2 PARDON ME

CHAPTER 2 PARDON ME My heart pounded and my stomach did flip- flops. I couldn't think of any forest animal that cleared its throat. My mom was out running errands. Should I get my dad? Maybe I'd just imagined that noise... I could think of one way to find out. "Um, hello? Is someone out there?" I squeaked. The shrubs parted, and a creature about the same

对不起，我的心怦怦直跳，我的胃怦怦乱跳。 我想不出有什么森林动物会清喉咙。 我妈妈出去办事了。 我该叫我爸爸来吗？也许那声音是我想象出来的…… 我想到了一个办法。 “嗯,你好吗?外面有人吗？”我发出“吱吱”的响声。 灌木分开了，一个生物也分开了

size as me walked out. He was furry, orange, and had giant ears with two horns on top of his head. He squinted at me and Sassafras with his two big eyes. He looked like... like... a monster? I stood there, frozen, with my mouth hanging open. The monster brushed his fur off and cleared his throat again. He seemed like he was about to say something. Could monsters talk? Sassafras broke the silence by launching out of my arms. Before I could stop him, he flew out the cat door and raced toward the monster outside. I began to follow, but stopped. That was an awfully tall monster. But then again, I didn't want Sassafras to get hurt. What should I do? I took a deep breath. Mom never said there were dangerous magical creatures in our forest. So maybe the monster was really big and really friendly? I crossed my fingers that this would be true as I ran outside.

大小和我一起走了出去。他毛茸茸的，橙色的，有一对巨大的耳朵，头顶上有两个角。 他用两只大眼睛斜视着我和萨萨法斯。 他看起来像……喜欢……一个怪物? 我站在那里，冻僵了，嘴巴张得大大的。 怪物拂去身上的毛，又清了清嗓子。 他好像有话要说。 怪物会说话吗？黄樟从我的怀里跳出来，打破了沉默。 我还没来得及阻止他，他就冲出了猫门，向外面的怪物跑去。 我开始跟着，但又停了下来。 那是一个高得吓人的怪物。 但话说回来，我不想让萨萨法斯受伤。 我该怎么办？我深吸了一口气。 妈妈从没说过我们的森林里有危险的魔法生物。 所以也许这个怪物真的很大很友好？ 当我跑出去的时候，我祈祷这是真的。

The monster stood with his arms in the air, looking terrified. Sassafras galloped toward him. Once he was close enough, my cat leapt into the air and aimed straight at the monster's chest. The monster screamed, "What is that? Eeek! Help me!" He stumbled backward. Was my cat trying to leap into the monster's arms? The monster wouldn't keep still, so Sassafras gave up and started purring furiously at the

怪物举着胳膊站在空中，看起来很害怕。 黄樟向他飞奔而来。 当他离我足够近的时候，我的猫跳到空中，直接瞄准了怪物的胸膛。 怪物尖叫道：“那是什么？” 嘿!救救我!”他踉跄着后退。 我的猫是想跳进怪物的怀抱吗？ 怪物不愿静止不动，所以萨萨法斯放弃了，开始愤怒地对着

trembling monster's feet. He bumped his head against the monster's legs and kept purring. The monster put his hands up to his cheeks in horror and shrieked again. "It's trying to eat me! I can hear its tummy growling from here. Oh, help me!" I scooped Sassafras into my arms. "I'm so sorry! My cat isn't trying to hurt you. I think he just really likes you."

颤抖的怪物的脚。他的头撞在怪物的腿上，不停地呜呜叫着。 怪物惊恐地把手举到脸颊上，又尖叫起来。 “它想吃掉我！”我在这里都能听到它肚子的咆哮声。 哦，救救我！”我把黄樟抱在怀里。 “我很抱歉！我的猫没想伤害你。 我想他只是真的喜欢你。”

Sassafras strained in my arms, wanting to love on the monster more. I squeezed him to my chest a little tighter. "Likes me enough to eat me!" the monster huffed. I giggled. "Sassafras eats cat food, not monsters. I promise." The monster calmed down a bit. He took a

黄樟紧绷在我的臂弯里，想更爱那个怪物。 我把他紧紧地搂在胸前。 “喜欢到吃我的程度！”怪物生气地说。 我咯咯笑了。“黄樟吃的是猫粮，不是怪物。 我保证。”怪物平静了一些。 他吃了一顿。

closer look at me and wrinkled his face. "I thought you were a bigger human, from the stories I've heard in the forest." I stood up a bit straighter. "The stories were probably about my mom, but I'm big enough to help you." The monster raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You seem rather small." I moved Sassafras over to my hip. "I know all about the magic doorbell and the barn. I even helped a baby dragon all by myself." "Really?" The monster seemed a little more convinced. "I love dragons." "Me too," I said with a sigh, remembering little Marshmallow. "I figured out what was wrong with a baby dragon who didn't even speak, so I'm sure I can help you," I added confidently. I mean, really. How hard could this be with someone who could answer questions! The monster looked me over once more, then he nodded. "As I'm sure you know, it's almost time for the annual Monster Ball." The Monster Ball? An annual monster dance?

凑近了看我，皱起了脸。 “从我在森林里听到的故事来看，我以为你是一个更大的人。” 我站得更直了一点。 “这些故事可能是关于我妈妈的，但我已经足够大了，可以帮助你。” 怪物扬起眉毛。 “你确定吗？”你看起来很小。” 我把黄樟移到我的臀部。 “我知道所有关于魔法门铃和谷仓的事。 我甚至独自帮助了一只小龙。” “真的吗?”怪物似乎更相信了。 “我喜欢龙。”“我也是，”我叹了口气，想起了小棉花糖。 “我知道一条甚至不会说话的小龙有什么问题，所以我相信我能帮助你，”我自信地补充道。 我是说，真的。和一个会回答问题的人在一起能有多难啊！怪物又看了我一眼，然后点了点头。 “我相信你知道，一年一度的怪物舞会快到了。” 怪物舞会？一年一度的怪兽舞会？