6 Rabbit Box

Chapter 6 Rabbit Box rabbit box (n) a specially built device that appears to be an ordinary box but actually has secret panels, mirrors, or compartments that can hide a rabbit within Hey, Pete. How r u? I'm good. Ive got a faver to ask. Do you have scrap wood? I need to bild a box to make a rabit disapeer. Can I send u a drawng? And then u cut it and mail the peaces to me so I can put it togethr? Thx. —Evan Hey, Big Man! Good to hear from you. I've been wondering how things are with you and your family. All good? Sure I can cut the wood for you, but mailing it is going to be ++$$. Wood is heavy, dude. Do you have any scrap wood in

兔箱（名词）一种特别制造的装置，看起来像一个普通的盒子，但实际上有秘密的面板、镜子或隔间，可以把兔子藏在里面。 你好吗？我很好。我想请你帮个忙。 你有废木料吗？我需要做一个盒子让兔子消失。 我可以寄给你一幅画吗？然后你把它剪下来寄给我，这样我就可以把它拼起来了？ 谢谢。嘿，大个子！很高兴接到你的电话。 我一直想知道你和你的家人怎么样了。 所有好吗?当然，我可以帮你砍柴，但是邮寄要花费16733美元。 木头很重，伙计。你们有废木材吗

your basement? Can you get someone to cut it for you there? There must be someone there who knows how to operate a saw. It's not brain surgery! At least not if you're careful! Ha ha! I saw your grandma yesterday. It's great to have her back in the North Country for a little bit. Come visit. All of you! I could use your help! Stand tall, Big Man— Pete Evan stared at the screen, wishing he could rewrite Pete's email. He wanted it to say: Hey, Evan. Why don't I come down there and build the rabbit box with you? We'll do it together, just like we fixed your grandmother's house after the fire. Evan looked at the drawings in Professor Hoffmann's Modern Magic.

你的地下室吗?你能在那儿找人帮你剪吗？ 那里一定有人会用锯子。 这不是脑部手术！如果你小心的话，至少不会！哈哈!我昨天看到你奶奶了。 很高兴她能回到北方待一段时间。 来访问。你们所有人！我需要你的帮助！站起来，大个子——皮特·埃文盯着屏幕，希望他能重写皮特的电子邮件。 他想让它说：嘿，埃文。 为什么我不去和你一起做兔子盒子呢？ 我们一起做，就像我们在火灾后修复你祖母的房子一样。 埃文看着霍夫曼教授的《现代魔术》中的图画。

It looked so simple. It was just seven boards, two hinges, and a latch. How hard could that be? Except for the cutting. Pete had taught him how to glue, nail, sand, and paint wood. Working with Pete was like going to carpentry school, but more fun. Evan looked at the pictures again, then picked up the book and headed downstairs. Jessie and their father were on the porch in the backyard. Even though Memorial Day was just a week away and the weather was as warm as summer, the porch looked the way it did all winter—empty. The chairs and table were still up in the attic, and Mrs. Treski hadn't bought a single tomato, pepper, or basil plant. Usually by this time of year, the porch

它看起来很简单。它只有七块木板，两个铰链和一个门闩。 这能有多难？除了切割。 皮特教他如何给木头上胶水、钉钉子、磨砂和油漆。 和皮特一起工作就像上木工学校，但更有趣。 埃文又看了看照片，然后拿起书下楼去了。 杰西和他们的父亲在后院的门廊上。 尽管离阵亡将士纪念日只有一个星期了，天气像夏天一样温暖，但门廊看起来和整个冬天一样——空荡荡的。 椅子和桌子还在阁楼上，特雷斯基太太没有买一株番茄、辣椒或罗勒。 通常每年这个时候，门廊

was overflowing with potted plants: calla lilies and marigolds, pansies and begonias, narcissuses and Cape roses. Every spring Mrs. Treski planted morning glories that would creep up and over the splintered and broken railing, twining their vines around the cracked wood. "It hides the rotted-out parts!" she would say. But this spring had just been too busy. Evan had never seen his mother work so hard. The porch looked as if it was stuck in winter. Jessie was walking the perimeter of the porch, tapping each corner of the railing as she passed. Their dad was checking his cell phone, squinting at the colored screen in the bright afternoon light. Evan pushed open the sliding screen door and walked outside. "Hey," said his dad, looking up for an instant. "The house is a dead zone." Jessie laughed and started to repeat the words: "The house is a dead zone. The house is a dead zone."

