Chapter 1

Chapter 1 "I'm going to miss you!" Dink's mother said as she pulled her car up to the airport. "Give Sammi a hug for me, will you?" Dink's parents had named him Donald David Duncan, but now almost everyone called him Dink. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were on their way to visit their friend Samir Bin Oz for his birthday. Sammi lived in a small island country in the Indian Ocean called Costra, where his father and mother were the king and queen.

第一章“我会想你的!”丁克的妈妈边说边把车开到机场。 “帮我抱抱萨米，好吗?”丁克的父母给他取名唐纳德·大卫·邓肯，但现在几乎每个人都叫他丁克。 丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯在去朋友萨米尔·本·奥兹过生日的路上。 萨米住在印度洋上一个叫科斯特拉的小岛上，他的父亲和母亲是那里的国王和王后。

The kids hugged and said good-bye to Dink's mother. Then a man in a white shirt and dark trousers helped them stack their luggage on a cart. "I'm Carl, your flight attendant on this trip," the man said. He guided the kids through security, then outside to the landing field. Off to one side sat a sleek jet. When the kids boarded, they discovered that they were the only passengers! "Please choose your seats, then you can decide what you want for lunch," Carl said. He handed them menu cards. "I love being treated like royalty!" Ruth Rose said. She liked to dress all in one color. For this trip to Costra, she had chosen royal blue. While the kids were reading their menus, a redheaded woman stepped out of the cockpit. "Hi, I'm Captain Rusty Dollar, your pilot," she said. "Our flight to Costra should take about fifteen hours. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll be there. If you'll please buckle up, I'll take off in a few minutes!" Five minutes later, the small jet roared into the air. The kids watched the ground become smaller and smaller. Then they saw only white clouds and blue sky.

孩子们拥抱在一起，向丁克的妈妈道别。 然后一个穿白衬衫和黑裤子的男人帮他们把行李堆在一辆手推车上。 “我是卡尔，您这次旅行的空乘，”那人说。 他带着孩子们通过安检，然后到了外面的降落场。 一侧坐着一架整洁的喷气式飞机。 当孩子们上船时，他们发现他们是唯一的乘客!“请选好座位，然后再决定午餐想吃什么，”卡尔说。 他递给他们菜单卡。 “我喜欢被当作皇室对待!”露丝·罗斯说。 她喜欢穿一种颜色的衣服。 这次去科斯特拉，她选择了宝蓝色。 当孩子们正在看菜单的时候，一个红头发的女人走出了驾驶舱。 “你好，我是拉什蒂·杜勒上尉，你们的飞行员，”她说。 “我们到科斯特拉的航班大约需要15个小时。 当你明天早上醒来的时候，你会在那里。 请系好安全带，我几分钟后就要出发了!”五分钟后，那架小喷气式飞机呼啸着飞上了天空。 孩子们看着地面变得越来越小。 然后他们只看到了白云和蓝天。

When the plane had leveled off, Carl appeared at their seats. "What would you like for lunch?" he asked. The kids all chose chocolate milk, cheeseburgers, and apple pie for dessert. After they finished lunch, the kids played checkers, read, and listened to music through their headsets. When it grew dark outside the small windows, Carl gave them each a blanket and pillow. He dimmed the cabin lights and turned on soft music. "Pleasant dreams," Carl said, then he disappeared to the rear of the plane. Dink woke up when he felt a slight bump. He sat up and looked out the window. He saw palm trees and blue skies. "We're here!" he said to Josh and Ruth Rose. A few minutes later, the door opened and Sammi stepped inside the plane. He was wearing a ruby-red tunic and black pointed shoes. "Sammi!" all three kids cried. They all high-fived each other.

飞机平稳下来后，卡尔出现在他们的座位旁。 “你午餐想吃什么?”他问。 孩子们都选择了巧克力牛奶、芝士汉堡和苹果派作为甜点。 吃完午饭后，孩子们通过耳机玩跳棋、看书、听音乐。 当小窗外天黑下来时，卡尔给了他们每人一条毯子和一个枕头。 他调暗了舱内的灯光，打开轻音乐。 “做个好梦。”卡尔说，然后消失在飞机尾部。 丁克感到一阵轻微的颠簸，醒了过来。 他坐起来向窗外望去。 他看到了棕榈树和蓝天。 “我们来了!”他对乔希和露丝·罗斯说。 几分钟后，门开了，萨米跨进了飞机。 他穿着一件红宝石色的上衣和一双黑色的尖头鞋。 “萨米!”三个孩子都叫了起来。 他们互相击掌。

"Okay, you're free to deplane!" Captain Dollar said from the cockpit. The kids thanked her and Carl, then walked off the plane to a small landing field. Warm air kissed their skin. A sweet smell came from flowers growing in nearby fields. "Now where do we go?" Dink asked Sammi. "How do we get to your castle?"

“好了，你可以下飞机了!”杜勒机长在驾驶舱里说。 孩子们向她和卡尔道了谢，然后走下飞机，来到一个小降落场。 温暖的空气亲吻着他们的皮肤。 附近田野里的花散发出一股香味。 “现在我们去哪儿?”丁克问萨米。 “我们怎么去你的城堡?”

Sammi grinned and pointed up at the sky. Just then the kids heard a whirring noise. A silver helicopter appeared above them. The rotating blades created a stiff wind, blowing the kids' hair every which way.

萨米咧嘴一笑，指着天空。 就在这时，孩子们听到一阵呼呼声。 一架银色的直升机出现在他们头顶。 旋转的叶片产生了一股强风，把孩子们的头发吹向四面八方。