Ch9-The Three Ghosts

CHAPTER NINE The Three Ghosts "A ghost story?" said Jack. "You mean we'll make ghosts appear?" "Yep," said Annie. "Um… I don't know," said Jack. Ghosts made him nervous.

“一个鬼故事？”杰克说。 “你是说我们要让鬼魂出现？”“是的，”安妮说。 “嗯……我不知道，”杰克说。 鬼魂使他紧张。

"I promise this will work," said Annie. "But I don't get it," said Jack. "A ghost story. How can we change Charles with that?" "We won't change him. The ghosts will change him, just like they changed Scrooge," said Annie. "Our job is just to make the right ghosts appear." "But—" started Jack. "It's magic, Jack," said Annie. "We have to trust the magic." "But Charles doesn't even want us around," said Jack. "That's okay," said Annie. "He doesn't have to see us. He can believe it's all happening in his imagination. He has a great imagination, you know. Come on, before he leaves."

“我保证会成功的，”安妮说。 “但是我不明白，”杰克说。 “一个鬼故事。我们怎么能用这个改变查尔斯呢？”“我们不会改变他。 鬼魂会改变他的，就像他们改变了斯克罗吉一样，”安妮说。 “我们的工作就是让正确的鬼魂出现。” “可是——”杰克说。“这是魔法，杰克，”安妮说。 “我们必须相信魔法。” “可是查尔斯根本不想让我们在他身边，”杰克说。 “没关系，”安妮说。 “他不需要看到我们。 他相信这一切都是在他的想象中发生的。 你知道，他有丰富的想象力。 走吧，在他走之前。”

Jack sighed. "Okay," he said. "But I hope we don't give him a heart attack." He unbuckled the green velvet bag and pulled out the violin and the bow. Jack rested the bow against the strings of the violin. Then he began moving the bow back and forth. The violin's music was soft at first, but as it grew louder, it seemed to come from every direction. At the bottom of the hill, Charles lifted his head. Annie started singing in a soft, whispery voice: Come, three ghosts, in a dreamlike swirl.

杰克叹了口气。“好吧，”他说。 “但我希望我们不会让他心脏病发作。” 他解开绿色天鹅绒袋子的扣子，拿出小提琴和琴弓。 杰克把弓靠在小提琴的琴弦上。 然后他开始前后移动船头。 小提琴的音乐起初很柔和，但随着声音越来越大，似乎从四面八方传来。 到了山脚下，查尔斯抬起头来。 安妮开始轻声细语地唱起来：来吧，三个幽灵，在一个梦幻般的漩涡里。

Help our friend give his gifts to the world. The streetlamp flickered and went out. Then a hazy glow surrounded Charles. He stood up and looked around. In the haze, a ghostly figure swirled into shape. Jack's heart pounded as he kept playing. Charles cried out and stumbled back. The ghost looked like both a child and an old man. He had long white hair, but there was not a wrinkle on his face. He wore a white tunic with a silver belt and carried a holly branch in his hand. Annie sang on:

帮助我们的朋友把他的礼物送给世界。 路灯忽明忽暗地熄灭了。 接着，一阵朦胧的光芒包围了查尔斯。 他站起来环顾四周。 在薄雾中，一个幽灵般的身影旋转着显现出来。 杰克继续演奏，心怦怦直跳。 查尔斯大叫一声，踉跄着往回走。 那个鬼看起来既像个孩子又像个老人。 他有一头长长的白发，但脸上没有一丝皱纹。 他穿着一件白色的束腰外衣，系着一条银色的腰带，手里拿着一根冬青树枝。 安妮继续唱道：

Do not fear him, Charles, stand fast. He's come to share a Christmas Past. The ghost waved his hand, and a scene slowly appeared in the glowing fog: a small, frail boy was lying on a heap of rags. "Who are you? And why do you show me this poor child?" cried Charles. The boy rolled over and sat up. He had big eyes and wavy brown hair. Charles gasped. "Oh, my!" he said. "Is that… is that me?"

别怕他，查尔斯，站好。 他是来分享圣诞往事的。 幽灵挥了挥手，在明亮的雾中，慢慢地出现了一个景象：一个瘦小的男孩躺在一堆破布上。 “你是谁？”你为什么要给我看这个可怜的孩子？”查尔斯叫道。 男孩翻了个身，坐了起来。 他有一双大眼睛和一头棕色的卷发。 查尔斯气喘吁吁地说。“噢，天哪！”他说。 “那……那是我吗？”

The boy reached under the rags and pulled out a book. On the cover was a picture of a flying carpet. The boy opened the book and smiled. "I remember that book! It is me!" cried Charles. "I loved to read The Arabian Nights! I felt as if I could ride on a flying carpet myself! Books gave

男孩把手伸到破布下面，拿出一本书。 封面上是一张飞毯的图片。 男孩打开书，笑了。 “我记得那本书！”是我！”查尔斯叫道。 “我喜欢读《一千零一夜》！我觉得自己好像可以坐在飞毯上！书给了