From the variou houe we can ee candlelight but no electricity. There' a quiet that blanket the whole area, diturbed only by the almot whipered of the people a they tand around. CHARLIE tare acro at GOODMAN' houe.
Sally (a little timid): It doen't eem right, though, keeping watch on them. Why, he wa right when he aid he wa one of our neighbor. Why, I've known Ethel Goodman ever ince they moved in. We've been good friend—
Charlie: That doen't prove a thing. Any guy who'd pend hi time looking up at the ky early in the morning—well, there' omething wrong with that peron. Maybe under normal circumtance we could let it go by, but thee aren't normal circumtance.
(STEVE, from everal yard away, walk down the tep of hi porch, and down the treet over to LES GOODMAN' houe. He top at the foot of the tep. GOODMAN tand there. MRS. GOODMAN tand behind him, very frightened.)
Goodman: Jut tay right where you are, Steve. We don't want any trouble, but thi time if anybody et foot on my porch—that' what they're going to get—trouble!
Steve: Look, Le—
Goodman: I've already explained to you people. I don't leep very well at night ometime. I get up and I take a walk and I look up at the ky. I look at the tar! Mr.
Goodman: That' exactly what he doe. Why, thi whole thing, it'... it' madne.由好作网www.hAOzuowEn.com整理
Steve (nod): That' exactly what it i—ome kind of madne.
Charlie' voice (hrill, from acro the treet): You'd better watch who you're een with, Steve! Until we get thi all traightened out, you aren't exactly above upicion yourelf.
Steve (whirling around toward him): Or you, Charlie. Or any of u. From age eight and up!
Woman: What I'd like to know i—what are we going to do? Jut tand around here all night?
Charlie: There' nothin' ele we can do!
Steve (raiing hi voice): There' omething you can do, Charlie. You could go
home and keep your mouth hut. You could quit walking around like a elf-appointed hanging judge and jut climb into bed and forget it.
Charlie: You ound real anxiou to have that happen, Steve. I think we'd better keep our eye on you, too!
Don: I think everything might a well come out now. (He turn toward STEVE.)
Your wife' done plenty of talking, Steve, about how odd you are!
Charlie (picking thi up, hi eye widening): Go ahead, tell u what he' aid.
(STEVE walk toward them from acro the treet.)
Steve: Go ahead, what' my wife aid? Let' get it all out. Let' pick out every unuual habit of every ingle man, woman, and child on the treet. And then we might a well et up ome kind of a kangaroo court. How about a firing quad at dawn, Charlie, o we can get rid of all the upect?
Don: There' no need getting o upet, Steve. It' jut that... well... Myra' talked about how there' been plenty of night you pent hour down in your baement workin' on ome kind of radio.
(By thi time STEVE ha reached the group. He tand there defiantly cloe to them.)
Charlie: Go ahead, Steve. What kind of "radio et" are you workin'on? Who do you talk to on the radio et? And who talk to you?
Steve: I'm urpried at you, Charlie. How come you're o dene all of a udden? (a paue) Who do I talk to? I talk to monter from outer pace. I talk to three—headed green men who fly over here in what look like meteor.
(MRS. BRAND tep down from the porch, bite her lip, call out.)
Mr. Brand: Steve! Steve, pleae. (Then looking around frightened, he walk to ward the group.) It' jut a ham radio et. A lot of people have them. I can how it to you. It' right down in the baement.
Steve (whirl around toward her): Show them nothing! If they want to look inide our houe—let them get a earch warrant.
Charlie: Look, man, you can't afford to—
Steve (interrupting): Don't tart telling me who' dangerou and who in't, and who' afe and who' a menace. (He turn to the group and hout.) And you're with him, too—all of you! You're tanding here all et to find a capegoat—all deperate to point a finger at a neighbor! Well now, look, friend, the only thing that' going to happen i that we'll eat each other up alive—
(He top abruptly a CHARLIE uddenly grab hi arm.)
Charlie (in a huhed voice): That' not the only thing that can happen to u. (A figure uddenly materialize in the darkne. In the ilence we can hear the low, meaured foottep on concrete a the figure walk lowly toward them. One of the women let out a tifled cry.)
Tommy (houting, frightened): It' the monter! It' the monter!
(The people fall back in a group, taring toward the darkne and the approaching figure. DON MARTIN join them, carrying a hotgun. He hold it up.)
Don: We may need thi.
Steve: A hotgun? (He pull it out of DON ' hand.) Will you people wie up? What good would a hotgun do againt—
(CHARLIE pull the gun from STEVE' hand.)
