10 Our Natural Home

Chapter 10 OUR NATURAL HOME "Ahh!" said Tuya. She clapped her hands. "It's true," said Annie. "The horse led the Takhi across the plain. They outran the wolves." "They galloped back to the corral," said Jack, "and we shut them inside." "What happened to the mystery horse?" Tuya asked. "He disappeared," said Annie. "Vanished." "We don't know where he came from or where he went," said Jack. "Ohhh—maybe he was the wind horse," Tuya said in a hushed voice. "The wind horse?" asked Jack. "In the old stories, the wind horse is a sacred animal," said Tuya. "He has the strength and courage of a horse and the speed of the wind."

“啊！”图雅说。 她拍了拍手。“是真的，”安妮说。 马领着塔基人穿过平原。 他们跑过了狼群。”“它们跑回畜栏，”杰克说，“我们把它们关在里面。” “那匹神秘的马怎么样了？”平顶火山问道。 “他消失了，”安妮说。 “消失了”。“我们不知道他从哪里来，到哪里去了。”杰克说。 “哦——也许他是风马，”图雅低声说。 “风马？”杰克问。 “在古老的故事中，风马是一种神圣的动物，”图雅说。 “他有马的力量和勇气，还有风的速度。”

"That sounds like him!" said Annie. "He saved the Takhi." Tuya nodded. "When he appears, he is a sign of good fortune. I know now the Takhi will have a great future here. They will live long lives in their natural home." "And zoos will send more of them back here to Mongolia?" Annie asked. "Oh, yes!" said Tuya. "We thank the zoos for keeping them safe all these years. And for helping us bring them home." "Hmm… I have a question," said Jack. "Here, in the Takhi's natural home, wolves can prey on them. So is it really better for them to leave the safety of the zoos?" "Yes, it is," said Tuya. "Last night, my father explained it to me. He said the price for living a natural life in the wild can be danger. But on the Mongolian plain, the Takhi can run as freely as they want. They can find fresh water in flowing streams. They can rest in the shade of the hilltop forests." "Oh, yeah… that does sound like a better life," said Jack.

“听起来像他！”安妮说。 “他救了塔希人。”图雅点了点头。 “当他出现时，他是好运的象征。 我知道塔希人在这里会有美好的未来。 它们将在自己的自然家园里长寿。” “动物园会把更多的熊猫送回蒙古吗？”安妮问。 “哦，是的！”图雅说。“我们感谢动物园这些年来保护它们的安全。 感谢你帮助我们把他们带回家。” “嗯……我有个问题，”杰克说。 “在这里，在塔基人的自然家园，狼可以捕食他们。 那么，它们离开安全的动物园真的更好吗？”“是的，是这样。”图雅说。 “昨晚，我父亲给我解释了。 他说，在野外过自然生活的代价是危险的。 但在蒙古平原上，塔希人可以自由奔跑。 他们可以在流动的溪流中找到淡水。 他们可以在山顶森林的树荫下休息。” “哦，是啊……那听起来确实是一种更好的生活，”杰克说。

"My father said sometimes freedom is more important than total safety," said Tuya. "I agree with that," said Annie. "I just wish there weren't any wolves in the reserve." "Yes, but my father says the wolves are important to the natural order," said Tuya. "They help keep everything in balance." "Good point," said Jack. "They're part of the ecology, I guess," said Annie. "The ecosystem." Jack, Annie, and Tuya looked out the window at the open countryside. As they rode back toward the city, they saw red deer on the rolling grasslands and golden eagles overhead. At the edge of the city, they passed factories and tiny colorful houses. They rode through traffic until they came to the park across from the Blue Sky Hotel. Khan stopped at the same corner of the park. He turned off the engine. Jack and Annie followed Tuya to the front of the bus. "May I leave you here at the hotel?" Khan asked. "Yes, that's perfect," said Jack.

