Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 "Mmm, mmm, mmm!" Merle smacked his lips and licked his paws. He'd collected a few extra chicken nuggets at lunch. "Shhhhh!" Pearl shushed him. The two were crammed inside Michael's backpack in Ms. McKay's class. "You're making too much noise! The teacher is going to hear you." "Sorry. I can't help it," Merle whispered. Looking down, he discovered a chicken nugget crumb on the lapel of his George Washington jacket. "Hello there, little nugget-nugget! Didn't think you were going to get away, did you?" "Shhhhh!" Pearl repeated. Now that Merle was done eating, the prospect of three more hours in a backpack was starting to make him restless, and being dressed in doll clothes wasn't helping matters. He tugged at the waistband of his pants and scratched under his collar. "Maybe I could sneak outside and stretch my legs a bit?" he whispered. Pearl vigorously shook her head. "Take out your history books, please," Ms. McKay said. "Today we will be discussing the American Revolution." Michael reached inside his backpack and

第五章“嗯，嗯，嗯！”莫尔咂咂嘴唇，舔舔爪子。 他在午餐时多捡了几块鸡块。 “嘘!”珠儿让他安静下来。 两人挤在迈克尔的背包里。 麦凯的类。“你太吵了！”老师会听到的。” “对不起。我没办法。”莫尔低声说。 他低头一看，发现乔治·华盛顿时期的夹克翻领上有一块鸡块碎屑。 “你好，小金块！”你没想过你能逃得掉吧？”“嘘!”珍珠重复。 现在梅尔已经吃完了，一想到还要在背包里再呆上三个小时，他就开始坐立不安了，而穿上洋娃娃的衣服也于心不忍。 他拉了拉裤腰，又在衣领下面挠了挠。 “也许我可以溜出去活动活动腿？”他小声说。 珠儿使劲摇了摇头。 “请拿出你们的历史书。” 麦凯说。“今天我们将讨论美国独立战争。” 迈克尔把手伸进背包里

pulled out his history book. Since that was his largest book, it opened up a little more room for the squirrels. "Thank you," Pearl said quietly to Michael, who nodded as he opened his book on his desk. Merle peeked out of the top of the backpack as the rest of the kids in the classroom dug in their backpacks for their books. At the front of the room, Ms. McKay was writing on the board with her back to the class. It's now or never, Merle decided. He sprang out of the backpack and made a break for the open window. "Michael, would you—?" Ms. McKay stopped short in the middle of turning toward Michael, her eye caught by movement on the floor.

拿出他的历史书。 因为那是他最大的一本书，它为松鼠打开了更多的空间。 “谢谢你。”珠儿平静地对迈克尔说。迈克尔点了点头，打开桌上的书。 当教室里的其他孩子在书包里翻书的时候，莫尔从背包的顶部往外偷看。 在房间的前面，mrs。 麦凯背对着全班在黑板上写字。 现在是时候了，梅尔决定。 他从背包里跳了出来，朝开着的窗户跑去。 “迈克尔，你能——？”Ms。 麦凯正在转向迈克尔的时候突然停了下来，她的目光被地板上的动静吸引住了。

Merle, thinking fast, froze. He could sense he was being watched, and while a squirrel's first instinct is to run for the trees when spotted, Merle knew that it was not an option here. "What is that?" Ms. McKay asked, staring at the motionless Merle. "What is... what?" Michael asked nervously as Ms. McKay started over. "Um, it's... uh..." The teacher reached down and picked up the revolutionary rodent. "Wow. He feels so real," Ms. McKay noted as Michael gulped hard. Merle had never tried so hard to stay so still in his life. "Michael," the teacher continued, "I am very impressed with your initiative!" "My what?" Michael asked, still pale with fear. "You dressed up your stuffed animal like George Washington for our lesson today! What is this— a squirrel? We'll call him 'George Washingsquirrel.'" A ripple of laughter spread across the room. Michael sank low in his seat, his terror turning to sheer embarrassment. "Do you mind if I set him on my desk for our lesson?" Ms. McKay asked. "He is just adorable." The laughter got louder. "No, ma'am," Michael muttered.

莫尔想得很快，愣住了。 他能感觉到有人在监视他，而松鼠的第一反应是被发现后跑到树上，梅尔知道在这里这是不可能的。 “那是什么？”麦凯女士盯着一动不动的梅尔问道。 “是什么…什么?”迈克尔紧张地问道。 麦凯重新开始。“嗯,这是…… 嗯…”老师伸手把这只革命的啮齿动物捡了起来。 “哇。他感觉很真实。” 麦凯注意到迈克尔使劲地吸着气。 梅尔一生中从未如此努力地保持静止。 “迈克尔，”老师接着说，“你的主动性给我留下了深刻的印象！”“我什么?”迈克尔问，仍然吓得脸色苍白。 “你今天把你的毛绒玩具打扮得像乔治·华盛顿！”这是什么——松鼠吗？ 我们叫他“乔治·华盛顿松鼠”。’”一阵笑声传遍了整个房间。 迈克尔伏在座位上，他的恐惧变成了彻头彻尾的尴尬。 “你介意我把他放在我的桌子上上课吗？”Ms。 麦凯问道。“他太可爱了。” 笑声越来越大。“不，夫人。”迈克尔喃喃地说。

"Nice squirrel doll, Michael," Eric Weinstein teased. Michael shot him a quick grimace. For the next 45 minutes, Merle was compelled to remain completely motionless atop Ms. McKay's desk as she talked about the Boston Tea Party. "Serves him right," Pearl whispered to Michael. "I hope his whiskers itch."

“不错的松鼠娃娃，迈克尔，”埃里克·温斯坦揶揄道。 迈克尔飞快地对他做了个鬼脸。 在接下来的45分钟里，梅尔被迫完全不动地站在她的身上。 麦凯的桌子上，她谈到了波士顿倾茶事件。 “他活该，”珠儿低声对迈克尔说。 “我希望他的胡子痒。”