Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13 The day of the play had finally arrived and there was a buzz of anticipation outside the school, with parents, pupils and teachers all chattering excitedly. But not for Charlie, Mohsen, Wogan and Flora, who had agreed to meet outside to wish Charlie good luck. A black cloud had been hanging over the friends for days. Wogan looked up at the sky. 'I really wish that black cloud would go away. It's just been hanging over us. For days.' 'Yes,' agreed Mohsen. 'It's like it's a… metaphor for something. But I can't think what,' he said glumly.

演出的日子终于到了，学校外面一片期待的嘈杂声，家长、学生和老师都兴奋地叽叽喳喳。 但查理、莫森、沃根和弗洛拉却不这么认为，他们约定在外面见面，祝查理好运。 几天来，一团乌云一直笼罩在朋友们的头上。 沃根抬头看了看天空。 “我真希望那块乌云能散去。 它一直笼罩着我们。 好几天。“是的，”莫森同意道。 “这就像是某种东西的隐喻。 “可我想不出是什么，”他闷闷不乐地说。

'My impending and certain doom?' suggested Charlie. 'Ohhhhhh yeaaahh.' Mohsen nodded, grinning widely at the new-found connection in his brain. 'That must be it. Charlie's impending and certain doom.' 'It's not certain,' muttered Flora, who was sitting on the ground, eyes closed and brow furrowed, her fingers church-steepled at her chin. Charlie, Mohsen and Wogan turned to Flora. 'What do you mean?' asked Mohsen. 'I mean it's not certain. Charlie's doom,' Flora replied, not moving a muscle. 'How can it not be certain?' Charlie asked, temper rising in his voice. 'Since this whole thing started, every time I've got stressed I've changed into an animal. Every. Single. Time.' Flora opened her eyes and looked seriously at Charlie, but waited for him to continue. 'What makes you think that this time,' Charlie said, his face beginning to turn red, 'when I have to sing a STUPID song about a sad potato in front of

“我即将到来的注定的厄运？”查理建议道。 “Ohhhhhh yeaaahh。”莫森点了点头，对他脑子里新发现的联系开怀大笑。 “一定是这样。查理的末日即将来临。“不确定，”弗洛拉喃喃地说，她坐在地上，闭着眼睛，皱着眉头，手指像教堂尖顶一样顶着下巴。 查理、莫森和沃根转向弗洛拉。 “你是什么意思？”莫森问。 “我的意思是这还不确定。“查理的末日。”弗洛拉一动不动地回答。 “怎么可能不确定呢？”查理问道，他的声音越来越大。 “自从整件事开始以来，每次我感到压力时，我就变成了一只动物。 每一个。单身。时间。”弗洛拉睁开眼睛，严肃地看着查理，但等着他继续说下去。 “这次你凭什么这么想，”查理说，他的脸开始变红了，“当我不得不唱一首关于一个可怜的土豆的愚蠢的歌时。

the WHOLE SCHOOL, is going to be ANY different? It's going to be WORSE and I'm going to change into who knows what– probably something totally embarrassing like a gnu or a naked mole rat– and I'm going to be sent away to some science lab for the rest of my life. That's it. I'm done for. Game over.' Charlie finished his rant, and glared at Flora, daring her to reply. Flora looked back, meeting Charlie's stare. 'Those black clouds are really, really thick now,' Wogan said, peering at the sky. 'It looks like it's about to absolutely tip it down.' 'It's not going to rain. And Charlie won't necessarily change,' Flora replied simply. 'Gah! What do you know?' 'Firstly, Charlie, I know you need to stop thinking like that. If you keep convincing yourself you're going to change, then you're just going to make yourself more and more stressed and then you definitely WILL change.' 'Oh, great, thanks for telling me– that'll help. Now it's my fault.' 'I'm not saying it's your fault,' Flora said calmly. 'I'm saying you have the power to change things. Bad

整个学校，会有什么不同吗？ 情况会更糟，我将会变成谁知道会变成什么——可能是完全令人尴尬的东西，比如gnu或裸鼹鼠——我将被送到某个科学实验室度过余生。 就是这样。我受够了。游戏结束了。”查理骂完了，瞪着弗洛拉，看她敢不敢回答。 弗洛拉回过头来，迎着查理的目光。 “那些乌云现在真的，真的很厚。”沃根凝视着天空说。 “看起来它就要倒了。”“不会下雨的。” “查理不一定会改变。”弗洛拉简单地回答。 “嗨!你知道什么？“首先，查理，我知道你不能再那样想了。 如果你一直说服自己你要改变，那么你只会让自己越来越有压力，然后你肯定会改变。“哦，太好了，谢谢你告诉我——那会有帮助的。” 现在是我的错了。“我不是说这是你的错，”弗洛拉平静地说。 “我是说你有能力改变一切。 坏

things happen, Charlie. Accept them. It's not what happens to you in life– it's how you deal with it that sets out the person you are. You're the bravest person I know, Charlie McGuffin, and whatever happens you'll deal with it. You're my best friend, and if you change in front of the school and the scientists come to take you away, then me and Mohsen and Wogan will do everything we can to protect you. Whatever it takes.' Mohsen and Wogan both nodded their heads vigorously. Charlie swallowed. And blinked quickly. He wanted to reply to Flora, but found he had quite lost his voice. 'Anyway,' said Flora, 'we now know something else about your situation from what you've told us about the rhino incident.' 'If you're going to poo out of a window, check that your dad isn't pruning the roses just below?' suggested Mohsen. 'That's true,' said Flora. 'But that's not what I'm getting at. I'm talking about laughter. Once you started laughing, Charlie, you changed back immediately.' 'Oh yeah...' said Charlie.

事情总会发生的，查理。接受他们。 生活中发生了什么并不重要，重要的是你如何处理，这决定了你是什么样的人。 你是我认识的最勇敢的人，查理·麦高芬，不管发生什么你都会处理好。 你是我最好的朋友，如果你在学校门口换衣服，然后科学家们来把你带走，那么我、莫森和沃根会尽我们所能保护你。 不惜一切代价。”莫森和沃根都使劲地点了点头。 查理吞下。然后迅速眨了眨眼。 他想给弗洛拉回信，却发现自己完全失声了。 “不管怎样，”弗洛拉说，“从你告诉我们的犀牛事件中，我们现在对你的情况有所了解了。“如果你要向窗外大便，检查一下你爸爸是不是在修剪下面的玫瑰？”莫森建议道。 “那倒是真的，”弗洛拉说。 但这不是我想说的。 我说的是笑声。 一旦你开始笑，查理，你马上就变回来了。“哦，是的……”查理说。

'So,' continued Flora, business-like. 'We therefore know the following: 1. You turn into an animal when you get stressed. 2. Deep-breathing and relaxing helps to slow it down, but it doesn't stop it. 3. Happiness changes you back. 'Now, that might not be the complete answer to everything that's going on, but it's an awful lot more than we knew when you first started changing. We are close to a cure, Charlie. So close.' Mr O'Dere, the Irish caretaker, started ringing a handbell, barking at everybody to start taking their

“是这样，”弗洛拉公事公办地继续说。 因此，我们知道以下几点： 你一有压力就会变成动物。 2. 深呼吸和放松有助于减缓它，但它不能阻止它。 3. 幸福会改变你。 “现在，这可能不是发生的所有事情的完整答案，但它比我们刚开始改变时所知道的要多得多。” 我们就快找到解药了，查理。 这么近。”爱尔兰管理员O'Dere先生开始按手铃，大声叫大家开始拿起他们的