Chapter 15

15 ON THE SANDY GROUND AT THE TOP OF THE HIGHEST HILL UNDER the oldest oak tree in the Midville Forest Preserve, the last wave of the red-ant army attacks the entrance to the black ants' hill. A line of giantheaded black soldier ants meet and mow down the charge, easily chopping the red ants to pieces with their jagged, oversized mandibles. The invading red-ant army is reduced to a

在米德维尔森林保护区最高的山顶上的沙滩上，在一棵最古老的橡树下，红蚁大军的最后一波进攻了黑蚁丘的入口。 一排长着巨头的黑色兵蚁相遇，用它们参差不齐的超大下颚轻而易举地将红蚁砍成碎片。 入侵的红蚁大军被歼灭

scattering of heads, abdomens, and thorax parts, bent feelers, and ripped-off legs. The black-ant army is victorious. A speck appears in the blue sky near the horizon. The speck grows larger. The speck takes the shape of a bike flying above the ground, carrying a hunched-over figure. The flying bike zooms into full-size close-up, banks around the oak tree, and drops suddenly and quickly to the ground right next

头部、腹部和胸部部位分散，触角弯曲，腿被撕掉。 黑蚁大军胜利了。 一个小点出现在地平线附近的蓝天上。 斑点变大了。这个斑点的形状像一辆在地面上飞行的自行车，上面载着一个驼背的身影。 飞行的自行车放大成全尺寸的特写，在橡树周围倾斜，然后又突然迅速地落在地上

to the black ants' hill. One large sneaker-covered foot swings over the bike and down, right on top of the band of black soldier ants, smashing two flat and scattering the rest. The kid wearing the sneaker sits down on the slate rock under the oak tree, folds his arms across his chest, and stares out over the whole town of Midville spread below, thinking a thousand thoughts, electrical impulses in his brain jumping from neuron to neuron, oblivious to the ant chaos he has just caused under his rubber-tipped toe. Frank Einstein—because, really, who else drives a flying bike?—thinks.

去黑蚂蚁山。一只穿着运动鞋的大脚在自行车上晃来晃去，正好踩在一群黑色兵蚁的上面，两只蚂蚁被踩扁，剩下的蚂蚁四散。 穿着运动鞋的孩子坐在橡树下的石板上，双臂交叉在胸前，凝视着下面蔓延的整个米德维尔镇，思绪万千，大脑中的电脉冲从一个神经元跳到另一个神经元，忘记了他刚刚在橡胶尖脚趾下造成的蚂蚁混乱。 弗兰克·爱因斯坦——因为，说真的，还有谁会开会飞的自行车呢？——认为。

The Earth revolves. Time passes. Frank feels flattened. Like he has been stomped by a giant shoe. The ants next to Frank's sneaker begin digging a new tunnel, begin mounding a new anthill. Frank mutters darkly to himself, "'Best invention ever... Single drop of water... The Edison Antimatter Motor...'" Frank forms thoughts of smashing, breaking, throwing everything away. The Earth revolves. Frank mutters more. "Even Watson... Robots lost... Oh no, Grampa Al—" "At your service." Frank looks up to see Grampa Al, who has just stepped out from around the oak. "Huh? How...? What are you doing here?" Grampa Al slings off a small rucksack and sits down on the rock next to Frank.

地球自转。时间的流逝。 弗兰克觉得自己被击垮了。就像被一只大鞋子踩过一样。 弗兰克运动鞋旁边的蚂蚁开始挖一条新的隧道，开始筑一个新的蚁丘。 弗兰克阴郁地自言自语道：“有史以来最好的发明…… 一滴水……爱迪生反物质发动机……’”弗兰克产生了打碎、打碎、扔掉一切东西的想法。 地球自转。弗兰克又咕哝了几句。 “即使沃森……机器人失去…… 哦，不，艾尔爷爷——”“听候差遣。” 弗兰克抬头看到了阿尔爷爷，他刚刚从橡树周围走出来。 “嗯?如何…?你在这里做什么？”爷爷卸下一个小背包，坐在弗兰克旁边的岩石上。

"I heard about the Science Prize. And I didn't have any luck tracking down Klink and Klank. So I thought I might just hike up here and take in this great view." Frank looks out over Midville. "Nothing great about it today. Everything is wrecked. What a disaster." Grampa Al hands Frank his canteen. "Oh, I don't know. It's pretty much the same world it was yesterday. Sun still shining, oak leaves still working their photosynthesis, these ants right under us still digging and hauling." Frank takes a long swig of water. It does taste good. "But the Science Prize, Klink and Klank, your shop, your place..." "Ahhhh, none of that's a big deal. You've still got that Frank Einstein brain of yours, right?" "Yeah."

“我听说了科学奖。 我也没能找到Klink和Klank。 所以我想我可以徒步到这里来欣赏一下这美景。” 弗兰克俯瞰着米德维尔。 “今天没什么了不起的。 一切都毁了。真是一场灾难。” 爷爷把水壶递给弗兰克。 “哦，我不知道。今天的世界和昨天没什么两样。 太阳还在照耀，橡树叶还在进行光合作用，我们下面的蚂蚁还在挖掘和搬运。” 弗兰克喝了一大口水。 味道确实不错。“但是科学奖、Klink and Klank、你的商店、你的房子……” “啊，这些都没什么大不了的。 你还有弗兰克·爱因斯坦的大脑，对吧？”“是的。”