翼 　　

　　

　　第二天非常潮湿。整天下雨，孩子们不能去看赛米德。他们呆在家里，给母亲写信。但是没有人告诉她赛米德的事。第二天，他们的叔叔理查德来带他们出去，所以他们两天没有看到赛米德。但是安西娅花了很多时间思考该许什么愿。 　　

　　

　　第二天外面非常潮湿。整天下雨，孩子们不能去看赛米德。他们呆在家里给妈妈写信。但是没人告诉她赛米德的事。又过了一天，他们的理查德叔叔来了，带他们出去了，所以他们两天没有见到赛米德。但是安西娅花了很多时间思考她应该许什么愿。 　　

　　

　　第二天早上，当玛莎忙于照顾婴儿时，孩子们悄悄地离开了家，去看赛米德。在路上，安西娅对其他人说：“我知道我们要什么了——翅膀！” 　　

　　

　　另一天早上，当玛莎忙于照顾她的小弟弟时，孩子们悄悄地离开家去看赛米德。在路上，安西娅对每个人说：“我知道我们想要什么了——翅膀！” 　　

　　

　　其他人沉默了一会儿，但是他们都同意他们也想要有翅膀。 　　

　　

　　好一会儿没有其他人说话，但后来他们都同意了，他们愿意长出翅膀。 　　

　　

　　他们很容易就找到了赛米德。“我希望我们都有美丽的翅膀来飞翔，”安西娅说。 　　

　　

　　他们毫不费力地找到了赛米德。“我希望我们都有可以用来飞翔的漂亮翅膀，”安西娅说。 　　

　　

　　赛米德把自己变得很大，然后又变小了。孩子们感到奇怪了一会儿，当他们看的时候，他们看到他们有许多颜色的美丽柔软的翅膀。他们把它们搬来搬去，跳上跳下，很快他们就能看到脚下的绿色田野和阳光明媚的树林，以及头顶的蓝天。他们会飞！太棒了，他们在树林和树木、城镇和村庄上空飞了很长时间。但是他们开始饿了。 　　

　　

　　赛米德把自己变得很大，然后变得很小。一瞬间，孩子们觉得有些奇怪，但当他们看着它时，他们看到他们长出了色彩鲜艳、柔软而美丽的翅膀。它们扑扇着翅膀跳上跳下，很快就看到了它们下面的绿色田野，阳光明媚的小树林和它们上面的蓝色天空。他们会飞！这太棒了。他们在树林、城市和城镇上空飞行了很长时间。但是他们饿了。 　　

　　

　　就在这时，他们看到下面有几棵树，树上结满了红色的大李子。“我们不能偷，”西里尔说。 　　

　　

　　就在这时，他们看到下面有一些树，树上结满了红色的大李子。“我们不能偷。”西里尔说。 　　

　　

　　“我们有翅膀，”简很快地回答，“所以我们是鸟。”。鸟拿东西没关系。鸟儿不会偷东西。 　　

　　

　　“我们有翅膀，”简很快回答，“所以我们是鸟。拿点东西没问题。鸟是不会偷的。” 　　

　　

　　所以他们逃走了 　　

ew down onto the trees, and they ate as many of the plums as they could.

　　

所以他们飞下来落在树上,尽情地大吃李子。

　　

　　

They were finishing the plums when they saw a very angry little fat man, who was hurrying through the trees. They were his plums and the poor man thought that boys from the village were stealing them. But when he saw that the children had wings, his mouth fell open and his face went green. Anthea did not want to steal anything, of course, so she flew down and pushed some money into his pocket.

　　

他们正要吃完的时候,突然看见一个非常生气的小矮胖子。他正急急忙忙地在树间穿梭。那是他的李子,那可怜的人认为是村里的孩子们在偷他的李子。但是当 他看见这几个孩子长着翅膀时,他张大了嘴巴,脸色苍白。安西娅当然不愿偷东西,所以她飞下来把一些钱塞在他兜里。

　　

　　

'Don't be afraid,' she said. 'We've had some of your plums. We thought that it wasn't stealing, but now I'm not so sure. So that was some money to pay for them.'

