16 THE PINE TREE

CHAPTER 16 THE PINE TREE Roz was in no hurry to leave the tree. She stayed on her branch long after the bears had gone, enjoying some peace and looking herself over. In addition to bite marks and claw marks, the robot was also covered in dirt, which, of course, meant it was time for another cleaning. She was making good progress when she felt something sticky on her arm. The problem with sitting in a pine tree is that, eventually, the tree's sticky resin will find you. It always does. And it found Roz. The robot scrubbed and scraped at the resin, and soon her fingers were completely coated in the sticky stuff. Then it was all over her arms and her legs and her torso. And things were about to get even messier. A robin swooped into the tree and began screeching and fluttering around Roz. The bird had recently finished building herself a new nest. It was a little work of art, a delicate basket woven from grass and

第十六章松树罗兹并不急于离开那棵树。 熊走后，她在树枝上呆了很长时间，享受着片刻的宁静，打量着自己。 除了咬痕和爪痕，机器人身上还沾满了灰尘，这当然意味着它需要再次清洁。 她正在取得很大的进步，这时她感到手臂上有黏糊糊的东西。 坐在松树上的问题是，最终，树的粘性树脂会找到你。 它总是这样。它找到了罗兹。 机器人在树脂上又擦又擦，很快她的手指就完全被粘稠的东西覆盖了。 然后，她的手臂，腿和躯干上都是。 事情还会变得更糟。 一只知更鸟飞到树上，开始在罗兹周围尖叫和飞舞。 这只鸟最近给自己建了一个新巢。 这是一件小艺术品，一个用草和草编成的精致篮子

twigs and feathers, and it was right above the robot's head. "Screech! Screech!" said the robin. "I do not understand you, robin," said the robot. The robin continued screeching and fluttering, and then—splat—she splattered her droppings across the robot's face. This bird was serious. So Roz scooted away, farther out on the branch, until she heard a quick, sharp crack. Before Roz knew what was happening, the tree branch snapped under her weight and she went crashing to the forest floor. She hit the ground hard and lay there as broken branches and pinecones and needles showered down on top of her. There was another splat. And then quiet returned to the forest.

树枝和羽毛，它就在机器人的头上。 “尖叫!尖叫！”知更鸟说。 “我不明白你的意思，罗宾，”机器人说。 知更鸟继续尖叫和拍打着翅膀，然后，她把自己的粪便溅到了机器人的脸上。 这只鸟是认真的。于是，罗兹飞快地跑开了，跑到更远的树枝上，直到她听到一声急促的爆裂声。 罗兹还没反应过来发生了什么，树枝就被她的体重压断了，她摔在了森林的地板上。 她重重地摔在地上，躺在地上，折断的树枝、松果和针叶像雨点一样落在她身上。 又是一声扑通。然后森林里又恢复了宁静。