[Marvin Redpost] Alone in his teacher's house

줄거리

Marvin의 담임 선생님인 Mrs. North는 일주일간 출장을 가게 된다. 그리고 Mrs. North는 자신의 늙은 개를 보호소에 맞기는 것보다는 Marvin에게 돌봐 달라고 부탁한다. 그리고 그에게 얼마간의 일당을 약속한다. Marvin은 최선을 다해 Waldo를 보살피지만 입맛을 잃던 Waldo는 Mrs. North가 돌아오기 전에 죽는다. Waldo의 죽음에 Marvin은 충격을 받고 이후에는 Mrs. North가 얼마나 충격을 받을지에 대해 걱정한다. 그러나 Mrs. North는 오히려 그렇게 나이 많은 개를 Marvin에게 부탁해서 미안하다고 그에게 말하며 Marvin 덕분에 Waldo가 행복하게 죽을 수 있었을 거라고 말한다.

느낌점

난해했다. 자신이 맡은 선생님의 개가 죽는 내용이라니... 결코 아이들이 받아들이기 쉬운 내용은 아니라고 생각했다. 아니면 저자는 이런 내용을 받아들이는 것도 아이들의 성장 중 일부라고 생각했을까?

 

표현

Chapter1.

“hot dog!” exclaimed Nick.

좋았어. (기쁨을 나타내는 말)

 

I was going to put him in a kennel. But he’s such an old dog. It would be so much nicer if he could stay home.

* kennel: 개집, 사람들이 개를 맡기는 장소

 

Did you get in trouble?

 

Chapter2.

May I carry that for you?

He never thought of that before.

 

Waldo followed. He waddled like a walrus when he walked.

* waddle: 어기적어기적 걷다.

 

I’ll be gone a week. They’ll go stale if nobody eats them.

*stale: no longer new or fresh, as a result of being kept for too long. 너무 오래 보관하여 신선하지 않은

 

Chapter3

You seem to be taking your job very seriously.

 

Marvin slapped his big brother’s hand. It was odd. Marvin had always looked up to Jacob. He wanted to be just like him. But Jacob never had a job.

 

Every time Marvin stopped, Waldo whined and nuzzled Marvin for more.

* nuzzle 애정을 표현하기 위해 누군가를 만지거나 비비거나 누르다. 코를 비비적대다.

Waldo nuzzled him.

 

Chapter4

Marvin fished the key out of his pocket.

* fish ~을 손으로 더듬어 꺼내다.

 

Marvin couldn’t tell who had the key anymore. It was being passed around.

 

I don’t appreciate that kind of talk, Marvin.

나는 ~가 마음에 안 드네.

 

I hope we all got our sneezes out. Now let’s get back to work.

 

He tried to hold it back, but it felt like it would explode out his ears.

 

“You never know when to quit, do you, Marvin?”

 

Chapter5

I am not going to wreck anything.

* wreck 망가뜨리다.

 

He hooked on the leash, grabbed the pooper-scooper, and led Waldo outside.

* hook 갈고리를 걸다.

* hook on sth: ~를 연결하다.

 

And if nothing goes in, nothing comes out.

 

Chapter6

Maybe the food had gone bad. It had been in his bowl since Wednesday night.

상했다.

Waldo turned his head away. He whined. Marvin sat on the kitchen floor and stroked his back. 그의 등을 쓰다듬었다.

 

He bit into it. It was chewier than cereal. And a little bit gritty, like it had tiny seeds in it.

그는 베어 물었다.

* gritty: 모래 같은

 

Waldo lay his whiskered face against the floor.

 

Chapter7.

“Have you tried liver?”

 

He tried his best to sound enthusiastic.

그는 최선을 다했다.

 

“Can I come? Asked Jacob. “I’ve never seen the inside of a real teacher’s house.”

“Sure,” said Marvin, glad to impress his older brother.

 

Marvin’s father went along too. “I don’t want to be a party pooper,” he said.

그의 아버지도 동행했다.

* party pooper 동참하지 않아서 흥을 깨는 사람

 

The liver was stinking up the kitchen.

간(liver)가 주방을 악취로 가득 메웠다.

 

Then he waddled over to his dog food bowl and ate all his dog food too.

 

Chapter8.

Tuesday morning Marvin woke up with a start.

* wake up with a start 깜짝 놀라 잠에서 깨다.

 

He couldn’t remember if he had locked Mrs. North’s front door!

He remembered his family getting ready to leave. … and Jacob was in a hurry because there was a TV show he wanted to watch.

 

He got dressed quickly and rushed through breakfast. 아침을 급하게 해결하다. 급하게 먹다.

 

As he rode his bike to Mrs. North’s, he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach.

그는 불안한 느낌이 들었다?

He tried the knob. It was locked.

그는 손잡이를 열어보았다(시험해보았다). 손잡이는 잠겨 있었다.

 

Everything seemed to be in order.

모든 것이 질서 정연해 보였다.

 

Waldo had thrown up on the floor. Marvin just missed stepping in it.

 

Chapter9.

I can’t take him to a cemetery because –

* cemetery 묘지, 무덤

 

“I’ll get my husband,” said the woman. Dr. Charles came on the line.

(전화상으로) 내가 내 남편을 연결해 줄게.

 

I am just here by myself.

나 여기에 혼자 있어.

“I’ll be right over,” said Dr. Charles. “Try to calm down. What’s the address?”

내가 당장 그리로 갈게.

 

He set down the phone and started out the door.

 

It wasn’t because of anything you did, Marvin. Waldo was just a very old dog. His time had come.

 

Marvin watched the van drive away. He cleaned up Waldo’s throw-up and flushed it down the toilet. As Dr. Charles suggested, he poured a little vinegar over the spot to get rid of the smell.

* flushed something down the toilet: ~을 수세식 변기에 넣고 흘려보내다.

 

Chapter10

“Nice of you to show up, Marvin,”

Just waltz on it. 그냥 들어오렴.

 

That was as far as he got.

 

Marvin imagined her opening her front door. She’d be surprised because Waldo wasn’t there to greet her.

In his mind, Marvin saw her going through the house with her suitcase still in her hand. …and then he saw her picking up the telephone.

 

It’s just a joke. What a crab!

심보가 고약하군!

 

Chapter11

When he got to school Wednesday morning, he was mobbed by the kids in his class.

그가 학교에 도착했을 때, 그는 학급 아이들에 의해 습격 받았다. = 학급 아이들이 Marvin 주변으로 떼를 지어 몰려왔다.  

 

She’ll flunk you for sure.

* flunk 낙제시키다, 불합격시키다

 

The rest of the day was just a blur to Marvin. He couldn’t pay attention. He just kept thinking one thought.

하루의 나머지 시간들은 Marvin에게 그냥 흐릿했다.

 

Yours truly, Marvin Redpost.

당신의 진정한 벗,

 

Do you think I’ll be expelled? 쫓겨나다

“it’s not like you did it on purpose.”

 

You’d be better off if you were expelled.

 

He went to bed at nine o’clock and lay awake for at least two hours.

 

Chapter12

Have you talk to Mrs. North yet? What are you going to say to her?

 

He thought he saw a flash of hatred in her eyes.

그는 그가 그녀의 눈에서 증오의 번쩍임을 봤다고 생각했다.

* hatred 증오, 혐오

 

Marvin set right to work. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the paper. Mrs. North was walking around the room. Marvin wasn’t looking, but somehow he knew. She was coming toward him. He could feel it in his bones. 직감적으로 느꼈다.

일을 시작하다.