Ch1-Four New Magicians

Night of the New Magicia

新魔法之夜

CHAPTER ONE Four New Magicians Jack sat on the porch, reading in the summer twilight. Crickets chirped in the Frog Creek woods. The bell of an ice cream truck jingled down the street. Annie stepped out the front door. "Let's go," she said.

第一章四个新魔术师杰克坐在门廊上，在夏日的暮色中看书。 蟋蟀在青蛙溪的树林里鸣叫。 一辆冰淇淋车的铃声叮当作响地沿街而过。 安妮走出前门。 “我们走吧，”她说。

"Where?" said Jack. "Mom gave us money for ice cream," said Annie. "Cool," said Jack. He pulled on his backpack. Then he followed Annie down the porch steps. As they headed up the sidewalk, the smell of damp leaves and moss wafted from the woods. Annie stopped walking. "Listen," she said. Jack listened. "What?" he said. "I don't hear anything." "That's the point," said Annie. "A minute ago, the crickets were blaring away. Now everything's super quiet."

“在哪儿？”杰克问。“妈妈给我们钱买冰淇淋，”安妮说。 “酷，”杰克说。他背起背包。 然后他跟着安妮走下门廊的台阶。 当他们走上人行道时，潮湿的树叶和苔藓的气味从树林里飘来。 安妮停了下来。“听着，”她说。 杰克听。“什么？”他说。 “我什么也没听到。”“这就是问题所在，”安妮说。 “一分钟前，蟋蟀还在鸣叫。 现在一切都超级安静。”

Jack listened again. Annie was right. All the Frog Creek woods seemed to be holding its breath. "Do you think…?" said Jack. "Maybe," said Annie, grinning. "Let's go check!" Jack and Annie hurried across the street and into the dimly lit woods. They walked quickly between the leafy trees, until they came to the tallest oak. A rope ladder dangled from the tree-top. The magic tree house sat high in the branches, catching the last light of day. Jack smiled. "I guess ice cream will have to wait," he said.

杰克又听了一遍。安妮是对的。 整个青蛙溪的树林似乎都屏住了呼吸。 “你认为……？”杰克说。 “也许吧，”安妮笑着说。 “我们去看看！”杰克和安妮匆匆穿过街道，走进昏暗的树林。 他们在枝繁叶茂的树木之间快步走着，来到了最高的一棵橡树前。 一架绳梯在树梢上晃来晃去。 神奇的树屋高高矗立在树枝上，捕捉着白天的最后一缕阳光。 杰克笑了笑。他说：“我想冰淇淋得等一等了。”

"Yep," said Annie. She grabbed the ladder and climbed up. Jack climbed up after her. Inside the tree house, dusky light filtered through the window. Lying on the wooden floor was a folded piece of paper and a slim book with a red cover. Annie grabbed the paper. Jack picked up the book. "This must be a research book from Morgan," he said. The book's title was written in gold letters:

“是的，”安妮说。她抓住梯子爬了上去。 杰克跟着她爬上去。 在树屋里，昏暗的光线透过窗户透了进来。 木地板上放着一张折叠起来的纸和一本红色封皮的薄书。 安妮抓起那张纸。杰克捡起了书。 “这一定是摩根写的一本研究书，”他说。 这本书的书名是用金字写的：

Guide Book: Paris World's Fair ~1889~ "Paris World's Fair?" said Jack. "That sounds like fun!" said Annie. "Yeah, but I wonder why we're going there," said Jack. "This should tell us," said Annie. She unfolded the paper. "It's Merlin's handwriting." She read aloud:

旅游指南：巴黎世界博览会~1889~“巴黎世界博览会？”杰克说。 “听起来很有趣！”安妮说。 “是啊，但我想知道我们为什么要去那里。”杰克说。 “这应该能告诉我们，”安妮说。 她把纸展开。“这是梅林的笔迹。” 她大声朗读：