Chapter 1

THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS Whiriy Squirrelies From the co-creator of VeggieTales Mike Nawrocki Illustrated by Luke Seguin-Magee

死海松鼠灰松鼠来自VeggieTales的共同创作者Mike Nawrocki， Luke Seguin-Magee绘制

CHAPTER 1 WALNUT CREEK, TENNESSEE PRESENT DAY (MONDAY) 11:32 P.M.

第一章核桃溪，田纳西州现在（星期一）晚上11:32

A loud thump on Michael Gomez's bedroom window was followed immediately by the shriek of the burglar alarm Michael's dad had installed to help protect Merle and Pearl Squirrel from the man in the suit and sunglasses, a mysterious agent working for a collector of ancient artifacts. He wanted to bring Merle and Pearl back to the Dead Sea, which was the last place on earth they wanted to be. The ancient squirrels preferred modern-day Tennessee with its abundance of nuts and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning). After having spent nearly 2,000 years preserved in salt in a dusty desert cave, who could blame them?

迈克尔·戈麦斯卧室的窗户上响起一声巨响，紧接着是迈克尔的父亲安装的防盗报警器的尖叫声，这是为了保护梅尔和松鼠珍珠免受那个穿着西装、戴着太阳镜的人的伤害。这个人是一个为古代文物收藏家工作的神秘特工。 他想把莫尔和珠儿带回死海，那是他们在地球上最不愿意去的地方。 古代松鼠更喜欢现代的田纳西州，因为那里有丰富的坚果和暖通空调。 在尘土飞扬的沙漠洞穴中用盐保存了近2000年之后，谁能责怪他们呢？

Michael sat straight up in bed and looked over at Merle and Pearl, nestled comfortably in their sawdust in the enormous converted hamster cage Mrs. Gomez had constructed for the squirrels as a permanent home in Michael's room, complete with running water and shiplap. "Shhh...," Merle shushed, still half asleep, waving his paw in the air in a poor attempt to shoo away the annoying alarm sound.

迈克尔直挺挺地坐在床上，看着梅尔和珀尔，它们舒舒服服地依偎在木屑里。戈麦斯太太在迈克尔的房间里为松鼠们建造了一个巨大的仓鼠笼，作为它们的永久住所，笼子里有自来水和轮船。 “嘘……莫尔安静了下来，仍然半睡半醒，在空中挥舞着爪子，想赶走恼人的闹钟声。

Dr. Gomez popped his head into the room, dressed in pajamas and slippers and looking like he'd also been asleep. "Everyone okay?!" he asked urgently. "Yeah, we're fine," Michael responded. "Shhh...," Merle repeated as the alarm continued to sound. "I heard something hit the window," Pearl said. She was a much lighter sleeper than Michael and Merle. Michael and Dr. Gomez rushed to the window but saw nothing more suspicious than a few strands of toilet paper dangling from nearby branches. "Looks like a prank," Dr. Gomez said. "What parent would allow their kids out at this time of night? I'll go turn off the alarm." He headed out into the hallway. "Thank you," Merle said groggily. Pearl made her way over to the window. Something caught her eye, and she stood on her tiptoes to get a good angle into the bushes below. "What's that?" Michael slid the window open as the sound of the alarm cut out. "It looks like a... drone?" Sure enough, a drone lay sideways in the bushes, buzzing limply like an injured bee, its propellers tangled in toilet paper. He reached down and picked it up.

戈麦斯医生把头伸进房间，穿着睡衣和拖鞋，看起来他也睡着了。 “大家都没事吧？！”他急切地问道。 “是的，我们很好，”迈克尔回答。 “嘘……当警报声继续响起时，莫尔重复道。 “我听到有东西砸在窗户上，”珀尔说。 她比迈克尔和莫尔睡得轻得多。 迈克尔和戈麦斯医生冲到窗前，但除了附近树枝上悬挂的几缕卫生纸外，没有看到任何可疑的东西。 “看起来像是恶作剧，”戈麦斯说。 “哪个家长会让孩子在晚上这个时候出去？” 我去把闹钟关掉。” 他走到走廊上。 “谢谢你。”莫尔昏昏沉沉地说。 珠儿走到窗前。 有什么东西引起了她的注意，她踮起脚尖，从一个合适的角度看向下面的灌木丛。 “那是什么?”当警报声消失时，迈克尔拉开了窗户。 “它看起来像一个……无人驾驶飞机?”果然，一架无人机侧身躺在灌木丛中，像一只受伤的蜜蜂一样无力地嗡嗡作响，它的螺旋桨缠在卫生纸上。 他伸手把它捡了起来。