3.9 Follow the Leader

MT英语（ID:mtkouyu)
专辑：【英文原版童话故事】
文本整理：Doris

It was pitch dark.

四周漆黑一片。

“What happened?” asked Annie.

“怎么啦?”安妮问。

“I don’t know. Something weird,” said Jack. “We have to get out of here fast. Push against the door.”

“我也不知道，奇怪得很。”杰克说，“我们得赶紧从这里出去，一起推门吧。”

“Good idea,” said Annie in a small voice.

“好主意。”安妮小声说。

They felt their way through the darkness. To the top of the stairs.

他们在黑暗中摸索着方向，终于到了阶梯的最高处。

“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay,” said Jack. He was trying to stay calm.

“别着急，不会有问题的。”杰克说。他努力地保持着镇静。

“Of course,” said Annie.

“那是当然。”安妮说。

They leaned against the wooden door and pushed.

他们用身子顶住木门开始推。

It wouldn’t budge.

可是门一动不动。

They pushed harder.

他们更用力地推。

No use.

还是没有用。

Jack took a deep breath. It was getting harder to breathe. And harder to stay calm.

杰克深吸了一口气。他们开始感觉呼吸困难，而且也愈加难以保持镇静了。

“What can we do?” asked Annie.

“咱们怎么办呢?”安妮问。

“Just...just rest a moment,” said Jack, panting.

“先……先休息一会儿。”杰克喘着气说。

His heart was pounding as he tried to see through the darkness.

杰克努力地想看清黑暗中的一切，他能感到自己的心怦怦直跳。

“Maybe we should start down the hall,” he said. “Maybe we’ll eventually come to to an exit.”

“也许我们该顺着走廊往下走。”他说，“说不定那样能走到一个出口。”

He wasn’t sure about that. But they had no choice.

其实他也并不确定，但没有别的办法了。

“Come on,” he said. “Feel the wall.”

“来吧。”他说，“摸着墙走。”

Jack felt the stone wall as he climbed slowly down the stairs. Annie followed.

杰克一面用手扶着石墙，一面慢慢地顺着阶梯往下爬。安妮跟在他身后。

Jack started down the dark hallway. It was impossible to see anything.

杰克又顺着漆黑的走廊往下走，简直是伸手不见五指。

But he kept going. Taking one step at a time. Moving his hands along the wall.

但他依然继续向前走着。他一步一个台阶，手扶着旁边的墙壁。

He went around a corner. He went around another corner. He came to some stairs. He went up.

他转过了一个墙角，又转过了另一个墙角，来到了一截阶梯跟前，又开始往上爬。

There was a door. He pushed against it. Annie pushed too. This door wouldn’t budge either.

那里有一扇门。杰克推了推门，安妮也跟着使劲推着，可是这扇门也推不开。

Was this the same door they had started at?

难道这就是他们一开始离开的那扇门?

It was no use. They were trapped.

没办法，他们这下被困住了。

Annie took his hand in the dark. She squeezed it.

在黑暗里，安妮紧紧地握住了杰克的手。

They stood together at the top of the stairs. Listening to the silence.

他们站在阶梯的最高处，在寂静里默默聆听着。

“Meow.”

“喵。”

“Oh, man,” Jack whispered.

“哦，天啊。”杰克小声说。

“He’s back!” said Annie.

“它回来了!”安妮说。

“Meow.”

“喵。”

“Follow him!” cried Jack. “He’s going away from us.”

“跟着它!”杰克喊道，“它快要跑远了。”

They started down the dark hallway. Following the cat’s meow.

他们跟着猫咪的叫声顺着漆黑的走廊往前走。

Hands against the wall, Jack and Annie stumbled through the darkness.

杰克和安妮用手扶着墙壁，在黑暗里跌跌撞撞地往前走。

“Meow.”

“喵。”

They followed the sound. All the way through the winding hallway. Down, down, down.

Around one corner, then another. And another...

他们跟着叫声一路走过了曲曲折折的走廊，不断地往下，往下，再往下。

他们拐了一个又一个弯。

Finally they saw a light at the end of the tunnel. They rushed forward—out into the bright sunlight.

终于，杰克和安妮看到了通道尽头的亮光。他们冲向前去，冲进了明媚的阳光之下。

“Yay!” Annie shouted.

“耶!”安妮喊着。

But Jack was thinking.

但杰克却还在思考着什么。

“Annie,” he said. “How did we get out of the false passage?”

“安妮。”他说，“我们是怎么从假通道里出来的?”

“The cat,” said Annie.

“是那只猫。”安妮说。

“But how could the cat do it?” asked Jack.

“可是猫是怎么做到的呢?”杰克问。

“Magic,” said Annie.

“是魔法。”安妮说。

Jack frowned. “But—”

杰克皱了皱眉头。“可是——”

“Look!” said Annie. She pointed.

“看!”安妮说，一面用手指着沙地。

The cat was bounding away. Over the sand.

猫咪蹦蹦跳跳地在沙地上跑远了。

“Thank you!” called Annie.

“谢谢你。”安妮喊道。

“Thanks!” Jack shouted at the cat.

“谢谢!”杰克也对猫咪喊道。

His black tail waved.

猫咪的黑尾巴冲着他们摇了摇。

Then he disappeared in the shimmering waves of heat.

然后，它就消失在闪着光芒的热浪之中。

Jack looked toward the palm trees. At the top of one sat the tree house. Like a bird’s nest.

杰克望着棕榈树，树上的树屋仿佛一个鸟巢。

“Time to go home, ” Jack said.

“该回家了。”杰克说。

He and Annie set off for the palm trees. It was a long hot walk back.

他和安妮开始朝棕榈树走去。这段路真是漫长而炎热。

At last Annie grabbed onto the rope ladder.Then Jack.

终于安妮开始抓着绳梯往上爬，杰克也跟着她向上爬。

Once they were inside the tree house, Jack reached for the book about Pennsylvania.

他们一钻进树屋，杰克就立刻拿出那本关于宾夕法尼亚的书。

Just then he heard a rumbling sound. The same sound they had heard in the pyramid.

就在这时，他听到一种轰隆隆的声音，和他们在金字塔里面听到的那个声音一模一样。

“Look!” Annie said, pointing out the window.

“看!”安妮说着用手指向窗外。

Jack looked.

杰克也往外看去。

A boat was beside the pyramid. It was gliding over the sand. Like a boat sailing over the sea.

金字塔边有一只木船正在沙地上滑行，仿佛一只在大海上航行的小船。

Then it faded away. Into the distance.

渐渐地木船消失在远方。

Was it just a mirage?

难道是海市蜃楼吗?

Or was the ghost-queen finally on her way to the Next Life?

要不就是幽灵王后正在船上，前往她的来世?

“Home, Jack,” whispered Annie.

“回家吧，杰克。”安妮小声说。

Jack opened the Pennsylvania book.

杰克打开了关于宾夕法尼亚的书。

He pointed to the picture of Frog Creek.

他用手指着蛙溪镇的图片。

“I wish we could go home,” he said.

“我希望我能回家。”他说。

The wind began to blow.

风吹了起来。

The leaves began to shake.

树叶开始摇摆。

The wind blew harder. It whistled louder.

风越刮越猛，风声也愈来愈大。

The tree house started to spin.

树屋开始打转。

It spun faster and faster.

转得越来越快。

Then everything was still.

然后一切都平静了。

Absolutely silent.

绝对的平静。