Charlie: No more talk, Steve. You're going to talk u into a grave! You'd let whatever' out there walk right over u, wouldn't you? Well, ome of u won't!
(He wing the gun around to point it toward the idewalk. The dark figure continue to walk toward them. CHARLIE lowly raie the gun. A the figure get cloer, he pull the trigger. The ound explode in the tillne. The figure let out a mall cry, fall forward firt onto hi knee, and then on hi face. DON, CHARLIE, and STEVE run over to him. STEVE i there firt and turn the man over. The crowd gather around them.)
Steve (lowly look up): It' Pete Van Horn.
Don (in a huhed voice): Pete Van Horn! He wa jut going to go over to the next block to ee if the power wa on.
Woman: You killed him, Charlie. You hot him dead!
Charlie (look around at the circle of face, hi eye frightened): But. . . but I didn't know who he wa. I certainly didn't know who he wa. He come walkin' out of the darkne—how am I uppoed to know who he wa? (He grab STEVE.) Steve—you know why I hot! How wa I uppoed to know he wan't a monter or omething?
(He grab DON.) We're all cared of the ame thing. I wa jut tryin'to. . . tryin'to protect my home, that' all! (He look down wildly at the body.) I didn't know it wa omebody we knew! I didn't know...
(There ' a udden huh in the group. Acro the treet all the light go on in one of the houe.)
Woman (in a very huhed voice): Charlie... Charlie... the light jut went on in your houe. Why did the light go on?
Don: What about it, Charlie? How come you're the only one with light now?
Goodman: That' what I'd like to know.
(There' a paue a they all tare toward CHARLIE.)
Goodman: You were o quick to kill, Charlie, and you were o quick to tell u who we had to be careful of. Well, maybe you had to kill. Maybe Pete there wa trying to tell u omething, to tell u who there wa amongt u we hould watch out for—
(CHARLIE back away from the group, hi eye wide with fright.)
Charlie: No... no...it' nothing of the ort! I don't know why the light are on. I wear I don't. Somebody' making a joke or omething.
(He bump againt STEVE, who grab him and furn him around.)
Steve: A joke? Charlie, there' a dead man on the idewalk, and you killed him!
Doe thi thing look like a gag to you?
(CHARLIE break away and cream a he run toward hi houe.)
(A man break away from the crowd to run after CHARLIE. The man tackle him and land on top of him. The other people tart to run toward them. CHARLIE get up on hi feet, break away from the other man' grap and jump up on hi front porch. A rock thrown from the group mahe a window alongide of him. The broken gla flie pat him. A couple of piece cut him. He tand there, blood running down from a cut on hi cheek. Hi wife break away from the group and throw herelf into hi arm. We can ee the crowd moving in on the porch.)
Firt Voice: It mut have been him.
Second Voice: He' the one.
Third Voice: We've got to get Charlie.
(Another rock land on the porch. CHARLIE puhe hi wife behind him and face the group.)
Charlie: Look, look, I wear to you... it in't me... but I do know who it i. I wear to you. I know who the monter i here.
Don: All right, Charlie, let' hear it!
Second Man (creaming): Go ahead, Charlie; tell u.
Charlie: It'...it' the kid. It' Tommy.
Sally: That' crazy. He' only a boy.
Woman: But he knew! He wa the only one who knew! He told u all about it. Well, how could he have known?
(People in the crowd take thi up and repeat the quetion aloud.)
Firt Voice: How could he know?
Second Voice: Who told him?
Third Voice: Make the kid anwer.
(Sally grab TOMMY and tart to run with him. The crowd tart to follow, at firt walking fat, and then running after them. Suddenly CHARLIE' light go off, and the light in another houe go on.)
Man (houting): It in't the kid...it' Bob Weaver' houe.
Woman: No, it' Don Martin' place.
Charlie: I tell you it' the kid.
Don: It' Charlie. He' the one.
(Variou people hout, accue each other, cream. Houe light go on and off.)
Scene Two
In a nearby field it a pace craft in darkne. An open door throw out a beam of light from the inide. Two figure appear.
Firt Figure: Undertand the procedure now? Jut top a few of their machine and radio and telephone and lawn mower... throw them into darkne for a few hour, and then jut it back and watch the effect.
Second Figure: And thi effect i alway the ame?
Firt Figure: With little difference. They pick the mot dangerou enemy they can find. . .and it' themelve.
Second Figure: Then I take it thi place...thi Maple Street...i not an exception.