　　

“别怕,”她说, “我们吃了你的一些李子。我们起初觉得这不是偷,可现在我也不敢那么肯定。所以那是付给你的些李子钱。”

　　

　　

The little man sat there on the ground and looked up into the sky. 'Talking birds! Children with wings! This is a lesson for me. From now on, I'm going to live a better life,' he said. And he went into the house and was very kind to his wife.

　　

那个胖子坐在那儿地上,仰望着天空。“会说话的鸟!长翅膀的孩子!这对我可是一课。从今以后,我要过得好点儿,”他说。他进房里去,对他的妻子很和蔼。

　　

　　

Plums are very nice, of course, but you soon feel hungry again. So the children stopped first at one house, then another, to ask for something to eat. They didn't get anything because everyone was afraid of them and screamed and ran away when they saw them. By four o'clock they were getting very tired and hungry, so they flew down onto the roof of a church, to think what to do.

　　

李子当然很好吃,可很快你就又饿了,所以孩子们在一幢又一幢房子前停下来,想要些东西吃。他们什么也没得到,因为所有的人见到他们时都很害怕,尖叫着跑开了。到4点时他们变得又累又饿,于是就飞落在教堂的屋顶上,想想怎么办。

　　

　　

'We can't possibly fly all the way home without something to eat,' said Robert.

　　

“我们要是没有东西吃,就不可能飞回家去。”罗伯特说。

　　

　　

In the end, they decided to take some food from the vicar's house next to the church.

　　

最后他们决定从紧挨着教堂的牧师家里拿些食物。

　　

　　

'He's a good man. He'll understand. We'll leave some money for the food,' Cyril said, 'and a note saying that we're sorry.'

　　

“他是好人。他会理解的。我们留些食品钱,”西里尔说, “再留张便条说我们很抱歉。”

　　

　　

Cyril got in through the window and gave the food to the others, who were outside. There was some cold meat, half a cold chicken, some bread and a bottle of soda water. Then they all flew back up onto the church roof to eat it. They were very hungry, so they really enjoyed it. But when you are very hungry, and then you eat a big meal and sit in the hot sun on a roof, it is very easy to fall asleep. And so they did― while the sun slowly went down in the west.

　　

西里尔从窗子进去,把食物拿给在外边的其他孩子。有些冷肉、半只冷鸡、一些面包和一瓶汽水。然后他们全飞回到教堂房顶上吃起来。他们很饿,所以吃得很香。可是当你很饿的时候大吃了一顿、又在屋顶上晒着太阳时,那是很容易睡着的。他们就睡着了――这时太阳慢慢地从西边落下去。

　　

　　

They slept for a long time. When they woke up it was dark ―and, of course, they had no wings.

　　

他们睡了好长时间。他们醒来的时候天黑了――当然了,他们也没有翅膀了。

　　

　　

'We must get home,' Cyril said. 'There's a door over there. That's the way down.'

　　

“我们得回家了。”西里尔说,“那儿有个门。那是下去的路。”

　　

　　

But when they tried the door, they found that it was locked from the other side. They were on top of the church and they had no wings! How were they going to get down?

　　

可他们试着开门时才发现门是从另一面锁上的。他们在教堂顶上,又没有了翅膀! 他们怎么下去呢?

　　

　　

Anthea put her arms around Jane, who was beginning to cry. 'It will only be for one night,' she said.

　　

安西娅用单臂挽住简，简这时已开始哭起来了。“只不过呆一夜，”她说。

　　

　　

Then Cyril said, 'I know. Let's shout! The lights are on in the vicar's house. Someone will hear us and get us down.'

