51 THE AUTUMN

CHAPTER 51 THE AUTUMN The days were getting shorter. The air was getting crisper. And one morning, Roz walked out to find a layer of frost on the garden. Autumn had come to the island. The tree leaves, which had been green for the robot's entire life, turned yellow and orange and red. Then they let go of their branches and floated down to the ground, and the forest gradually filled with the sounds of creatures scurrying through dead leaves. Tree nuts were also falling, thunking onto roots and rocks and occasionally clanging off the robot. The smell of flowers faded as blossoms withered. All the rich scents and colors of the island were draining away. The animals were also changing. Furry animals

第五十一章秋天白天越来越短了。 空气变得清爽起来。 一天早上，罗兹走出去，发现花园里结了一层霜。 秋天来到了岛上。 在机器人的一生中一直是绿色的树叶，变成了黄色、橙色和红色。 然后他们放开树枝，飘到了地面上，森林里逐渐充满了动物在枯叶间奔跑的声音。 树上的坚果也在掉落，砸在树根和岩石上，偶尔还会撞到机器人。 随着花的凋谢，花的香味也消失了。 岛上所有丰富的气味和色彩都在逐渐消失。 动物也在发生变化。 毛茸茸的动物

were growing more fur. Feathery animals were growing more feathers. Scaly animals were starting to look for new homes. "Yurp. It's cooling off," croaked one frog to another. "Before long it'll be time for sleeping." "Yurp. I'd better start looking for a good hole," croaked the second frog. "Have you found one yet?" "Nah," croaked the first frog. "I'll look for a hole next week. For now, I'm going to enjoy the warm sunlight while it lasts. Yurp." Many of the island animals were already thinking about their winter hibernation. Frogs, bees, snakes, and even bears would soon disappear and spend the next few months resting out of sight. And then there were the birds. Some birds, like owls and woodpeckers, would spend the winter nesting and eating the island's few remaining edibles. But the migratory birds were preparing for the long journey south to their warm wintering grounds. And among the birds destined to leave were the geese.

我们长出了更多的皮毛。长羽毛的动物长出了更多的羽毛。 有鳞的动物开始寻找新家。 “Yurp。它在降温，”一只青蛙对另一只青蛙呱呱地说。 “不久就该睡觉了。” “Yurp。我最好开始找一个好洞，”第二只青蛙嘶哑地说。 “你找到了吗？”“不，”第一只青蛙嘶哑地说。 “下周我去找个洞。 现在，我要趁阳光还在的时候好好享受这温暖的阳光。 Yurp。”许多岛上的动物已经在考虑它们的冬季冬眠了。 青蛙、蜜蜂、蛇，甚至熊很快就会消失，在接下来的几个月里在人们的视线之外休息。 然后是鸟类。 一些鸟类，如猫头鹰和啄木鸟，会在冬天筑巢，吃岛上仅存的食物。 但候鸟们正准备长途跋涉到南方温暖的越冬地。 在注定要离开的鸟类中，有鹅。