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When Ruth was seventy-eight years old， she visited her daughter Judy and teenage granddaughter Marcy in California. They headed for their cabin， zigzagging forty miles up and down the mountains in their car， from pavement to gravel to a narrow one-lane road of brittle shale and powdery dirt that was terrifyingly close to cliffs.
After dinner Marcy announced the water tank was low and that she would take the car down to the pump and get water. Ruth was nervous about her young granddaughter driving down the narrow dirt road by herself， but Judy reminded her that Marcy had been driving vehicles up there on the ranch roads since she was twelve. “Just be careful， Marcy，” her mother warned. “the cliff side is pretty shaky. Be sure to hug the mountain side.”
Ruth and Judy watched Marcy from the big window where they could see the road winding down the mountainside. Fifteen minutes later Judy was still watching when suddenly she screamed， “Oh,no！ God help us！ She went over the cliff， Momma！ The car and Marcy—they went over！ We have to help her！ Come on！” The cabin door slammed and Judy took off running. Ruth ran behind her， but Judy was quickly out of sight after the first turn in the road. Ruth raced down the steep hill， breathing hard. She ran on and on， trying to catch up with her daughter. It was getting harder and harder to see anything at dusk. Ruth stopped and looked around.
She screamed into the darkness “Judy， where are you？” Off to her immediate right and down the cliff ,she heard， “Down here， Mother！ Don’t come near the edge！ I slipped on loose rocks and fell over. I’m down about twenty feet.”
“Oh,my God， Judy， what can I do？”
“Just stay back， Momma！ The road is giving out all over！ I think I can crawl back up. I saw the white roof of the car when I was falling， Momma， and I heard Marcy calling for help. She’s alive！ But she’s way down there in the ravine. You have to go back to the cabin and phone for help. Tell them to send a helicopter. We have to get Marcy out！”
Ruth resisted looking over the edge to make sure Judy was really okay. She turned around and started running back up the hill. She had one hill left to climb when she stumbled on loose dirt and rocks and fell on her face. Chest pains took her breath away. She started to sob. “Dear God，” she prayed， “please help me get back to the cabin,so I can call for help！”
At that moment,something magic went through Ruth. It was like a powerful energy and she knew for certain that somebody was there to help her. She heard the words， “I am here!” She stood up， completely relaxed and rested. A surge of pain-free energy propelled her forward.
Ruth ran on confidently， faster than she had before， and up that last big hill. She turned into the cabin， pushed through the front door and dialed 911. She sputtered out the details of the disaster but unfortunately， she had no idea where she was. The dispatcher was totally confused. Ruth had to get Judy up to the phone so she could give directions. Ruth stepped out of the cabin into total darkness. She grabbed a three-foot-long walking stick propped against the cabin door and started running back down the switchback road.
She continued to run with energy and determination through the darkness. Up the hill， down the hill， up the second hill. Suddenly she stopped， not knowing where she was. “Marcy！ Judy！” she shouted.
A faint voice cried from directly below. “I’m here， Grandma.”
Another voice. “Momma！” It was Judy.
Ruth scooted herself closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. She held the walking stick over the edge and asked Judy if she could see it.
“I see it， Momma， I’m almost there.”
Ruth heard gravel rolling around where Judy was climbing. Within minutes， Judy grabbed the other end of the stick and Ruth pulled her 140-pound daughter up and over that cliff. Judy crawled into her mother’s lap， shaking and sweating and immediately passed out!
Ruth stroked her wet forehead. “Judy， Judy， wake up. We have to get help for Marcy！” Ruth kept talking and rubbing her daughter’s head. Finally， Judy came to herself!The two women started walking. Dazed and bleeding， Judy fell three times as they walked their way back to the cabin in the darkness.
When they reached the cabin they heard the phone ringing. It was the volunteer emergency crew on the other end. Judy sputtered out directions to where Marcy was. As soon as she hung up， she and her mother started down the mountain again to meet and guide the rescuers. Still energic， calm and confident.
