58 THE CABIN

CHAPTER 58 THE CABIN The hailstorm was brief but violent. Its icy stones were quickly melting away, but the damage would linger on. The valley was littered with shredded leaves and wildflowers. Wounded animals were hobbling back to their homes. Several unlucky birds lay limp in the grass. Inside the cabin, Roz was standing by the window. She held Brightbill in her arms, his bruised body wrapped in an old blanket. The robot knew everything there was to know about caring for animals. But all her son needed was time. His injuries would heal on their own. "Go on without me, Ma," said the goose in a weak voice. "I'll catch up to you when I'm feeling better." "That is ridiculous," said the robot. "What kind of mother would leave her injured son behind?" "But, Ma—" "Stop talking," interrupted Roz. "You need to rest."

第五十八章小木屋冰雹虽短，但很猛烈。 冰冷的石头正在迅速融化，但破坏还在继续。 山谷里到处都是碎树叶和野花。 受伤的动物蹒跚着回家。 几只倒霉的鸟无力地躺在草地上。 在船舱里，罗兹站在窗边。 她把布莱特比尔抱在怀里，他那伤痕累累的身体裹在一条旧毯子里。 机器人知道关于照顾动物的一切。 但她儿子需要的只是时间。 他的伤会自愈的。 “你走吧，妈妈，”母鹅用微弱的声音说。 “我感觉好点了就去找你。” “这太荒谬了，”机器人说。 “什么样的母亲会把受伤的儿子丢下不管？”“可是，妈妈——”“别说了，”罗兹插嘴说。 “你需要休息。”

Brightbill tried to argue, but he was already falling asleep. The cabin was simple, just a square room with a wood stove, two chairs beside a table, and a couple of cots rotting in the corner. Dusty mugs and bowls sat on a shelf; otherwise the walls were bare. It was clear no humans had been there for a very long time. However, it seemed that some other creature had moved in. The whole place had a foul odor. Lumps of feces were strewn about, and little footprints trailed away from a dark hole in the floor. Roz leaned over the hole, and in the language of the animals, she said, "Hello? Is anyone down there?" Something moved, and then a pair of shining eyes looked up from the darkness. "Who are you?" said a voice. "I didn't invite you into my home!" "I am sorry to intrude," said the robot. "My son and I were only trying to escape the hailstorm." "Your son?" said the voice. "Is that him in your arms? Let me see." Very gently, the robot lifted a fold of cloth and revealed the sleeping goose. "He must take after his father," said the voice. "He is my adopted son," the robot explained. "My

布莱特比尔试图争辩，但他已经睡着了。 小屋很简单，只是一个方形的房间，有一个柴炉，桌子旁边有两把椅子，角落里放着几张腐烂的小床。 满是灰尘的马克杯和碗放在架子上；除此之外，墙壁是光秃秃的。 很明显，那里已经很久没有人类了。 然而，似乎有别的生物搬进来了。 整个地方都有一股恶臭。 到处都是粪便，地板上的一个黑洞留下了小小的脚印。 罗兹靠在洞上，用动物的语言说：“喂？ 有人在下面吗？”有什么东西动了一下，然后一双闪亮的眼睛从黑暗中抬起头来。 “你是谁？”一个声音说。 “我可没邀请你来我家！”“很抱歉打扰你，”机器人说。 “我儿子和我只是想逃离这场冰雹。” “你儿子？”那声音说。 “在你怀里的是他吗？” 让我看看。”机器人轻轻地掀起一块布，露出了熟睡的鹅。 “他必须像他的父亲。”那声音说。 “他是我的养子，”机器人解释道。 “我的

name is Roz, and this is Brightbill." The shining eyes blinked, and the voice squeaked with excitement. "You're Roz and Brightbill? The birds have been singing about you for months! You're living legends!" "Technically, I am not living," said the robot. "You seem pretty alive to me," said the voice. "Either way, it's nice to meet you. They call me Sprinkles." With that, the creature crawled up through the hole in the floor. She was covered in black fur from her nose all the way to the tip of her fluffy tail. Well, except for those white stripes running down her back. You see, Sprinkles was a skunk. The robot took one look at her and stepped backward. Sprinkles frowned. "You know, Roz, skunks only get stinky when we're nervous." "Are you nervous now?" "Well, sort of, but in a good way! I'm honored to meet you! Please, pull up a seat and tell me what brings you here." Sprinkles hopped onto the table and listened as Roz described their journey. The skunk was a very good

我叫罗兹，这是布莱特比尔。” 闪闪发亮的眼睛眨了眨，声音激动得尖尖的。 “你们是罗兹和布莱特比尔？” 几个月来鸟儿们一直在歌颂你！你们是活的传奇！”“严格来说，我不是活人，”机器人说。 “在我看来，你似乎还活着。”那声音说。 “不管怎样，很高兴见到你。 他们叫我小洒糖。”说着，那家伙从地板上的洞里爬了上来。 她从鼻子一直到毛茸茸的尾巴尖都被黑色的皮毛覆盖着。 除了她背上的白色条纹。 你看，小洒水是只臭鼬。 机器人看了她一眼，向后退了一步。 小雨皱起了眉头。“你知道吗，罗兹，臭鼬只有在我们紧张的时候才会发臭。” “你现在紧张吗？”“嗯，有点，不过是一种好的方式！”很荣幸认识你！请坐，告诉我是什么风把你吹来的。” 小洒糖跳上桌子，听着罗兹讲述他们的旅程。 臭鼬是一只非常好的

listener. While Roz spoke, Sprinkles nodded politely and said things like "Oh my" and "Is that right?" and "You don't say!" This went on until Brightbill began to stir. "Ma, I'm thirsty," he whispered. "There's a creek right out back," said Sprinkles. "And those might be useful." She motioned to the bowls on the shelf. "Please, help yourself to anything. My home is your home." It turns out skunks can be quite hospitable. Sprinkles invited the visitors to stay as long as they liked, and so our friends spent Brightbill's recovery in the cabin. The goose mostly slept. The robot brought him water and food. The skunk made sure they both were comfortable. A few mornings later, sunlight streamed in through the window and onto Brightbill. He was squawking and waddling and fluttering through the cabin. His injuries had healed and he was eager to continue their journey. "Thank you for everything, Sprinkles!" The robot waved as she marched away from the cabin with her son on her shoulder. "Glad I could help!" called the skunk.

侦听器。在罗兹说话的时候，斯普林勒斯礼貌地点点头，说着“天哪”、“是这样吗？”和“你不说！”这种情况一直持续到布莱特比尔开始动了起来。 “妈，我渴了，”他低声说。 “后面有一条小溪，”斯普林说。 “这些可能有用。” 她指了指架子上的碗。 “请随便吃。 我的家就是你的家。”事实证明，臭鼬是非常好客的。 斯普林斯邀请客人们愿意住多久就住多久，于是我们的朋友们就在小木屋里度过了布莱特比尔的康复期。 母鹅大部分时间都在睡觉。机器人给他带来了水和食物。 臭鼬确保他们俩都很舒服。 几天后的早晨，阳光透过窗户照在布莱特比尔身上。 它摇摇摆摆地呱呱叫着，扑扇着翅膀穿过小木屋。 他的伤已经好了，他渴望继续他们的旅程。 “谢谢你所做的一切，小洒糖！”当她背着儿子大步离开小屋时，机器人向她挥了挥手。 “很高兴我能帮上忙！”臭鼬叫道。

"Misunderstood creatures like us gotta look out for each other!"

“像我们这样被误解的生物必须互相照顾！”