Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 Jackson dropped to his knees and studied one of the paw prints. It was massive—bigger than his own two hands put together. The toes were spread about an inch apart. Above each toe print was a dot. Those were where the tips of the bear's slashing claws dug deep into the snow.

杰克逊跪了下来，仔细研究其中一个爪印。 它很大，比他两只手加起来还大。 脚趾相距约一英寸。 每个脚趾印上面都有一个点。 这就是熊的尖爪深深扎进雪里的地方。

Grizzly for sure. Jackson had learned to read animal tracks before he'd learned his ABCs. "This makes no sense," Jackson said, standing up. "How could a grizzly be here?" At this time in March, bears were supposed to still be hibernating. During the fall, they gorged themselves on roots and fish and whatever food they could find. Then they curled up in hollow trees or beneath rocky ledges and went into a kind of sleep. They stayed hidden away until at least late April. That was one good thing about winter in Alaska—not worrying about grizzlies. "It's a winter bear," Mom said in a low voice. The two words—winter bear—turned Jackson's blood to ice. It was what they called a grizzly that came out of hibernation before it was supposed to. Winter bears were rare—Jackson had never seen one with his own eyes. But he'd heard terrifying

肯定是灰熊。杰克逊在学习abc之前就学会了辨认动物的足迹。 “这没有道理，”杰克逊站起来说。 “灰熊怎么会在这里？”在三月的这个时候，熊应该还在冬眠。 秋天的时候，它们狼吞虎咽地吃树根、鱼和任何能找到的食物。 然后他们蜷缩在树洞里或岩石壁下，进入一种睡眠状态。 他们至少躲藏到四月底。 这是阿拉斯加冬天的一个好处——不用担心灰熊。 “这是一只冬熊，”妈妈低声说。 “冬熊”这两个字把杰克逊的血都冻成了冰。 这就是所谓的灰熊，它提前从冬眠中苏醒过来。 冬天的熊很罕见，杰克逊从未亲眼见过一只。 但他听到了可怕的声音

stories about bears that crawled out of their dens way too early, desperately hungry. But where could a bear find food in the winter? Fish were sealed away under the thick ice. Small animals were tunneled into winter dens, deep below the frozen ground. Berry bushes were bare. That's why winter bears found their way to cabins, to humans. It was rare for a grizzly bear to attack a person. But winter bears were different. They would eat anything—or anyone—they could find. "Stay close together," Mom said now. Dad clutched his rifle. He'd never shoot an animal unless he had a good reason. Jackson hoped this wasn't one of those times. Jackson narrowed his eyes, searching for the bear in the gathering darkness. He saw a pile of its scat—grizzly poop—and more huge paw prints. But he couldn't see the bear anywhere. "Could it be gone?" Mom asked. Jackson's hopes rose.

关于熊过早地爬出洞穴，极度饥饿的故事。 但是熊在冬天到哪里去找食物呢？ 鱼被厚厚的冰封住了。 小动物们被挖进冬天的洞穴，深埋在冰冻的地下。 浆果丛光秃秃的。这就是为什么冬熊会找到小屋，找到人类。 灰熊攻击人是很罕见的。 但是冬熊是不同的。 它们会吃任何它们能找到的东西或任何人。 “待在一起，”妈妈说。 爸爸紧握着他的步枪。除非有充分的理由，否则他绝不会射杀动物。 杰克逊希望这不是这样的时刻。 杰克逊眯起眼睛，在暮色中寻找那只熊。 他看到了一堆灰狗的粪便和更多巨大的爪印。 但是他到处都看不到熊。 “它不见了吗？”母亲问。 杰克逊燃起了希望。

But then came a loud crash from inside the cabin. Jackson's heart stopped. The winter bear… that beast was in their home! "We have to stop it!" Mom cried, lunging forward. "Deb!" Dad barked, grabbing Mom's arm. "You know that's too dangerous!" "But, Bruce, all our food…" The jars that filled their kitchen shelves—the preserved moose meat, jams, and berries. The can of salmon they were saving for Dad's birthday next month. Bags and boxes of rice and beans and noodles. The grizzly would knock all the jars onto the floor, shattering the glass. It would slash through the bags and boxes, bite through the cans. The bear would eat all it could. What it left behind would be filthy and ruined. Jackson took a breath, trying to calm himself. But then he heard other sounds. Crackle. Pop.

但就在这时，机舱里传来一声巨响。 杰克逊的心脏停止了跳动。那只冬熊……那只野兽在他们家里！“我们必须阻止它！”妈妈哭着向前扑去。 “黛比!”爸爸叫着，抓住妈妈的胳膊。 “你知道那太危险了！”“但是，布鲁斯，我们所有的食物……”他们厨房架子上的罐子——腌驼鹿肉、果酱和浆果。 那罐他们为爸爸下个月生日准备的鲑鱼。 一袋袋一箱箱的大米、豆子和面条。 灰熊会把所有的罐子都摔在地上，把玻璃打碎。 它会划破袋子和盒子，咬破罐头。 熊能吃什么就吃什么。 它留下的将是肮脏和破坏。 杰克逊吸了一口气，试图让自己平静下来。 但随后他听到了其他声音。 裂纹。流行音乐。

Jackson's eyes widened as smoke started seeping from under the front door of the cabin. "Fire!" Jackson shouted. Dad whispered a curse. "The bear must have knocked over the stove!" Their heavy metal stove, which kept them warm, where Mom cooked their food. They always tamped down the fire before they left the cabin. But a grizzly could have knocked it over, scattering glowing embers, bits of wood that could ignite a fire.

当烟雾从小屋的前门下面渗出时，杰克逊睁大了眼睛。 “火!”杰克逊喊道。爸爸低声咒骂。 “一定是熊把炉子打翻了！”他们的重金属炉子，用来取暖，妈妈在那里做饭。 他们总是在离开小屋之前把火扑灭。 但灰熊可能会把它撞倒，让余烬四处散落，这些木头碎片可能会引发火灾。

Whoosh! Jackson leapt back as flames shot through the cabin roof. The darkening sky glowed bloodred, and showers of sparks filled the air. Panic shot through Jackson's body. But there was nothing he—or anyone—could do. There was no fire department here. No neighbors to rush over with buckets and hoses.

嗖!当火焰从船舱顶上窜起时，杰克逊跳了回来。 逐渐变暗的天空闪着血色，空气中充满了火花。 恐慌传遍了杰克逊的全身。 但是他——或者任何人——都无能为力。 这里没有消防部门。 没有邻居拿着水桶和水管冲过来。