2 THE OTTERS

CHAPTER 2 THE OTTERS The island's northern shore had become something of a robot gravesite. Scattered across the rocks were the broken bodies of four dead robots. They sparkled in the early-morning light. And their sparkles caught the attention of some very curious creatures. A gang of sea otters was romping through the shallows when one of them noticed the sparkling objects. The otters all froze. They raised their noses to the wind. But they smelled only the sea. So they cautiously crept over the rocks to take a closer look.

第二章水獭这个岛的北岸已经变成了一个机器人的墓地。 岩石上散落着四个机器人的尸体。 它们在晨光中闪闪发光。 它们的闪光引起了一些非常好奇的生物的注意。 一群海獭正在浅滩上嬉戏，其中一只注意到了闪闪发光的物体。 水獭们全都僵住了。他们竖起鼻子迎着风。 但他们闻到的只是大海的味道。 于是他们小心翼翼地爬过岩石，想近距离看一看。

The gang slowly approached a robot torso. The biggest otter stuck out his paw, swatted the heavy thing, and quickly jumped back. But nothing happened. So they wriggled over to a robot hand. Another brave otter stuck out her paw and flipped the hand over. It made a lovely clinking sound on the rocks, and the otters squeaked with delight. They spread out and played with robot arms and legs and feet. More hands were flipped. One of the otters discovered a robot head in a tide pool, and they all dove in and took turns rolling it along the bottom. And then they spotted something else. Overlooking the gravesite was the one surviving crate. Its sides were scraped and dented, and a wide gash ran across its top. The otters scampered up the rocks and climbed onto the big box. Ten furry faces poked through the gash, eager to see what was inside. What they saw was another brand-new robot. But this robot was different from the others. It was still in one piece. And it was surrounded by spongy packing foam. The otters reached through the gash and tore at the foam. It was so soft and squishy! They squeaked as they snatched at the fluffy stuff. Shreds of it floated away on the sea breeze. And in all the excitement,

这伙人慢慢走近一个机器人躯干。 最大的那只水獭伸出爪子，拍了拍那个沉重的东西，然后迅速跳了回去。 但是什么也没发生。于是他们扭动着向一只机械手走去。 另一只勇敢的水獭伸出爪子，把那只手翻过来。 它在岩石上发出了可爱的叮当声，水獭们高兴地吱吱叫着。 他们散开，玩机器人的手臂、腿和脚。 更多的人举手。其中一只水獭在一个潮池里发现了一个机器人的头，它们都跳了进去，轮流把它滚到池底。 然后他们发现了别的东西。 俯瞰墓地的是一个幸存的板条箱。 它的两边都被刮伤了，凹陷了，顶部有一道很宽的口子。 水獭们爬上岩石，爬上大箱子。 十张毛茸茸的脸从裂缝里探出来，急切地想看看里面是什么。 他们看到的是另一个全新的机器人。 但这个机器人与其他机器人不同。 它还完好无损。 它被海绵包装泡沫包裹着。 水獭们从裂缝里伸出手来，撕扯着泡沫。 它又软又黏！它们一边抓着毛茸茸的东西，一边吱吱地叫着。 碎片被海风吹走了。 在所有的兴奋中，

one of their paws accidentally slapped an important little button on the back of the robot's head. Click. It took a while for the otters to realize that something was happening inside the crate. But a moment later, they heard it. A low whirring sound. Everyone stopped and stared. And then the robot opened her eyes.

他们的一只爪子不小心拍到了机器人后脑勺上一个重要的小按钮。 点击。过了一会儿，水獭们才意识到板条箱里发生了什么事。 但过了一会儿，他们听到了。 一个低呼的声音。每个人都停下来盯着看。 然后机器人睁开了眼睛。