6. Facing the Wind

6 Facing the Wind Stanley watched the slender white base of one windmill after another zip past the car window. The truck was hot on their trail. "Lose them, Eduardo!" said Carlos. "Senora Lambchop said to drive safely," Eduardo replied. He kept his eyes fixed on the road. "Maybe if we go in between the windmills," said Arthur, "we'll be harder to follow." Eduardo put on his blinker and carefully made a left turn off the main road. They slipped between two wind turbines. Eduardo made a right and then another left. White posts flew by in a blur. Soon Stanley had lost track of all the turns they'd made.

面对着风，斯坦利看着细长的白色风车的底座一个接一个地滑过车窗。 卡车紧跟着他们。 “甩掉他们，爱德华多!”卡洛斯说。 “兰博切太太说要安全驾驶，”爱德华多回答。 他目不转睛地盯着路。 “也许如果我们从风车中间走进去，”阿瑟说，“就不容易被跟踪了。” 爱德华多戴上眼罩，小心翼翼地左转驶离大路。 他们在两个风力涡轮机之间滑动。 爱德华多右转，又左转。 白色的柱子模糊地飞过。 不久，斯坦利就忘记了他们拐过的弯。

"I don't see them!" Carlos announced. "We lost them!" agreed Arthur. Stanley and the guys exchanged high fives. But in the driver's seat, Eduardo had grown quiet. He was leaning over the steering wheel, looking carefully in one direction and then the other. "What's wrong, Eduardo?" asked Stanley. "I can't find the road we started on," Eduardo said. "And we're supposed to be at the Alamo soon." "You mean we're lost?" said Carlos. "We're going to be late?" croaked Arthur, checking his watch. Eduardo said nothing. Stanley looked around. The windmills were identical and stretched in every direction. "Try going back that way," Carlos suggested. To turn around, Eduardo stepped on the brake and shifted into reverse. They lurched backward, and the car was jolted by a crunch. They had backed into a windmill. In a panic, Eduardo shifted the car into gear, and the car shot forward. Crunch! The front fender struck another windmill.

“我没看见他们!”卡洛斯宣布。 “我们跟丢了!” 斯坦利和他们互相击掌。 但坐在驾驶座上的爱德华多却变得沉默了。 他靠在方向盘上，仔细地看看这个方向，又看看那个方向。 “怎么了，爱德华多?”斯坦利问。 “我找不到我们出发的路了，”爱德华多说。 “我们应该很快就到阿拉莫了。” “你是说我们迷路了?”卡洛斯说。 “我们要迟到了?”阿瑟看了看表，沙哑地问。 爱德华多什么也没说。斯坦利环顾四周。 风车都一模一样，向四面八方伸展。 “试试从那条路回去，”卡洛斯建议。 为了调头，爱德华多踩下刹车，倒车。 他们踉踉跄跄地向后倒退，汽车嘎吱一声摇晃起来。 他们倒车撞上了一个风车。 爱德华多惊慌失措地把车换到档位，车子向前飞驰。 危机!前挡泥板撞到了另一座风车。

"Uh-oh," said Stanley under his breath. Eduardo turned off the ignition. He spoke in a blank voice. "Senora Lambchop gave us only three rules. One: Drive safely." "Too bad we just crashed," said Carlos. "Two," continued Eduardo. "Meet her at the Alamo on time. And three—" "Well, since we're lost," Arthur interrupted, "there ain't no way that's ever going to happen." Stanley shot Arthur a look. "You mean 'isn't any way,'" Stanley said. Arthur winced, realizing what he'd just done. 'And three," repeated Eduardo, "follow the rules of English grammar." He dropped his head to the steering wheel. "We have failed." He sighed. Stanley couldn't bear to see his friends so upset. He suddenly realized how he could help... even if it meant doing what he was most scared to do. "I know how to find our way out of here," Stanley said slowly. "Tie me to the rope and let the wind carry me up above the windmills. I'll be able to see the road." Carlos shook his head. "Stanley, the wind—"

“哦哦，”斯坦利压低声音说。 爱德华多关掉了点火装置。 他用茫然的声音说话。 “兰切普老师只给了我们三条规则。 第一:安全驾驶。”“太糟糕了，我们刚刚坠毁了，”卡洛斯说。 “两个，”爱德华多接着说。"准时在阿拉莫见她。 第三——”“好吧，既然我们迷路了，”阿瑟插嘴说，“那就不可能了。” 斯坦利瞪了阿瑟一眼。 “你的意思是‘绝不可能’，”斯坦利说。 阿瑟意识到自己刚刚做了什么，畏缩了一下。 “第三，”爱德华多重复道，“遵守英语语法规则。” 他把头靠在方向盘上。 “我们失败了。”他叹了口气。 斯坦利不忍看到他的朋友们如此沮丧。 他突然意识到自己能帮上什么忙…… 即使这意味着要做他最害怕做的事。 “我知道怎么找到出去的路。”斯坦利慢慢地说。 “把我拴在绳子上，让风把我带到风车上面。 我就能看到路了。” 卡洛斯摇了摇头。“斯坦利，风——”

"I'll be okay," said Stanley. "Are you sure, Stanley?" said Eduardo, raising his head. "You guys have been there for me every step of the way," said Stanley. "It's my turn." The boys all got out of the car to help Stanley get ready. His hands shook as he tested the rope around his body. There was a steady breeze in the air from all the windmills, and he had to struggle to keep his feet on the ground. Stanley felt a bead of sweat roll down his face and all the way to his shoes. "I'm scared," he said simply.

“我会没事的，”斯坦利说。 “你确定吗，斯坦利?”爱德华多抬起头说。 “你们一直支持着我的每一步，”斯坦利说。 “轮到我了。”男孩们都下了车，帮助斯坦利做好准备。 他试着把绳子套在身上，双手颤抖着。 所有的风车都在不停地吹着风，他不得不挣扎着让双脚站在地上。 斯坦利感到一颗汗珠从脸上滚落下来，一直流到鞋子上。 “我害怕，”他简单地说。

Eduardo peered into his eyes. "Stanley, do you remember when you arrived in Mexico?" he said. "All the children thought you could not be hurt. We thought we could hit you like a pinata, and nothing would happen." Stanley nodded. "You told us we were wrong. Only then did we see how brave you were. Being brave does not

爱德华多凝视着他的眼睛。 “斯坦利，你还记得你到墨西哥的时候吗?”他说。 “所有的孩子都认为你不会受伤。 我们以为我们可以像打皮纳塔一样打你，什么也不会发生。” 斯坦利点点头。“你说我们错了。 那时我们才看到你有多勇敢。 勇敢并不代表

mean you're not scared. It means you keep going even when you are." "No one is braver than you, amigo," agreed Carlos. "Except maybe me," teased Arthur. Stanley nodded to his friends. Carlos and Arthur stepped forward, and together they helped lift Stanley into the air. Releasing the rope a little bit at a time, Eduardo ensured that Stanley was carried up carefully between the windmills. When the last bit of rope was let out, Stanley floated above the wind farm, his body bobbing and flapping.

意思是你不害怕。这意味着即使你失败了，你也要继续前进。” “没有人比你更勇敢了，朋友，”卡洛斯同意道。 “也许除了我。”阿瑟揶揄道。 斯坦利向他的朋友点了点头。 卡洛斯和阿瑟走上前去，他们一起把斯坦利举到了空中。 爱德华多每次松开一点绳子，确保斯坦利被小心地抬到风车之间。 当最后一根绳子放出来时，斯坦利漂浮在风力发电场的上空，他的身体上下摆动。