Zack) Zap! I’m a mind reader

Zack이 각 책에서 경험하는 일련의 사건들은 사람들이 한번쯤 바랐을 법한 경험들이다. 예를 들면, 유체이탈을 하거나 사람들의 속마음을 읽을 수 있거나 하는. 그러나 작가는 Mind reading complicates your life too much.의 경험을 통해 독자들에게 독특한 능력이 꼭 유익하지는 않다는 걸 보여준다. 오히려 독특한 능력들은 Zack의 삶을 더 복잡하게 만든다.

가끔은 삶이 힘들게 느껴질 때가 있다. 하루에 만나는 수많은 사람들 중에 그냥 잠깐 스쳐지나가는 사람들도 있지만 초대한 적도 없는데 내 삶에 깊게 들어와 나를 공격하는 사람들이 있다. They are absolutely not welcomed! And they made me upset. 대체 무슨 생각으로 그런 행동을 하는지는 모른다. 하지만 분명한건 함께 하고 싶은 사람은 아니라는 것. 내가 힘들 때 내 편이 되어줄 사람은 아니라는 점이다. 이런건 구지 마음을 읽지 않아도 그 사람이 하는 행동과 말을 보면 알 수 있지 않은가. 'Mind reading complicates your life too much. Now I'll just have to believe that people really mean what they say.'라는 Zack의 독백이 유달리 크게 다가온다. 

 

A tachyon is one of the tiniest things in the universe.

 

She’s also my homeroom teacher.

일종의 담임 선생님. 1교시 이전에 이 사람에게 조회 및 출석 체크를 함.

 

For another thing, she works weekends at the morgue. She does autopsies.

 

I was hooking one up.

*hook sth up ~을 연결하다. = connect 친한 사이가 되다/ begin a sexual relationship with s1

 

Then I totally blacked out.

나는 완전히 의식을 잃었다.

 

2

I’ve found that when people ask you how you are, they don’t really want to know. They only want you to say you’re fine so they can get on to the next thing.

다음 일을 시작할 수 있다.

 

You put your hand in a beaker of water that had live wires in it. It knocked you out.

* live wire 전기가 통하는 선

 

Stupid klutz. You’re lucky you didn’t electrocute yourself.

* klutz 솜씨 없는 사람, 바보, 얼간이

* electrocute 감전사 시키다.

 

Maybe she was a ventriloquist.

* ventriloquist 복화술사

 

3

I was pretty much out of luck.

나는 꽤 운이 나빴다.

 

I knew Asia was pretty darn big.

*darn: damn 대신에 화를 나타내는 표현. Darn it!

 

I heard a snapping sound next to me.

*snap 잔가지 등이 탁 부러지다. 툭 끊어지다.

 

Holy guacamole!

* guacamole 구아카몰리

 

But for the rest of the class, Spencer’s thoughts kept bleeding through my humming.

 

I saw that this mind reading stuff could be trouble.

 

4

As I turned my head, it was like tuning the knob on a radio. Little bits of what the kids were thinking came to me, separated by static:

그건 손잡이를 조율하는 것 같았다.

 

I heard you had some trouble with an outlet.

* an outlet 전기 코드 구멍, 출구, 배출구

 

Zack must have shorted it out earlier in the day when he got an electric shock.

*short = short-circuit 잘못된 전기를 연결시켜서 잘못된 방향으로 전기가 흐르게 하다. 종종 누전으로 이어짐.

 

I jiggled my head. Then I scanned the room again.

* jiggle 가볍게 흔들다. 좌우로 급히 움직이게 하다.

 

Then my eyes came to rest on the janitor.

 

Mrs. Coleman-Levin is not what you’d call a warm, fuzzy type.

* warm, fuzzy type 따뜻하고 유연한 유형.

 

She clomped outside the classroom in her work boots.

* clomp 쿵쿵거리며 걷다.

 

This is not like Mrs. Coleman-Levin at all.

 

This kid is loony toons!

* loony 미친, 철없는, 어리석은

 

I’m off to the morgue. But first, it’s chow time for the snake.

식사시간이다.

 

I overheard one of the kids thinking as we filed out of homeroom.

*file out 줄줄이 나가다

 

That got me thinking.

 

I can tell my dad anything at all.

나는 아빠에게 어떤 것이든 다 말할 수 있다.

 

But you nailed everything I was thinking.

*nail = catch 붙잡다

 

If you can do this every time, I could get you on The Tonight Show.

 

6

That was so I could snoop around a little. It was scary having to track a killer by myself.

내 스스로 살인자를 추적해야 한다는 건 무서웠다.

* snoop around 기웃거리다, 엿보다

 

I took off my earmuffs, went down to the basement, and hung around the janitor’s office.

* hung around – hang around 어슬렁거렸다

 

There was no keyhole in the door. 열쇠구멍

 

I scrambled to my feet. But I tripped and fell flat on my face.

* scramble = move quickly but with difficulty

* trip: 걸려 넘어지다

* fall flat – fell flat 넘어지다, 실패하다.

 

I got up and slapped the dust off my shirt and pants.

* slap 때리다, 가볍게 두드리다.

 

Mr. Hogmeister fastened his scary eyes on me. Then he leaned way down and pushed his face up close to mine. I think he must have eaten a garlic doughnut for breakfast! P.U.!

~는 무서운 눈길로 나를 뚫어지게 보았다.

* P.U. Phew를 과장한 표현.

 

I was scared he was going to take a hammer and clonk me over the head.

*clonk 쿵 소리를 내다.

 

Then I tuned in on his thoughts. Push-ups? Give me a break! Dose he really expect me to believe that?

날 좀 내버려둬. 말도 안돼

*give sb a break 어떤 사람이 그들의 정기적인 일로부터 벗어나게 해 주다. 불쾌한 방식으로 비판하는 걸 멈추다.

 

I was starting to think that maybe I should cross him off my list of suspects. 

7

Outside my classroom, rain was flinging itself against the windows.

* fling 내던지다. 퍼붓다.

 

…was taking attendance.

.. was finished with attendance.

 

There was a sudden clap of thunder.

*a clap of thunder 천둥소리. 쾅 하는 소리

 

8

And just then the lights flickered on. I blinked in the glare.

나는 눈을 깜박였다. 밝은 빛 속에서

* flicker on 깜박이다.

 

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a quick motion.

곁눈질로, 슬쩍

 

I sprang to the piranha tank.

급히 ~로 갔다.

 

I looked wildly around for a fishnet.

~을 찾으려고 주위를 둘러보다.

 

I stuck it into the piranha tank and gently scooped up the little fish. Then I carried him to the fish tank and plopped him into it. The water splashed my hand.

* stuck it into – stick it into ~을 밀어 넣다.

* splashed ~에 튀었다.

 

It ran the filter motor in the aquarium.

 

Firecracker went off in eyes.

폭죽

 

9

When I woke up, I was back on the cot in the nurse’s office.

간이침대

 

You gave us quite a scare there.

 

Pretty dumb of me to electrocute myself twice, huh?

나 정말 바보 같아요.

 

I managed a smile. 나는 힘겹게 웃었다.

 

What did you want to see me for?

 

He looked at me and frowned in puzzlement. 당황하여

 

He usually gets it on the first guess.

 

Mind reading complicates your life too much.