Chapter 3

Chapter Three IN WHICH There Are Many Riddles Jared looked around the room. It was a smallish library, with one huge desk in the center. On it was an open book and a pair of old-fashioned, round glasses that caught the candlelight. Jared walked closer. The dim glow illuminated one title at a time as he scanned the shelves. They were all strange: A Historie of Scottish Dwarves, A Compendium of Brownie Visitations from Around the World, and Anatomy of Insects and Other Flying Creatures.

第三章许多谜语贾里德环视了一下房间。 这是一个小图书馆，中间有一张大桌子。 上面有一本打开的书和一副老式的圆形眼镜，可以照到烛光。 杰瑞德走近了。他扫视着书架，昏暗的灯光一次照亮一本书。 它们都很奇怪：《苏格兰矮人史》、《世界各地的布朗尼来访简编》和《昆虫和其他飞行生物的解剖》。

A collection of glass jars containing berries, dried plants, and one filled with dull river stones sat at the edge of the desk. Nearby, a watercolor sketch showed a little girl and a man playing on the lawn. Jared's eyes fell on a note tossed on top of an open book, both coated in a thin layer of dust. The paper was yellowed with age, but handwritten on it was a strange little poem: In a man's torso you will find My secret to all mankind If false and true can be the same You will soon know of my fame Up and up and up again Good luck dear friend He picked it up and read it through carefully. It was as though a message had been left here just for him. But by whom? What did the poem mean? He heard a shout from downstairs. "Mallory! Simon! What are you doing up?"

桌子边上放着一堆玻璃罐子，里面装着浆果、干枯的植物，还有一个罐子里装着暗淡的河石。 不远处，一幅水彩画上，一个小女孩和一个男人在草坪上玩耍。 杰瑞德的目光落在一本打开的书上，上面有一张纸条，上面都覆盖着一层薄薄的灰尘。 纸上写着一首奇怪的小诗：在一个男人的身体里，你会发现我对全人类的秘密，如果假与真可以是一样的，你很快就会知道我的名声，往上爬，往上爬，再往上爬祝你好运，亲爱的朋友。他把信捡起来，仔细地读了一遍。 就好像有人在这里专门给他留了个口信。 但是谁呢？这首诗是什么意思？ 他听到楼下传来一声喊叫。 “马洛里!西蒙!你怎么起来了？”

Jared groaned. It just figured that Mom would get back from the store now. "There was a squirrel in the wall," Jared could hear Mallory say. Their mother cut her off. "Where's Jared?" Neither of his siblings said anything. "You bring that dumbwaiter down. If your brother is in there..."

Jared呻吟着。我只是觉得妈妈现在应该从商店回来了。 “墙上有只松鼠。”贾里德听见马洛里说。 他们的母亲打断了她的话。“贾里德在哪儿?”他的兄弟姐妹都没说什么。 “你把那个升降机弄下来。 如果你哥哥在里面……”

Jared ran over in time to watch the box disappear down into the wall. His candle choked on wax and sputtered from his sudden movement, but it didn't go out. "See?" Simon said weakly. The dumbwaiter must have showed up, empty. "Well, where is he then?" "I don't know," Mallory said. "In bed, asleep?" Their mother sighed. "Well, go on, both of you, and join him. Now!" Jared listened to their retreating steps. They'd have to wait a while before they snuck back down to get him. That is, if they didn't just figure that the dumbwaiter had taken him all the way upstairs. They'd probably be surprised not to find him in bed. How could they know he was trapped in a room without a door? There was a rustling behind him. Jared spun around. It came from the desk. As he held up the makeshift lamp, Jared saw that something had been scrawled in the dust of the desk. Something that wasn't there before.

杰瑞德及时跑过来，看着盒子消失在墙上。 他的蜡烛被蜡呛住了，由于他的突然移动而发出噼啪声，但没有熄灭。 “看到了吗?”西蒙虚弱地说。电梯一定是空的。 “那么，他在哪儿呢？”“我不知道，”马洛里说。 “在床上，睡着了？”他们的母亲叹了口气。 “好吧，你们俩去吧，到他那儿去。 现在!”贾里德听着他们后退的脚步声。 他们得等上一段时间才能溜回去抓他。 前提是他们没有想到是电梯把他一路带上楼的。 如果他没躺在床上，他们可能会很惊讶。 他们怎么知道他被困在一个没有门的房间里？ 他身后传来一阵沙沙声。 杰瑞德转过身来。是从桌子上传来的。 当他举起那盏临时搭建的台灯时，贾里德看到桌子上的灰尘里潦草地写着什么。 以前没有的东西。

Click clack, watch your back. Jared jumped, causing his candle to tilt. Running wax snuffed the flame. He stood in the darkness, so scared he could barely move. Something was here, in the room, and it could write! He backed toward the empty chute, biting the inside of his lip to keep from screaming. He could hear the rustling of bags downstairs as his mother unpacked groceries.

咔嗒咔嗒，小心点。 杰瑞德跳了起来，把蜡烛弄歪了。 流动的蜡熄灭了火焰。 他站在黑暗中，吓得几乎动弹不得。 有什么东西在这里，在房间里，而且它会写字！他向空空如也的降落伞退了回去，咬着嘴唇不让自己尖叫起来。 他能听到楼下妈妈打开杂货时袋子的沙沙声。

"What are you?"

“你是什么？”