Elfo: переводы

→He hoped none of the children were allergic.

→She sat forward on her rocker. “You know, my grandson is looking for a personal secretary at his accounting firm. This could be your in, Mr. Baker. I do believe I’ve read stories that started exactly like that. Think about it. Your life is at its lowest this very moment, and you need to start fresh, which leads you to finding your true love. It practically writes itself!”

→“Good day, Mrs. Klapper!” Linus cried as he stumbled up his steps.

→Calliope, as was her wont, only purred.
They stayed that way for a long time.

→“You know,” he told her, “I don’t know if I had a very good day. No, I don’t think I had a good day at all.”

→He slammed the door shut behind him.
Calliope sat in her usual spot, tail twitching, seemingly unsurprised at his early return.
Linus slumped against the door. His legs gave out, and he slid to the carpet.

→“Think about it!” she shouted after him. “If all goes well, we could be family—”

→“I didn’t get sacked!”
She snorted. “I don’t believe you.”
Linus sputtered.

→“Oh. More’s the pity, I suppose. So that only leaves getting sacked. You poor dear. How will you go on? Especially in this economy. I suppose you’ll have to sell your house and find a dismal apartment somewhere in the city.” She shook her head. “You’ll probably end up murdered. Crime is on the rise, you know.”

→“Not dying,” he managed to say.

→He was startled out of his daze when Mrs. Klapper called over to him. “You’re home early, Mr. Baker. Did you get sacked? Or perhaps you received terrible medical news and need time to reconcile with your bleak future?” Smoke curled up around her bouffant from her pipe. “I’m so sorry to hear that. You’ll be missed terribly.”

→He didn’t know how he’d gotten there, but that seemed to be the least of his worries.

→One moment, he was standing in front of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, and the next, he was on the stone path that led to his porch.

→The doors slid shut before he could speak another word.
It was still raining. He barely even noticed.

→They were standing in front of the elevators. He hadn’t even known they were moving. The doors slid open in front of him. Ms. Bubblegum shoved him in, and reached in to hit the button for the first floor. She stepped out of the elevator. “Thank you for visiting the offices of Extremely Upper Management,” she said cheerfully. “Have a fantastical day.”

→She squinted at him. “Of course you can sit down. Just make sure you do it far away from here. Your train leaves at seven tomorrow morning. Don’t be late. Extremely Upper Management will be most displeased if you’re late.”

→A very pushy hallucination, to be sure, as she thrust a thick folder into his hands, causing him to fumble and almost drop his briefcase. “Train ticket is inside,” she said. “In addition, you’ll find a sealed envelope with the files you’ll be needing. I don’t know what it’s about, and I don’t care. I’m paid not to snoop, if you can believe that. You’re not to open the envelope until you’ve stepped off the train at your final destination.”

→She waited for him just outside the chambers, tapping her foot with impatience. Linus was quite out of breath by the time he passed through the open door. He couldn’t be sure what had just happened was anything more than a fever dream. He certainly felt feverish. It was possible Ms. Bubblegum was a hallucination conjured up by a previously undiagnosed illness.

→“Yes,” Ms. Bubblegum said sympathetically. “Sounds like quite the existential crisis. Perhaps consider having it somewhere else.”

→“I have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “I’m not even sure if I’m here.”