“我父亲说有时候自由比完全安全更重要，”图雅说。 “我同意，”安妮说。 “我真希望保护区里没有狼。” “是的，但是我爸爸说狼对自然秩序很重要。”图雅说。 “他们帮助保持一切平衡。” “说得好，”杰克说。“我想它们是生态系统的一部分，”安妮说。 “生态系统”。杰克、安妮和图雅望着窗外开阔的乡村。 当他们骑马返回城市时，他们看到起伏的草原上有马鹿，头顶上有金雕。 在城市的边缘，他们经过了工厂和五颜六色的小房子。 他们穿过车流，来到蓝天酒店对面的公园。 可汗在公园的同一个角落停了下来。 他关掉了发动机。杰克和安妮跟着图雅走到汽车前面。 “我可以把你留在旅馆吗？”汗问道。 “是的，太好了。”杰克说。

"We'll be meeting up with our parents soon," said Annie. "Thanks, Khan!" "Thanks for everything," said Jack. "Good luck, kids," said Khan. "I'll be right back," Tuya said to Khan. Then she climbed off the bus with Jack and Annie. "Where do you go now?" she asked them. "Back to Frog Creek, Pennsylvania," said Jack. "How will you get there?" Tuya asked. "Well…" Annie paused, then smiled. "We'll fly back home on the wind." "Cool," said Tuya. The three of them laughed. "Good luck to you," said Tuya. "Same to you!" said Jack. "Say good-bye to the Takhi for us!" said Annie. "Thank you for helping them," Tuya said softly. Tears filled her eyes. "You were very good guests. You made my imagination run wild. I will miss you." "We'll miss you, too," said Annie. Tuya smiled and climbed back into the minibus.

“我们很快就要和父母见面了，”安妮说。 “谢谢,汗!”“谢谢你做的一切。”杰克说。 “祝你们好运，孩子们，”汗说。 “我马上回来。”图雅对可汗说。 然后她和杰克、安妮一起下了车。 她问他们说：“你们现在往哪里去？” “回到宾夕法尼亚州的青蛙溪，”杰克说。 “你怎么去那儿？”平顶火山问道。 “嗯……”安妮停顿了一下，然后笑了。 “我们将乘着风飞回家。” “酷，”图雅说。他们三个都笑了。 “祝你好运。”图雅说。 “你也一样！”杰克说。安妮说：“代我们向塔基人告别！” “谢谢你帮助他们，”图雅轻声说。 泪水充满了她的眼睛。“你们是非常好的客人。 你让我的想象力变得疯狂。 我会想念你的。”“我们也会想你的，”安妮说。 图雅笑了笑，爬回了小巴。

Annie gave a last wave. Then Khan closed the door, and the bus took off. Jack and Annie waited for the minibus to round a corner. Then they hurried down the stone path and across the grass to the tree house. Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started climbing. Jack followed her up into the tree house. Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book and found the picture of the Frog Creek woods. She pointed to it and said, "We wish we could go there!" The wind started to blow. The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still.

安妮最后挥了挥手。然后，可汗关上门，公共汽车开走了。 杰克和安妮等着小巴转弯。 然后他们匆匆走过石径，穿过草地来到树屋。 安妮抓住绳梯开始往上爬。 杰克跟着她进了树屋。 安妮拿起宾夕法尼亚的那本书，找到了青蛙溪森林的照片。 她指着它说：“我们希望我们能去那里！”风开始起了。 树屋开始旋转。 它转得越来越快。 然后一切都静止了。

Absolutely still. The noon sunshine was bright. The windy air was warm. "We're home," said Jack. He and Annie were wearing their regular clothes again. "That was a great trip," said Annie. "It was," said Jack. "Except for the part when I thought I'd ruined everything." "I know. But you took responsibility," said Annie, "and you fixed the problem." "With your help," said Jack, "and lots of help from Morgan, mountain bikes, and the wind horse." "We'd better hurry if we want to go on that bike ride with Mom," said Annie. "Right," said Jack. The two of them climbed down the rope ladder. They walked quickly through the Frog Creek woods. "Riding with Mom to the park will be really different from riding over the Mongolian plain," said Jack. "Yeah, but it will still be fun," said Annie.

绝对静止。中午的阳光很明媚。 刮风的空气很温暖。“我们到家了，”杰克说。 他和安妮又穿上了平常的衣服。 “那是一次很棒的旅行，”安妮说。 “是的，”杰克说。“除了我以为我毁了一切的那部分。” “我知道。但你承担了责任，”安妮说，“你解决了问题。” “有你的帮助，”杰克说，“还有摩根的很多帮助，山地车，还有风马。” “如果我们想和妈妈一起去骑自行车，我们最好快点，”安妮说。 “好的，”杰克说。他们俩从绳梯上爬了下来。 他们迅速穿过青蛙溪的树林。 “和妈妈一起骑车去公园和在蒙古平原上骑马真的不一样，”杰克说。 “是的，但它仍然会很有趣，”安妮说。