兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》 第二冊 Knight At Dawn 08

8騎士

水灌滿杰克的鼻子，淹過他的頭。他的眼鏡掉了，他及時地抓住了它。他咳嗽起來，胡亂地劃動雙臂。

“杰克!”安妮在頭頂上喊著。

“我在……在護城河里!”杰克氣喘吁吁地說。他努力踩水，想把眼鏡重新戴上。他的背包、鞋子、沉重的衣服叫他幾乎不能浮在水面上了。

撲通!

“喂!我在這兒!”安妮急切地說。

杰克可以聽見她在附近。但是他看不見她。

“哪條路能上岸呢?”安妮問。

“我不知道!快游吧!”

杰克用狗爬式游過冰涼的黑黑的水面。

他聽見安妮也在游。起先，她好像游在他前面。不過他接著聽見后面嘩啦一聲響。

“安妮?”他大喊道。

“什么事?”她的聲音來自前面。不在后面。

又嘩啦一聲。在后面。

杰克的心臟幾乎停止跳動了。鱷魚?戴著水蒙蒙的眼鏡他什么也看不清。

“安妮!”他低聲喊著。

“什么?”

“游快些!”

“但是我在這兒了!我在這邊兒。挨著岸邊!”她低聲說。

杰克在黑暗中朝著她聲音游去。他猜想一條鱷魚正跟在他后面滑行。

又嘩啦一聲響!就在不遠處!

杰克的手碰到一個濕淋淋、活生生的東西。

“啊，哎呀!”他大叫著。

“是我!抓住我的手!”安妮說。

杰克抓住她的手。她把他拉上護城河的岸邊。他們爬上河堤，躺在濕漉漉的草地上。

安全了!

又嘩啦一聲響從護城河水中傳來。

“天哪。”杰克說。

他渾身上下打顫，牙齒格格作響。他抖落眼鏡上的水，重新戴上。

霧如此之濃，他看不見城堡。他甚至連護城河也看不見，更不用說一只鱷魚了。

“我們……我們成功了。”安妮說。她的牙齒也格格作響。

“我知道。”杰克說，“但是我們現(xiàn)在在什么地方呢?”他朝霧蒙蒙的黑暗看去。

吊橋在何處?風(fēng)車在何處?鷹屋在何處?樹林在何處?樹屋在何處?

一切的一切都被濃濃的陰濕的黑暗吞沒了。

杰克摸到濕漉漉的背包，拿出手電筒。他撳動開關(guān)。沒有一絲一毫的亮光。

他們陷入困境。不是在地牢里，而是在萬籟俱寂的寒冷的黑暗中。

“咴咴咴咴!”

一匹馬的嘶鳴聲。

正在這時云開了。一輪圓月亮閃閃地照在天空。一道道光驅(qū)散了濃霧。

接著，杰克和安妮看見了幾英尺之外的他——那個騎士。

他騎在黑馬上，盔甲在月光下閃閃發(fā)亮。頭盔遮住他的臉膛。但是他好像一直在凝視著杰克和安妮。

8 The Knight

Water filled Jack’s nose and covered his head. His glasses fell off. He grabbed them just in time. He coughed and flailed his arms.

“Jack!” Annie was calling from above.

“I’m in... the moat!” said Jack， gasping for air. He tried to tread water and put his glasses back on. With his backpack， his shoes， and his heavy clothes， he could hardly stay afloat.

SPLASH!

“Hi! I’m here!” Annie sputtered.

Jack could hear her nearby. But he couldn’t see her.

“Which way’s land?” Annie asked.

“I don’t know! Just swim!”

Jack dog-paddled through the cold black water.

He heard Annie swimming， too. At first it seemed as if she was swimming in front of him. But then he heard a splash behind him.

“Annie?” he called.

“What?” Her voice came from in front. Not behind.

Another splash. Behind.

Jack’s heart almost stopped. Crocodiles? He couldn’t see anything through his waterstreaked glasses.

“Annie!” he whispered.

“What?”

“Swim faster!”

“But I’　m here! I’　m over here! Near the edge!” she whispered.

Jack swam through the dark toward her voice. He imagined a crocodile slithering after him.

Another splash! Not far away!

Jack’s hand touched a wet， live thing.

“Ahhhh!” he cried.

“It’s me! Take my hand!” said Annie.

Jack grabbed her hand. She pulled him to the edge of the moat. They crawled over an embankment onto the wet grass.

Safe!

Another splash came from the moat waters.

“Oh， man，” Jack said.

He was shivering all over. His teeth were chattering. He shook the water off his glasses and put them back on.

It was so misty he couldn’　t see the castle. He couldn’　t even see the moat，much less a crocodile.

“We... we made it，” said Annie. Her teeth were chattering， too.

“I know，” said Jack. “But where are we?” He peered at the foggy darkness.

Where was the drawbridge? The windmill? The hawk house? The grove of trees? The tree house?

Everything had been swallowed up by the thick， soupy darkness.

Jack reached into his wet backpack and pulled out the flashlight. He pushed the switch. No more light.

They were trapped. Not in a dungeon. But in the still， cold darkness.

“Neeee-hhhh!”

A horse’s whinny.

Just then the clouds parted. A full moon was shining in the sky. A pool of light spread through the mist.

Then Jack and Annie saw him just a few feet away. The knight.