兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》 第三冊 Mummies in the Morning 09

9.跟著帶路人

四周漆黑一片。

“怎么啦?”安妮問。

“我也不知道，奇怪得很。”杰克說，“我們得趕緊從這里出去，一起推門吧。”

“好主意。”安妮小聲說。

他們在黑暗中摸索著方向，終于到了階梯的最高處。

“別著急，不會有問題的。”杰克說。他努力地保持著鎮(zhèn)靜。

“那是當然。”安妮說。

他們用身子頂住木門開始推。

可是門一動不動。

他們更用力地推。

還是沒有用。

杰克深吸了一口氣。他們開始感覺呼吸困難，而且也愈加難以保持鎮(zhèn)靜了。

“咱們怎么辦呢?”安妮問。

“先……先休息一會兒。”杰克喘著氣說。

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。

“也許我們該順著走廊往下走。”他說，“說不定那樣能走到一個出口。”

其實他也并不確定，但沒有別的辦法了。

“來吧。”他說，“摸著墻走。”

杰克一面用手扶著石墻，一面慢慢地順著階梯往下爬。安妮跟在他身后。

杰克又順著漆黑的走廊往下走，簡直是伸手不見五指。

但他依然繼續(xù)向前走著。他一步一個臺階，手扶著旁邊的墻壁。

他轉過了一個墻角，又轉過了另一個墻角，來到了一截階梯跟前，又開始往上爬。

那里有一扇門。杰克推了推門，安妮也跟著使勁推著，可是這扇門也推不開。

難道這就是他們一開始離開的那扇門?

沒辦法，他們這下被困住了。

在黑暗里，安妮緊緊地握住了杰克的手。

他們站在階梯的最高處，在寂靜里默默聆聽著。

“喵。”

“哦，天啊。”杰克小聲說。

“它回來了!”安妮說。

“喵。”

“跟著它!”杰克喊道，“它快要跑遠了。”

他們跟著貓咪的叫聲順著漆黑的走廊往前走。

杰克和安妮用手扶著墻壁，在黑暗里跌跌撞撞地往前走。

“喵。”

他們跟著叫聲一路走過了曲曲折折的走廊，不斷地往下，往下，再往下。

他們拐了一個又一個彎。

終于，杰克和安妮看到了通道盡頭的亮光。他們沖向前去，沖進了明媚的陽光之下。

“耶!”安妮喊著。

但杰克卻還在思考著什么。

“安妮。”他說，“我們是怎么從假通道里出來的?”

“是那只貓。”安妮說。

“可是貓是怎么做到的呢?”杰克問。

“是魔法。”安妮說。

杰克皺了皺眉頭。“可是——”

“看!”安妮說，一面用手指著沙地。

貓咪蹦蹦跳跳地在沙地上跑遠了。

“謝謝你。”安妮喊道。

“謝謝!”杰克也對貓咪喊道。

貓咪的黑尾巴沖著他們搖了搖。

然后，它就消失在閃著光芒的熱浪之中。

杰克望著棕櫚樹，樹上的樹屋仿佛一個鳥巢。

“該回家了。”杰克說。

他和安妮開始朝棕櫚樹走去。這段路真是漫長而炎熱。

終于安妮開始抓著繩梯往上爬，杰克也跟著她向上爬。

他們一鉆進樹屋，杰克就立刻拿出那本關于賓夕法尼亞的書。

就在這時，他聽到一種轟隆隆的聲音，和他們在金字塔里面聽到的那個聲音一模一樣。

“看!”安妮說著用手指向窗外。

杰克也往外看去。

金字塔邊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。

漸漸地木船消失在遠方。

難道是海市蜃樓嗎?

要不就是幽靈王后正在船上，前往她的來世?

“回家吧，杰克。”安妮小聲說。

杰克打開了關于賓夕法尼亞的書。

他用手指著蛙溪鎮(zhèn)的圖片。

“我希望我能回家。”他說。

風吹了起來。

樹葉開始搖擺。

風越刮越猛，風聲也愈來愈大。

樹屋開始打轉。

轉得越來越快。

然后一切都平靜了。

絕對的平靜。

9 Follow the leader

It was pitch dark.

“What happened?” asked Annie.

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

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

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

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

“Of course，” said Annie.

They leaned against the wooden door and pushed.

It wouldn’t budge.

They pushed harder.

No use.

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

“What can we do?” asked Annie.

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

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

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

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

“Come on，” he said.“Feel the wall.”

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

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

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

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

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

Was this the same door they had started at?

It was no use. They were trapped.

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

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

“Meow.”

“Oh， man，” Jack whispered.

“He’s back!” said Annie.

“Meow.”

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

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

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

“Meow.”

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

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

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

“Yay!” Annie shouted.

But Jack was thinking.

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

“The cat，” said Annie.

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

“Magic，” said Annie.

Jack frowned.“But—”

“Look!” said Annie. She pointed.

The cat was bounding away. Over the sand.

“Thank you!” called Annie.

“Thanks!” Jack shouted at the cat.

His black tail waved.

Then he disappeared in the shimmering waves of heat.

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

“Time to go home，” Jack said.

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

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

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

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

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

Jack looked.

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

Then it faded away. Into the distance.

Was it just a mirage?

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

“Home， Jack，” whispered Annie.

Jack opened the Pennsylvania book.

He pointed to the picture of Frog Creek.

“I wish we could go home，” he said.

The wind began to blow.

The leaves began to shake.

The wind blew harder. It whistled louder.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely silent.