53 THE MIGRATION

CHAPTER 53 THE MIGRATION It was the night before the migration, and Brightbill was sleeping fitfully. Roz watched him toss and turn until he finally crawled up into her arms, and she rocked him to sleep, just like the old days. Early the next morning, Brightbill waddled outside and looked at the pond. The water was perfectly still. A few lazy clouds drifted above. Geese were already gathering by the beach. And then tiny claws scampered down from the treetops. "So today's the day huh?" said Chitchat, perched on a branch. "You're going to see so many new things and meet so many new animals and if there are any squirrels at your wintering grounds please tell them that Chitchat says hello!" "Today is the day," said Brightbill. "The flock will be leaving soon." "Are you excited or nervous or scared?" "I'm all of those things."

第五十三章迁徙那是迁徙的前一天晚上，布莱特比尔断断续续地睡着了。 罗兹看着他翻来覆去，直到他终于爬进她的怀里，她摇着他入睡，就像以前一样。 第二天一大早，布莱特比尔摇摇摆摆地走到外面，看着池塘。 水完全静止了。 上面飘着几朵慵懒的云。 鹅已经在海边聚集起来了。 然后小爪子从树梢上蹦了下来。 “那么今天就是好日子了，是吧？”栖息在树枝上的闲聊说。 “你会看到很多新事物，遇到很多新动物，如果你的越冬地有松鼠，请告诉它们，‘闲谈’向你问好！”“就是今天，”布莱特比尔说。 “羊群很快就要离开了。” “你是兴奋、紧张还是害怕？”“这些我都有。”

The squirrel whispered, "Well don't worry about your mother I'll look after her so you know she'll be perfectly fine." Brightbill smiled. "I am afraid it is time to go," said Roz as she stepped out of the Nest. "Okay, Mama," said the gosling. "See you in the spring, Chitchat!" "Have a nice migration Brightbill!" The squirrel scampered back into the treetops. "Come home with lots of exciting stories but not too exciting because I don't want anything scary to happen to you good-bye!" The geese were honking with excitement and hustling around as they made their final preparations. Several of the fathers huddled together, discussing their flight plans, while the mothers took a head count. "There you are, Brightbill!" Loudwing honked from the middle of the crowd. "We're just about to begin!" "May I have your attention, please!" said the biggest goose. "As most of you know, my name is Longneck, and I'll be leading this year's migration.

松鼠低声说：“别担心你妈妈，我会照顾她的，你知道她会很好的。” Brightbill笑了。“恐怕是该走的时候了。”罗丝说着走出了鸟巢。 “好的，妈妈，”小鹅说。 “春天见，闲谈！”“祝你迁徙愉快，布莱特比尔！”松鼠蹦蹦跳跳地回到树梢上。 “带着很多激动人心的故事回家，但不要太激动人心，因为我不想让你发生任何可怕的事情，再见！”鹅们兴奋地叫着，忙着做最后的准备工作。 几个父亲挤在一起，讨论他们的飞行计划，而母亲们则在数人数。 “你来了，布莱特比尔！”人群中间传来了响亮的喇叭声。 “我们马上就要开始了！”“请大家听我说！”最大的鹅说。 “你们大多数人都知道，我叫长颈，我将领导今年的迁徙。

I'm asking everyone to please join your families for takeoff. Once we're all airborne, each family will take its position in our V formation, and we'll start the first leg of our journey. Are there any questions?" "I have a question," came a booming voice. "My son will not have any family with him. Where does he fit into the formation?" Everyone turned to Longneck. "He can fly with me," said the big goose. "I hear Brightbill is a very clever flier—I could use his help at the point." A moment later, the geese began flapping and honking and making their way into the air. A cloud of feathers floated down around the robot and her son. "You are not a gosling anymore," said Roz. "I am proud of the fine young goose you have become." Brightbill fluttered up to his mother's shoulder. "Thanks, Mama." The young goose wiped his eyes. "Is this where we say good-bye?" "This is where we say good-bye for now. Spring will soon be here, and we will be together again." "I'm going to miss you," said Brightbill as he nuzzled his mother. "I am going to miss you too," said Roz as she

请大家和家人一起起飞。 一旦我们都升空了，每个家庭都将排成V字型，开始我们旅程的第一段。 有什么问题吗？”“我有一个问题。”一个洪亮的声音传来。 “我的儿子将没有家人陪伴。 他在队形中的位置是什么？”大家都转向长颈。 “他可以和我一起飞，”大鹅说。 “我听说布莱特比尔是一个非常聪明的飞行员——我需要他的帮助。” 过了一会儿，鹅们开始拍动翅膀，鸣叫着飞向空中。 一团羽毛飘到了机器人和她儿子的周围。 “你不再是一只小鹅了，”罗兹说。 “我为你变成一只漂亮的小鹅感到骄傲。” 布莱特比尔拍着翅膀飞到他母亲的肩膀上。 “谢谢,妈妈。”小鹅擦了擦眼睛。 “这是我们告别的地方吗？”“我们现在就在这里说再见。 春天就要来了，我们又能在一起了。” “我会想你的，”布莱特比尔一边用鼻子蹭妈妈一边说。 “我也会想念你的，”罗兹说

nuzzled her son. The goose took a deep breath. Then he shook his tail feathers, flapped his wings, and joined the flock. At first, the geese flew in a disorganized jumble. But each goose slowly drifted into position until the flock formed a wobbly V. At the lead was Longneck, and behind his left wing was Brightbill. They circled in the sky until the V pointed south, and then the geese began their long migration. Roz climbed to the top of a tree and watched as the flock slowly faded into the horizon.

用鼻子蹭她的儿子。母鹅深吸了一口气。 然后他摇了摇尾羽，拍打着翅膀，加入了鸟群。 起初，这些鹅飞得杂乱无章。 但每只鹅都慢慢地飘到各自的位置，直到这群鹅摇摇晃晃地排成一个V字形。 领头的是长颈，他的左翼后面是布莱特比尔。 它们在空中盘旋，直到V指向南方，然后大雁开始了它们漫长的迁徙。 罗兹爬上树顶，看着鸟群慢慢消失在地平线上。