读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | ​The house Across the Street

Every night at 2:33 AM, the lights in the house across the street turned on.

The house had been abandoned for years. No one ever moved in. The windows were covered in dust, the yard overgrown, and the mailbox had rusted shut long ago.

But every night, without fail, the lights came on.

Liam had noticed it months ago, watching from his bedroom window. At first, he thought it was a trick of the streetlights, or maybe some electrical issue. But then, he saw the shadow.

It wasn’t just the lights. Someone—or something—was inside.

One night, curiosity got the better of him. Armed with just his phone flashlight, he crossed the street and stepped onto the creaking porch of the house. The air was thick with dust, and the wooden door stood slightly ajar, as if waiting for him.

Liam hesitated. Then, he pushed the door open.

The inside was exactly as he had imagined—old furniture covered in white sheets, the air stale with the scent of wood rot. His footsteps echoed as he stepped further inside.

Then he saw the mirror.

A large, antique mirror stood in the middle of the hallway, its glass perfectly clean, unlike the rest of the house.

And in its reflection, he saw the lights upstairs flicker on.

Liam turned, expecting to see a glow from the second floor. But the stairs were dark. The lights were only on in the mirror.

Then, something moved in the reflection.

A figure—tall, thin, its head tilted at an unnatural angle—stood at the top of the stairs.

Liam’s breath hitched. He whipped around to look at the real staircase—

Nothing was there.

Heart pounding, he turned back to the mirror.

The figure was closer.

Its head twitched, arms stretching toward him.

Liam bolted for the door, but the house groaned, the floor beneath him shifting as if the walls were alive.

The lights in the mirror flickered wildly, and the last thing he saw before he stumbled outside was a hand pressing against the glass from the inside.

He didn’t stop running until he was safely back in his house, slamming the door behind him.

From his bedroom window, he stared at the abandoned house, heart still hammering in his chest. The lights had turned off.

But in his reflection on the glass, the figure was standing behind him.

Key Words & Phrases

1. abandoned - 被遗弃的

2. covered in dust - 布满灰尘的

3. ajar - 半开的（门）

4. creaking porch - 吱嘎作响的门廊

5. stale - 陈旧的（空气）

6. mirror reflection - 镜中倒影

7. unnatural angle - 不自然的角度

8. bolted - 猛冲

9. flickered wildly - 疯狂闪烁

10. pressing against the glass - 贴在玻璃上

中文全文翻译：

每天夜里 2:33 AM，街对面的房子都会亮起灯。

那是一栋废弃了多年的房子。从未有人搬进来。窗户上布满灰尘，院子里杂草丛生，信箱早已生锈。

但每晚，灯光都会准时亮起。

连姆几个月前就注意到了。他起初以为是路灯的倒影，或是某种电力故障。但后来，他看到了一道影子。

不仅仅是灯光，房子里有东西。

某天夜里，好奇心最终战胜了恐惧。他拿着手机，穿过马路，踏上了老房子嘎吱作响的门廊。空气中弥漫着厚重的灰尘，木门微微敞开，仿佛在等着他。

连姆犹豫了一下，然后推开了门。

房子里的一切，正如他想象的那样——旧家具被白布盖住，空气中弥漫着木头腐朽的气味。他的脚步在空荡荡的房子里回荡。

然后，他看到了镜子。

一面古老的落地镜静静地立在走廊中央，镜面干净得不合常理，不像这个房子的其他地方那样布满灰尘。

他望向镜子，看到楼上的灯亮了。

连姆猛地回头，期待着二楼真的亮着灯。

但楼梯间依旧漆黑一片。

光亮，只存在于镜子里。

然后，镜子里的东西动了。

一个身影——高瘦，头部以不自然的角度歪着，站在楼梯顶端。

连姆的呼吸停滞了。他猛地回头看向真正的楼梯——

什么都没有。

他的心狂跳不止，汗水涔涔。他转回镜子。

那个影子，更近了。

它的头微微抽搐，手臂伸向他。

连姆猛地冲向门口，但整个房子像活了一样颤抖，地板在他脚下扭曲，墙壁发出低沉的呻吟。

镜中的灯光疯狂闪烁，而他逃出去前，最后看到的画面——

是一只手，从镜子里按在玻璃上。

他拼命狂奔，直到回到自己的房子，死死关上门。

气喘吁吁地，他站在窗前，望向街对面的房子。灯光已熄灭。

然而，当他看到玻璃上的倒影时——

那个影子，站在他身后。