Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 The soldier marched Max along the dusty road leading away from the ghetto. He jabbed him in the spine with the sharp tip of his rifle, barking out German commands Max couldn't understand. They were heading toward town — to the police station, Max was sure. Nobody who was taken there had ever come back. A Nazi flag flew above the building now, angry red with a black swastika — the twisted Nazi cross. Max could see it in the distance, a bloodstain on the blue sky.

士兵带着马克斯沿着尘土飞扬的大路离开犹太人区。 他用步枪的尖端戳了戳他的脊柱，大声喊着马克斯听不懂的德语命令。 他们朝镇上走去——去警察局，马克斯很确定。 被带到那里的人再也没有回来过。 现在，一面纳粹旗帜在大楼上空飘扬，红色的旗帜上有一个黑色的纳粹十字——扭曲的纳粹十字。 马克斯从远处就能看到，蓝天上的血迹。

Max's head throbbed from where the soldier had smacked him. But the pain was nothing compared to the fear that churned inside him. What would the Nazis do to him? And what would happen to Zena, alone in the ghetto? The thought made him so weak he could barely walk. The soldier gave him a hard shove to keep him moving. The road snaked along the river, and from the banks below Max heard laughter and splashing. The sound felt like a cold slap — he could not think of the last time he'd heard such happy noises. But he could remember so clearly those days before the war, when it had been Max and Zena splashing in the cool, clear river, with not one worry in their minds. When they were younger, they'd play hide-andseek with Papa. But sometimes they'd venture too far, and get themselves lost. They'd wander around, scared the forest would swallow them forever.

马克斯的头从士兵打他的地方抽动起来。 但与他内心翻腾的恐惧相比，这种痛苦算不了什么。 纳粹会对他做什么? 泽娜一个人待在犹太人区会怎么样? 这种想法使他虚弱得几乎走不动路。 士兵使劲推了他一下，使他不动。 路沿着河蜿蜒而行，马克斯听到了下面河岸上的笑声和水花飞溅声。 这声音就像一记冰冷的耳光——他不记得上次听到这样令人愉快的声音是什么时候了。 但他清楚地记得战前的那些日子，那时马克斯和泽娜在凉爽、清澈的河里戏水，心中没有一丝忧虑。 当他们小的时候，他们会和爸爸玩捉迷藏。 但有时他们会冒险走得太远，迷路了。 他们四处游荡，害怕森林会永远吞噬他们。

But then they'd hear Papa's voice, calling to them. "Max, Zena, where are you?" And Max and Zena would cry out, "Papa! We're here!" And soon enough, Papa would appear, a smile on his face. And he always said the same thing. "I knew I'd find you!" The best times were when Aunt Hannah came along. She was Papa's sister, just nineteen years old. She'd always been more like a friend to Max than a fussy old aunt. She'd take Max and Zena on hikes, jumping with them from rock to rock, singing their favorite songs. People in town gossiped about Hannah — that she was wild, that she cared more about books than finding a husband. Of course Max knew that Hannah didn't want to get married, not now. She was saving her money to go to America. "We'll all go to America together," Aunt Hannah would say. "It will be an adventure!"

但他们会听到爸爸的声音，呼唤他们。 “麦克斯，泽娜，你们在哪儿?”马克斯和泽娜会喊:“爸爸!我们在这里!”很快，爸爸就会出现，脸上带着微笑。 他总是说同样的话。 “我就知道我会找到你的!”最好的时光是汉娜姨妈来的时候。 她是爸爸的妹妹，年仅十九岁。 对麦克斯来说，她一直更像是一个朋友，而不是一个挑剔的老阿姨。 她会带着马克斯和泽娜去远足，和他们一起从一块岩石跳到另一块岩石，唱着他们最喜欢的歌。 镇上的人都在议论汉娜——说她放荡不羁，说她更关心读书而不是找个丈夫。 麦克斯当然知道汉娜不想结婚，至少现在不想。 她在攒钱准备去美国。 “我们一起去美国吧，”汉娜姨妈会说。 “这将是一次冒险!”

And Max would picture himself with Zena and Papa and Hannah, standing at the railing of a grand ship, looking out over the bright blue ocean. But like everything else in Max's world, the Nazis had shattered that dream. And where was Aunt Hannah now? Max had no idea if she was even alive. The last time he knew she was safe was just one day before they had to move into the ghetto. It was late at night, and Hannah had come to their house. Max was almost asleep when he heard her voice. He'd almost leaped out of bed to see her. But she and Papa were fighting, so Max stayed put. "I'm going tonight," Hannah was saying. "We all must go!" "Keep your voice down," Papa scolded. Where was Aunt Hannah going? Max strained his ears, but heard no more.

马克斯会想象自己和泽娜、爸爸、汉娜站在一艘大船的栏杆旁，眺望湛蓝的大海。 但就像马克思世界里的其他一切一样，纳粹粉碎了他的梦想。 汉娜姨妈现在在哪儿? 麦克斯都不知道她是否还活着。 他最后一次知道她是安全的，就在他们不得不搬进贫民窟的前一天。 那是深夜，汉娜来到了他们家。 当马克斯听到她的声音时，他几乎睡着了。 他几乎从床上跳起来看她。 但她和爸爸在吵架，所以马克斯没动。 “我今晚就去，”汉娜说。 “我们都得去!”“小声点，”爸爸责备道。 汉娜姨妈要去哪儿? 马克斯竖起耳朵，但什么也没听见。

Finally he crept downstairs, hoping to talk to Aunt Hannah himself. But she was gone. And when Max went to her house the next day, there was no trace of her. "Where did she go?" Max asked Papa. Papa just shook his head, and he looked so sad Max decided not to ask again. And then Max figured it out: Aunt Hannah had managed to catch her ship to America. She had left them behind, without even saying good-bye. Thinking of Aunt Hannah made Max's head throb even more as he trudged along the dusty road. He barely heard the rustling sound coming from the bushes. But the soldier whirled around, his piglike eyes squinting into the thicket on the side of the road. Max's blood froze when he saw a curly blonde head poking up through the bushes. Zena! She was crazy to come after him!

最后，他蹑手蹑脚地走下楼梯，希望能亲自和汉娜姨妈谈谈。 但她已经走了。第二天马克斯去她家的时候，已经找不到她的踪迹了。 “她去哪儿了?”马克斯问爸爸。 爸爸只是摇了摇头，他看起来很伤心，马克斯决定不再问了。 这时马克斯想明白了:汉娜姨妈已经设法赶上了去美国的船。 她把他们抛在了身后，连再见都没说。 迈克斯在尘土飞扬的路上吃力地走着，想到汉娜姨妈，他的头更疼了。 他几乎没有听到灌木丛中传来的沙沙声。 但是那个士兵转过身来，猪一样的眼睛眯着眼睛盯着路边的灌木丛。 当马克斯看到一个金发卷发的脑袋从灌木丛中探出头来时，他的血都僵住了。 Zena !她追他真是疯了!

But of course he would have done the exact same crazy thing for her. "Achtung!" the soldier barked. He aimed his rifle at Zena, pulled back the bolt, and got ready to fire.

当然，他也会为她做同样疯狂的事。 “晚安!”士兵吼道。 他把步枪对准泽娜，拉开枪栓，准备开火。