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coupon-criterion Under a crescent moon
在新月下
When the moon was crescent shaped people began to disappear.
月亮開始呈月牙形的時 候人們就開始失蹤.
First it was an old lady out late one night counting coupons.
首先是一位深夜外出 數贈貨券的老太太.
Then it was a courier,
然后是一位導游,
crisscrossing town to make requested deadlines.
他在城里往返奔波, 制定要求的截止日期.
And finally it was a local craftsman,
最后是一個本地工匠,
whose remains were found next to a crack led to a mysterious crater.
他的遺體在通往一個神 秘大坑的裂縫附近被人 發現.
It seemed that there was no criterion by which this criminal attacked.
罪犯作案好像沒有 任何標準,
But the clean up crew was beginning to think that it was not a person,
但清除小組全體成員開 始認為這個罪犯可能不 是人,
but a creature.
而是某種動物.
when the crisis became known throughout the small town,
整個小鎮都知道這 一危機后,
all but the most courageous left to "visit relatives."
除了最勇敢的人以外, 所有的人都離開小鎮 "走親戚"去了.
News coverage was intense,the local economy was crippled
新聞報道鋪天蓋地, 地方經濟嚴重受損,
and more than several young couples
有好幾對年輕人
made a covenant to marry by the end of the week.
立約在周末成婚.
The credentials of local police were also no longer good enough;
當地警察的證件也不再 管用,
the FBI was called in.
人們叫來聯邦調查 局的人,
That was when the murders stopped.
到這時兇殺才停止發生
As the weeks went on
幾個星期過去了,
and reporters no longer cared about covering what was once a major story,
記者不再樂于報道這件 曾經轟動一時的大事,
people came crawling back to their homes.
人們也開始慢慢地打 道回府.
To the credit of many,nighttime activities began to become common again.
讓大家引以為榮的是, 晚間活動又開始活躍 起來,
Life seemed to be returning to normal.
生活似乎正在恢復正常
After a month had passed since the last murder had occurred,however,
可是,上次謀殺發生之 后只過去了一個月、
and the moon became a Crescent again,
又是一輪新月的時候,
the creature came creeping out of his hole.
怪獸又爬出洞了.
When a man walking in a park bent down to fix a crease in his pants,
一個在公園散步的人彎 腰撫平褲子上的皺痕,
he had no idea that the deaths were about to start all over again,
他不知道這時死亡又 將降臨,
starting with his.
而且從他開始.
