Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16 But he couldn't forget. Even back on the farm, surrounded by friends from school and neighbors from town, he felt like he was still drifting on the dark ocean. And each day that went by, he felt himself drifting farther away. At night, when he got into bed, he'd see the faces of all those scared people on G deck. He'd see the ship disappearing into the sea. He'd remember the stabbing cold, and the screams of hundreds of people crying for help. He didn't bother trying to fall asleep. Each night, after Phoebe and Papa were in bed, he went out into the woods.

第十六章但他忘不了。 即使回到农场，周围都是学校的朋友和镇上的邻居，他仍然觉得自己在黑暗的海洋上漂流。 日子一天天过去，他感到自己离他越来越远。 晚上，当他上床睡觉时，他会看到G甲板上那些害怕的人的脸。 他会看到船消失在大海里。 他会记得刺骨的寒冷，还有数百人呼救的尖叫声。 他甚至懒得入睡。 每天晚上，菲比和爸爸上床后，他就到树林里去。

He was heading back to the house one night when he heard a noise through the bushes. Something was there. He could sense it. The panther? He took out his knife, fighting the urge to run away, and peered through the branches. George stared in shock. It was Papa. He was sitting on a large rock, looking up at the sky, smoking his pipe. He looked like he'd been there for some time. Papa turned. He didn't look especially surprised to see George. "Sorry to give you a scare," he said. "What are you doing here?" George asked. "Don't know," Papa said. "Sometimes I just come here, when I can't sleep." George couldn't believe it. How many nights had they both been out in the woods at the same time? Papa eased himself off the rock and began walking back toward the house. "I'll take you up to your bed." "No, Papa," George said. "I come to the woods too."

一天晚上，他在回家的路上听到灌木丛里有声音。 有什么东西在那儿。他能感觉到。 豹吗?他拿出刀，忍住想逃跑的冲动，透过树枝往外看。 乔治惊呆了。是爸爸。 他坐在一块大石头上，抬头望着天空，抽着烟斗。 他看起来已经在那里待了一段时间了。 爸爸转过身来。看到乔治，他看上去并不特别惊讶。 “很抱歉吓到你了，”他说。 “你在这儿干什么?”乔治问。 “不知道，”爸爸说。“有时候，当我睡不着的时候，我就来这里。” 乔治简直不敢相信。 有多少个夜晚他们俩同时在树林里? 爸爸慢慢地从岩石上下来，开始朝房子走去。 “我带你到你的床上去。” “不，爸爸，”乔治说。“我也到树林里来。”

Papa looked at him with a very slight smile. "I know that," he said. Papa knew? What else did Papa know about George? What else didn't George know about Papa? He and and his father looked at each other. Really looked, for the first time in a long while, maybe since Mama died. Suddenly George started to cry. They took him by surprise, his tears, and he couldn't stop. He cried for all those people who didn't make it out of the water. He cried because somehow he did. He cried because he knew that no matter how much time went by, a part of him would still be out in that ocean. He would never forget. Papa held George's hand and didn't say a word. And then he led George over to the boulder, where they sat together under the stars. George stared up at the sky. Were those really the same stars that had burned so brightly above the black ocean that night? Was he really still the same boy? George, who couldn't stay out of trouble. George, who didn't try hard at school.

爸爸带着一丝微笑看着他。 “我知道，”他说。爸爸知道吗? 爸爸还知道乔治的什么事? 还有什么是乔治不知道的? 他和父亲面面相觑。 这么长时间以来，也许是妈妈去世后，我第一次真的看了。 突然，乔治哭了起来。 他们吓了他一跳，他的眼泪，他停不下来。 他为那些没能从水里出来的人哭了。 他哭了，因为他哭了。 他哭了，因为他知道，无论时间流逝多久，他的一部分仍然在大海里。 他永远不会忘记。爸爸握着乔治的手，一句话也没说。 然后他把乔治带到巨石前，他们一起坐在星空下。 乔治抬头望着天空。 那真的是那天晚上在黑色的海面上明亮燃烧的那几颗星星吗? 他真的还是那个男孩吗? 乔治，他总是惹是生非。 乔治，他在学校不用功。

George, who found the escape ladders. George, who pulled Marco to that lifeboat. Who didn't give up. They sat on the boulder for a long while, and as the sun started to peep over the trees, George told Papa about Mr. Andrews. "He said he thought one day I'd build a ship." Papa didn't laugh. He puffed on his pipe, looking thoughtful. "How about we build one together?" Papa said. "A nice little boat. For the pond. I've always wanted to do that." "That's a good idea," George said. A great idea. "We could start today," Papa said, standing up and holding out his hand. They walked back to the house together. The birds were singing softly. The chickens were squawking for breakfast. A breeze was whispering through the trees. And a voice seemed to sing to George, very softly: "Awake, awake. It's now daybreak! But don't forget your dreams…."

乔治，他找到了逃生梯。 乔治，把马可拉上救生艇的人。 谁没有放弃。他们在巨石上坐了很长时间，当太阳开始从树上露出来的时候，乔治把安德鲁斯先生的事告诉了爸爸。 “他说他认为有一天我会造一艘船。” 爸爸没有笑。他吸着烟斗，若有所思。 “我们一起造一个怎么样?”爸爸说。 “一条漂亮的小船。为了池塘。 我一直想这样做。” “好主意，”乔治说。 好主意。“我们可以从今天开始，”爸爸站起来伸出手说。 他们一起走回房子。 鸟儿在轻声歌唱。 鸡叫着要吃早饭。 微风飒飒地吹过树林。 一个声音轻轻地对乔治唱道:“醒醒，醒醒。 现在天亮了!但不要忘记你的梦想....”

Papa looked out into the woods, like he could hear it too.

爸爸向树林里望去，好像他也能听到。