Chapter 1

The Absent Author

缺席的作者

Chapter 1 "Please, Josh," Dink said. "If you come with me today, I'll owe you one. Just name it. Anything!" Dink's full name was Donald David Duncan. But no one in Green Lawn ever called him that. Except his mother, when she meant business. Josh Pinto grinned at his best friend. "Anything?" He raised his mischievous green eyes toward the ceiling of Dink's bedroom. "Let's see, what do you have that I want?" He scratched his head. "I know, I'll take Loretta!" Dink tossed a pillow at Josh. "When I said anything, I meant anything but my guinea pig! Are you coming with me or not? I have to be at the Book Nook in fifteen minutes!"

“求你了，乔希，”丁克说。 “如果你今天跟我来，我就欠你一个人情。 说出来吧。任何东西!”丁克的全名是唐纳德·大卫·邓肯。 但绿草坪从来没人这么叫过他。 除了他母亲，她是认真的。 乔希·平托对他最好的朋友咧嘴一笑。 “什么?”他抬起那双淘气的绿眼睛，望着丁克卧室的天花板。 “让我看看，你有什么是我想要的?”他挠了挠头。 “我知道了，我要带上洛丽塔!”丁克朝乔希扔了一个枕头。 “我说什么都不是指我的豚鼠!”你到底要不要跟我一起去? 我得在十五分钟内赶到书角书店!”

Dink rushed into the bathroom, tucking his shirt into his jeans at the same time. Josh followed him. Standing in front of the mirror, Dink yanked a brush through his thick blond hair. "Well?" he asked. "Are you coming with me?" "What's so important about this writer guy?" Josh asked, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Dink turned around and pointed his hairbrush. "Wallis Wallace isn't just some writer guy, Josh. He's the most famous mystery writer in the world! All the kids read his books. Except for you." "If he's so famous, why's he coming to dinky little Green Lawn?" Dink charged back into his bedroom. "I told you! He's coming because I invited him. I'm scared to death to meet someone so famous. I don't even know what you're supposed to say to an author!" Dink dived under his bed and backed out again with his sneakers. "Please come with me?" Josh leaned in the bedroom doorway. "Sure I'll come, you dope. I'm just trying to make you sweat. Usually you're so calm!" Dink stared at his friend. "You will? Thanks! I can't believe Wallis Wallace is really coming.

丁克冲进浴室，同时把衬衫塞进牛仔裤里。 乔希跟着他。丁克站在镜子前，用刷子刷了一下他浓密的金发。 “怎么样?”他问。“你和我一起去吗?”“这个作家有什么重要的?”乔希坐在浴缸边上问。 丁克转过身，用梳子指了指。 “沃利斯·华莱士不只是一个普通的作家，乔什。 他是世界上最著名的推理小说作家!所有的孩子都读他的书。 除了你。”“如果他那么有名，他为什么要来小小的绿草坪?”丁克冲回自己的卧室。 “我告诉过你!”他来是因为我邀请了他。 见到这么有名的人我害怕得要死。 我甚至不知道你应该对一个作家说些什么!”丁克钻到床底下，又拿着运动鞋退了出来。 “请跟我来好吗?”乔希靠在卧室门口。 “我当然会来的，你这个笨蛋。 我只是想让你出点汗。 你平时都很冷静!”丁克盯着他的朋友。 “你会吗?谢谢!我不敢相信沃利斯·华莱士真的要来了。

When I wrote and asked him, I never thought he'd say yes." Dink yanked his backpack out of his closet. "Pack my books, okay? I'm getting Wallis Wallace to sign them all!" Josh began pulling Wallis Wallace books off Dink's bookshelf. "Geez, how many do you have?" "Every one he's written." Dink sat on the floor to tie his sneakers. "Twenty-three so far. You should read some of them, Josh." Josh picked out The Poisoned Pond and read the back cover. "Hey, cool! It says here that Wallis Wallace lives in a castle in Maine! Wouldn't that be neat?" Dink grinned. "When I'm a famous writer you can live in my castle, Josh." "No way. When I'm a famous artist, you can live in my castle. Down in the basement!" Josh picked up The Riddle in the River. "What's this guy look like?" he asked. "And how come his picture isn't on any of these books?" "I wondered about that, too," Dink said. "I sent him one of my school pictures and asked for one

