6 Not on My Watch

Chapter 6 Not on My Watch "I can't believe the lighthouse keeper won't help us!" Laila whispered, breaking the silence. "I hope we didn't freak him out," Sofia said thoughtfully. "I know he was really rude, but I feel kind of sorry for him," said Max. "He's right that lighthouses aren't needed much anymore. They used to save a lot of lives. But now, boats like Grandpa's have electronic

“我真不敢相信灯塔看守人不帮我们！”莱拉低声说，打破了沉默。 “我希望我们没有把他吓坏。”索菲亚若有所思地说。 “我知道他真的很粗鲁，但我有点为他感到难过，”马克斯说。 “他说得对，现在不太需要灯塔了。 他们曾经拯救过很多人的生命。 但现在，像爷爷的船有电子设备

equipment to help guide them to shore." Sofia lifted her chin, determined not to be defeated. "We have to try and talk to him again." She took a deep breath and banged on the door. "Please, sir, we need to talk to you. Your lighthouse can save lives again—tonight—if you'll just help us!" She waited, crossing her fingers. The door cracked open again and Sofia's heart leaped.

帮助他们上岸的设备。” 索菲亚抬起下巴，决心不被打败。 “我们必须再试着和他谈谈。” 她深吸了一口气，重重地敲门。 “求你了，先生，我们需要和你谈谈。 你的灯塔可以再次拯救生命——今晚——如果你愿意帮助我们的话！”她等待着，交叉着手指。 门又开了，索非亚的心跳了起来。

"What lives?" the old man asked, studying her face.

“什么还活着？”老人端详着她的脸问道。

"Baby turtles!" Laila blurted. "Near the Aloha Inn. They're hatching, but the inn's having a big party and the lights will confuse them. They'll get lost. But your lighthouse can save them. Its beacon can guide them out to sea!" The lighthouse keeper's forehead creased with worry. "Sea turtles are beautiful animals," he said. "They've been here a very long time. They're much older than humans. They're even older than dinosaurs." "And now they're in danger of going extinct," Max said. The lighthouse keeper shook his head. "Not on my watch," he said firmly. He flung the door open wide and stepped out. "C'mon, follow me." As the old man led them to the lighthouse, Max pumped his fist in the air. At the lighthouse, the man fiddled with a set of keys. With a click and a creak, the heavy door swung open. He grabbed a flashlight that hung on the wall and flicked it on, lighting up the room. They were at the bottom of a spiraling flight of wooden stairs. White paint peeled from the brick walls of the lighthouse. The air was thick with the smell of must

“小乌龟!”莱拉脱口而出。 “在阿罗哈旅馆附近。它们正在孵化，但旅馆正在举行盛大的派对灯光会让它们迷惑。 他们会迷路的。但你的灯塔可以拯救他们。 它的灯塔可以指引他们出海！”灯塔看守人因担心而皱起了眉头。 “海龟是美丽的动物，”他说。 “他们在这里已经很长时间了。 它们比人类古老得多。 它们甚至比恐龙还要古老。” “现在它们有灭绝的危险，”马克斯说。 灯塔看守人摇了摇头。 “在我眼皮底下不行，”他坚定地说。 他猛地把门打开，走了出去。 “来，跟我来。”当老人带他们去灯塔时，马克斯在空中挥舞着拳头。 在灯塔旁，那人摆弄着一串钥匙。 咔哒一声，沉重的门打开了。 他抓起挂在墙上的手电筒，把它打开，照亮了整个房间。 他们来到了一段螺旋形木楼梯的底部。 灯塔砖墙上的白漆脱落了。 空气中弥漫着浓烈的香草味

and salt water. The spiral staircase ahead beckoned. "Careful!" called the old man as Sofia raced toward the stairs. Sofia tried to slow down, but her feet wouldn't

还有盐水。前面的螺旋楼梯在招手。 “小心！”索非亚跑向楼梯时，老人喊道。 索非亚试图慢下来，但她的脚不愿意

listen. The turtles needed her! Step after step, around and around, she sprinted up the stairs. Finally, she could see the stone landing at the top. Then, crack! The world fell out from under Sofia's feet. She cried out, lunging for the wooden stair rail. Max looked up in time to see a foot dangling through the rotted wooden step above. "Sofia!" he shouted. "I'm okay," Sofia called back down. A moment later, the foot disappeared as she scrambled up onto the next stair. Phew, she thought. That was a close one. When the others reached her, Max's stomach sank. Sofia stood above a set of broken stairs, and he and the others stood below. "Can you all climb over them?" Sofia asked. The lighthouse keeper shook his head, frowning. "No," he said. "We shouldn't go any farther. I shouldn't have brought you this far. You could have been badly hurt. Can you get back down?" Sofia nodded. "I can, but... what about the turtles?" The lighthouse keeper was about to argue. But Sofia looked deadly serious. "I can do it," she said with determination.

听。海龟们需要她！一步接着一步，一圈又一圈，她飞快地奔上楼梯。 最后，她看到石头落在山顶上。 然后,裂缝!索菲亚脚下的世界崩塌了。 她大叫一声，扑向楼梯的木栏杆。 马克斯及时抬起头来，看到一只脚悬在上面腐烂的木台阶上。 “索菲亚！”他喊道。“我没事。”索非亚喊道。 过了一会儿，当她爬上下一个楼梯时，那只脚消失了。 呸，她想。真是好险啊。 当其他人来到她身边时，麦克斯的胃一沉。 索菲亚站在一段破旧的楼梯上面，他和其他人站在下面。 “你们都能爬过去吗？”索菲亚问道。 灯塔看守人摇了摇头，皱着眉头。 “不，”他说。“我们不能再往前走了。 我不该把你带这么远。 你可能会受重伤的。 你能下去吗？”索非亚点点头。 “我可以，但是……乌龟怎么办？”灯塔看守人正要和他争论。 但是索非亚显得非常严肃。 “我能做到，”她坚定地说。