到处都是盆栽植物：马蹄莲和金盏花，三色堇和秋海棠，水仙花和海角玫瑰。 每年春天，特雷斯基太太都会种植牵牛花，牵牛花会爬上破碎的栏杆，把藤蔓缠绕在开裂的木头上。 “它把腐烂的部分藏起来了！”她会说。 但今年春天实在太忙了。 埃文从未见过他的母亲如此努力地工作。 门廊看起来好像被冬天卡住了。 杰西沿着门廊的四周走着，走过时敲打着栏杆的每个角落。 他们的爸爸正在看手机，在明亮的午后光线下眯着眼睛盯着彩色的屏幕。 埃文推开滑动纱门，走了出去。 “嘿，”他爸爸说，抬头看了一会儿。 “这房子是个死区。” 杰西笑了，开始重复这句话：“这房子是一个死区。 这房子是一个死区。”

Evan scowled. "Dad, do you know how to make things?" he asked. "With wood?" "Wood? Yeah, sure. Well, no, not really. What are you talking about?" "The rabbit box!" said Jessie, coming over to stand next to Evan and look at the page in the book he was holding. "For his magic show." Jessie stopped for a split second; then her face seemed to catch fire. "And I've got an idea! We'll sell tickets! I bet we could make fifty bucks, easy! That's big money! Enough to open my own bank account!" "We're not selling tickets!" said Evan, suddenly embarrassed to even be talking about the show in front of his dad. "Why not?" asked his dad. "Aren't you good enough?" "He's great!" shouted Jessie. "But he needs a big finishing act. Something kapow. A blockbuster!" "Where are you going to do it?" asked their dad. "An auditorium?" "No," mumbled Evan. "I don't know. The

艾凡皱起了眉头。“爸爸，你知道怎么做东西吗？” “用木头?”“木?是的,当然。 嗯，不，不完全是。你在说什么？”“兔子箱！”杰西说，走过来站在埃文身边，看着他手里拿着的那本书。 “为了他的魔术表演。”杰西停了一下；然后她的脸好像着火了。 “我有个主意！”我们会卖票的！我打赌我们能轻松赚到50美元！那可是一大笔钱啊！足够我开自己的银行账户了！”“我们不卖票！”埃文说，突然觉得在爸爸面前谈论演出很尴尬。 “为什么不呢？”爸爸问。“你不够好吗？”“他太棒了！”杰西喊道。 “但他需要一个大结局。 之前的东西。一大片!”“你们打算在哪里做呢？”爸爸问。 “一个礼堂?”“不，”埃文咕哝着。 “我不知道。的

basement, I guess." When he imagined the show in his head, he was in an auditorium, on a real stage, with hundreds of people watching. But he knew that could never be real. "No way," said their dad, still looking at his cell phone. "Basements are for losers. You need something big. Impressive. You need a stage. Curtains. Lights. The whole thing. You need to look like a professional if you're going to charge money." "We can build a stage," said Jessie. "A real stage!" "Or maybe—" said their dad. "But I'm not a professional," interrupted Evan. "So fake it. That's what half the people in the world are doing. Act like a pro, people will treat you like a pro; next thing you know—hey, you're a pro." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back casually against the railing. Evan could have predicted what would happen next. Even Jessie shouted, "Dad, stop!" But it was too late. The rotted and splintered wood of the railing

我猜是地下室吧。”当他在脑海中想象这场演出时，他是在一个礼堂里，在一个真正的舞台上，有数百人在观看。 但他知道这是不可能的。 “不可能，”他们的爸爸说，仍然看着他的手机。 “地下室是为失败者准备的。 你需要一些大的东西。让人印象深刻。 你需要一个舞台。窗帘。 灯。整件事。如果你想赚钱，你就得看起来像个专业人士。” “我们可以建一个舞台，”杰西说。 “一个真正的舞台！”“或者——”他们的爸爸说。 “但我不是专业的，”埃文插嘴说。 “那就假装吧。这就是世界上一半的人在做的事情。 表现得像专业人士，人们会把你当专业人士；接下来你就知道了——嘿，你就是专业选手了。” 他双臂交叉在胸前，随意地靠在栏杆上。 埃文可以预测接下来会发生什么。 连杰西都喊道：“爸爸，停下来！”但为时已晚。 栏杆上的木头已经腐烂破碎