3. Goblin in the Fog

They all floated down to investigate. The mist here was heavier and stickier. It pulled at Rachel's wings as she flew through it. "Oh, it's not a goblin—it's just a dead tree." She sighed, landing on the thick twisted trunk. She felt disappointed. The dark shape had looked just like a goblin from the air. "We may not have found him yet," Kirsty whispered to her friend, "but I still think that the goblin isn't far away. The mist here smells musty, and it's harder to fly through." Rachel fluttered her shiny wings. "Yes," she agreed. "It's like cold oatmeal." Just then, they heard a gruff voice complaining nearby. "It's not fair! I'm cold and I'm lost and I'm hungry!" There was a loud sniff, like a pig snorting. "Poor me!"

他们都漂下来调查。 这里的雾更浓更粘。 当瑞秋飞过它时，它拉着她的翅膀。 “哦，那不是妖精——那只是一棵枯树。” 她叹了口气，落在又粗又扭的树干上。 她感到很失望。那个黑影从空中看起来就像个妖精。 “我们也许还没有找到他，”科斯蒂低声对她的朋友说，“但我仍然认为妖精离我们不远。 这里的雾有霉味，很难飞过去。” 瑞秋拍打着她闪亮的翅膀。 “是的，”她同意了。“就像冷燕麦片。” 就在这时，他们听到附近有一个粗哑的声音在抱怨。 “这不公平！”我又冷又迷路又饿！”有一声响亮的鼻息，就像猪在打鼾一样。 “可怜我!”

Rachel, Kirsty, and Evie looked at one another in excitement. "That's definitely a goblin!" declared Evie. "Quick! Let's hide in that tree before he sees us," suggested Rachel. They flew up and landed on the branch of a huge oak tree, then peered down through the thick green leaves. Sure enough, the goblin sat on a log below them. They could see the top of his head and his huge bony feet. They could also hear a horrible gurgling sound, like slimy stuff going down a drain.

雷切尔、科斯蒂和伊维兴奋地面面相觑。 “那绝对是个妖精！” “快!在他看到我们之前，我们躲到那棵树上吧。”瑞秋建议道。 他们飞了起来，落在一棵大橡树的树枝上，然后透过茂密的绿叶往下看。 果然，妖精坐在他们下面的一根木头上。 他们可以看到他的头顶和他瘦骨嶙峋的大脚。 他们还能听到一种可怕的汩汩声，就像黏糊糊的东西掉进下水道一样。

"Lost in this horrible forest! And I'm so hungry," moaned the goblin, clutching his rumbling tummy. "I'd love some toadstool stew and worm dumplings!" Suddenly he jumped up. "What was that? Who's there?" He peered up into the tree branches. Rachel, Kirsty, and Evie quickly darted behind the oak leaves. After a moment the goblin sat down on his log again. "Must have been a squirrel," he muttered. "Oh, I want to go home!"

“在这可怕的森林里迷路了！”我太饿了。”妖精呻吟着，紧紧抓住他咕咕作响的肚子。 “我想吃炖毒菌和虫子饺子！”突然，他跳了起来。 “那是什么？”谁在那里?”他向树枝里窥视。 雷切尔、科斯蒂和伊维迅速跑到橡树叶后面。 过了一会儿，妖精又坐在他的圆木上。 “一定是一只松鼠。”他喃喃地说。 “哦，我想回家！”

The girls could see the goblin clearly now. He had bulging, crossed eyes and a big, lumpy nose like a potato. His arms were long and skinny but he had short legs and knobbly knees. "Look what he's holding!" whispered Evie. Kirsty and Rachel peered through the leaves and saw that the goblin clutched a beautiful silvery feather with a lilac tip in his fingers. "The Mist Feather!" the girls exclaimed together.

姑娘们现在可以清楚地看到妖精了。 他有一对鼓鼓的斗鸡眼和一个像土豆一样的大鼻子。 他的胳膊又长又细，但他的腿很短，膝盖凹凸不平。 “看他拿的是什么！” 柯斯蒂和瑞秋透过树叶往外看，看到妖精手里抓着一根漂亮的银色羽毛，手指上有一根紫丁香尖。 “雾羽！”姑娘们齐声叫道。

Then Rachel frowned. "If the goblin's lost in the fog, why doesn't he use the magic feather to get rid of it?" she asked. "Because he doesn't know how," Evie explained. "He's waving the feather all over the place without thinking—but he's only making more and more mist." It was true. The goblin was shaking the Mist Feather and mumbling to himself as thick swirls of fog drifted around him.

然后瑞秋皱起了眉头。“如果妖精在雾中迷路了，他为什么不用魔法羽毛把它赶走呢？”她问。 “因为他不知道怎么做，”伊维解释说。 “他想都没想就把羽毛挥来挥去——但他只是制造了越来越多的雾。” 这是真的。妖精一边摇着雾羽，一边喃喃自语，浓浓的雾气在他周围飘过。

"Earwig fritters, beetle pancakes, lovely slug sandwiches…" he muttered wistfully. Just then, one of the runners passed close by. The goblin shot to his feet and hid behind a tree. He was shaking so much that the three friends could hear his knees knocking together. "It's a…it's a Pogwurzel!" he whispered in panic.

“土蜈蚣煎饼、甲虫煎饼、可爱的鼻涕虫三明治……”他若有所思地嘟囔着。 就在这时，一个跑步者从旁边经过。 小妖精迅速站起来，躲在一棵树后面。 他抖得厉害，三个朋友都能听到他的膝盖碰在一起的声音。 “那是……那是波格zel!”他惊慌地小声说。