19 THE STORYTELLERS

CHAPTER 19 THE STORYTELLERS Roz and the children had a new routine. Several times a week, they'd gather beneath the oak tree and Roz would tell stories about the robot on the island. The children loved hearing how the robot survived mudslides and bear attacks and harsh winter weather. They loved hearing how she befriended the island animals. But the stories they loved most were about the robot and her son, the goose. He sounded like such a nice goose. Roz told the children story after story after story. What she didn't tell them, what she couldn't tell them, was that the stories were true, and they were about her. The children wanted to get in on the storytelling fun. Jaya told adventure stories about dragons and monsters. Jad told silly stories about aliens in outer space. But as the children grew more comfortable with Roz, they began talking about their own lives.

第十九章讲故事的人罗兹和孩子们有了新的生活习惯。 每周有几次，他们会聚集在橡树下，罗兹会讲述岛上机器人的故事。 孩子们喜欢听机器人如何在泥石流、熊的袭击和恶劣的冬季天气中幸存下来。 他们喜欢听她如何善待岛上的动物。 但他们最喜欢的故事是关于机器人和她的儿子鹅的。 他听起来像只好鹅。 罗兹给孩子们讲了一个又一个故事。 她没有告诉他们的是，她不能告诉他们的是，这些故事是真的，而且是关于她的。 孩子们想加入讲故事的乐趣。 Jaya讲关于龙和怪物的冒险故事。 贾德讲了一些关于外太空外星人的愚蠢故事。 但随着孩子们和罗兹相处得越来越融洽，他们开始谈论自己的生活。

They talked about growing up way out in the country. They talked about their schoolmates and their friends and their family. They talked about how their parents used to work together around the farm, and how perfect everything was before the accident. In an instant, their lives were upended. Their mother was gone and their father was injured. Mr. Shareef tried to keep the farm going by himself, but there was so much to do, and he was so weak now. The farm machines powered along, doing their jobs as usual, but they needed to be maintained and monitored. Eventually, the machines started breaking down, and the farm started falling to pieces. The children wondered if life would ever feel normal again. "That's why we got you, Roz," said the girl. "We needed you to save this place." "And that's exactly what you're doing," said the boy, with a smile.

他们谈论在乡下长大的事。 他们谈论他们的同学，他们的朋友和他们的家人。 他们谈到他们的父母过去是如何一起在农场工作的，以及事故发生前一切是多么完美。 一瞬间，他们的生活被颠覆了。 他们的母亲不见了，他们的父亲受伤了。 谢里夫先生试图独自维持农场的运转，但有太多的事情要做，而他现在又很虚弱。 农用机器继续运转，像往常一样工作，但它们需要维护和监控。 最终，机器开始出故障，农场开始分崩离析。 孩子们想知道生活是否还能恢复正常。 “这就是我们找你的原因，罗兹，”女孩说。 “我们需要你来拯救这个地方” “你就是这么做的，”男孩笑着说。