OK, here's the deal.
事情是這樣的。

I've just been run over by a car – been in an accident.
那時(shí)我剛剛被一輛車(chē)撞了——我出了車(chē)禍

I didn't get a good look, of course.
我卻什么都沒(méi)看清，這也合情合理。

It happened too quickly.
一切都發(fā)生的太快了。

A step off the sidewalk, a rush of wind, something blue and metallic coming at me, then…
剛剛踏出人行道，我就感到一陣強(qiáng)風(fēng)，一個(gè)藍(lán)色的，似乎是某種金屬的東西朝我猛沖過(guò)來(lái)

a quick tour over the bonnet , briefly visiting the windshield, roof and every other hard surface en-route
接著街旁的一切從我眼前飛快的閃過(guò)，絡(luò)繹不絕的煙囪罩、擋風(fēng)玻璃、屋頂，還有其他各種東西都在飛快的流逝。

before returning to the tarmac for a hefty dose of pain.
最后我回到地面上，一陣劇痛傳遍全身。

No, officer, the vehicle did not stop.
不，警官，那輛車(chē)沒(méi)有停下來(lái)

Did I see the driver?
看到司機(jī)的臉了嗎？

Yep, incredibly briefly as it turned out.
是的，真不可思議，雖然只是一晃眼。

（如果這時(shí)有一位交警走過(guò)來(lái)，我們之間可能會(huì)有如下的對(duì)話）

Would I recognise him again?
能再認(rèn)出司機(jī)嗎？

Sure, if you could just plaster me across any similar windshield,
能，如果你讓我再撞到類(lèi)似的擋風(fēng)玻璃上

just to, you know, jog the old memory cells
你懂得，這樣就能激活舊的記憶細(xì)胞

I may be able to describe the bloated, shiny face, bulbous eyes
或許我能描述出那張浮腫的，油光滿面的臉，那雙凸出來(lái)的眼睛，

and pudgy little hands that oiled over his steering wheel.
還有那雙胖乎乎的小手，抹得方向盤(pán)上油光光的

Except there's no cop, no concerned huddle of passers-by asking pointless questions
可是當(dāng)時(shí)周?chē)鷽](méi)有交警，也沒(méi)有圍觀的人群絮絮地說(shuō)著毫無(wú)意義的問(wèn)題，

like "Is there a Doctor here?" Or "Where's his leg?" and, my personal favourite, "Are you OK?"
比如“這里有醫(yī)生嗎？”“他的腿去哪兒了？”還有我個(gè)人最喜歡的問(wèn)題，“你還好嗎？”

Well, if pity and an energising drink weren't going to help me, I had better start trying to help myself.
好吧，如果憐憫和功能飲料幫不了我，我最好開(kāi)始嘗試幫助我自己。

My core being was feeling a tad fragile at the moment but I made a mental note to ask it to start working properly again.
此刻我感到自己元神虧損，我暗自請(qǐng)求自己的身體重新運(yùn)作起來(lái)

What I really needed just now was something useful,
現(xiàn)在我需要一些實(shí)用的東西

a medic for preference, a warm, dry blanket and some kind of opioid-based medication.
——最好能有一個(gè)醫(yī)生，或者一條溫暖干燥的毛毯，一劑含有鎮(zhèn)痛成分的藥品

But it was the very early hours of the morning
可現(xiàn)在才一大清早

and there was no-one around,
人跡絕無(wú)

at least not here on the edge of No-town
在這無(wú)名之鎮(zhèn)的邊界上

I was gonna die.
我要死了！

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
事后聰明真是一種美妙的東西

Just a few short hours ago I had left Mrs Chamber's house and the smouldering embers of her log fire.
就在幾個(gè)小時(shí)前，我才從Chambers夫人家離開(kāi)，從她家火爐里冒出的濃煙中撿回一條命

If I hadn't taken that short-cut,
如果我沒(méi)有走那條捷徑

or I had left earlier or left later,
又或者我曾早點(diǎn)或晚點(diǎn)出發(fā)

I wouldn't have met this very car at this particular time
我就不會(huì)在這個(gè)時(shí)刻撞上這輛車(chē)

and in this unpromising place.
在這個(gè)令人絕望的地方

And here I was.
事已至此，我躺在這里

Still.
事后反省并沒(méi)有什么作用

Getting colder and dying by centimetres.
我感到越來(lái)越冷

The can of fizzy drink, my silent companion, gleamed dully
恍惚間我看到一個(gè)汽水罐子，如同一個(gè)沉默的小伙伴，暗暗閃著光

I frowned stupidly at the can, then realised what it was: an approaching vehicle .
我皺眉看著這個(gè)傻里傻氣的罐子，轉(zhuǎn)而意識(shí)到，它其實(shí)是一輛靠近的車(chē)輛

I thankfully passed out
感謝老天，我暈了過(guò)去

I came to briefly and looked up at a small ring of faces.
意識(shí)偶然恢復(fù)的時(shí)候，我看到幾張臉環(huán)繞著我

My rescuer was one of the boys from the park and his friends.
“伙計(jì)，你還好嗎？”說(shuō)話的是個(gè)小男孩，他和他的朋友們都在場(chǎng)。

Well, I recovered eventually.
好吧，最終我痊愈了。

For a time, I was a local celebrity, my young friend a hero.
一時(shí)之間，我成了當(dāng)?shù)孛耍任业男∮讶顺闪擞⑿?/div>

I can't say I 'saved' the town because,
我不敢妄稱(chēng)自己“拯救”了這個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)

quite honestly, nothing short of a direct hit by a meteorite could have done that.
坦白的說(shuō)，我可不是什么從天而降的隕石里誕生的超人

But some small things changed.
可是我還是帶來(lái)了一些微小的變化

There was a new purpose and energy to the place.
這個(gè)荒涼的地方獲得了新的關(guān)注，生出了新的活力，

The road upon which I had nearly died was given a makeover of lighting and a safe place to cross.
那條差點(diǎn)要了我的命的公路裝上了新路燈，煥然一新，還多了一條新的安全的斑馬線