Chapter 7

Chapter Seven IN WHICH Simon Outdoes Himself and Finds an Extraordinary New Pet You have to be kidding," Mallory said when Simon explained what he wanted to do. "They're going to die if we don't," Simon insisted. "The griffin is bleeding." "The griffin, too?" Jared asked. He understood about the cats, but a griffin? "How are we going to help that thing?" Mallory demanded. "We're not faerie veterinarians!"

当西蒙向马洛里解释他想做什么时，马洛里说：“你一定是在开玩笑吧。” “如果我们不这样做，他们会死的，”西蒙坚持说。 “狮鹫在流血。” “狮鹫也是吗？”杰瑞德问。 他理解猫的事，但狮鹫呢？ “我们要怎么帮助那东西？”马洛里问道。 “我们不是精灵兽医！”

"We have to try," said Simon just as firmly. Jared owed it to Simon to agree. After all, he had put Simon through a lot. "We could get the old tarp from the carriage house." "Yeah," Simon chimed in. "Then we could drag the griffin back to the house. There's plenty of room." Mallory rolled her eyes. "If it lets us," Jared said. "Did you see what it did to that goblin?" "Come on, guys," Simon pleaded. "I'm not strong enough to pull it alone." "All right," she said. "But I'm not standing close to the head." Jared, Simon, and Mallory trooped back to the carriage house. The full moon overhead gave them enough light to navigate the woods, but they were still careful, crossing the stream where it was barely a trickle. At the edge of the lawn, Jared could see that the windows of the main house were lit and that his mother's car was parked in the gravel driveway. Was she making dinner? Had she

“我们必须试试，”西蒙同样坚定地说。 为了西蒙，贾里德必须同意。 毕竟，他让西蒙经历了很多。 “我们可以把马车房的旧篷布拿来。” “是的，”西蒙插嘴说。“然后我们可以把狮鹫拖回房子里。 有足够的空间。”马洛里翻了个白眼。 “如果它允许的话，”贾里德说。 “你看到它对那个妖精做了什么吗？”“来吧，伙计们，”西蒙恳求道。 “我不够强壮，一个人拉不动。” “好吧，”她说。“但我不会站在靠近头部的地方。” 贾里德、西蒙和马洛里成群结队地回到马车房。 头顶上的满月给了他们足够的光线在树林里导航，但他们仍然小心翼翼地穿过那条几乎没有涓涓细流的小溪。 在草坪的边缘，贾里德看到主屋的窗户都亮着灯，他母亲的车停在砾石车道上。 她在做晚饭吗？她

called the police? Jared wanted to go inside and tell his mom that they were all okay, but he didn't dare. "Jared, come on." Simon had opened the door to the carriage house, and Mallory was pulling the tarp from the old car. "Hey, look at this." Simon picked up a flashlight from one of the shelves and flicked it on. Luckily, no beam of light spread across the lawn. "Batteries are probably dead," Jared said. "Stop playing around," Mallory told them. "We're trying not to get caught." They dragged the tarp back through the woods. The walk went more slowly and with a good deal of arguing about the shortest way. Jared couldn't keep from jumping at distant night noises. Even the croaking of frogs sounded ominous. He couldn't help wondering what else there was, hidden in the dark. Maybe something worse than goblins or trolls. He shook his head and reminded himself that no one could possibly be that unlucky in one day.

报警了？杰瑞德想进去告诉他妈妈他们都没事，但他不敢。 “杰瑞德，来吧。”西蒙打开了马车房的门，马洛里正在从那辆旧车上拉篷布。 “嘿，看看这个。”西蒙从一个架子上拿起手电筒，轻轻打开。 幸运的是，没有一束光穿过草坪。 “电池可能没电了，”贾里德说。 “别胡闹了，”马洛里告诉他们。 “我们正努力不被抓到。” 他们拖着油布穿过树林。 他们走得更慢了，关于哪条路最短，他们争论了很多次。 贾里德一听到远处的夜声就忍不住跳起来。 甚至连青蛙的呱呱声都听起来是不祥的。 他不禁想知道还有什么东西藏在黑暗中。 也许比地精或巨魔更可怕。 他摇了摇头，提醒自己，没有人会在一天之内这么倒霉。

When they finally found the goblin camp again, Jared was surprised to see Hogsqueal sitting by the fire. He was licking bones and burped contentedly when they approached. "I guess you're okay," Jared said. "Is that any way to talk to someone who saved your prawnheaded hide?"

当他们终于再次找到妖精的营地时，贾里德惊讶地看到霍格squeal坐在火炉旁。 他们走近时，他正在舔骨头，心满意足地打了个嗝。 “我想你没事，”贾里德说。 “你就这样跟救了你的人说话吗？”

Jared started to protest—they'd almost gotten killed over the stupid goblin—but Mallory grabbed his arm. "Help Simon with the animals," she said. "I'll watch the goblin." "I'm not a goblin," Hogsqueal said. "I'm a hob goblin." "Whatever," said Mallory, sitting on a rock. Simon and Jared climbed the trees, letting out all the animals in the cages. Most ran down the nearest branch or sprang for the ground, as afraid of the boys as they were of the goblins. One little kitten crouched in the back of a cage, mewling pitifully. Jared didn't know what to do with it, so he put it in his backpack and kept moving. There was no sign of Tibbs.

贾里德开始抗议——他们差点因为那个愚蠢的妖精而送命——但是马洛里抓住了他的胳膊。 “帮西蒙照顾动物，”她说。 “我来看着妖精。”“我不是妖精。”霍格squeal说。 “我是一个霍布妖精。”“随便吧。”马洛里坐在一块石头上说。 西蒙和贾里德爬上树，把笼子里的动物都放了出来。 大多数人从最近的树枝上跑下来，或者跳到地上，就像他们害怕半兽人一样害怕这些男孩。 一只小猫蹲在笼子后面，可怜地呜咽着。 杰瑞德不知道该拿它怎么办，所以他把它放在背包里，然后继续赶路。 没有蒂布斯的踪迹。

When Simon saw the kitten, he insisted that they keep it. Jared wished that he meant instead of the griffin. Jared thought that Hogsqueal's eyes softened when he saw the cat, but that might have been from hunger. When the cages were empty, the three siblings and the hobgoblin approached the griffin. It watched them warily, extending its claws.

当西蒙看到小猫时，他坚持要他们养它。 贾里德真希望他说的不是狮鹫。 贾里德认为霍格斯奎看到猫的时候眼神变得柔和了，但这可能是因为饥饿。 当笼子空了，三个兄弟姐妹和小妖精走近狮鹫。 它警惕地看着他们，伸出爪子。