An hour later， the fire trucks， ambulance， paramedics and， finally， the Flight for Life helicopter arrived. It took three-and-a-half hours to cut Marcy free from the wreckage at the bottom of the cliff. At last ，the sheriff pulled her out of the back end of the car and carried her to the waiting ambulance.
The next day， when the sheriff came to visit Marcy in the hospital， he shook his head and said， “That mountain didn’t beat you.” Ruth also knew the mountain didn’t beat them， because God was there that night， protecting her， guiding her， breathing strength into her frail body and told us we became stronger for love. Ruth， Judy and Marcy will have their lives to prove it.
鲁思78岁的时候,去加利福尼亚州看望她的女儿朱蒂和十几岁的外孙女马西｡她们开车在四十英里的山路上曲折前行,前往山上的小屋｡先是走公路,接着是石子路,最后只有一条紧挨着悬崖的狭窄通道——而且是由易碎的泥板岩和粉状的尘土铺成｡
晚餐后,马西说水箱太浅了,她要把车开到抽水机处取水｡鲁思很担心外孙女独自一人开车走那条狭窄的小泥巴路,但是朱蒂却提醒她说,马西12岁就已经驾车在大农场的路上跑了｡“只要小心点就行了,马西,靠悬崖那边的路比较松动｡一定要紧挨着山体这边走｡”
鲁思和朱蒂一直从大窗口注视着马西,从这个窗户她们可以看到缠绕着山腰的山路｡十五分钟后,朱蒂仍然注视着｡突然,她大声喊叫道:“哦,不!上帝保佑!她掉下悬崖了,妈妈!车和马西——他们都掉下去了!我们必须救她,快!”小屋的门砰地关上了,朱蒂飞跑起来｡鲁思跟在她后面,但是很快在第一个路口就不见了朱蒂｡鲁思跑下陡峭的山坡,呼吸急促｡她不停地跑啊跑,想要追上她的女儿｡但是,在夜幕中,一切都变得越来越模糊了｡鲁思停下来,环顾四周｡
她向黑幕中大声叫喊:“朱蒂,你在哪里?”突然,紧靠她右边的悬崖下,她听到:“妈妈,我掉在这里了!别靠近悬崖边上!我在那些松动的石子上滑倒了,摔了下来｡我在下面大概二十英尺处｡”
“哦,上帝！朱蒂,我该怎么办?”
“你只要靠后站就行了,妈妈!这路完全松了!我想我能慢慢地爬上去！我掉下来的时候看到白色的车顶了,妈妈｡我还听到马西在呼救｡她还活着!但是她掉到那边的峡谷里去了｡你要马上回到小屋里去,打电话求救!告诉他们派驾直升机来｡我们必须把马西救出来!”
鲁思忍着没有靠近边上看看朱蒂是不是还好｡她掉转头,开始往山上跑｡终于只剩下一个山坡要爬了｡突然,她在松软的泥土和石子路上绊了一跤并跌倒了,脸朝地趴着｡胸口的剧痛几乎使她窒息｡鲁思开始哭泣:“上帝啊,”她祈祷,“请帮助我回到小屋去吧,这样我才能求救啊!”
就在那一刻,奇迹发生了｡仿佛一股强大的力量穿过她的身体,鲁思知道一定有人在那儿帮助她｡她听到一个声音:“我在这儿!”她站起来,完全放松了,冷静了｡一股巨大的止痛的力量驱使她继续前行｡
鲁思满怀信心地跑着,以比以往都要快的速度爬上了最后一个大山坡｡她冲向小屋,穿过前门,拨了911｡她飞快地讲着灾难的细节,但是很不幸,她却不知道她自己身在何处｡发报员也搞糊涂了｡鲁思必须把朱蒂带到电话这儿来,她才能说出明确的方位｡鲁思暂时离开小屋,又一头扎进了黑暗中｡她取下了一根撑在门后的三英尺长的手杖,开始从来路往回跑｡
她继续以极大的毅力和决心跑着｡上坡,下坡,又上第二个坡｡突然,她停了下来,因为她不知道自己到哪儿了｡“马西!朱蒂!”她大声呼叫｡
一个微弱的哭声从正下方传来｡“我在这里,外婆｡”
接着传来另一个声音,“妈妈!”那是朱蒂!
