Chapter 10
Mike and Sulley froze as the can rolled across the room. It came to a stop, apparently undamaged. Both monsters let out a sigh of relief.
But just then, the can burst open — and a horrifying scream escaped! Students gasped and ran for cover as the can spun wildly around the room like a def lating balloon while the ear-splitting scream escaped. At last, it fell in front of Mike and Sulley with a gurgle. The scream can was completely empty.
A huge dark f igure, wings outstretched, landed in front of Mike and Sulley. They were face to face with Dean Hardscrabble. She picked up her drained can. Randy immediately disappeared.
“I’m so sorry,” Mike said.
“It was an accident,” Sulley added.
Dean Hardscrabble shrugged and looked into the empty, twisted can. “What, this?” Her tone was unnervingly steady. “My one souvenir from a lifetime of scaring? Well, accidents happen, don’t they? The important thing is no one got hurt.”
Mike and Sulley were stunned. “You’re taking this remarkably well,” Mike said gratefully.
Dean Hardscrabble nodded. “Now, let’s continue the exams,” she said, looking at Mike. “Mr. Wazowski, I’m a five-year-old girl on a farm in Kansas afraid of lightning. Which scare do you use?”
Mike looked around, confused. “Shouldn’t I go up on the simulator?” he asked.
Dean Hardscrabble leaned toward him. “Which scare do you use?” she repeated sternly.
Mike quickly gathered his wits and answered, “That is a Shadow Approach with a Cackle Holler.”
“Demonstrate,” Dean Hardscrabble said.
Mike took a deep breath. This was it. It was all on the line. But before he could even begin, Dean Hardscrabble spoke again: “Stop! Thank you.”
“But I didn’t get to —” Mike started to say.
“I’ve seen enough,”Dean Hardscrabble said, and turned away. She looked at Sulley to indicate it was his turn. “I’m a seven-year-old boy —”
Before she could complete her sentence, Sulley stepped up and let out a ferocious ROARRR!
Dean Hardscrabble’s dragon eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t finished,” she snapped.
“I don’t need any of that stuf f to scare,” Sulley replied conf idently.
“That ‘stuf f,’ ” Dean Hardscrabble said, “would have informed you that this particular child is afraid of snakes. So a roar wouldn’t make him scream. It would make him cry, alerting his parents, exposing the monster world, destroying life as we know it, and of course we can’t have that. So I’m afraid I cannot recommend that you continue in the Scaring Program. Good day.”
Sulley laughed, unable to believe she could possibly mean it. Then he saw the cold look in her eyes. “Wait, what? But I’m a Sullivan!”
Dean Hardscrabble smiled. “Well, then I’m sure your family will be very disappointed.”
Sulley looked around the room, confused. He was sure someone was going to say it was all a big mistake. But then he spotted Johnny and his ROR brothers as they left the gallery, taking his fraternity jacket with them.
As Sulley stumbled away in shock, Dean Hardscrabble turned back to Mike. “And, Mr. Wazowski, I’m afraid what you lack is something that cannot be taught. You’re not scary. You will not be continuing in the Scaring Program.”
It hit Mike like a freight train. “No, you’ve made a mistake,” he said. “Please, let me try the simulator. I’ll surprise you!”
“I doubt that very much,” Dean Hardscrabble replied. She nodded to Professor Knight, who motioned the next student forward.
Mike was dumbstruck. Just like that, it was over. He left the class feeling like someone had sucked all the oxygen out of his world.
