Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 Michael sprinted toward the bikes parked behind the soccer goals, Sadie and Justin close behind. "C'mon, Merle!" Michael shouted over his shoulder. Merle just stood there for a moment, still in shock. But soon he shook it off and raced to catch up with the kids. If you've ever seen a squirrel crossing a street or running away from a dog, you know how fast they can be! Merle bounded into the backpack as Michael climbed up on his bike and began pedaling as fast as he could across the grass toward the parking lot. "We're coming, Pearl!" Merle shouted. But now the trunk was closed, and there was no way of knowing if she could hear him. The man in the suit and sunglasses revved up the car as the kids reached the edge of the parking lot on their bikes. "Hey! What are you doing with our squirrel?!" Michael called out. "Stop!" Justin shouted. The tires of the car spun out on the blacktop, white smoke billowing out of the wheel wells.

迈克尔冲向停在足球场后面的自行车，赛迪和贾斯汀紧随其后。 “来吧,默尔!”迈克尔扭头喊道。 莫尔只是在那里站了一会儿，仍然很震惊。 但很快他就摆脱了它，跑去追上了孩子们。 如果你见过松鼠过马路或从狗身边跑开，你就知道它们跑得有多快！梅尔跳进背包，迈克尔爬上自行车，开始以最快的速度蹬着车穿过草地，朝停车场走去。 “我们来了，珠儿！”默尔喊道。 但是现在箱子关上了，她无法知道她是否能听到他的声音。 当孩子们骑着自行车来到停车场边缘时，穿着西装、戴着太阳镜的男人加快了车速。 “嘿!你对我们的松鼠做什么？！”迈克尔喊道。 “住手!”贾斯汀大声喊道。汽车的轮胎在柏油路上打转，白烟从轮毂里冒了出来。

"Can Toyotas do that?!" Justin wondered out loud. The car sped toward the road, leaving the kids struggling to keep up in its smoky trail. "Pearl!" Merle screamed in his loudest squirrel voice. Through the haze, Sadie was able to make out the license plate number. "CPG 872, CPG 872, CPG 872," she repeated. Michael huffed as his legs spun faster than they ever had before. Finally, with the car around a corner and out of sight, he gave up and coasted down the street, struggling to catch his breath. "I can't keep up! I'm sorry, Merle. I'm sorry." Merle said nothing as he gazed after the car. "What are we gonna do?" Justin asked as he caught up with Michael. "We need help." Michael turned and pedaled hard toward home, Justin and Sadie close behind him.

“丰田能做到吗？！”贾斯汀大声地问。 汽车疾驰而去，留下孩子们在烟雾缭绕的车尾奋力追赶。 “珠儿!”莫尔用他松鼠最响亮的声音尖叫着。 透过薄雾，赛迪辨认出了车牌号。 “CPG 872, CPG 872, CPG 872，”她重复道。 迈克尔喘着气，他的腿比以前转得更快了。 最后，车子拐过了街角，看不见了，他放弃了，沿着街道滑行，努力喘着气。 “我跟不上了！”对不起，莫尔。 我很抱歉。”莫尔望着车后什么也没说。 “我们该怎么办？”贾斯汀追上迈克尔时问道。 “我们需要帮助。”迈克尔转身使劲蹬着车回家，贾斯汀和赛迪紧跟在他后面。