Firt Figure: By no mean. Their world i full of Maple Street. And we 'll go from one to the other and let them detroy themelve. One to the other...one to the other...one to the other...
各家各户都亮起了蜡烛，没有电。寂静笼罩了整个社区，只能听到人们站在那里小声说话的声音。夏利的目光越过街道，盯着古德曼的房屋。
萨莉（有点儿害怕）：看起来不对劲儿，盯紧他们。为什么，他说他是我们的邻居，这是对的？为什么，从他们搬来我就了解埃塞尔.古德曼的，我们一直是好朋友...
夏利：这说明不了什么。这个总是大清早盯着天空看的家伙...他有点儿问题。或许一般情况下我们会忽略这一点，但是现在不正常。
（史蒂夫从几码之外走下门廊的台阶，沿街走到勒思.古德曼的房前，他在台阶前停下来。古德曼站在那里，古德曼夫人害怕地站在他身后。）
古德曼：就站在那里别动，史蒂夫。我们不想有什么麻烦，但是这次如果有人踏上我家门廊...他就会有麻烦的！
史蒂夫：听着，勒思...
古德曼：我已经跟你们解释了，有时候晚上睡不好，我会起来散步，看看天空，我看的是星星！夫人。
史蒂夫（点头）：确实是...有点疯狂。
夏利的声音（尖叫，从街对面传过来）：你最好清楚大家是怎么看待你的，史蒂夫！在所有的事情澄清之前，你根本不是无可怀疑的！
史蒂夫（转向他）：或者是你，或者我们中的哪个，八岁以上的哪个人！
妇女：我想知道的是--我们在这里做什么？站一整夜吗？
夏利：除此之外没什么可做的！
史蒂夫（抬高嗓音）：你有事做的，夏利。你可以回家，闭上嘴。你可以像个自己做主判处绞刑的法官那样爬到床上，忘掉这件事。
夏利：看来你真的希望这样，史蒂夫。我想我们最好也盯住你！
顿：我希望最好现在就真相大白。（他转向史蒂夫。）你妻子总说你如何的古怪！
夏利（听到这里，他瞪大双眼）：快说，她怎么说的！
（史蒂夫从街对面走向人群。）
史蒂夫：说，我妻子怎么说的？一切都说清楚，让我们找出街上每个男人、女人、孩子的不寻常的习惯。我们还可以设立个私设法庭之类的。天亮时成立个行刑队怎么样，夏利？这样我们就可以免受怀疑?
顿：没必要这么紧张，史蒂夫。只是...麦拉很多个晚上你总在地下室摆弄些无线电什么的。
（这时史蒂夫走到人群跟前，挑战地站在他们面前。）
夏利：说吧，史蒂夫。你在摆弄哪种“无线电”呢？你在无线电里跟谁说话呢？谁在跟你说话呢？
史蒂夫：我对你感到吃惊，夏利。你怎么突然变得这么愚蠢呢？（顿了下）谁跟我说话？我在跟太空的怪物说话，我跟三个...飞来的绿色脑袋、流星一样的人说话。
（布兰德夫人从门廊上走下，咬了下嘴唇，叫道。）
布兰德夫人：史蒂夫，史蒂夫，请...（她害怕地看着四周，避开人群。）那只是个业务无线电，很多人都有的，我可以给你们看，就在地下室里。
史蒂夫（转向妻子）：什么都不要给他们看！如果他们想看我们的房间...让他们拿搜索证来。
夏利：看，家伙，你承担不起...
史蒂夫（打断他的话）：不要告诉我谁危险，谁不危险，谁是安全的，谁是威胁。（他转向人群，叫道。）你们跟他一样---所有的人都是！你们站在那里只是找一个替罪羊...拼命地在邻居间找一个人出来！现在，看吧，朋友们，唯一要发生的事就是，我们要相互咬死对方...
（夏利猛地抓住他的胳膊，史蒂夫突然停下来。）
夏利（低声地）：这不是唯一要发生的事。（黑暗中突然出现一个人影，人影慢慢走进时，寂静中人们听到水泥地上的缓慢、有规律的脚步声，一个妇女发出一声被抑制的叫声。）
汤米（害怕地叫）：是怪物，怪物！
（人群往后退，盯着黑暗中走来的人影。顿.马丁带上一支，加入人群，他举起枪。）
顿：我们可能需要这个。
史蒂夫：？（他把枪从顿手中夺过来。）你脑子昏了吗？枪怎么能用来打...
