Chapter 1

DRAGON GIRLS BOOK 4 Mei the Ruby Treasure Dragon by Maddy Mara

《龙女孩》第四册玛蒂·玛拉的《红宝石宝龙梅》

1 On Wednesdays, Mei had jewelry-making class after school. It was her favorite time of the week. Mei loved bright, sparkly things, so making jewelry was a dream come true. She learned how to cut copper wire with one set of pliers. She twisted it into loops with another. She threaded

星期三放学后，梅上珠宝制作课。 这是她一周中最喜欢的时光。 梅喜欢明亮、闪亮的东西，所以制作珠宝是她的梦想成真。 她学会了用一把钳子剪铜线。 她用另一个把它拧成一圈。 她螺纹

beads in perfect color combinations and gave her pretty creations to friends at school. The class was held at the community center on the edge of the forest. On the first day, Mei made friends with two other girls named Aisha and Quinn. The three girls were all very different from one another, but together they just clicked. The second time class met, the new friends made matching bracelets. Mei's featured a gorgeous ruby-colored bead. Aisha's had a sapphire-blue bead, and Quinn's was jade green. The beads were only made of glass, but that didn't matter. Mei, Aisha, and Quinn had created the bracelets together, which made them worth more than diamonds.

珠子的颜色搭配得很完美，还把她漂亮的作品送给学校的朋友们。 课程在森林边缘的社区中心举行。 第一天，梅和另外两个女孩阿伊莎和奎因成为了朋友。 这三个女孩各不相同，但在一起却很合得来。 第二次上课时，新朋友们做了一对手链。 梅的特色是一个华丽的红宝石色的珠子。 艾莎的珠子是蓝宝石蓝色的，奎恩的是玉绿色的。 这些珠子只是由玻璃制成的，但这并不重要。 梅、艾莎和奎因一起制作了这些手镯，它们的价值超过了钻石。

They loved their jewelry teacher, Ms. Ahmed. She had long, dark hair and wore rings on every finger. She always brought a thermos of hot chocolate for the students to share and played music so they could sing along as they worked. Mei and Aisha were okay singers, but Quinn's voice was amazing. Snow fell outside as Mei worked on her latest creation. She was making a necklace for her mom, but she still hadn't finished when it was time to pack up. Time went by so quickly in this class!

他们喜欢他们的珠宝老师。 艾哈迈德。她留着又长又黑的头发，每个手指上都戴着戒指。 她总是给学生们带来一个热巧克力保温瓶，让他们分享，并播放音乐，让他们一边工作一边唱歌。 梅和艾莎唱得还不错，但奎因的声音太棒了。 当梅在制作她的最新作品时，外面飘着雪。 她正在给她妈妈做一条项链，但到收拾行李的时候还没有做完。 这堂课的时间过得真快!

Aisha and Quinn waved goodbye and dashed off. "Can I stay a few more minutes?" Mei begged Ms. Ahmed. "It's Mom's birthday tomorrow and her necklace isn't ready yet." "Sure. You keep working while I return the tools to the storage closet," Ms. Ahmed said, picking up a box of pliers. Happily, Mei bent over the necklace again. As she worked, she became aware of a soft voice singing: Magic Forest, Magic Forest, come explore… Mei glanced around the room. Ms. Ahmed had left the music playing, but the singing wasn't coming from the speaker. Mei looked out the window. Soft, sparkling snow carpeted the ground. The beautiful singing seemed to be coming from the nearby forest, but Mei couldn't spot anyone out there.

艾莎和奎因挥手告别，然后飞奔而去。 “我能再待几分钟吗?”梅央求她。 艾哈迈德。“明天是妈妈的生日，她的项链还没做好。” “当然。你继续工作，我把工具放回储物柜。 艾哈迈德说着，拿起一盒钳子。 梅高兴地又弯下腰去看项链。 这时，她听到一个轻柔的声音在唱:魔法森林，魔法森林，来探索吧…… 艾哈迈德让音乐一直开着，但歌声不是扬声器发出来的。 梅向窗外望去。 柔软的、闪闪发光的雪铺满了地面。 那美妙的歌声似乎是从附近的森林里传来的，但梅看不见外面有人。

Magic Forest, Magic Forest, come explore… The words seemed to get louder, and the red bead in Mei's friendship bracelet twinkled brightly. Mei wrapped her fingers around the ruby. Heat spread through her, like when she wrapped her hands around a warm mug on a cold day. Releasing her fingers, Mei gazed at the bead. Deep within the glass, a shape formed. It was a little like the swirl in a marble. But this was different. This shape looked like a tree, no taller than a fingernail. The tree was graceful, lush, and… moving. Yes, the tiny tree inside Mei's bead was swaying back and forth! Was this a magical bead? Excitedly, Mei held her bracelet up to the light. As she watched, the red glow from the bead started to expand. It grew larger and larger, swelling like a balloon of light. The whispery song became clearer. Magic Forest, Magic Forest, come explore. Magic Forest, Magic Forest, hear my roar!

魔法森林，魔法森林，来探险吧……”声音似乎越来越大，小美友谊手镯上的红珠子闪闪发光。 梅用手指抱住红宝石。 热量在她身上蔓延，就像在寒冷的日子里，她用手捧着一个温暖的杯子。 梅松开手指，盯着那颗珠子。 在玻璃的深处，形成了一个形状。 有点像弹珠上的漩涡。 但这次不一样。这个形状看起来像一棵树，没有指甲高。 那棵树优雅、茂盛，而且……令人感动。 是的，小美脑袋里的小树在前后摇摆!这是一个神奇的头吗? 梅兴奋地把手镯举到灯光下。 就在她注视的时候，那颗珠子发出的红光开始扩大。 它变得越来越大，像一个气球一样膨胀起来。 那轻柔的歌声变得清晰起来。 魔法森林，魔法森林，来探索吧。 魔法森林，魔法森林，听我的怒吼!