8 Into the Waves

Chapter 8 Into the Waves "There are so many!" said Sofia, leaning over the rail of Wind Rider. She shaded her eyes, marveling at all the seals sunbathing on West Beach. And soon, there would be two more. Max and Sofia had dropped anchor in the bay for the night, but now Wind Rider was carrying them toward the beach. As it slid alongside the dock, Max took a deep breath. "Sofia, it's the new Bonnie!" He pointed at the sleek new sailboat bobbing beside

“有这么多！”索非亚靠在风骑士的栏杆上说。 她蒙上眼睛，惊叹于所有在西海滩上晒日光浴的海豹。 很快，又会有两个。 马克斯和索非亚已经在海湾里下了锚，准备过夜，但现在风骑士正带着他们驶向海滩。 当它沿着码头滑行时，马克斯深吸了一口气。 “索菲亚，这是新的邦妮！”他指着旁边漂来漂去的光滑的新帆船

the dock. Its hull, made of chestnut-brown reclaimed wood, gleamed in the morning light. And Bonnie was painted in cheery yellow letters across the polished boards. "It's beautiful!" Sofia cried. Then she spotted Maisie and her parents on the beach. There was a white-haired elderly man with them, wrapped up in a thick coat, who had to be Maisie's granddad. "Let's go!" Max quickly tied up Wind Rider and raced down the dock after Sofia. Across the beach, Maisie, her granddad, and her parents stood beside Lucy and a large white truck. "It's almost time!" Maisie called to them, bouncing on her toes.

码头上。它的船壳是用栗色的再生木材制成的，在晨光中闪闪发光。 “邦妮”被用欢快的黄色字母画在光滑的黑板上。 “很漂亮!”索非亚哭了。 然后她在海滩上看到了麦茜和她的父母。 和他们在一起的是一位白发苍苍的老人，身上裹着一件厚外套，想必是麦茜的爷爷。 “我们走吧!”马克斯迅速系上风骑士，沿着码头追着索菲亚。 在海滩对面，梅奇、她的爷爷和她的父母站在露西和一辆白色大卡车旁边。 “时间差不多了！”麦茜踮起脚尖对他们喊道。

From the truck, rescue-center workers clad in blue carefully slid out two large carrying cases. "They look like the cage we use to bring our pup to the vet," Maisie said. Max laughed. "That one is carrying a different kind of pup," he said, pointing. The seal pup peered out the wire door at the end of the cage. He pawed at it with his flipper and let out a pitiful cry. "Mah, mah!"

身穿蓝色制服的救援中心工作人员从卡车上小心翼翼地拿出两个大手提箱。 麦奇说：“它们看起来就像我们用来带小狗去看兽医的笼子。” 马克斯笑了。“那只狗抱的是另一种小狗，”他指着说。 小海豹从笼子尽头的铁丝门向外窥视。 他用脚蹼抓着它，发出一声可怜的叫声。 “Mah, Mah !”

His mother grunted in response from the cage next to him as the rescue-center workers carried each cage down the beach toward the water. Lucy waved the kids over. "Come watch," she said. "Just stand back a bit so you don't startle them." She and another worker slowly opened the wire doors to both cages and then stepped away. The mama seal wriggled out of her cage, slowly at first. When the seal pup saw her, he hopped through the

当救援中心的工作人员把每个笼子搬到海边时，他妈妈在他旁边的笼子里哼了一声。 露西挥手示意孩子们过去。“过来看看，”她说。 “站远一点，别吓着他们。” 她和另一名工人慢慢打开两个笼子的铁丝门，然后走开。 海豹妈妈从笼子里蠕动出来，起初很慢。 当小海豹看到她时，他跳了过去

door of his own carrier and waddled across the sand. Sofia giggled. "He's so happy!" she whispered. Once the mother seal reached the safety of the tide, she turned and nuzzled her pup. But they didn't dive into the waves right away. They splashed and played together in the shallows, the pup nipping at his mother and sliding on and off her back. "What a show-off!" said Max, chuckling. Gradually, the seals swam farther and farther away —until they were gone. "Time to say goodbye," said Sofia. She smiled sadly and gave a little wave. When a bird cawed overhead, Max glanced up, hoping to see a gannet diving for fish. Instead, he saw a seagull—a very familiar-looking one. The bird swooped so low, Max felt his hair ruffle. He nudged Sofia. "I think it's time for us to say goodbye, too." When she saw the seagull, Sofia met Max's gaze and sighed. "You have to go?" said Maisie. Her shoulders drooped. "Wait, I have something for you." She dug in her pockets and pulled out two carved figures.

他打开自己的马车门，摇摇摆摆地走过沙滩。 索非亚咯咯笑了。“他太高兴了！”她低声说。 一旦母海豹到达安全的地方，她转过身来用鼻子蹭她的孩子。 但他们并没有立即跳入水中。 他们在浅滩上嬉戏，小狗咬着妈妈，在妈妈的背上滑来滑去。 “真爱炫耀！”麦克斯笑着说。 渐渐地，海豹游得越来越远——直到它们消失了。 “该说再见了。”索菲亚说。 她伤心地笑了笑，轻轻挥了挥手。 当一只鸟在头顶鸣叫时，马克斯抬起头来，希望看到一只塘鹅在潜水抓鱼。 相反，他看到了一只海鸥——一只非常熟悉的海鸥。 那只鸟俯冲得很低，马克斯觉得他的头发都乱了。 他推了推索菲亚。“我想我们也该说再见了。” 当索菲亚看到海鸥的时候，她看到了马克斯的目光，叹了口气。 “你一定要走？”麦奇说。 她的肩膀耷拉着。“等等，我有东西要给你。” 她从口袋里掏出两个雕刻的人物。

"Seals!" said Sofia. "Oh, they're so cute." She cupped her golden-brown seal in her palm, admiring its sweet, puppylike face. Max ran his finger over the smooth head of his seal. "Wow—did your granddad make them?" Maisie shook her head. "I did. Well, Granddad helped me a little." She flashed a smile back at her granddad, who was waiting with her parents. "They're to thank you. And so you'll always remember me and the selkies." Sofia's heart swelled. "I know just where we'll put them," she said, picturing the wooden shelf of treasures in the cabin of Wind Rider. A short while later, Sofia and Max stood on the deck of their boat, waving to Maisie and her family, back on the dock. Wind Rider carried them out into the harbor,

“海豹！”索菲亚说。“哦，它们太可爱了。” 她把金棕色的海豹捧在手心，欣赏着它那可爱的小狗脸。 马克斯用手指抚摸着海豹光滑的头。 “哇——是你爷爷做的吗？”麦茜摇了摇头。 “我所做的。嗯，爷爷帮了我一点忙。” 她对和父母一起等在那里的爷爷报以微笑。 “他们会感谢你的。这样你就会永远记住我和水妖了。” 索菲亚的心膨胀起来。“我知道该把它们放在哪里。”她一边说，一边想象着风骑士船舱里那个装满宝物的木架子。 过了一会儿，索菲亚和马克斯站在他们的甲板上，向回到码头上的梅奇和她的家人挥手。 风骑士把他们带到港口，