Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Oscar sprinted toward the house, swatting away the burning flakes that swarmed around him. He watched with terror as the fire quickly danced across the roof. Where were the kids? Why hadn't they come bursting through the door? "Come on, come on," he whispered, as though he could grab hold of them with his words. But still they did not appear. Oscar rushed up the crumbling steps and pounded on the front door. "Hey!" he shouted. "Come out!" Nothing. He tried the door, but it was locked tight. Where were they?

奥斯卡向房子冲去，赶跑着纷飞在他周围的燃烧的雪花。 他惊恐地看着火光迅速地掠过屋顶。 孩子们在哪里?他们为什么没有破门而入呢? “来吧，来吧。”他低声说，好像他可以用他的话抓住他们似的。 但是他们仍然没有出现。 奥斯卡冲上摇摇欲坠的台阶，使劲地敲着前门。 “嘿!”他喊道。“出来!”什么都没有。 他试着开门，但门锁得很紧。 他们在哪里?

Shouts rang out from the street. "Fire! Fire! Fire!" Oscar whirled around. Two other houses were burning like torches. The wind gusted, and flames leaped across the street. Boom! The house caught fire as if it were made of dried straw. Any minute this whole street would be a sea of fire. Oscar had to get away! He had to get back to Mama! But how could he leave here if those kids were still in the house? Of course he couldn't. Oscar slammed his shoulder into the door. Bam! Bam! Bam! On the third try the door frame splintered, and the door burst open. Oscar stumbled in, falling to his knees. Smoke swirled all around him. He rose to his feet, gasping for breath. "Hello!" he screamed. "Where are you?"

街上传来喊叫声。 “火!火!火!”奥斯卡转过身来。 另外两座房子像火把一样燃烧着。 狂风大作，火焰窜过街道。 繁荣!这房子着火了，好像是用干稻草做的一样。 这条街随时都会变成一片火海。 奥斯卡必须离开!他必须回到妈妈身边!但如果孩子们还在房子里，他怎么能离开这里呢? 他当然不能。奥斯卡的肩膀重重地撞在门上。 砰!砰!砰!在第三次尝试时，门框破裂了，门被撞开了。 奥斯卡跌跌撞撞地走了进来，跪倒在地。 他周围浓烟滚滚。 他站起身来，喘着粗气。 “你好!”他尖叫道。“你在哪儿?”

And that's when he heard them, just above the fire's roar, muffled cries coming from upstairs. Or was it just the wind and the fire fooling his ears? Was it possible the kids had escaped through another door? Oscar stumbled to the narrow staircase, peering up into a churning cloud of black smoke. Don't be an idiot, he told himself. Don't go up those stairs! "Hello!" Oscar called, praying that nobody would answer, that the kids were long gone. But no. "Help us! Please!" shouted a terrified voice, the girl's. There was no choice. On shaking legs, Oscar started up the stairs. He pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose. It did nothing to block out the smoke. Each breath burned his throat and lungs. But the worst was the blistering heat. With each step, it grew hotter. Oscar could practically feel his blood boiling, his skin sizzling, his flesh cooking on his bones. He wouldn't last long up here. And neither would Jennie and Bruno.

就在这时，他听到楼上传来低沉的哭声，就在大火的咆哮声之上。 或者只是风和火骗了他的耳朵? 有没有可能孩子们是从另一扇门逃出来的? 奥斯卡跌跌撞撞地走到狭窄的楼梯上，抬头凝视着滚滚黑烟。 别犯傻了，他告诉自己。 别上那些楼梯!“你好!”奥斯卡打了电话，祈祷没有人会回答，孩子们早就走了。 但是没有。“帮助我们!求你了!”一个惊恐的声音喊道，那是女孩的声音。 我别无选择。奥斯卡双腿颤抖着，开始上楼。 他把衬衫拉起来遮住口鼻。 它根本挡不住烟。 每一次呼吸都使他的喉咙和肺部感到灼热。 但最糟糕的是酷热。 每走一步，它就变得更热。 奥斯卡几乎可以感觉到他的血液沸腾，他的皮肤嘶嘶作响，他的肉在他的骨头上煮。 他在这儿待不了多久。 珍妮和布鲁诺也不知道。

At the top of the stairs was a closed door. Someone pounded on the other side. "Here!" Jennie shouted. "The door is stuck! Please help us!" Oscar pushed against the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Stand back!" he choked. Oscar kicked the door as hard as he could. The door crashed open, releasing a wave of heat and even thicker smoke that pushed Oscar back on his heels. He teetered and almost fell down the stairs. But somehow he managed to regain his balance. Jennie came rushing out with Bruno in her arms. They were both coughing and wheezing. Their faces were black with soot and streaked with tears. Jennie was clutching Bruno with all her might, but her skinny arms were losing their grip. Oscar reached for Bruno, and to his surprise the kid didn't resist. Oscar pulled Bruno into his arms, holding him close to his chest. The poor boy's heart was pounding even harder than Oscar's. Jennie stood unmoving, dazed, and coughing. Oscar was afraid she might faint.

楼梯顶上有一扇关着的门。 另一边有人敲门。 “在这里!”珍妮喊道。“门卡住了!”请帮帮我们吧!”奥斯卡推门，但门不动。 “退后!”他哽咽着说。奥斯卡用尽全力踢门。 门撞开了，释放出一股热量和更浓的烟雾，把奥斯卡推了回去。 他摇摇晃晃，差点从楼梯上摔下来。 但他还是设法恢复了平衡。 珍妮抱着布鲁诺跑了出来。 他们俩都在咳嗽和喘息。 他们的脸被烟灰熏黑，泪痕斑斑。 珍妮拼命地抓着布鲁诺，可是她那瘦弱的胳臂已经抓不住了。 奥斯卡伸手去抓布鲁诺，令他惊讶的是，这个孩子没有反抗。 奥斯卡把布鲁诺拉进怀里，把他紧紧抱在胸前。 这个可怜的男孩的心跳得比奥斯卡还要厉害。 珍妮站着不动，头昏眼花，还在咳嗽。 奥斯卡担心她会晕倒。

Oscar grabbed her arm and pointed her down the stairs, gripping her shoulder in case she slipped. He followed right on her heels. "Run straight through the front door!" Oscar said to her. "Go as quickly as you can!" Jennie did what she was told, gaining strength as they reached the bottom. Oscar put Bruno down at the bottom of the stairs, and Jennie grabbed the little boy's hand. Together they flew out the door. Oscar was just steps behind them. And then — Crash! The window shattered. KABOOM! A giant ball of fire and cinders blasted into the room. Oscar fell to the floor. And then there was nothing but flames.

奥斯卡抓住她的手臂，指着她下楼梯，抓住她的肩膀，以防她滑倒。 他紧跟在她后面。 “直接从前门跑出去!”奥斯卡对她说。 “越快越好!”珍妮照她说的去做了，她们走到河底的时候，力气越来越大了。 奥斯卡把布鲁诺放在楼梯底下，珍妮抓住小男孩的手。 他们一起飞出了门。 奥斯卡离他们只有几步之遥。 然后——砰!窗户碎了。 大爆炸!一个巨大的火球和煤渣冲进了房间。 奥斯卡倒在地板上。然后就只剩下火焰了。