English Original
Thomas and Alfred were two best friends. Whenever it got hot, they would take their cows up to a cool, green pasture in the mountains, usually staying there all summer. The work was easy but boring, consisting of tending cows all day and returning to their tiny hut at night for supper, garden work, and sleep.
One day, Thomas suggested making a life-size doll to use as a scarecrow. They both hated a farmer named Harold, so they decided to name the doll after him and make it look like him. They crafted it from straw, giving it a pointy nose and tiny eyes. Each day, they tied Harold to a pole in the garden to scare away birds, bringing him inside every night. Sometimes they would talk to it, with one asking "How's it going?" and the other replying in a weird voice, "Not good." When in a bad mood, they would curse at or kick the doll.
Later, while Thomas was venting his anger on Harold, Alfred swore he heard the doll grunt. "Did you hear that? Harold grunted!" "Impossible, he's just a sack of straw," Thomas replied. Though Alfred dismissed it, they both stopped talking to, kicking, or even touching the doll, leaving it neglected in a corner.
After a while, they decided there was nothing to fear—perhaps just bugs or rats in the straw—and returned to their old routine, even resuming their mistreatment.
One night, Alfred noticed something frightening. "It looks like Harold is growing." "I was thinking the same," Thomas answered. "Maybe it's just our imagination." The next morning, they saw Harold stand up, walk outside, climb onto the roof, and stay there all night. In the morning, it came down and stood in the pasture. Terrified, they decided to flee, taking their cows and heading down to the valley.
After going about a mile, they realized they had forgotten their milking stools. Unable to afford new ones, Alfred forced himself to go back. "I'll catch up with you later. You just keep moving." After walking a while, Thomas looked back at the hut. He did not see Alfred, but what he saw horrified him: Harold was on the roof, stretching out a bloody piece of flesh to dry in the sun.
中文翻译
托马斯和阿尔弗雷德是挚友。每当天气炎热，他们就把牛群赶到山上凉爽的绿色牧场，通常整个夏天都待在那里。工作轻松但乏味，整天就是照看牛群，晚上回到小木屋吃晚饭、打理菜园，然后睡觉。
一天，托马斯提议做一个真人大小的人偶当稻草人。他们俩都讨厌一个名叫哈罗德的农夫，于是决定以他的名字为人偶命名，并把它做得像他。他们用稻草制作，给它安上尖鼻子和小眼睛。每天，他们把哈罗德绑在菜园的杆子上吓鸟，晚上再拿进屋。有时他们会和它说话，一个人问“过得怎么样？”，另一个就用怪腔调回答“不太好。”心情不好时，他们还会咒骂或踢打这个人偶。
后来，当托马斯正对哈罗德发泄怒气时，阿尔弗雷德发誓他听到人偶发出了咕哝声。“你听到了吗？哈罗德出声了！”“不可能，它只是一袋稻草，”托马斯回答。尽管阿尔弗雷德不再提此事，但他们俩都停止了对人偶的说话、踢打甚至触碰，把它遗弃在角落里。
过了一阵子，他们断定没什么好怕的——也许只是稻草里有虫子或老鼠——于是恢复了旧日习惯，甚至重新开始虐待它。
一天晚上，阿尔弗雷德注意到一件可怕的事。“哈罗德好像长大了。”“我也这么觉得，”托马斯答道，“也许只是我们的想象。”第二天早上，他们看见哈罗德站起来，走到外面，爬上屋顶，并在那里待了一整夜。早上，它下来站在了牧场上。两人惊恐万分，决定逃跑，他们赶着牛群向山谷走去。
走了大约一英里后，他们想起忘了带挤奶凳。因为没钱买新的，阿尔弗雷德只好硬着头皮回去取。“我稍后赶上你，你继续往前走。”走了一会儿，托马斯回头望向小屋。他没有看到阿尔弗雷德，但眼前的景象让他毛骨悚然：哈罗德正在屋顶上，摊开一片血淋淋的肉在太阳下晾晒。