Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 The kids met in front of the fitness center an hour later. They were carrying their bathing suits and towels. Flip and Kate were behind the counter. The gym was crowded, and the music was still blasting. "Back again?" Flip asked.

一小时后，孩子们在健身中心门前集合。 他们带着泳衣和毛巾。 Flip和Kate在柜台后面。 体育馆里挤满了人，音乐依然轰轰烈烈。 “回来了?”翻转问道。

Dink laid the three passes on the counter. "We came for a swim," he said. "Great idea," said Kate. "Come on, I'll show you where to change." She led the kids toward the pool. There were a lot of other kids splashing around. A few grownups sat on the side, watching. The lifeguard prowled around the pool, keeping a sharp eye on the swimmers. Kate stopped in front of a row of four doors. Two of them were labeled MEN and WOMEN. But the two doors in the middle were unmarked. "Here are the changing rooms," Kate said. "No diving, no running, and listen for Danny's whistle. If he blows it once, everyone freeze. Then he'll blow it again twice. That means kids get out of the pool for fifteen minutes while the adults swim. Have a good time!" "See you in three minutes," Ruth Rose said, and disappeared into the girls' changing room.

丁克把三张通行证放在柜台上。 “我们是来游泳的，”他说。 “好主意，”凯特说。“来吧，我带你去哪儿换衣服。” 她领着孩子们向游泳池走去。 有很多孩子在玩水花。 几个大人坐在一旁看着。 救生员在游泳池周围徘徊，密切注视着游泳者。 凯特在一排四扇门前停了下来。 其中两个标签分别是男性和女性。 但中间的两扇门没有标记。 “这里是更衣室，”凯特说。 “不要跳水，不要跑，听丹尼的哨子。 如果他吹了一次，所有人都僵住了。 然后他会再吹两次。 这意味着孩子们离开游泳池15分钟，而成年人游泳。 祝你玩得愉快!”“三分钟后见，”露丝·罗斯说，然后消失在女更衣室里。

Dink and Josh went into theirs and found themselves alone. Blue metal lockers lined the four walls. At the far end were showers, sinks, toilets, and a floor-to-ceiling mirror. The floor was carpeted, and there were benches to sit on. Dink walked over to a small closet with STORAGE stenciled on the door. He peeked inside. "See any pandas?" Josh whispered. Dink glanced at Josh in the mirror. "No, but I see a skinny redheaded monkey." "You are so dunked when I get you in the pool," Josh said. The boys changed, stashed their clothes in two lockers, and headed for the pool. The lifeguard stopped them. "Hi, guys," he said. "I'm sure Kate explained the rules, right? You've got about ten minutes before adult swim. Have fun!" "Thanks, we will," Dink said. Ruth Rose came out wearing a lime green bathing suit. The kids jumped into the water at the shallow end.

丁克和乔希走进他们的房间，发现只有他们两个。 四面墙排列着蓝色的金属储物柜。 房间的另一端是淋浴间、水槽、厕所和一面落地镜子。 地板上铺着地毯，还有长凳可以坐。 丁克走到一个门上印着“储藏”字样的小壁橱前。 他往里面偷看。“看到熊猫了吗?”杰克小声说。 丁克瞥了一眼镜子里的乔希。 “没有，但我看到一只瘦瘦的红头发猴子。” “我把你放进泳池的时候，你被灌篮了，”乔希说。 男孩们换了衣服，把衣服藏在两个储物柜里，然后朝游泳池走去。 救生员拦住了他们。 “嗨，伙计们，”他说。“我肯定凯特解释了规则，对吧?” 离成人游泳还有十分钟。 玩得开心!”“谢谢，我们会的，”丁克说。 露丝·罗斯穿着一件酸橙绿的泳衣出来了。 孩子们从浅水处跳进水里。

"Now what?" Josh asked, glancing toward Flip behind the counter. "I wonder what's behind those two other doors," Dink said.

“现在什么?”乔希问，瞥了一眼柜台后面的Flip。 “我想知道另外两扇门后面是什么，”丁克说。

"One might lead to the bowling alley," Josh said. "I think it's right below us." "Maybe we can check them out during adult swim," Ruth Rose said. "When the whistle blows, make sure you climb out on that side." While they waited, the kids swam and splashed each other. Josh tried standing on his head underwater. He came up coughing. Suddenly the whistle blew. Everyone in the pool turned and faced the lifeguard. "Adult swim!" he yelled, and blew the whistle twice more.

“其中一条可能通向保龄球馆，”乔希说。 “我想它就在我们下面。” 露丝·罗斯说:“也许我们可以在成人游泳时检查一下。” “哨子一响，一定要从那边爬出去。” 等着的时候，孩子们一边游泳，一边互相泼水。 乔希试着在水下倒立。 他咳嗽起来。突然哨声响起。 泳池里的每个人都转过身来面对着救生员。 “大人游泳!”他喊道，又吹了两声口哨。

There was a wet stampede as the kids clambered out of the water. At the same time, the adults tried to climb into the pool. Most of the confusion was right in front of the changing rooms. No one noticed as Ruth Rose tried the handles on the unmarked doors. One was locked, but the other one opened. "Come on!" Ruth Rose whispered as she slipped through. Dink and Josh were right behind her. When Dink pulled the door closed, it was pitchblack. "Where the heck are we?" Josh asked, shivering. All three kids were dripping pool water. Dink put his arms out and touched smooth walls on each side. He inched one bare foot forward and felt the edge of a wooden step. "I think we might be at the top of a staircase," he whispered. "Let's try to find a light," Josh said. "I hate the dark."

当孩子们从水里爬出来时，发生了一阵淋湿的踩踏。 与此同时，成年人试图爬进池塘。 大部分的困惑都发生在更衣室前。 露丝·罗斯试了试那些没有标记的门的把手，没有人注意到。 一个锁着，另一个开着。 “来吧!”露丝·罗斯悄悄地溜了进来。 丁克和乔希就在她后面。 丁克把门关上时，屋里一片漆黑。 “我们到底在哪儿?”乔希颤抖着问道。 三个孩子都在往水池里滴水。 丁克伸出双臂，摸了摸两边光滑的墙壁。 他光着一只脚向前挪动，摸到了木台阶的边缘。 “我想我们可能在楼梯顶上。”他低声说。 “我们试着找盏灯吧。”乔希说。 “我讨厌黑暗。”