect it properly later."
"It was easy," said Abby. "Can I have my extra pocket money now?"
"All right. Get it out of my change purse. It's in the kitchen tidy drawer."
In the kitchen Abby went over to the dresser and pulled open the tidy drawer. She hunted for the purse.

"Any luck?" Mum asked.
Abby shook her head.

"It must be lurking at the bottom," Mum said. "Let's have a proper look."
She pulled the drawer out and carried it over to the table. Abby kneeled up on a chair to look inside. There were lots of boring things like staplers and string but there were lots of interesting things as well.

"What's this?" Abby asked, holding up a plastic bottle full of red liquid. Mum laughed.
"Fake blood, from a Hallowe'en party years ago. Your Dad and I took you to that, dressed up as a baby vampire. You were really scary."

"I don't remember that."

The Tidy Drawer
整齊的抽屜

One Saturday morning Abby's Mum came upstairs to see Abby in her bedroom. Or tried to. There was so much mess on the floor she could only poke her head around the door. Abby sat in the middle of it all reading a book.
星期天早上，媽媽上樓到艾比的房間，她試著走進去，但地板一團亂，她只能從門口探出頭，艾比坐在中間看書。

"What a tip," Mum said. "You need to have a clear up in here."
媽媽說：「真是個垃圾窩，你應該要把這清乾淨。」

"Why?" Abby asked.
艾比問：「為什麼？」

"Why?" Mum repeated. "Because things get broken or lost when they're all willy-nilly like this. Come on, have a tidy up now."
媽媽重複她的問題：「為什麼？因為這樣亂七八糟的，東西會弄壞或不見，快點，現在把它清乾淨。」

"But I'm very busy," Abby argued, "and it's boring on my own. Can't you help me?"
艾比抗議地說：「可是我現在很忙耶！而且自己打掃很無聊，妳不能幫我嗎？」

"No I can't, I'm busy too. But I'll give you extra pocket money if you do a good job."
「不行，我也很忙，如果你掃得很乾淨，我會多給你一點零用錢喔。」

When Mum came back later all the toys and clothes and books had disappeared.
之後當媽媽回來看，所有的玩具、衣服跟書都收好了。

I'm impressed," said Mum. "But I'll inspect it properly later."
媽媽說：「真令人驚訝，我等等再來仔細檢查。」

"It was easy," said Abby. "Can I have my extra pocket money now?"
艾比說：「小事一件，我可以領零用錢了嗎？」

"All right. Get it out of my change purse. It's in the kitchen tidy drawer."
「好吧！去從我的零錢包裡面拿，就放在廚房很整齊的抽屜裡面。」

In the kitchen Abby went over to the dresser and pulled open the tidy drawer. She hunted for the purse.
艾比走過廚房，拉出那個整齊的抽屜，尋找錢包。

"Any luck?" Mum asked.
媽媽問：「找到了嗎？」(ps.字面上翻是[運氣好嗎？])

Abby shook her head.
艾比搖搖頭。
"It must be lurking at the bottom," Mum said. "Let's have a proper look."
媽媽說：「一定是掉到底下了，我們來仔細看看吧！」

She pulled the drawer out and carried it over to the table.
她把抽屜拉出來，放在桌子上。

Abby kneeled up on a chair to look inside.
艾比跪在椅子上，看著抽屜裡面。
There were lots of boring things like staplers and string but there were lots of interesting things as well.
裡面有很多無趣的東西，像是訂書機、繩子，但裡面也有很多好玩的東西。

"What's this?" Abby asked, holding up a plastic bottle full of red liquid.
艾比拿起一個裝滿紅色液體的塑膠瓶，問：「這是什麼？」

Mum laughed.
媽媽笑了笑。
"Fake blood, from a Hallowe'en party years ago. Your Dad and I took you to that, dressed up as a baby vampire. You were really scary."
「是假血，幾年前從萬聖節派對拿回來的，妳爸跟我帶妳去那邊，打扮成吸血鬼寶寶，妳看起來真的很可怕。」

"I don't remember that."
「我不記得了。」