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| I don't know where the idea came from, but when it appeared, it constantly bothered me. There was no reason for it. There was no strong feeling about it. I actually liked the old man. He never hurt me. He never made me upset. I didn't want his money. I think that it was because of his eye! Yes, it was that! One of his eyes looked like a vulture's, a light blue eye with a thin layer over it. Whenever it looked at me, I felt scared, and I very slowly decided to kill the old man to get rid of his eye forever.
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| colspan="2" | Mi no jixi ku idey le ofata keloka, mas denwatu hu to le precu, to le kostante lawfen mi. Le no hay seba kos to. Le no hay bala ganjon tem to. Fe fato, mi le suki lao manixu. Te le nilwatu guton mi. Te le nilwatu burganjongi mi. Mi le no vole tesu pesa. Mi fikir ki seba le sen tesu oko! Si, dento le sen seba! Un to of tesu oko okocu sim kom to de nasru, sefidesim blue oko har dambo cengu per to. Denwatu hu to le oko mi, mi le ganjoncu fobido, ji mi le daymo hanman karar na morgi lao manixu cel na
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| Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded; with what caution, with what foresight, with what dissimulation, I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night about midnight I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh, so gently! And then when I had made an opening sufficient for my head I put in a dark lantern all closed, closed so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly, very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this? And then when my head was well in the room I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked), I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights, every night just at midnight, but I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work, for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.
| Here's the point. You think that I'm crazy. Crazy people know nothing. But you should've seen me. You should've seen how cleverly I acted; very carefully, very smartly, very secretly, I worked! I was never nicer to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night at about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it: oh, so gently! And then, when I made a hole big enough for my head, I put in a dark lantern, completely closed so no light shined out, and then I put my head through. Oh, you should've seen how cunningly I put it through! I moved it slowly, very, very slowly, so I wouldn't disrupt the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to put my head through enough so that I could see him as he laid on his bed. Hah! Would a crazy person have been as clever as this? And then when my head was fully in the room, I opened the lantern carefully, very carefully (because the hinges made noise); I opened it just enough for a thin ray of light to reach the vulture eye. And I did this for seven long nights, every night at exactly midnight, but I saw that the eye was always closed, so it was impossible to do the work. It wasn't the old man that bothered me; it was his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the daylight came, I confidently entered the room and spoke boldly to him, cheerfully calling him by name, and asked how his night was. He'd have to be really smart to find out that every night at exactly midnight, I looked at him while he slept.
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| colspan="2" | Hinto sen debatemon. Yu fikir ki mi sen majnuni. Majnuniyen jixi nilto. Mas yu le ingay na oko mi. Yu le ingay na oko ku kemo gomyo, mi le aksyon; daymo juipul, daymo cinonpul, daymo sirili, mi le ergo! Mi le nilwatu sen maxmo lutufpul tas lao manixu kom dur total sabedin leki mi le morgi te. Ji fe moy noce fe daju midinoce, mi le rota hantatul de tesu dwer ji le buka to: o, daydenmo sotikal! Ji jaxali, denwatu hu mi le fale kufimo day hongu tas misu kapi, mi le ingi luminkal lenterna, kompletomo klosido celki nil lumin le brila, ji jaxali, mi le pasgi misu kapi. O, yu le ingay na oko ku kemo gomyo, mi le pasgi to! Mi le harka to hanman, daymo, daymo hanman, celki mi ger le no jundwan somno de manixu. Mi le pasa un satu cel na kufi pasgi misu kapi celki mi le abil na oko te durki te le leta per tesu bistar. Ha! Kam majnuniyen ger le sen denmo gomyo kom hinto? Ji jaxali, denwatu hu misu kapi le
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| Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers, of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was opening the door little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea, and perhaps he heard me, for he moved on the bed suddenly as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back—but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close fastened through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
| On the eighth night, I was more cautious than usual when I opened the door. I moved my hand more slowly than a watch's minute hand. I never realized the extent of my abilities and wisdom like I did that night. I could hardly contain my feeling of triumph. Imagine me opening the door little by little, and him being unaware of my secret actions and thoughts. I somewhat chuckled at the idea, and he might have heard me because he suddenly moved on the bed as if startled. You might think that I retreated, but no. His room was completely dark (the windows were tightly closed because of a fear of robbers), and so I knew that he couldn't see the door opening, and I kept pushing it steadily, steadily.
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| colspan="2" | Fe ocoyum noce, mi le sen maxmo juipul kom norma denwatu hu mi le buka dwer. Mi le harka misu hanta maxmo hanman kom minuto-
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| I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in the bed, crying out, "Who's there?"
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| I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime, I did not hear him lie down. He still sat in the bed, listening, just as I did night after night, listening to the beetles in the wall.
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| colspan="2" | Mi le resta totalmo harkakal ji le loga nilto. Fe total satu, mi le no harka adola, ji fe durya, mi le no ore ki te le letacu. Te le haji side in bistar, orene, precisomo denmaner hu mi le fale to fe
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| Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief—oh, no! it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself, "It is nothing but the wind in the chimney, it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain, because Death in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel, although he neither saw nor heard, to feel the presence of my head within the room.
| Soon, I heard a weak exhale, and I knew that it was the exhale of terror. It wasn't an exhale of pain or sadness, oh no! It was the quiet, held-in sound that comes from the bottom of the soul when filled with fear. I knew that sound well. Many nights, at exactly midnight, when everyone was asleep, it grew in my chest, increasing the fears that bothered me with its frightening echo. I tell you, I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I secretly thought that it was funny. I knew that he had been awake since the first slight noise when he turned in bed. His fears had been growing since then. He had tried to convince himself that they were baseless, but he couldn't. He had been telling himself, "It's just the wind in the chimney, it's just a mouse crossing the floor," or "It's just a cricket that made a single chirp." Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions, but he had no success. It didn't work because Death, as he approached him, made his dark shadow in front of him and wrapped him in it. And that unseen shadow made him sense, although he neither saw nor heard, my presence in the room.
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| colspan="2" | Nerxali, mi le ore daif exnafasu, ji mi le jixi ki to le sen exnafasu fe teror. To le no sen exnafasu fe guton or hazuniya, o no! To le sen lil, inharedo soti hu da exidi
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| When I had waited a long time very patiently without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little—a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it—you cannot imagine how stealthily—until at length a single dim ray like the thread of the spider shot out from the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye.
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