9 THE MOUNTAIN

CHAPTER 9 THE MOUNTAIN Roz was now stomping her way up the mountain. Dense forest and rocky outcrops forced the robot to zig and zag and backtrack, but after an hour of steady hiking, she arrived at the craggy mountain peak. Grasses and flowers and shrubs sprouted from every pocket of soil. But there were no trees at the top. Roz was safe from those annoying pinecones. She dusted herself off and then carefully climbed up a leaning slab of stone, to the very highest point of the entire mountain. The robot slowly turned her head completely around. She saw the ocean stretching to the horizon in every direction. And in that moment, Roz learned what you and I have known since the beginning of this story. In that moment, Roz finally realized that she was on an island. Roz looked down and surveyed the island. Starting from the sandy southern point, the island grew wider

第九章山萝丝正迈着沉重的步子向山上走去。 茂密的森林和露出地面的岩石迫使机器人迂回曲折，但在一个小时的稳定徒步旅行后，她到达了崎岖的山峰。 草、花和灌木从每一片土壤中冒出来。 但是山顶上没有树。 罗兹是安全的，没有那些讨厌的松果。 她掸去身上的灰尘，然后小心翼翼地爬上一块倾斜的石板，登上了整座山的最高点。 机器人慢慢地把头完全转过来。 她看见大海向四面八方延伸到地平线。 在那一刻，罗兹知道了你和我从故事开始就知道的事情。 在那一刻，罗兹终于意识到她是在一个岛上。 罗兹俯视着小岛。 从南部多沙的地方开始，岛屿变得越来越宽

and greener and hillier until it finally jutted up into the rocky cone of the mountain. In some places the mountain fell away, leaving sheer cliffs. A waterfall rushed off one cliff and fed a river that wound its way through a great meadow in the center of the island. The river flowed past wildflowers and ponds and boulders and then disappeared into the forest. Blurry shapes suddenly cut through the robot's vision. She refocused her eyes and saw vultures circling above the foothills. Then she noticed lizards warming themselves on a distant rock. A badger peeked out from a berry bush. A moose waded through a stream. A flock of sparrows turned in perfect unison above the trees. The island was teeming with life. And now it had a new kind of life. A strange kind of life. Artificial life.

它越长越绿，越高越高，直到最后伸到山岩锥上。 在一些地方，山塌了，留下了陡峭的悬崖。 一条瀑布从悬崖上奔流而下，汇入一条河流，蜿蜒流过岛中心的一片大草地。 河水流过野花、池塘和巨石，然后消失在森林里。 模糊的形状突然划过机器人的视线。 她重新把目光聚焦，看到秃鹫在山麓上空盘旋。 然后她注意到蜥蜴在远处的岩石上取暖。 一只獾从浆果丛里探出头来。 驼鹿趟过一条小溪。 一群麻雀齐声在树上盘旋。 岛上充满了生命。 现在它有了一种新的生命。 一种奇怪的生活。人工生命。