Chapter 9

Chapter nine, I convinced everyone to change direction and head to the pet store. Even though Frankie and Ashley had their mouths watering for pizza, they understood that I needed to get to the pet store right away. When I have an idea, I need to fly into action that very minute. And I was hoping that this idea was the answer to my Fred-the-Frog problem. "If you're thinking that you can replace Fred with another frog, you're wrong," Ashley said as we walked quickly down the street. "Don't you think Principal Love knows his own frog?" "Maybe Fred has an identical twin in the back who's been really missing his brother," I said. "That could happen."

第九章，我说服所有人改变方向，前往宠物店。 尽管弗兰基和阿什莉馋得直流口水，但他们明白我需要马上去宠物店。 当我有了一个想法，我需要立刻行动起来。 我希望这个想法能解决我的frethe - frog问题。 “如果你认为你可以用另一只青蛙代替弗雷德，那你就错了，”我们沿着街道快步走着，阿什利说。 “你不认为爱校长认识他自己的青蛙吗？”“也许弗雷德后面有一个同卵双胞胎，他非常想念他的弟弟，”我说。 “这是可能发生的。”

"Yeah, when penguins wear soccer shorts," Frankie said, opening the front door to the store. As you go into Pets for U and Me, instead of a bell ringing, you hear the sounds of jungle birds and monkeys. You feel like you're in a South American rain forest. "Hi, how can I help you today?" George said, coming out from behind the cash register. "Did you come for some treats for Cheerio?" It's cool that George knows all the animals in the neighborhood. "I'm not here on dog business today," I told him. "I'm here on frog business. Please say you

“是啊，当企鹅穿着足球短裤的时候，”弗兰基说着打开了商店的前门。 当你进入《你和我的宠物》时，你听到的不是铃声，而是丛林鸟和猴子的声音。 你会觉得自己身处南美雨林。 “你好，今天我能为你做些什么？”乔治说着从收银机后面走了出来。 “你是来给麦圈吃点心的吗？”乔治认识附近所有的动物，这太酷了。 “我今天不是来遛狗的，”我告诉他。 “我是来谈青蛙的事的。 请说你

have a White's tree frog I can buy." "Oh, they make great little pets," George said. "Let me check in the back and see what I have." As George headed for his storeroom, Papa Pete put his hand on my shoulder. "I like that you're trying to replace what you lost, Hank," he said. "But you cannot pretend that this new frog is the original." While I was thinking about that, George came bouncing out, carrying a small plastic tub. "It's your lucky day!" he said. "I've got just the guy for you." We all looked inside, and there was a fat little frog, sitting on a green plastic log. He looked just like Fred! "Can I hold him?" I asked. "Sure," George said, scooping the frog up. "Just hold him firmly in both hands." The little frog sat comfortably in my palms. Suddenly, he made a noise that sounded just like a burp.

我可以买一只怀特树蛙。” “哦，它们是很棒的小宠物，”乔治说。 “让我到后面看看有什么。” 当乔治走向他的储藏室时，皮特爸爸把手放在我的肩膀上。 “汉克，我喜欢你努力弥补失去的东西，”他说。 “但是你不能假装这只新青蛙就是原来的青蛙。” 我正在想这件事的时候，乔治蹦了出来，手里拿着一个小塑料桶。 “今天是你的幸运日！”他说。 “我正好有一个人适合你。” 我们都往里面看了看，里面有一只胖胖的小青蛙，坐在一根绿色的塑料圆木上。 他看起来和弗雷德一模一样！“我能抱抱他吗？”我问。 “当然，”乔治说着，把青蛙捞了起来。 “用双手紧紧地抱着他。” 小青蛙舒服地坐在我的手掌里。 突然，他发出一种听起来像打嗝的声音。

"Well, excuse you," George said to him. Then looking at me, he added, "He just had two crickets for lunch." Frankie, Ashley, and I studied the little frog closely. "He's about the same size as Fred," I said. "With the same little suction cups on his toes. And the same white spots on his back." Ashley put her finger under his belly and gave him a little tickle. The frog moved, and my heart sank. His belly was not pinkish like Fred's.

“好吧，请原谅，”乔治对他说。 然后看着我，他补充说：“他刚刚吃了两只蟋蟀当午餐。” 弗兰基、艾希礼和我仔细地研究着这只小青蛙。 “他和弗雷德差不多大，”我说。 脚趾上也戴着同样的小吸盘。 他的背上也有同样的白斑。” 艾希礼把手指放在他的肚子下面，轻轻地挠了挠他。 青蛙动了，我的心一沉。 他的肚子不像弗雷德那样是粉红色的。

It was yellow. Definitely yellow. "Do you happen to have one just like this but with a pink belly?" I asked George. "I'm afraid this is the only one I have," George said. "I can be on the lookout for a pink- bellied one." "I need it by Monday morning, before school," I told him. "I'm sorry. I can't help you there, Hank. You're sure this guy won't do?" "He's a wonderful frog," I told George. "But no thank you." We left the store and stood outside on the sidewalk. A cold breeze blew in our faces, reminding me that I was still soaking wet. I shivered. "We better get you home and into some dry clothes," Papa Pete said. "I can always go pick up some pizza later." "Thanks, anyway," I said to him. "I'm just not in the mood for pizza anymore." What I had done was hitting me like a ton of elephants. I had lost Fred for good. And I was

它是黄色的。绝对黄色。 “你有没有碰巧有一只像这样的，但是肚子是粉红色的？”我问乔治。 乔治说：“恐怕这是我仅有的一张了。” “我可以去找一只粉红肚子的。” “我要在周一早上上学前拿到，”我告诉他。 “我很抱歉。我帮不了你，汉克。 你确定这家伙不行吗？”“他是一只很棒的青蛙，”我告诉乔治。 “不用了，谢谢你。”我们离开商店，站在外面的人行道上。 一阵冷风吹在我们的脸上，提醒我，我还浑身湿透了。 我不禁打了个哆嗦。“我们最好把你送回家，换上干衣服，”皮特爸爸说。 “我待会儿可以去买些披萨。” “不管怎样，谢谢你。”我对他说。 “我再也没心情吃披萨了。” 我所做的一切就像一吨大象击中了我。 我永远地失去了弗雷德。我是

just going to have to face that.

我只能面对现实了。