（夏利从史蒂夫手中夺过枪。）
夏利：别说话，史蒂夫。你会把我们弄死的！你会让任何不明的东西逼近我们吗？我们有的人不会的！
（他摆动枪，对准人行道。黑色人影继续走向人群。夏利慢慢举起枪，人影走近时，他开动扳机。枪声在寂静中响起。人影发出轻微的呼叫，膝盖首先着地，然后是脸。顿，夏利和史蒂夫跑上前。史蒂夫第一个把这个人翻过身，人群把他们围起。）
史蒂夫（慢慢地看了看）：是皮特.范.合恩。
顿（小声地说）：皮特.范.合恩！他只是去临近街区看有没有电。
妇女：你杀了他，夏利，你杀死了他！
夏利（看看四周的面孔，眼神中露出害怕的神情来）：但是...我不知道是谁。我当然不知道他是谁。他从黑暗中走来...我怎么能知道他是谁呢？（他抓住史蒂夫。）史蒂夫--你知道我为什么开枪的！为什么我会认为他不是怪兽什么的呢？
（他抓住顿。）我们都害怕同一样东西。我只是想试图...试图保护我的家，就是这样！（他疯狂地看着地下的尸体。）我不知道是我认识的人！我不知道...
（人群突然安静下来，街对面一家的每个灯都亮起来。）
妇女（低声说）：夏利...夏利...你家的灯亮了。为什么会亮呢？
顿：怎么回事，夏利？为什么只有你家的灯亮了？
古德曼：我也想知道这个。
（顿时人们盯着夏利。）
古德曼：你下手这么快，夏利，你这么快就告诉我们应该提防谁。或许你不得不杀人，或许皮特想告诉我们什么，告诉我们应该提防我们中的哪个人---
（夏利后退几步，眼睛睁大，满是恐惧。）
夏利：不...不...根本没这回事！我不知道灯为什么会亮？我发誓我不知道。有人在开玩笑什么的。
史蒂夫：玩笑？夏利，人行道上有人死人，使你杀的！你是在杀人灭口吗？
（夏利突然挣脱开，尖叫着冲回家去。）
（一个人从人群中跑开，追向夏利。他扭住夏利，把他推到在地。其他的人向他们跑过来，夏利从地上站起，挣脱另一个人，跳向他家前门廊。人群中扔出的石头打碎了他
旁边的窗子，碎裂的玻璃从他身旁飞过，几个碎片划伤了他。他站在那里，鲜血从脸上的伤口留下。他的妻子从人群中跑出来，扑向他的怀抱。人群向门廊走来。）
第一个声音：肯定是他！
第二个声音：就是他！
第三个声音：我们抓住夏利了。
（另一块石头扔到门廊上，夏利把妻子拉到身后，自己面对着人群。）
夏利：听着，听着，我对你们发誓...不是我...但是我确实知道是谁。我对你们发誓。我知道这里谁是怪物。
顿：好的，夏利，说来听听！
第二个男人（尖叫）：说吧，夏利，告诉我们。
夏利：是...是这个孩子。汤米！
萨莉：你疯了，他只是个孩子！
妇女：但是他知道！只有他知道！他告诉我们一切，他怎么知道的呢？
（人们听到这里，再一次大声反复地问。）
第一个声音：他怎么知道的？
第二个声音：谁告诉他的？
第三个声音：让这小孩说话！
（萨莉抓住汤米，开始跟他一起跑。人群开始追起来，起初跑得很快，后来就被甩在后面。突然夏利家的灯熄了，另一家的灯亮了。）
男人（大叫）：不是小孩家的...是鲍勃.韦弗家的。
妇女：不，是顿.马丁家的。
夏利：我告诉你是这小孩家的。
顿：是夏利，就是他。
（很多人大叫起来，互相指责着，尖叫着，房子里的灯亮了又熄了。）
场景二
附近黑暗中的田野里，是一艘宇宙飞船，一束光从一个打开的门中射出，两个身影出现了。
第一个身影：现在知道程序了吗？只要停掉他们的少数机器、收音机、电话和割草机...让他们在黑暗中呆上几个小时，然后坐在这里看结果吧。
第二个身影：结果总是一样的吗？
第一个身影：会有一点儿区别。他们找出能找到的最危险的敌人...就是他们自己。
第二个身影：那么我觉得这里...枫树街...并不是个例外。
第一个身影：根本不是。这个世界到处都是枫树街这样的地方。我们将去一个又一个地方，让他们自己毁掉自己。一个又一个...一个又一个...一个又一个...
1.frightened adj. 受惊的, 受恐吓的
例句：
Frightened children were calling for their mother.
受惊的孩子们呼喊著找妈妈。