A Nail or a Fly
钉子还是苍蝇
One day an old gentleman whose eyesight was failing came to stay in a hotel room with a bottle of wine in each hand. On the wall there was a fly which he took for a nail. So the moment he hung them on it, the bottles fell broken and the wine spilt all over the floor. When a waitress discoverd what had happened, she showed deep sympathy for him and decided to do him a favor.
一位老绅士视力日渐衰退。一天，他双手各提着一瓶酒，住进了一家旅馆的客房。他把墙上的一只苍蝇当成了一颗钉子。他把两个瓶子往钉子上一挂，结果瓶子掉下来摔个粉碎，酒洒了一地。一个女服务生发现以后，对他深表同情，于是决定帮他个忙。
So the next morning when he was out taking a walk in the roof garden, she hammered a nail exactly where the fly had stayed.
于是，第二天早上趁绅士到楼顶花园散步时，她用锤子把一枚钉子钉在了苍蝇趴过的地方。
Now the old man entered his room. The smell of the spilt wine reminded him of the accident. When he looked up at the wall, he found the fly was there again! He walked to it carefully and slapped it with all his strength. On hearing a loud cry, the kind-hearted waitress rushed in. To her great surprise, the poor old man was there sitting on the floor, his teeth clenched and his right hand bleeding!
这时，老人回到了房里。洒出的酒的味道让他想起了发生的那件事。他抬头往墙上一看，苍蝇又趴在了那儿！他小心翼翼地走过去，用尽全力拍了一巴掌。好心的女服务生听到一声大叫，便冲进房来。她大吃一惊，只见那可怜的老头正坐在地板上，紧咬牙关，右手血流不止！