鲁思迅速靠近悬崖的边缘｡她把手杖伸向悬崖边上,问朱蒂能否看见它｡
“我看到了,妈妈｡我就在这儿｡”
鲁思听到砂砾在朱蒂爬行的地方滚动｡几分钟,朱蒂就抓到了手杖的另一头,鲁思拉起她140磅重的女儿越过悬崖｡朱蒂慢慢地爬向她母亲的大腿,不停地颤抖､流汗,突然,她昏倒了!鲁思抚摸着她湿湿的额头,“朱蒂,朱蒂!醒一醒!我们必须要为马西寻求救援!”鲁思不停地和她说话,不停地摸着她的额头｡终于,朱蒂醒过来了!母女两人开始往回走｡由于头昏眼花,又流着血,在黑暗中摸回小屋的路上,朱蒂摔倒了三次｡
当她们到达小屋时,听见电话铃正在响｡那头是紧急情况志愿者救助队｡朱蒂快速地告诉他们马西的所在｡一挂电话,母女俩又开始往山下跑,要去和救助者会合,要给他们带路｡她们依然是那么精力充沛､那么冷静､那么自信｡
一小时后,救火车,救护车,护理人员和救援的直升机到了｡花了三个半小时才把马西从悬崖底部救出来｡最后,州长把她从车的后端拉出来,送上了正在等待的救护车｡
第二天,当州长去医院探望马西时,他摇头说道:“那座山无法伤害你的｡”鲁思也知道那座山是无法伤害她们的,因为那晚上帝就在那儿､保护她､引导她､为她脆弱的身体注入力量｡他告诉我们,因为爱,我们可以更坚强｡鲁思,朱蒂和马西都会用她们的余生来证明｡
陈德容／选择
After dinner Marcy announced the water tank was low and that she would take the car down to the pump and get water. Ruth was nervous about her young granddaughter driving down the narrow dirt road by herself， but Judy reminded her that Marcy had been driving vehicles up there on the ranch roads since she was twelve. “Just be careful， Marcy，” her mother warned. “the cliff side is pretty shaky. Be sure to hug the mountain side.”
Ruth and Judy watched Marcy from the big window where they could see the road winding down the mountainside. Fifteen minutes later Judy was still watching when suddenly she screamed， “Oh,no！ God help us！ She went over the cliff， Momma！ The car and Marcy—they went over！ We have to help her！ Come on！” The cabin door slammed and Judy took off running. Ruth ran behind her， but Judy was quickly out of sight after the first turn in the road. Ruth raced down the steep hill， breathing hard. She ran on and on， trying to catch up with her daughter. It was getting harder and harder to see anything at dusk. Ruth stopped and looked around.
She screamed into the darkness “Judy， where are you？” Off to her immediate right and down the cliff ,she heard， “Down here， Mother！ Don’t come near the edge！ I slipped on loose rocks and fell over. I’m down about twenty feet.”
“Oh,my God， Judy， what can I do？”
“Just stay back， Momma！ The road is giving out all over！ I think I can crawl back up. I saw the white roof of the car when I was falling， Momma， and I heard Marcy calling for help. She’s alive！ But she’s way down there in the ravine. You have to go back to the cabin and phone for help. Tell them to send a helicopter. We have to get Marcy out！”
Ruth resisted looking over the edge to make sure Judy was really okay. She turned around and started running back up the hill. She had one hill left to climb when she stumbled on loose dirt and rocks and fell on her face. Chest pains took her breath away. She started to sob. “Dear God，” she prayed， “please help me get back to the cabin,so I can call for help！”
At that moment,something magic went through Ruth. It was like a powerful energy and she knew for certain that somebody was there to help her. She heard the words， “I am here!” She stood up， completely relaxed and rested. A surge of pain-free energy propelled her forward.
