12 THE STORM

CHAPTER 12 THE STORM Roz felt safe up on the mountaintop. So she spent the next few days and nights perched on the peak. But everything changed one afternoon when a low-flying cloud crept up the mountain and Roz found herself surrounded by white. When the world faded back into view, she noticed more clouds floating south past the island. Then she heard a deep rumble behind her. The robot turned her head around and saw that the sky was filled with a swirling wall of darkness. Light flickered here and there. More deep rumbles. A storm was approaching, and it wasn't just any storm. It was as fierce as the one that had sent the cargo ship to the ocean floor. The wind picked up, and the first drops of rain tapped against the robot. It was time to go. Roz unclamped her hands and began sliding down the peak. Hot sparks flew from where her body scraped against the leaning slab of stone. As soon as her feet hit soil, she was off and running.

第十二章风暴罗兹在山顶上感到很安全。 于是，她在山顶上度过了接下来的几天几夜。 但是一天下午，一切都变了，一团低空飘来的云爬上了山，罗兹发现自己被白色包围了。 当世界渐渐消失在她的视野中时，她注意到更多的云从岛的南面飘过。 接着，她听到身后传来一声低沉的隆隆声。 机器人转过头来，看到天空中充满了一堵旋转的黑暗之墙。 灯光到处闪烁。 更深沉的隆隆声。一场风暴即将来临，而且不是一般的风暴。 它和把货轮撞沉海底的那次一样猛烈。 风起了，第一滴雨打在机器人身上。 该走了。罗兹松开她的手，开始从山顶上滑下来。 她的身体擦在倾斜的石板上，火花四溅。 她的脚一碰到土，就跑起来了。

The rain fell harder. The wind blew faster. The lightning flashed brighter. The thunder cracked louder. So much rainwater was falling that rushing rivers of runoff started springing up everywhere. Roz splashed down the mountain, searching through the gloom for any kind of shelter. But she should have watched where she was going. Her heavy feet slipped and tripped, and she tumbled right into a mudslide. Our robot was helpless. The river of mud whisked her downhill, slamming her into rocks and dragging her through bushes and sweeping her straight toward a cliff! Mud was pouring off the cliff like a waterfall! Roz frantically clawed at the ground, grasping for anything she could hold on to, but the flow only carried her faster toward the edge. And just as she was about to plunge over the side, she came to a hard, sudden stop. Mud surged around her, spraying into her face and pinning her against some solid thing. She blindly felt with her hands and recognized the thick roots and trunk of a pine tree. In an instant she was pulling herself up into the branches. The wind whipped

雨下得更大了。风吹得更快了。 闪电更亮了。 雷声更响了。 雨水太多，到处都是湍急的河流。 罗兹扑通一声从山上下来，在黑暗中寻找任何可以避雨的地方。 但她应该看清楚路才对。 她沉重的脚滑了一下，绊了一跤，跌进了泥石流中。 我们的机器人无能为力。泥河把她冲下山坡，把她撞在岩石上，拖着她穿过灌木丛，直冲悬崖！泥浆像瀑布一样从悬崖上倾泻而下！罗兹疯狂地抓着地面，抓住任何她能抓住的东西，但水流只会把她更快地推向边缘。 就在她要从船舷上跳下去的时候，她猛地停了下来。 泥浆在她周围汹涌而来，溅到她脸上，把她压在某种坚硬的东西上。 她盲目地用手摸索着，认出了一棵松树的粗根和树干。 她立刻爬上了树枝。 风在抽动

across the mountainside and Roz heard the familiar thunk! of pinecones pelting her body. But she didn't mind them. She was just happy to be safe from the mudflow. The robot locked her arms and legs around the tree and waited for the storm to blow over.

穿过山腰，罗兹听到了熟悉的撞击声！松果砸向她的身体。 但她并不介意。她很高兴能从泥石流中安然无恙。 机器人把她的胳膊和腿锁在树上，等待暴风雨过去。