Dancing with the Devi 

与魔鬼共舞的女孩

The girl hurried through her schoolwork as fast as she could. It was the night of the high school dance, along about 70 years ago in the town of Kingsville, Texas. The girl was so excited about the dance. She had bought a brand new, sparkly red dress for the dance. She knew she looked smashing in it. It was going to be the best evening of her life.

女孩尽快做完作业。晚上学校要举办高中舞会，这样的舞会在德克萨斯州金斯维尔城里已有七十年的历史。女孩对此兴奋不已。为参加舞会，她买了崭新的，闪闪发光的红色礼服。她知道，穿在身上定会使她美丽绝伦。她将会度过一生中最美好的夜晚。

Then her mother came in the house, looking pale and determined.

"You are not going to that dance," her mother said.

"But why?" the girl asked her mother.

随后，女孩的母亲来到房中，面色苍白地表示反对。

“你不能去参加那个舞会，”母亲说道。

“可是，为什么呢？”女孩反问她的母亲。"

I've just been talking to the preacher. He says the dance is going to be for the devil. You are absolutely forbidden to go," her mother said.

“我刚才还在还在问传道士。他说舞会是为魔鬼举办的。你是绝对禁止参加的。”

The girl nodded as if she accepted her mother's words. But she was determined to go to the dance. As soon as her mother was busy, she put on her brand new red dress and ran down to the K.C. Hall where the dance was being held.

女孩点点头，似乎接受了母亲的说法。其实她已下定决心要去舞会。趁母亲忙家务不注意，女孩穿上崭新的红色礼服，向即将举办舞会的K.C.大厅跑去。

As soon as she walked into the room, all the guys turned to look at her. She was startled by all the attention. Normally, no one noticed her. Her mother sometimes accused her of being too awkward to get a boyfriend. But she was not awkward that night. The boys in her class were fighting with each other to dance with her.

她刚一走进大厅，所有的人都把目光转向她。大家关注吓了她一大跳。通常情况下，是没有人注意她的。她的母亲有时还指责她过于难看而找不到男朋友。但她那天晚上一点都不难看。她同班的男孩子们争着抢着跟她跳舞。

Later, she broke away from the crowd and went to the table to get some punch to drink. She heard a sudden hush. The music stopped. When she turned, she saw a handsome man with jet black hair and clothes standing next to her.

后来，她挤出人群，走到摆放饮料的桌前取宾治酒喝。突然，音乐停止，一阵寂静。她刚一转过身来，就看见一位留着黑色喷气式发型穿着一身黑衣的英俊男子站在她面前。

"Dance with me," he said.

“跟我跳舞吧，”他说。

She managed to stammer a "yes", completely stunned by this gorgeous man. He led her out on the dance floor. The music sprang up at once. She found herself dancing better than she had ever danced before. They were the center of attention.

她结结巴巴地说了句“好吧”，早已完全被这英俊男子惊呆了。他带领着她走进舞池。音乐再次响起。她觉得自己比以前那一次都跳得更好。他们一下子成了关注的焦点。

Then the man spun her around and around. She gasped for breath, trying to step out of the spin. But he spun her faster and faster. Her feet felt hot. The floor seemed to melt under her. He spun her even faster. She was spinning so fast that a cloud of dust flew up around them both so that they were hidden from the crowd.

男子带着她不停地旋转。她气喘嘘嘘，试图走出旋转的舞步。但他带着她旋转的越来越快。她脚心发烫。地板似乎正在她脚下熔化。他带着她旋转地更快了。她飞快的旋转，一团尘埃升起笼罩了他们，也使他们脱离了人群。

When the dust settled, the girl was gone. The man in black bowed once to the crowd and disappeared. The devil had come to his party and he had spun the girl all the way to hell.

当尘埃落定时，女孩不见了。黑衣男子向人群鞠了一躬也消失的无影无踪了。魔鬼来参加他的舞会并一直携带女孩去了地狱。