12.1 Are You Serious

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

Whoo. The strange sound came from outside the open window.

喔!奇怪的声音从开着的窗外传来。

Jack opened his eyes in the dark.

杰克在黑暗中睁开了眼睛。

The sound came again. Whoo.

声音又传来了。喔!

Jack sat up and turned on his light. He put on his glasses. Then he grabbed the flashlight from his table and shone it out the window.

杰克坐起来，打开了灯。他戴上眼镜。然后他从桌子上抓起手电筒，把它从窗户照了出去。

A white snowy owl was sitting on a tree branch.

一只雪白的猫头鹰坐在树枝上。

"Whoo," the owl said again. Its large yellow eyes looked right into Jack's.

“噢。”猫头鹰又说了一遍。它黄色的大眼睛直视着杰克的眼睛。

What does he want? Jack wondered. Is he a sign,like the rabbit and the gazelle?

他想要什么?杰克想知道。他是一个象兔子和瞪羚一样象征着什么吗?

A long-legged rabbit and a gazelle had led Jack and Annie to the magic tree house for their last two adventures.

一只长腿兔子和一只瞪羚把杰克和安妮带到了魔法树屋，开始了他们最后的两次冒险。

"Whoo.""Wait a second," Jack said to the owl. "I'll get Annie."Jack's sister, Annie, always seemed to know what birds and animals were saying.

“喔。”“等一下。”杰克对猫头鹰说。“我会让安妮。”杰克的妹妹安妮似乎总是知道鸟和动物在说什么。

Jack jumped out of bed and hurried to Annie's room. She was sound asleep.

杰克跳下床，急忙跑到安妮的房间。她睡得很熟。

Jack shook her and she stirred.

杰克摇了摇她，她动了动。

"What?" she said.

“什么?”她说。

"Come to my room," whispered Jack. "I think Morgan's sent another sign."In a split second, Annie was out of bed.

“到我房间来。”杰克低声说。“我想摩根又发出了一个信号。”就在一刹那，安妮下了床。

She hurried with Jack to his room.

她和杰克匆匆走进他的房间。

Jack led her to the window. The snowy owl was still there.

杰克把她领到窗前。那只雪鸮还在那儿。

"Whoo," said the owl. Then he raised his white wings and took off into the night.

“嗬，”猫头鹰说。然后他举起白色的翅膀，飞向黑夜。

"He wants us to go to the woods," said Annie.

“他想让我们去树林里，”安妮说。

"That's what I thought," said Jack. "Meet you downstairs after we get dressed.""No, no. He says go now. Right now," said Annie.

“我也是这么想的。”杰克说。“我们穿好衣服后在楼下等你。”“不,不。他说现在就走。就现在，”安妮说。

"We'll have to wear our pajamas.""I have to put on my sneakers," said Jack.

“我们得穿睡衣。”“我得穿上运动鞋，”杰克说。

"Okay, I'll put on mine, too. Meet you downstairs,"said Annie.

“好吧，我也穿上我的。楼下见。”安妮说。

Jack pulled on his sneakers. He threw his notebook into his backpack. Then he grabbed his flashlight and tiptoed downstairs.

杰克穿上运动鞋。他把笔记本扔进背包。然后他拿起手电筒，踮着脚尖走下楼。

Annie was waiting at the front door. They silently slipped outside together.

安妮在前门等着。他们一起悄悄地溜了出去。

The night air was warm. Moths danced around the porch light.

夜晚的空气是温暖的。飞蛾围绕着门廊的灯光飞舞。

"I feel weird," said Jack. "I'm going back to put on some real clothes.""You can't " said Annie.

“我觉得很奇怪，”杰克说。“我要回去穿些真正的衣服。”“你不能，”安妮说。

"The owl said right now."She jumped off the porch and headed across their dark yard.

猫头鹰立刻说。她跳下门廊，朝他们黑暗的院子走去。

Jack groaned. How did Annie know exactly what the owl said? he wondered.

杰克呻吟着。安妮是怎么确切地知道猫头鹰说了什么?他想知道。

Still, he didn't want to be left behind. So he took off after her.

尽管如此，他还是不想落后。所以他就跟着她跑了。

The moon lit their way as they ran down their street. When they entered the Frog Creek woods, Jack turned on his flashlight.

