独眼兄妹

Two little children， a boy and a girl， lived long ago with their widowed mother in the Canadian forest. The woman was very poor. She often had to go far from home in search of fish and game for her family. At times she was absent for many days and left her children behind， and thus they were allowed to grow up with very little oversight or discipline or care. They soon became very unruly. As they grew older they became more headstrong and disobedient， and their mother could do very little to control them. And she said， “Some day they will suffer for their waywardness.”

One day the woman went to visit a neighbour. She left a large pot of bear-fat boiling on the fire. And she said to the children， “Do not meddle with the pot while I am gone， for the fat may harm you if it catches fire.” But she was not gone long when the boy said to the girl， “Let us see if the fat will burn.” So they took a burning stick of wood and dropped it into the fat， and stood looking into the large pot to see what would happen. The fat sputtered for an instant; then there was a sudden flash， and a tongue of flame shot upwards from the pot into the faces of the children. The fire had scorched their faces and blinded their eyes. They stumbled around in darkness， crying loudly for help. But no help came.

When their mother came home she tried every remedy she thought might restore their sight. But all her medicine was unavailing， and she said， “You will always be blind. That is the punishment for your disobedience.”

So the children lived in darkness for a long time. But they were no longer headstrong and unruly. They did not now refuse to do their mothers bidding.

One day， when their mother was far away hunting， an old woman came along and asked the children for food. And they brought good food to her. After she had eaten， she said，“You are blind， but I can help you， for I am from the Land of the Little People. I cannot give you four eyes， but I will give you one eye between you. You can each use it at different times， and it will be better than no sight at all. But handle it with great care and do not leave it lying on the ground.”Then she gave them an eye which she took from her pocket， and disappeared. So they used the one eye between them， and when the boy had the eye and the girl wished to see anything， she would say， “Give me the eye，” and her brother would carefully pass it to her. When their mother came home she was very glad， for they had now some means of sight.

One day the boy went into the forest with his bow and arrows. He carried the eye with him. He saw a fat young deer and killed it. The deer was too heavy for him to carry home alone. So he said， “I will go and get my sister， and we shall cut it up and put it in a basket and carry it home together.” He went home and led his sister to where the deer lay， and they began to cut up the body. But they had forgotten to bring a basket or a bag. He called to his sister saying， “You must weave a basket into which we can put the meat to carry it home.” And his sister said， “How can I make a basket when I cannot see？ I must have the eye.” The boy brought the eye to her and she made a large basket from green twigs.

When she had finished making the basket the boy said， “I must finish cutting up the meat. Give me the eye.” So she brought him the eye， and he proceeded to chop up the meat and put it in the basket. Then he said， “Why can we not have a meal here？ I am very hungry.” His sister agreed that this was a good idea， and he said， “You cook the meal while I pack the meat.” The girl made a fire， but she was afraid she would burn the meat， so she said， “I cannot see to cook. I must have the eye.” Her brother brought her the eye. The fire was low and she said， “Bring me some dry pine.” The boy wandered off into the forest in search of wood， but he had not gone far when he stumbled over a log and fell to the ground. He called to his sister in anger， saying， “You always want the eye for yourself. How can I gather dry pine when I cannot see？”

His sister ran to him and gave him the eye. She found her way back to the fire， but smelled the meat burning on the spit. She shouted， “The meat is burning and our dinner will be spoiled！ Give me the eye at once！” The boy was some distance away， and in his anger he threw the eye to her， saying， “Find it！ I am not going to walk to you with it if you are too lazy to come and get it！” The eye fell to the ground， and neither of them knew where it lay. They groped for it among the dead leaves， meanwhile， a wood-pecker， watching from a branch of a tree nearby， swooped suddenly down and gobbled it up and flew away.

As they were still searching for it， the old woman who had given it to them came along. She had been hiding among the trees， and she had seen the wood-pecker flying away with her gift. She said， “Where is the eye I gave you？” “It dropped from my head，” answered the boy， “and I cannot find it in the grass.” “Yes，” said the girl， “it dropped from his head.”“You have lied to me，” said the old woman， “and you have disobeyed， and for that I shall punish you.” And with her magic power she changed the boy into a mole and the girl into a bat， and said， “Now live blind upon the earth， with only your sense of sound to guide you.” At once the boy and the girl were changed. And so the Mole and the Bat appeared upon the earth.