Ruth ran on confidently， faster than she had before， and up that last big hill. She turned into the cabin， pushed through the front door and dialed 911. She sputtered out the details of the disaster but unfortunately， she had no idea where she was. The dispatcher was totally confused. Ruth had to get Judy up to the phone so she could give directions. Ruth stepped out of the cabin into total darkness. She grabbed a three-foot-long walking stick propped against the cabin door and started running back down the switchback road.
She continued to run with energy and determination through the darkness. Up the hill， down the hill， up the second hill. Suddenly she stopped， not knowing where she was. “Marcy！ Judy！” she shouted.
A faint voice cried from directly below. “I’m here， Grandma.”
Another voice. “Momma！” It was Judy.
Ruth scooted herself closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. She held the walking stick over the edge and asked Judy if she could see it.
“I see it， Momma， I’m almost there.”
Ruth heard gravel rolling around where Judy was climbing. Within minutes， Judy grabbed the other end of the stick and Ruth pulled her 140-pound daughter up and over that cliff. Judy crawled into her mother’s lap， shaking and sweating and immediately passed out!
Ruth stroked her wet forehead. “Judy， Judy， wake up. We have to get help for Marcy！” Ruth kept talking and rubbing her daughter’s head. Finally， Judy came to herself!The two women started walking. Dazed and bleeding， Judy fell three times as they walked their way back to the cabin in the darkness.
When they reached the cabin they heard the phone ringing. It was the volunteer emergency crew on the other end. Judy sputtered out directions to where Marcy was. As soon as she hung up， she and her mother started down the mountain again to meet and guide the rescuers. Still energic， calm and confident.
An hour later， the fire trucks， ambulance， paramedics and， finally， the Flight for Life helicopter arrived. It took three-and-a-half hours to cut Marcy free from the wreckage at the bottom of the cliff. At last ，the sheriff pulled her out of the back end of the car and carried her to the waiting ambulance.
The next day， when the sheriff came to visit Marcy in the hospital， he shook his head and said， “That mountain didn’t beat you.” Ruth also knew the mountain didn’t beat them， because God was there that night， protecting her， guiding her， breathing strength into her frail body and told us we became stronger for love. Ruth， Judy and Marcy will have their lives to prove it.
鲁思78岁的时候,去加利福尼亚州看望她的女儿朱蒂和十几岁的外孙女马西｡她们开车在四十英里的山路上曲折前行,前往山上的小屋｡先是走公路,接着是石子路,最后只有一条紧挨着悬崖的狭窄通道——而且是由易碎的泥板岩和粉状的尘土铺成｡
晚餐后,马西说水箱太浅了,她要把车开到抽水机处取水｡鲁思很担心外孙女独自一人开车走那条狭窄的小泥巴路,但是朱蒂却提醒她说,马西12岁就已经驾车在大农场的路上跑了｡“只要小心点就行了,马西,靠悬崖那边的路比较松动｡一定要紧挨着山体这边走｡”
鲁思和朱蒂一直从大窗口注视着马西,从这个窗户她们可以看到缠绕着山腰的山路｡十五分钟后,朱蒂仍然注视着｡突然,她大声喊叫道:“哦,不!上帝保佑!她掉下悬崖了,妈妈!车和马西——他们都掉下去了!我们必须救她,快!”小屋的门砰地关上了,朱蒂飞跑起来｡鲁思跟在她后面,但是很快在第一个路口就不见了朱蒂｡鲁思跑下陡峭的山坡,呼吸急促｡她不停地跑啊跑,想要追上她的女儿｡但是,在夜幕中,一切都变得越来越模糊了｡鲁思停下来,环顾四周｡
她向黑幕中大声叫喊:“朱蒂,你在哪里?”突然,紧靠她右边的悬崖下,她听到:“妈妈,我掉在这里了!别靠近悬崖边上!我在那些松动的石子上滑倒了,摔了下来｡我在下面大概二十英尺处｡”
“哦,上帝！朱蒂,我该怎么办?”
