雙語讀電影 《愛麗絲夢(mèng)游仙境-2》序 :實(shí)現(xiàn)不可能的唯一方法就是相信它是可能的。

1868, Strait of Malacca
Boom! Boom! Cannon f?ire exploded in the dark, stormy sky.
With a howl, the wind pushed the Wonder, as though helping it dodge the missiles. The moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the three large Malayan junks bearing down on the Wonder, their cannons blazing. These pirates would show no mercy.
The jagged outline of an island reared up in front of the Wonder. Rings of broken rock shoals—perfect for grounding ships—surrounded it.
His arms straining, the helmsman wrestled with the steering wheel as cannon balls whistled through the air. Debris rained down on him, shattering the chronometer.
“Sir!” the helmsman shouted to the f?irst mate. “We’ve lost the clock! We cannot reckon our position through the shoals!”
Scanning the deadly outcroppings ahead of the clipper, the first mate felt a rush of despair. He turned to a f?igure behind him.
“Captain, we must surrender!” the f?irst mate cried. “Or we shall all be lost!”
Alice Kingsleigh stepped out of the shadows, her face f?ierce and determined. She had not worked so hard or traveled so far to lose everything.
“I’m not sure surrendering my father’s ship guarantees survival, Mr. Phelps,” she said calmly.
Alice glanced down at the sextant in her hand, measuring the angle of the moon, and then eyed the barrier shoals ahead. A thrill ran through her as she spotted something her f?irst mate had missed.
“Dead ahead! Full sail!” she cried.
Her crew stared at her in disbelief. Had their captain gone mad?
Mr. Phelps tried to reason with her. “Captain! The shoals ... the ship will founder! That’s impossible!”
“You know my views on that word, Mr. Phelps!”Alice shot him a stern look. Her father had taught her long ago that anything was possible, and Alice’s own adventures had proven that time and again.
“Hard to starboard, Harper!” Alice shouted at the helmsman.
“To starboard? We’ll surely capsize!” Harper cried.
“Exactly, Harper. Exactly ...” Alice said. Her eyes were lit with certainty. Harper had never known his captain to be wrong, so he pulled the ship to the right, gritting his teeth.
The Wonder began to tip to the side even as it barreled toward the rocks. This has to work, Alice thought. Her mad plan was their only hope. Looking skyward, she spotted a young sailor struggling to unfurl the topsail.
“Secure yourselves, men,” Alice called as she raced to a halyard. “We’re going to roll!” Grabbing hold of the rope, she slashed it with her sword. Alice’s eyes shone as the rope lifted her off the deck and carried her to the top of the Wonder. She danced through the rigging and severed the lines keeping the topsail closed. With a whoosh, the sail unfurled and snapped full in the raging wind.
Here we go! Alice thought as the Wonder leaned fully horizontal and the mast she clung to dipped into the frigid ocean waves. The keel of the ship scraped along a sandy shoal; then a wave lifted it and pushed it beyond the barrier into calmer waters.
Alice scrambled to reach the mainsails and used her sword to cut them. The sails slumped like weary travelers. Without the full force of the storm behind it, the Wonder swung upward, righting itself.
A cheer rose from her crew as she slid down to the deck. Were it not for her, they would be dead, and they knew it. Stepping forward, Mr. Phelps bowed his head in admiration.
“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible,” Alice told him, thinking of her father’s ever-optimistic spirit.
She f?ished her beloved pocket watch from her cloak and gazed at its inscription: Charles Kingsleigh, Esq. If only he could be by her side. She stepped across the deck and hung her pocket watch in front of the broken chronometer.
“I trust this will guide us home,” she said. As her crew turned the Wonder toward London, Alice added softly under her breath, “It always has ....”

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