1 THE SKY

THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

野生机器人保护

CHAPTER 1 THE SKY Our story begins in the sky, with a bright sun and puffy clouds and a large flock of geese. After spending the cold months at their southern wintering grounds, the geese were migrating back to their northern home. They flew in a perfect V formation, and leading the way was a graceful young goose. The leader kept his eyes forward, constantly searching for bad weather or airships, but the sky was clear of any trouble. Towns and roads and meadows and rivers passed beneath the geese as they flew. Far ahead, where the land met the sky, the dark blue line of the ocean gradually came into view. The ocean grew closer and closer, and then the flock was soaring above a sandy beach and out over the water.

第一章天空我们的故事是从天空开始的，那里有灿烂的太阳、蓬松的云朵和一大群鹅。 在南方的越冬地度过了寒冷的几个月后，这些鹅正在迁徙回它们北方的家。 它们排成完美的V字形飞行，领头的是一只优雅的小鹅。 领袖的眼睛一直盯着前方，不停地寻找坏天气或飞艇，但天空没有任何麻烦。 城镇、道路、草地和河流在鹅的脚下掠过。 在遥远的前方，在陆地与天空相接的地方，深蓝色的海洋逐渐映入眼帘。 大海越来越近了，然后这群鸟飞过沙滩，飞出水面。

An island appeared in the distance. Another island appeared, and another. The geese spent a few days hopping from island to island, munching on dune grass and resting their wings. Then they took off for the last leg of their journey. Cargo ships were powering through the waves below. This part of the ocean was a shipping lane. It was crawling with huge vessels, each making its own migration to the next seaport. The geese flew high over the ships, and soon all they could see was water spreading to the horizon in every direction. Hours passed before the geese spotted the familiar rocky shapes of their home island. They quickened their pace. Now they could see the mountain, and the forests, and the white slash of the waterfall. Now they were flying over the coastline. Now they were circling above

远处出现了一座岛。 又出现了一个又一个岛屿。 这些鹅花了几天时间从一个岛跳到另一个岛，大嚼沙丘上的草，休息翅膀。 然后他们开始了最后一段旅程。 货船在下面的海浪中疾驰而过。 海洋的这一部分是一条航道。 它爬满了巨大的船只，每艘船都开往下一个海港。 鹅们高高飞过船只，很快他们所能看到的就是四面八方都在向地平线蔓延的水。 几个小时过去了，鹅们才看到了他们熟悉的家乡岛上的岩石形状。 他们加快了脚步。 现在他们可以看到山、森林和瀑布的白色斜线。 现在他们正在海岸线上空飞行。 现在他们在上空盘旋

the beaver pond. The flock glided down to the pond and splashed onto the surface. They floated there, quietly cleaning their feathers, until, below the water, their webbed feet started paddling, and they swam to shore and waddled onto a pebble beach. While the others made themselves at home, the leader wandered into the forest by himself. He followed a path through the undergrowth, passing old trees and mossy stones and thick brambles, and he stopped in a small clearing. The goose honked loudly and listened for a response. Silence. And then the forest began to move. A cluster of ferns shook and the ground bulged up and chunks of dirt tumbled aside, and there, standing in front of the goose, was a robot. Reader, you and I would have been terrified in that moment. It's not every day you see a robot burst up from the ground. But the goose wasn't terrified—he was happy. You see, that robot was his mother. He fluttered onto her shoulder. Then the two of them spoke to each other in the language of the animals.

海狸池塘。鸟群滑向池塘，溅起水花浮在水面上。 它们静静地漂在那里，清洁着羽毛，直到水下，它们的蹼脚开始划动，它们游到岸边，摇摇摆摆地来到卵石滩上。 其他人都像在自己家里一样，领头的一个人走进了森林。 他沿着一条小路穿过灌木丛，经过古树、长满青苔的石头和茂密的荆棘，最后在一块小空地上停了下来。 母鹅大声地叫着，等待着回应。 沉默。然后森林开始移动。 一丛蕨类植物摇晃着，地面隆起，大块的泥土滚到一边，站在鹅前面的是一个机器人。 读者，你和我在那一刻都会被吓坏的。 你并不是每天都能看到一个机器人突然从地面冒出来。 但是鹅并不害怕——他很高兴。 你看，那个机器人是他的妈妈。 他拍着翅膀飞到她的肩膀上。 然后他们俩用动物的语言交谈起来。

"I've missed you, Ma!" said Brightbill, the goose. "Welcome home, son!" said Roz, the wild robot.

“我很想你，妈妈！”母鹅布莱特比尔说。 “欢迎回家，孩子！”野机器人罗兹说。