“你只要靠后站就行了,妈妈!这路完全松了!我想我能慢慢地爬上去！我掉下来的时候看到白色的车顶了,妈妈｡我还听到马西在呼救｡她还活着!但是她掉到那边的峡谷里去了｡你要马上回到小屋里去,打电话求救!告诉他们派驾直升机来｡我们必须把马西救出来!”
鲁思忍着没有靠近边上看看朱蒂是不是还好｡她掉转头,开始往山上跑｡终于只剩下一个山坡要爬了｡突然,她在松软的泥土和石子路上绊了一跤并跌倒了,脸朝地趴着｡胸口的剧痛几乎使她窒息｡鲁思开始哭泣:“上帝啊,”她祈祷,“请帮助我回到小屋去吧,这样我才能求救啊!”
就在那一刻,奇迹发生了｡仿佛一股强大的力量穿过她的身体,鲁思知道一定有人在那儿帮助她｡她听到一个声音:“我在这儿!”她站起来,完全放松了,冷静了｡一股巨大的止痛的力量驱使她继续前行｡
鲁思满怀信心地跑着,以比以往都要快的速度爬上了最后一个大山坡｡她冲向小屋,穿过前门,拨了911｡她飞快地讲着灾难的细节,但是很不幸,她却不知道她自己身在何处｡发报员也搞糊涂了｡鲁思必须把朱蒂带到电话这儿来,她才能说出明确的方位｡鲁思暂时离开小屋,又一头扎进了黑暗中｡她取下了一根撑在门后的三英尺长的手杖,开始从来路往回跑｡
她继续以极大的毅力和决心跑着｡上坡,下坡,又上第二个坡｡突然,她停了下来,因为她不知道自己到哪儿了｡“马西!朱蒂!”她大声呼叫｡
一个微弱的哭声从正下方传来｡“我在这里,外婆｡”
接着传来另一个声音,“妈妈!”那是朱蒂!
鲁思迅速靠近悬崖的边缘｡她把手杖伸向悬崖边上,问朱蒂能否看见它｡
“我看到了,妈妈｡我就在这儿｡”
鲁思听到砂砾在朱蒂爬行的地方滚动｡几分钟,朱蒂就抓到了手杖的另一头,鲁思拉起她140磅重的女儿越过悬崖｡朱蒂慢慢地爬向她母亲的大腿,不停地颤抖､流汗,突然,她昏倒了!鲁思抚摸着她湿湿的额头,“朱蒂,朱蒂!醒一醒!我们必须要为马西寻求救援!”鲁思不停地和她说话,不停地摸着她的额头｡终于,朱蒂醒过来了!母女两人开始往回走｡由于头昏眼花,又流着血,在黑暗中摸回小屋的路上,朱蒂摔倒了三次｡
当她们到达小屋时,听见电话铃正在响｡那头是紧急情况志愿者救助队｡朱蒂快速地告诉他们马西的所在｡一挂电话,母女俩又开始往山下跑,要去和救助者会合,要给他们带路｡她们依然是那么精力充沛､那么冷静､那么自信｡
一小时后,救火车,救护车,护理人员和救援的直升机到了｡花了三个半小时才把马西从悬崖底部救出来｡最后,州长把她从车的后端拉出来,送上了正在等待的救护车｡
第二天,当州长去医院探望马西时,他摇头说道:“那座山无法伤害你的｡”鲁思也知道那座山是无法伤害她们的,因为那晚上帝就在那儿､保护她､引导她､为她脆弱的身体注入力量｡他告诉我们,因为爱,我们可以更坚强｡鲁思,朱蒂和马西都会用她们的余生来证明｡
陈德容／选择