　　

接着西里尔说：“我知道了。我们喊吧!牧师的家里有灯光。会有人听见并帮我们下去的。”

　　

　　

So they shouted and screamed as loudly as they could, and the people in the house heard them. The vicar ran out with his servant.

　　

所以他们用最大的声音喊叫起来，房子里的人听见了他们的叫声。牧师和他的仆人跑了出来。

　　

　　

'Someone is murdering somebody in the church!' the vicar said, afraid. 'Perhaps it's the thief who stole the cold chicken and things.'

　　

“教堂里有人在杀人!”牧师害怕地说，“可能是偷了冷鸡和别的东西的小偷。”

　　

　　

But they could not understand why the voices were coming from the sky. So the children shouted, 'We're up here ―on top of the church!'

　　

可他们不明白为什么声音是从空中传来的。于是孩子们就嚷：“我们在这儿――在教堂顶上!”

　　

　　

The two men were still afraid, but, slowly and carefully, they went up the stairs inside the church. When they came to the top, the vicar shouted through the closed door, 'How many of you are there? Have you got guns?'

　　

这两个人还很害怕，可他们慢慢地、小心地从教堂内的楼梯走上来。当他们到了顶上时，牧师在锁着的门的另一边叫道：“你们几个人?有枪吗?”

　　

　　

'There are four of us, and, no, we haven't got guns,' Cyril answered.

　　

“我们四个人；没有，我们没有枪。”西里尔回答。

　　

　　

Slowly, the vicar opened the door.

　　

牧师慢慢地打开门。

　　

　　

'Good Heavens!' he cried. 'They're children!'

　　

“天哪!”他叫道，“是些孩子!”

　　

　　

'Oh, please take us down,' cried Jane.

　　

“哦，请带我们下去吧。”简哭着说。

　　

　　

So the vicar and his servant took them down and into the vicar's house. Of course, the vicar wanted to know why the children were on the church roof.

　　

牧师和他的仆人带他们下来，进了牧师屋里。当然喽，牧师想知道孩子们为什么在教堂顶上。

　　

　　

'We went up there because we wanted to see what it was like,' said Cyril. 'But then we couldn't get down again because the door was locked.' He didn't say anything about the wings, of course.

　　

“我们上那儿去是因为我们想看看那是什么样子。”西里尔说，“可是我们下不来了，因为门被锁上了。”关于翅膀的事他当然什么都没说。

　　

　　

'But who locked the door?' the vicar asked.

　　

“可谁锁的门?”牧师问。

　　

　　

'We don't know,' Jane answered. 'But we're not telling you everything.'

　　

“不知道。”简说，“可我们不会把一切都告诉你的。”

　　

　　

'Ah! There's a friend in it, then,' said the vicar's servant man, who was called Beale.

　　

“啊!那么是有个朋友参与其中吧。”牧师的男仆说。他叫比伊尔。

　　

　　

'Yes, but we can't tell you about him,' said Anthea, thinking of the Psammead. 'We really are very sorry, and please, can we go home now?'

　　

“是的，可我们不能告诉你他的事。”安西娅说，想起了赛米德。“我们真的非常抱歉;还有，请问，我们可以回家了吗?”

　　

　　

The vicar still did not understand, but he was a kind man, so he sent the children home in a carriage with his servant. Martha, of course, was very angry with them, but Mr. Bealeexplained everything very well. He was a good-looking young man with a nice smile, and after a while Martha forgot to be angry.

　　

牧师仍然不明白，可是他是个好心的人，所以他让仆人用马车送孩子们回家。马莎当然十分生他们的气，可是比伊尔先生把事情解释得很好。他是个漂亮的、脸上带着愉快的笑容的青年，不一会儿马莎就忘了生气了。

　　

　　

So the day ended happily after all.

　　

所以，这一天总算快乐地结束了。

　　

　　

《五个孩子和沙精》是2008年7月外语教学与研究出版社出版的图书，作者是伊迪比内斯比特。本书主要讲述了可以帮人实现愿望的沙精和五个孩子的故事。