Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 AH, SUMMER IN THE VILLAGE… You can practically smell the sweet scent of grass and wildflowers. Of horses and hay and freshly baked cookies. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. Boys and girls, young and old, are flying kites. All is well in the village. And why shouldn't it be? So far these villagers have managed to avoid a horde of hungry, cheese-eating rats during their annual cheese festival; celebrate their 150th birthday with only a momentary loss of power; and not get swept away by the flooding river and strong winds during a sudden spring storm.

第一章啊，村子里的夏天……你几乎可以闻到青草和野花的芬芳。 马，干草和新鲜出炉的饼干。 阳光灿烂。鸟儿在唱歌。 男孩和女孩，无论老少，都在放风筝。 村子里一切安好。 为什么不应该呢？到目前为止，在一年一度的奶酪节上，这些村民已经成功地避开了一群饥饿的、吃奶酪的老鼠；庆祝他们的150岁生日，只是短暂地失去了权力；而且不会在突然的春季风暴中被洪水和强风卷走。

How did they survive all of these things? I'm glad you asked. Why, the Junior Monster Scouts, of course! Those Junior Monster Scouts are always in the right place at the right time, aren't they? And speaking of Junior Monster Scouts… where are they? Let's take a look, shall we? Wolfy raced ahead of his cub brothers and sisters. Wolfy's dad, Wolf Man, hurled a stick over their heads. "And… fetch!" Wolf Man said. Fetch was Wolfy's favorite game. He loved running as fast as he could, jumping over logs and rocks and fences, and getting that stick. Dad said he was the fastest!

它们是如何在这些事情中幸存下来的？ 我很高兴你这么问。当然是少年怪兽童子军了！那些少年怪兽童子军总是在正确的时间出现在正确的地点，不是吗？ 说到少年怪兽童子军，他们在哪里？ 让我们看一看，好吗？ 狼跑在他的兄弟姐妹们的前面。 小狼的爸爸，狼人，朝他们的头上扔了一根棍子。 “……拿!”狼人说。 捡东西是狼最喜欢的游戏。 他喜欢尽可能快地跑，跳过圆木、石头和篱笆，去拿那根棍子。 爸爸说他是最快的！

"No fair!" said Wolfy's little sister Fern. "You always get the stick!"

“不公平！”狼的小妹妹弗恩说。 “你总是拿棍子！”

"One of these days, I'll bet you catch me!" Wolfy said. The rest of the cubs tumbled around Wolfy's feet, howling and barking. Meanwhile, way up at the top of the castle tower, Vampyra gazed out her bedroom window. "Vampyra!" Aunt Belladonna called. "Are you brushing your fangs?" "You have to keep them shiny and pointy!" said Aunt Hemlock. "Don't forget to floss!" Aunt Moonflower added. Vampyra groaned and trudged back to her sink. How many times did she have to brush her fangs? "Until they're done right!" Aunt Hemlock called up from the library.

“总有一天，我敢打赌你会抓到我！”似狼的说。 其余的幼崽围着狼脚打滚，又叫又叫。 与此同时，在城堡塔楼的顶端，Vampyra凝视着她卧室的窗外。 “Vampyra !”贝拉多娜姨妈打来电话。 “你在刷牙吗？”“你必须让它们保持闪亮和尖尖！”铁杉姨妈说。 “别忘了用牙线！”月花阿姨补充道。 吸血鬼呻吟了一声，拖着沉重的步子走回她的水池。 她要刷多少次牙？ “直到他们做对了！”铁杉姨妈从图书馆里喊道。

"Reading my mind isn't fair!" said Vampyra. She stuck her toothbrush in her mouth and scowled. Franky put the collar on his new puppy, attached her leash, and wound her up. "Good girl!" he said. "Want to go for a walk?" Sprocket wagged her tail. She was very excited. "Woof!" she said. "Woof! Woof!" Franky patted her on the head and started down the Crooked Trail. He was so excited to have a new puppy. He and his dad had made her all by themselves in Doctor Frankenstein's laboratory. Even his cousin Igor Junior had helped.

“读我的心是不公平的！” 她把牙刷塞进嘴里，皱起了眉头。 弗兰克给他的新小狗戴上项圈，系上皮带，给它上了发条。 “好孩子！”他说。“想去散散步吗？”链轮摇着尾巴。 她非常兴奋。“汪！”她说。 “汪!汪!”弗兰克拍了拍她的头，开始沿着弯道走。 他很兴奋能有一只新的小狗。 他和他爸爸在弗兰肯斯坦博士的实验室里自己造出了她。 就连他的堂兄小伊戈尔也帮了忙。

And while Franky and Sprocket walked and whistled down the Crooked Trail, while Wolfy played fetch, while Vampyra brushed her fangs again, and while the villagers flew kites and watched clouds, someone else was up and about. Someone with big, black, bushy eyebrows. Someone with a permanent scowl. Someone with the initials B. V. G. Do you know who it is? Of course you do. It was none other than Baron Von Grump. He paced his little balcony, wringing his hands and watching the winding road that led to his crooked windmill. "Where is it?" he asked. "It should be here this morning." "Caw?" asked Edgar, his pet crow. "I'm glad you asked," said Baron Von Grump. He smiled an oily, sneaky smile. The kind of smile a snake might make before it bit you. The kind of smile that makes you

当弗兰基和链轮在弯道上吹着口哨走着的时候，当狼在玩接球游戏的时候，当吸血鬼又在刷她的尖牙的时候，当村民们在放风筝、看云的时候，另一个人已经起来了。 长着又大又黑又浓密眉毛的人。 一个永远愁眉苦脸的人。 名字首字母是B的人。 你知道是谁吗？ 你当然知道。不是别人，正是冯·格朗普男爵。 他在自己的小阳台上踱来踱去，绞着双手，望着通向他那歪歪扭扭的风车的弯弯曲曲的道路。 “在哪儿？”他问。“今天早上应该到了。” “叫？”埃德加问，他的宠物乌鸦。 “我很高兴你这么问。”冯·格朗普男爵说。 他露出狡黠的油腔滑调的微笑。 蛇咬你之前可能会露出的那种微笑。 那种让你