19 THE DECISION

CHAPTER 19 THE DECISION Rays of sunlight streaked across the pond. The surface rippled, and the robot's head poked up. She had spent the last hour practicing different swimming techniques, and now she was treading water. The forest rustled, and then Brightbill and Glimmer flew out from the trees. They glided over to the robot and splashed down beside her. "Hello, Roz," said Glimmer. "I heard about your

第十九章决定几缕阳光穿过池塘。 水面起了涟漪，机器人的头探了出来。 她花了一个小时练习不同的游泳技巧，现在她在踩水。 森林沙沙作响，接着布莱特比尔和微光从树林里飞了出来。 他们滑向机器人，在她身边溅落。 “你好，罗兹。” “我听说了你的

experiment last night. Weren't you afraid to touch the poison tide?" "In a way, I was afraid," said Roz. "My Survival Instincts warned me to stay clear of the poison tide, but I ignored the warnings and stepped in anyway. I was ready to jump out at the first sign of trouble. But then I felt a click in my head, and my Survival Instincts went silent. My sensors had determined that I was safe from the poison tide. So I went in deeper and deeper, until I was completely underwater, and I was fine. "Up close, I saw that the poison tide is made of tiny particles, like a fine dust, and there is so much dust that it forms clouds in the ocean. I do not know what is causing the dust clouds, but I intend to find out." "How will you do that?" said Brightbill. "I now know that I am safe in the poison tide," said Roz, "and I am also safe in deep water. That means I can safely leave the island. I have decided to travel north to track down the Ancient Shark. With her help, I will find a way to stop the poison tide. My mission will be dangerous, and I might fail, but that is a chance I must take." "You shouldn't go by yourself," said Brightbill. "I could go with you. We've traveled together before. We could do it again." Glimmer looked at her mate and said, "No, Brightbill, you're needed here, at home."

昨晚的实验。你不怕碰到毒潮吗？”“在某种程度上，我是害怕的，”罗兹说。 “我的生存本能警告我要远离毒潮，但我无视这些警告，还是走了进去。 一有麻烦的迹象，我就准备跳出来。 但接着我感到脑袋里咔哒一声，我的生存本能就消失了。 我的传感器已经确定我是安全的，远离了毒潮。 于是我越潜越深，直到完全沉入水下，我才安然无恙。 “近距离观察，我发现毒潮是由微小的颗粒组成的，就像细小的灰尘一样，海洋中的灰尘太多了，以至于形成了云。 我不知道是什么导致了这些尘埃云，但我打算找出原因。” “你要怎么做呢？”布莱特比尔说。 “我现在知道我在毒潮中是安全的，”罗兹说，“我在深水中也是安全的。 也就是说我可以安全离开这个岛了。 我决定向北去寻找古鲨。 在她的帮助下，我会找到阻止毒潮的方法。 我的任务很危险，我可能会失败，但我必须冒这个险。” “你不应该一个人去，”布莱特比尔说。 “我可以和你一起去。我们以前一起旅行过。 我们可以再来一次。”格里默看着她的同伴说：“不，布莱特比尔，家里需要你。”

"Glimmer is right," said Roz. "The island needs you now, more than ever." Brightbill shook his tail feathers, and pond water sprayed behind him. "So, while you're wandering through the ocean, we're supposed to wait around and hope you solve all our problems? What if you get hurt? What if you never come back?" Brightbill's emotions swung wildly from fear to anger to pride in his mother's courage. Overwhelmed by his feelings, he dunked his head in the water to cool off, and when he lifted it back up, he felt a little better. "I know I have to let you go, Ma," said Brightbill. "I know you're the island's only hope." "We believe in you, Roz," said Glimmer. "You're doing the right thing." "Thank you both for understanding," said Roz. "I will leave in the morning."

“微光说得对。”罗兹说。 “这个岛现在比以往任何时候都需要你。” 布莱特比尔摇了摇尾巴上的羽毛，池塘里的水在他身后喷溅。 “所以，当你在海洋里游荡的时候，我们就应该等着，希望你能解决我们所有的问题？” 如果你受伤了怎么办？如果你再也不回来了怎么办？”布莱特比尔的情绪从恐惧到愤怒，再到为他母亲的勇气感到骄傲。 他被自己的情绪淹没了，他把自己的头浸在水里降温，当他抬起头来的时候，他感觉好了一点。 “我知道我必须让你走，妈妈，”布莱特比尔说。 “我知道你是岛上唯一的希望。” “我们相信你，罗兹。” “你做的是对的。” “谢谢你们俩的理解，”罗兹说。 “我明天早上就走。”