当我写信问他时，我从没想过他会答应。” 丁克从衣橱里拽出背包。 “收拾好我的书，好吗?”我要让沃利斯·华莱士把他们都签了!”乔希开始从丁克的书架上拿出沃利斯·华莱士的书。 “天哪，你有几个?”“他写的每一个。” 丁克坐在地板上系鞋带。 “目前为止有23个。你应该读一些，乔希。” 乔希拿出《有毒的池塘》，读了封底。 “嘿,太酷了!这里说沃利斯·华莱士住在缅因州的一座城堡里!那不是很好吗?”丁克咧嘴一笑。 “当我成为著名作家时，你可以住在我的城堡里，乔希。” “没门。当我成为著名的艺术家时，你可以住在我的城堡里。 在地下室!”乔希拿起了《河中谜语》。 “这家伙长什么样?”他问。 “为什么这些书上没有他的照片呢?”“我也想知道，”丁克说。 “我给他寄了一张我在学校的照片，并要了一张

of him. But when I got his letter, there was no picture." He finished tying his laces. "Maybe Wallis Wallace just doesn't like having his picture taken." Josh squeezed all twenty-three books into Dink's pack. He grinned at Dink. "Or maybe he's just too ugly." Dink laughed. "Gee, Josh, you're ugly and you love having your picture taken." "Haw, haw." Josh picked up his drawing pad. "But just because you're my best friend, I'll draw his picture at the bookstore." Dink looked at his watch. "Yikes!" he said. "We have to pick up Ruth Rose in one minute!" He tore into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth. "How'd you get her to come?" Josh called. Dink rushed back into his room, wiping toothpaste from his mouth. "You kidding? Ruth Rose loves Wallis Wallace's books." Dink slung his backpack over his shoulder. He and Josh hurried next door to 24 Woody Street. Tiger, Ruth Rose's orange cat, was sitting in the sun on the steps. Dink pressed the doorbell. Ruth Rose showed up at the door.

他的。但当我收到他的信时，没有照片。” 他系好鞋带。 “也许沃利斯·华莱士只是不喜欢拍照。” 乔希把23本书都塞进丁克的书包里。 他朝丁克咧嘴一笑。“也许他就是太丑了。” 丁克笑了。“哎呀，乔希，你长得很丑，你喜欢拍照。” “唧唧,唧唧。”乔希拿起他的画板。 “但正因为你是我最好的朋友，我就在书店里给他画画。” 丁克看了看表。“哎呀!”他说。 “我们必须在一分钟内去接露丝·罗斯!”他冲进浴室，开始刷牙。 “你是怎么把她叫来的?”乔希。 丁克冲回自己的房间，擦去嘴里的牙膏。 “你在开玩笑吧?露丝·罗斯喜欢沃利斯·华莱士的书。” 丁克把背包挂在肩上。 他和乔希匆匆赶到隔壁的伍迪街24号。 露丝·罗斯的橙色猫泰格正坐在台阶上晒太阳。 丁克按了门铃。 露丝·罗斯出现在门口。

As usual, she was dressed all in one color. Today it was purple. She wore purple coveralls over a purple shirt and had on purple running shoes. A purple baseball cap kept her black curls out of her face. "Hey," she said. Then she turned around and screamed into the house. "THE GUYS ARE HERE, MOM. I'M LEAVING!"

像往常一样，她全身都是一种颜色。 今天是紫色的。她穿着紫色的工装裤，外面是紫色的衬衫，脚上穿着紫色的跑鞋。 一顶紫色的棒球帽遮住了她的黑卷发。 “嘿，”她说。然后她转过身，向屋里尖叫起来。 “孩子们来了，妈妈。我要走了!”