9 NOT AGAIN!

CHAPTER 9 NOT AGAIN! I woke up the next morning full of hope, but when we got to the barn, my shoulders slumped. Three more plants had turned to ashes. Mom rubbed my back. "It's not your fault, honey! This is a tricky problem and a delicate plant. Which three did we lose overnight?" "The plants in the pots that got one, two, and twelve teaspoons of water." My stomach felt like I'd swallowed a rock. "But look! Now we know more about your plant…" Mom gestured to the growing plants. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down. Panicking wouldn't help the nine plants that were left. I grabbed my ruler with a shaky hand and measured. "OK, so it looks like the six-teaspoon plant has grown the most. That must be close to the perfect amount of water." I poked a finger in the

第九章又来了！第二天早上，我满怀希望地醒来，但当我们到达谷仓时，我的肩膀耷拉下来。 又有三株植物化为灰烬。 妈妈揉我的背。“这不是你的错，亲爱的！这是一个棘手的问题，也是一种脆弱的植物。 我们一夜之间失去了哪三个？”“花盆里的植物分别加了一茶匙、两茶匙和十二茶匙的水。” 我的胃就像吞下了一块石头。 “但看!现在我们对你的植物有了更多的了解……”妈妈指着正在生长的植物。 我深吸了一口气，试图让自己平静下来。 恐慌对剩下的九株植物没有任何帮助。 我用颤抖的手抓起尺子量了量。 “好吧，所以看起来6茶匙的植物生长得最多。 这一定接近完美的水量了。” 我戳了一根手指

soil. "It's kind of mushy and wet. That's strange, right?" "It is unusual." Mom seemed to be waiting for me to figure it out. I could do this. "OK, so we know that it likes sand mixed with moss. And that it likes to be a little soggy. Soggy… soggy… OH! Boggy! It's that thing you were telling me about when I started, right? A bog?" Mom smiled. "Exactly. Remember, a bog is a

土壤。“它有点糊状和潮湿。 这很奇怪，对吧？”“这很不寻常。” 妈妈似乎在等我弄明白。 我可以这样做。“好吧，所以我们知道它喜欢混合着苔藓的沙子。 它喜欢有点湿。 湿透了……湿透了……哦！沼泽!就是我刚开始的时候你跟我说的那件事，对吧？ 一个沼泽吗?”妈妈笑了。“没错。 记住，bog是

kind of wetland. The plants there are used to soils that are similar to a sand-and-moss mix, and they're usually OK with a bit of standing water. I agree with your conclusion that our mystery plants seem to want to grow in a bog." I peeked out the barn window into the forest. "And you said there's one around here?" Mom pointed off in the distance. "The one I know of is a few miles that way, but there aren't any roads to it. The only way to get there is a pretty steep and long hike." "I love hiking!" I flexed my arm muscles. "And I'm tough. Can I come with you to take the plants back? Please, Mom?" I was super excited to get the plants back where they belonged. And I was a little worried that the longer I kept them, the more likely I would wake up to more purple ashes.

有点像湿地。那里的植物习惯了类似于沙子和苔藓混合物的土壤，它们通常可以接受一点死水。 我同意你的结论，我们的神秘植物似乎想在沼泽里生长。” 我从谷仓的窗户往外偷看森林。 “你说这附近有一个？”妈妈指着远处。 “我知道的一家在那边几英里远的地方，但是没有路通往那里。 到达那里的唯一途径是一段相当陡峭和漫长的徒步旅行。” “我喜欢徒步旅行！”我弯曲了手臂的肌肉。 “我很坚强。我能和你一起去把植物带回去吗？ 请,妈妈?”我超级兴奋，能把植物放回它们应该在的地方。 我有点担心，我保存它们的时间越长，我醒来时就越有可能看到更多的紫色灰烬。

Mom laughed. "You are tough. I have to go into work today, but maybe we can go tomorrow." "YESSS!" I jumped up and down. "Why don't you get all of these plants watered for the day, and then you and Sassafras can start packing everything we'll need for a long day hike —hats and bug spray and snacks and all that?" "We're on it!"

妈妈笑了。“你很坚强。 我今天得去上班，但也许我们可以明天去。” “——啊!”我跳上跳下。 “你为什么不给这些植物都浇上一天的水，然后你和萨萨弗斯就可以开始收拾我们一整天徒步旅行所需要的东西——帽子、杀虫剂、零食等等？”“我们这就去！”