Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20 ONE YEAR LATER AUGUST 5, 1968 "Here we are!" Dad said as he turned down the dirt road that led to the cabin. The car had barely stopped before Kevin flung open the door and rushed down to the beach.

第二十章一年后1968年8月5日“我们到了！”爸爸边说边拐进通往小屋的土路。 车刚停，凯文就猛地打开车门，冲到海滩上。

"Wait for me!" Pops called out, limping after him. Mel stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. Dad came around and put his arm across her shoulders. "Good to be back here." And it was. It looked the same as it always did. There was their snug cabin with the big front porch. There were the pine trees. And there was Lake McDonald, the bright blue water shimmering in the late-afternoon sun. Everything looked the same. But things had changed here at Glacier. They'd been hearing all about it from Steve. And they'd read Cassie's new big story in National Geographic: How one tragic night in August would transform the park forever. The deaths of those two girls had transformed Glacier and other national parks in America. Campgrounds had been cleaned up. Granite Park Chalet had a huge new incinerator for trash. The

“等等我！”老爷子喊道，一瘸一拐地跟在他后面。 梅尔下了车，深吸了一口气。 爸爸转过身来，把胳膊搭在她的肩上。 “很高兴回到这里。”确实如此。 它看起来和往常一样。 那是他们舒适的小屋，有宽敞的前廊。 那里有松树。 还有麦克唐纳湖，湛蓝的湖水在傍晚的阳光下闪闪发光。 一切看起来都一样。 但冰川的情况发生了变化。 他们一直从史蒂夫那里听说这件事。 他们在《国家地理》杂志上读到了凯西的最新大新闻：8月的一个悲惨的夜晚将如何永远地改变这个公园。 这两个女孩的死亡改变了冰川和美国其他国家公园。 露营地已经打扫干净了。 花岗岩公园小屋有一个巨大的新垃圾焚化炉。 的

manager, Greg, was gone. There were more rangers to patrol the trails and to follow up on reports of problem bears. Park visitors received a long list of rules for camping and hiking — to never leave trash or food behind in the campgrounds, to never feed the wildlife. To show respect. Some campers and hikers were following the rules. Some weren't. Mel knew that it would probably take years for some people to understand what it really meant to show respect for the wilderness. But at least now she felt some hope. After a simple dinner of hot dogs and beans, all four of them headed down to the beach. While Pops and Kevin built a campfire, Mel and Dad walked to the water's edge. They stood shoulder to shoulder and looked out on the lake. "Your mother loved it here so much," he said.

经理格雷格走了。有更多的护林员在小径上巡逻，并跟进问题熊的报告。 公园的游客们收到了一长串露营和徒步旅行的规则——不要在露营地留下垃圾或食物，不要给野生动物喂食。 以示尊重。一些露营者和徒步旅行者遵守规则。 一些没有。梅尔知道，有些人可能要花上好几年的时间才能理解对荒野表示尊重的真正含义。 但至少现在她感到了一些希望。 吃了一顿简单的热狗和豆子晚餐后，他们四个人都去了海滩。 老板娘和凯文生起营火，梅尔和爸爸走到水边。 他们肩并肩站着，眺望着湖面。 “你妈妈非常喜欢这里，”他说。

"I know," Mel said. "Remember how she used to dare us to jump into the lake?" "And how she made us climb to the top of the fire tower?" Dad said. "And the time she caught four trout in one afternoon?" Mel said. "And then bragged about it all summer?" They laughed. They talked about Mom all the time now. And when Mel felt that heart-cracking sadness coming over her, she didn't sit alone in her room. She found Dad. Or Pops. Or called one of her friends. "Mel!" Kevin screeched. "Daddy! We're roasting marshmallows!" "Okay, Kev!" Mel shouted back. "He's even bossier than Mom," Dad said, shaking his head and smiling. "If that's possible." With the fire roaring, Pops started up his stories. Kevin snuggled on his lap, clutching his new favorite toy. Only Aunt Cassie would know where to find a stuffed porcupine.

“我知道，”梅尔说。“还记得她以前是怎么挑战我们跳进湖里的吗？”“还有她是怎么让我们爬上消防塔顶的？”爸爸说。 “还有一次她一个下午钓了四条鳟鱼？”梅尔说。 “然后整个夏天都在吹嘘这件事？”他们笑着说。 他们现在一直在谈论妈妈。 当梅尔感到一种撕心裂肺的悲伤袭来时，她并没有独自坐在房间里。 她找到了爸爸。或持久性有机污染物。或者打电话给她的朋友。 “梅尔!”凯文的尖叫声。“爸爸!我们在烤棉花糖！”“好了,凯文!”梅尔喊道。 “他甚至比妈妈还专横，”爸爸说着，摇着头微笑着。 “如果可能的话。”随着炉火的熊熊燃烧，老爷子开始讲他的故事。 凯文依偎在他的腿上，抓着他最喜欢的新玩具。 只有凯西阿姨知道去哪里找豪猪毛绒玩具。

Mel looked around at her family. Her eyes started to water. She missed Mom so much. And she knew how happy Mom would be that they were here. Mel didn't try to stop her tears. Steve had been right. It was no good trying to hold things in. Running from sadness was like running from a grizzly bear. It would chase you. And it would catch you. Mel was done running away.

梅尔环顾了一下她的家人。 她的眼睛开始流泪。 她非常想念妈妈。她知道妈妈看到他们在这里会有多高兴。 梅尔没有忍住眼泪。 史蒂夫是对的。想把事情憋在心里是没有用的。 逃避悲伤就像逃避灰熊一样。 它会追你。它会抓住你的。 梅尔受够了逃跑。