第 10 章
麥克和毛怪怔怔地看著收集罐在教室里滾著,然后停住了,顯然沒有受到損壞。他倆都舒了一口氣。
但就在這時,收集罐突然迸裂開來,發(fā)出一陣可怕的尖叫聲。緊接著它就像一只漏氣的氣球一般在大廳里到處亂竄,一串串震耳欲聾的尖叫聲從里面噴涌而出,同學(xué)們被嚇得喘著粗氣,紛紛找地方躲避。最終,收集罐掉在了麥克和毛怪面前,發(fā)出“咯咯”的聲響?,F(xiàn)在,它徹底成了個空罐子。
一個張著翅膀的巨大黑影落在麥克和毛怪面前,郝刻薄院長和他們面對面站著。院長撿起那只空空的收集罐。藍(lán)道嚇得立刻隱形了。
“真的很抱歉。”麥克說道。
“這是個意外。”毛怪補充道。
郝刻薄院長聳了聳肩,看了看空空的破罐子。“什么?這個嗎?”她的語氣鎮(zhèn)定得叫人害怕,“這個我一生驚嚇事業(yè)的見證品嗎?嗯,意外總在發(fā)生,不是嗎?好在沒人受傷。”
麥克和毛怪感到非常震驚。“院長,您真是寬宏大量。”麥克感激地說。
院長點點頭說:“好了,我們繼續(xù)考試吧。”她看著麥克說道:“華斯基先生,我是堪薩斯農(nóng)場的一個五歲小女孩兒,害怕閃電。你打算用哪種驚嚇方式?”
麥克四下環(huán)顧,表情困惑。“我是不是該先進(jìn)模擬艙?”他問道。
郝院長朝他俯下身,嚴(yán)厲地重復(fù)了一遍:“回答我,你打算用哪種驚嚇方式?”
麥克立即恢復(fù)了理智,回答道:“我會在黑暗中靠近,同時發(fā)出‘噼啪’的聲音。”
“開始示范。”院長說。
麥克做了個深呼吸,準(zhǔn)備按部就班地進(jìn)行。但還沒等他開始,郝院長又發(fā)話了:“可以了,謝謝。”
麥克試圖解釋:“可是我還沒……”
“這就夠了。”院長說著,轉(zhuǎn)過身看向毛怪,示意輪到他了:“我是一個七歲的小男孩……”
院長的話還沒說完,毛怪就走上前,發(fā)出了一聲兇狠的吼叫。
郝刻薄院長瞇起她那雙龍眼,厲聲說道:“我還沒說完。”
毛怪自信地回答:“我不用聽那些東西就能嚇唬人。”
院長說道:“那些‘東西’會讓你知道這個孩子最怕的是蛇,所以大吼不會令他尖叫,只會讓他大哭,招來他的父母,從而暴露我們的世界,摧毀我們的生活,這當(dāng)然是絕對不能發(fā)生的。所以,恐怕我無法贊成你繼續(xù)留在驚嚇學(xué)院學(xué)習(xí)了。再見。”
毛怪笑了,他不相信院長會是說真的。接著他看到了院長冷冰冰的眼神:“等等,什么?我可是蘇利文家的!”
郝刻薄院長微笑了一下:“是嘛,那我相信你的家族一定非常失望。”
毛怪迷茫地環(huán)顧著整個大廳,他確信今天的事一定是個天大的誤會。但是緊接著,他看到強哥和精嚇會的成員們離開了大廳,而且還帶走了他的會服。
毛怪震驚不已,踉踉蹌蹌地向外走去。郝刻薄院長轉(zhuǎn)過身對麥克說:“還有你,華斯基先生,你所缺少的恐怕是天賦,而這一點后天無從彌補。你一點兒也不嚇人。所以你也不能留在驚嚇學(xué)院繼續(xù)學(xué)習(xí)了。”
麥克聽到這句話就像是被貨車撞了一下。“不,您弄錯了,”他說,“求您了,讓我進(jìn)模擬艙試試,我會給您驚喜的!”
“我對此深表懷疑。”院長說著,朝奈特教授點點頭,于是教授示意下一位學(xué)生繼續(xù)考試。
麥克目瞪口呆。就這樣,一切都結(jié)束了。他離開了教室,感覺就好像有人從他的世界里抽走了所有的氧氣。