Chapter 19

chapter nineteen We're getting close. I can feel it. I can SEE it. The world is getting stranger.... Our path is overrun with glowing green plant life. Odd, unknown noises burp and chirp from the shadows. It begins to feel like we're on some sort of apocalyptic walkabout.... Join me, Jundal Toro on an ends of the world Walkabout. Observe zombies. Witness vine thingies experience the dangerous danger of the horrible rifters search for the elusive. Maybe in impossible to find wretches nest and never, ever, ever make it home?

第十九章我们快到了。 我能感觉到。我看得出来。 世界变得越来越陌生.... 我们的路上满是发光的绿色植物。 奇怪的，未知的声音从阴影中发出。 这开始让人觉得我们在进行某种世界末日的行走.... 和我一起，君达尔·托罗在世界的尽头漫步。 观察僵尸。见证藤蔓的事物经历危险的危险，可怕的裂谷寻找难以捉摸的。 也许是不可能找到可怜虫的巢穴，永远，永远，永远回家？

No one laughs. Everyone seems to have lost the energy to chit-chat. We walk on in silence.... I smell the monsters before I see them. The odor of evil. The wind carries the scent, unfiltered and raw. It's foul. And so are our surroundings. Everything is warped and burnt. Homes lean back, away from where we're headed—it's like if they had legs, they'd get up outta there quicker than you could say "Wretches' nest." There are huge claw gashes across sidewalks and streets, like the Wretches have been using them as a scratching post. "There it is, up ahead," says Johnny Steve, sounding a little sad. "Their nest."

没有人笑。每个人似乎都失去了闲聊的精力。 我们默默地走着....我在看到怪物之前就能闻到它们的味道。 邪恶的气味。风带着气味，未经过滤和原始。 这是犯规。我们周围的环境也是如此。 一切都被扭曲和烧焦了。 房子向后倾斜，远离我们要去的地方——就像如果它们有腿，它们会在你说“可怜的人的窝”之前就从那里爬起来。 人行道和街道上都有巨大的爪痕，就像可怜虫把它们当作抓痕柱一样。 “就在那儿，就在前面，”约翰尼·史蒂夫说，听起来有点悲伤。 “他们的巢。”

I squint into the distance. Moonlight is throwing dark shadows everywhere. I see the nest—a towering silhouette, like some sort of homemade volcano. Then I see the Wretches, in shadow. They look like gargoyles come to horrible, nightmarish life. "It's too dark now," Johnny Steve says. "Your slow human legs took too long." "Well, I really didn't want to wait until tomorrow," I say, hoping they don't hear the lie. "But if we have to, we have to." "HAVE TO, HAVE TO!" Globlet exclaims. "CAMP OUT! Can we watch Now and Then? It's everyone's favorite! Please!" Instantly, everyone's mood brightens. We'll say our good-byes tomorrow. Tonight, we just relax. We set up camp. I gather pine needles and kindling to build a fire. Neon "helps" by tearing chunks of siding off of houses and dropping them at my feet.

我眯着眼睛看远处。 月光把黑影投得到处都是。 我看到了鸟巢——一个高耸的剪影，就像某种自制的火山。 然后我看到了那些可怜虫，在阴影里。 他们看起来就像来过可怕噩梦般的生活的石像鬼。 “现在太黑了，”约翰尼·史蒂夫说。 “你那人类的慢腿花的时间太长了。” “嗯，我真的不想等到明天，”我说，希望他们不会听到我的谎言。 “但如果我们必须这样做，我们就必须这样做。” “必须，必须！”Globlet声称。 “露营!我们可以看《现在和那时》吗？ 这是每个人的最爱！请!”立刻，每个人的心情都变好了。 我们明天就道别。 今晚，我们只是放松一下。我们搭起了帐篷。 我收集松针和柴火来生火。 霓虹灯“帮助”了我，它把房子的壁板撕下来，扔在我脚下。

We huddle around the cozy fire. Johnny Steve hung on to some chocolate drizzle from the ice cream truck, and I show everyone how to make bootleg s'mores. Johnny Steve is super impressed by the fire. "How did you make that?" he asks, his rubbery lips hanging open in awe. "Building fires actually is a human skill," I tell him. "When I lived in the school, I made a fire using only a science lab magnifying glass and a pile of ungraded quizzes." "Cool story," Globlet says. "You should brag about it." I poke Globlet in the side and she squeaks and giggles. Neon must not have been this close to fire before, because he inches toward it, curious. Ash blows off, his eyes water, his nose crinkles, and then—

我们挤在舒适的火炉旁。 约翰尼·史蒂夫从冰淇淋车上拿了一些巧克力，我向大家展示如何制作盗版s'mores。 约翰尼·史蒂夫对大火印象深刻。 “你是怎么做的？”他问道，他那橡胶般的嘴唇敬畏地张着。 “生火实际上是人类的一项技能，”我告诉他。 “当我住在学校的时候，我只用一个科学实验室的放大镜和一堆未评分的小测验生了一堆火。” “很酷的故事，”Globlet说。 “你应该吹嘘一下。” 我戳了戳Globlet的侧面，她又吱吱又咯咯地笑。 霓虹以前一定没有这么接近过火源，因为他好奇地慢慢靠近火源。 灰吹走了，他眼睛流泪，鼻子起皱，然后

Neon leaps back, confused. He shakes his head and paws curiously at his snout. "No, Neon. You didn't breathe fire. You just sneezed," I say, laughing. "You're not actually a dragon. You just kinda look like one." He brightens at the sound of my laughter. He does it a few more times, sniffing the air until his nose crinkles, then sneezing and making the campfire roar. He looks at us for

霓虹往后一跳，很困惑。 它摇了摇头，好奇地用爪子摸着自己的鼻子。 “不,霓虹灯。你没有喷火。 你刚打喷嚏了。”我笑着说。 “你其实不是龙。 你只是看起来有点像。” 听到我的笑声，他容光焕发。 他又做了几次，闻着空气，直到鼻子皱起来，然后打喷嚏，使营火轰鸣。 他看着我们

approval each time, and hops from foot to foot when Globlet giggles. "Neon's a natural sneezer!" Globlet says. "Way better than you, June." Johnny Steve struts over, swinging his walking sword. "Human sneezes are notoriously lame." I glare at the two of them, then: "Neon, how about you show Johnny Steve your biggest, best sneeze?" Neon smiles. Then there is a booming— ACHOO! The stream of fire catches the blade of Johnny Steve's walking sword, and he starts waving it around, trying to extinguish it—

每当Globlet咯咯笑的时候，她就跳来跳去。 “Neon是个天生的打喷嚏者！”Globlet说。 “比你强多了，琼。” 约翰尼·史蒂夫大摇大摆地走了过来，挥舞着他的行走剑。 “人类打喷嚏是出了名的蹩脚。” 我瞪着他们俩，然后说：“Neon，你给Johnny Steve看看你最大最棒的喷嚏怎么样？”霓虹灯的笑容。 然后是一声轰鸣——ACHOO！火焰流抓住了约翰尼·史蒂夫行走的剑的刀刃，他开始挥舞剑，试图扑灭它