当他们沿着街道奔跑时，月亮照亮了他们的道路。当他们进入弗拉格-克里克森林时，杰克打开了手电筒。

The beam of light showed shadows and swaying branches.

那束光显示出阴影和晃动的树枝。

Jack and Annie stepped between the trees. They stayed close together.

杰克和安妮走到树中间。他们靠得很近。

"Whoo"Jack jumped in fear.

“呜”杰克吓得跳了起来。

"It's just the white owl," said Annie. "He's somewhere nearby.""The woods are creepy," said Jack.

“就是那只雪鸮，”安妮说。“他在附近的某个地方。”“这片树林令人毛骨悚然。”杰克说。

"Yeah," said Annie. "In the dark, it doesn't even feel like our woods."Suddenly the owl flapped near them.

“是的,”安妮说。“在黑暗中，它甚至不像我们的森林。”突然，猫头鹰在他们身边扑扇着翅膀。

"Yikes!" said Annie.

“哎呀!”安妮说。

Jack shone his flashlight on the white bird as it rose into the sky. The owl landed on a tree branch right ext to the magic tree house.

当那只白色的鸟飞上天空时，杰克用手电筒照着它。猫头鹰降落在魔法树屋旁边的树枝上。

And there was Morgan le Fay, the enchantress librarian. Her long white hair gleamed in the beam of Jack's flashlight.

还有摩根·勒菲，迷人的图书管理员。她长长的白发在杰克的手电筒光中闪闪发光。

"Hello," Morgan called softly in a soothing voice.

“你好，”摩根用抚慰的声音轻声说道。

"Climb up."Jack used his flashlight to find the rope ladder.

“爬上”。杰克用手电筒找到了绳梯。

Then he and Annie climbed up into the tree house.

然后他和安妮爬上树屋。

Morgan was holding three scrolls. Each one held the answer to an ancient riddle that Jack and Annie had already solved.

摩根手里拿着三卷卷轴。每个人都有一个古老的谜语的答案，杰克和安妮已经解开了。

"You have journeyed to the ocean, the Wild West,and Africa to find the answers to these three riddles,"said Morgan. "Ready for another journey?"

“为了找到这三个谜语的答案，你曾经到海洋、蛮荒的西部和非洲旅行过。”摩根说。“准备好另一次旅行了吗?”

"Yes!" said Jack and Annie together.

“是的!”杰克和安妮异口同声地说。

Morgan pulled a fourth scroll from the folds of her robe. She handed it to Annie.

摩根从她长袍的褶皱里抽出第四卷纸。她把它递给安妮。

"After we solve this riddle, will we become Master Librarians?" asked Annie.

“我们解开这个谜题后，我们会成为图书管理员吗?”安妮问。

"And help you gather books through time and space?" said Jack.

“帮助你收集穿越时空的书?”杰克说。

"Almost..." said Morgan.

“差不多…”摩根说。

Before Jack could ask what she meant, Morgan pulled out a book and gave it to him. "For your research," she said.

杰克还没来得及问她是什么意思，摩根就拿出一本书递给了他。“为了你的研究，”她说。

Jack and Annie looked at the book's title:

杰克和安妮看着书名:

ADVENTURE IN THE ARCTIC.

在北极探险。

"Oh, wow, the Arctic!" said Annie.

“哦，哇，北极!”安妮说。

"The Arctic?" said Jack. He turned to Morgan. "Are you serious?"

“北极?”杰克说。他转向摩根。“你是认真的吗?”

"Indeed I am," she said.

“我的确是，”她说。

"And you must hurry.""I wish we could go there," said Annie, pointing at the cover.

“你得快点。”“我希望我们能去那里。”安妮指着封面说。

"Wait--wait a minute--we'll freeze to death!" said Jack.

“等一下——等一下——我们会冻死的!”杰克说。

"Fear not," said Morgan. "I am sending someone to meet you."The wind started to blow.

“别怕，”摩根说。“我派人去接你。”开始刮风了。

"Meet us? Who?" said Jack.

“接我们吗?谁?”杰克说。

"Whoo?" said the snowy owl. Before Morgan could answer, the tree house started to spin.

“噢?”雪鸮说。摩根还没来得及回答，树屋就开始旋转起来。

It spun faster and faster.

它转得越来越快。

Then everything was still.

然后一切都静止了。

Absolutely still.

绝对地静止。