很久以前，有一位寡妇和她一男一女两个小孩住在加拿大的森林里。这位寡妇很贫穷。她经常需要到离家很远的地方为一家人捉鱼、寻找野味。有时候她一连几天都不回来，把孩子们留在家里，任由孩子们在缺乏照管、纪律约束和关爱的环境下长大。很快，他们就变得非常任性。随着年岁的增长，他们变得愈发顽固和忤逆，他们的妈妈基本上管不住他们。她说：“终有一天他们会尝到任性的苦果。”

一天，寡妇出门拜访一个邻居。她留下一大锅在火上烧得沸腾的熊脂。她对孩子们说：“我走了以后，別乱动这锅，因为熊脂要是着火可能会烫伤你们。”但她还没走远，男孩就对女孩说：“让我们看看油脂会不会烧起来吧。”于是他们拿来一根着火的树枝，把它扔进熊脂里，站在一旁往锅里瞧，好奇会发生什么。一瞬间，油花噼啪飞溅;随后，突然闪现一束火光，一道火舌从锅里朝兄妹俩的脸直冲而去。烈火烧焦了他们的脸，弄瞎了他们的眼睛。兄妹俩在黑暗中磕磕碰碰，大声求助。但没有人来帮忙。

他们的妈妈回到家以后，尝试了各种有可能恢复他们视力的药物。但都没有效果。她说：“你们永远都会是盲人了。这就是对你们忤逆的惩罚。”

因此，兄妹俩在黑暗中生活了很长一段时间。但他们不再顽固和任性了。现在他们不再违抗妈妈的吩咐了。

一天，兄妹俩的妈妈出远门打猎去了，有一位老妇人来向他俩讨要食物。兄妹俩给了她美味的食物。她吃完以后，说：“你俩虽然失明了，但我能帮助你们，因为我来自小人国。我没法给你们四只眼睛，但我能让你们俩共用一只眼睛。你们可以错开使用时间，这样也比完全没有视力要好。但要很小心地爱护这只眼睛，不要把它丢在地面上。”然后她从口袋里拿出一只眼睛给了他们，就消失了。于是兄妹俩轮流使用这只眼睛，当男孩在使用眼睛而女孩想要看什么时，女孩就会说：“给我眼睛。”她哥哥就会小心翼翼地把眼睛递给她。他们的妈妈回到家得知事情的原委之后，感到很欣慰，因为孩子们现在多少恢复了一点视力。

一天，男孩带上弓箭去了森林里。当然他也带上了眼睛。他看见了一只肥美的小鹿，便把它杀掉了。小鹿对于男孩来说太重了，他没法独自搬运回家。于是他自语道：“我要回去叫上妹妹，然后我们可以把鹿肉切成块放进篮子里一起提回家。”他回了家，把妹妹带到小鹿所在的地方，然后他们开始切鹿肉。但是他们忘了带篮子或者袋子来。他对妹妹喊道：“你必须织一个篮子，好让我们把鹿肉放进去提回家。”他的妹妹说：“我看不见怎么织篮子？我必须用那只眼睛。”男孩把眼睛拿给了妹妹，妹妹用生枝条织了一个大篮子。

妹妹织完篮子后，哥哥说：“我得把肉切完。给我眼睛。”妹妹就把眼睛拿给哥哥，哥哥继续把肉切完放进篮子里。然后他说：“我们为什么不能在这吃饭呢？我很饿了。”妹妹觉得这是个好主意，同意了。哥哥说：“你做饭，我来装好剩下的鹿肉。”妹妹生了火，但她怕肉会烤糊，因此说：“我看不见没法做饭。我必须用眼睛。”哥哥把眼睛拿给了她。火苗很弱，妹妹说：“去给我拿些干松树枝来。”哥哥踱进了森林里去找木柴，但他没走多远就被一段木头绊到了，摔倒在地上。他生气地对妹妹喊道：“你总想自己霸占眼睛。我看不见怎么捡干松树枝？”

妹妹跑过去给了他眼睛，然后摸索着回到火堆旁，但她闻到叉上的肉烧焦了。她喊叫道：“肉烧焦了，我们的晚餐就要毁啦！马上把眼睛给我！”哥哥离妹妹有一段距离，他生气地把眼睛往妹妹那边扔，说着：“你自己找吧！你要是懒得过来拿，我是不会拿过去给你的！”眼睛掉到了地上，他俩谁也不知道掉到哪里了。他们在落叶中摸索着找眼睛，与此同时，一只在附近的树枝上观望的啄木鸟突然俯冲下来，一口吞掉眼睛就飞走了。

当兄妹俩还在找眼睛时，送给他们眼睛的老妇人出现了。她一直躲在树林间，看着啄木鸟带着她的赠礼飞走了。她问：“我给你们的眼睛在哪里？”“眼睛从我头上掉下去了，”男孩回答，“在草丛里，我找不到了。”“对，”女孩说，“从他头上掉下去了。”“你们对我说了谎，”老妇人说，“而且你们不遵从我的叮嘱，因此我将惩罚你们。”老妇人运用她的魔力，把男孩变成一只鼹鼠，把女孩变成一只蝙蝠。她说道：“现在去过失明的生活吧，只有听觉能指引你们。”男孩和女孩马上就变了形。于是，地球上开始有了鼹鼠和蝙蝠。