29 THE DEAD ISLAND

CHAPTER 29 THE DEAD ISLAND Ahead, the ocean gently shimmered, and then clouds of dust came billowing past the robot. Roz had encountered the poison tide once again. As she marched through the cloudy water, the ocean became shallower and rougher. Waves started rolling overhead, and their motion sent her tumbling. She popped to the surface, and suddenly a gigantic wave was carrying her away. The wave's curling face pushed her along, lifting her higher and higher, until the peak toppled forward and the robot went crashing into the surf. Sea-foam and sand sloshed around her. And when the water receded, Roz saw that she was lying on the beach of an island. This island was very different from the robot's home island. It had no mountains, no waterfalls, no forests. It was just a field of shrubs and grass and a few scraggly trees. Strong winds had sprayed the poison tide across the island, turning the plants brittle and bare. There should have been leaves rustling and insects buzzing. But all was still and quiet. The island was dead. Dry grass crackled underfoot as Roz crossed the dead

第二十九章死岛前面，海面微微闪烁着微光，接着，滚滚的尘土从机器人身边掠过。 罗兹又一次遇到了毒潮。 当她穿过浑浊的水面时，海面变得更浅更汹涌了。 海浪开始在她头上翻滚，把她弄得翻滚。 她跳上水面，突然一个巨浪把她卷走了。 波浪卷起的脸推着她，把她抬得越来越高，直到峰顶向前倾，机器人撞进了海浪里。 海沫和沙子在她周围晃动。 当水退去时，罗丝发现自己躺在一个小岛的海滩上。 这个岛与机器人的家乡岛非常不同。 那里没有山，没有瀑布，没有森林。 那只是一片灌木和草地，还有几棵参差不齐的树。 强风把毒潮喷遍了整个岛屿，把植物弄得脆弱而光秃秃的。 应该有树叶沙沙作响，昆虫嗡嗡作响。 但一切都很安静。 这个岛死了。罗兹走过枯草丛时，脚下的干草噼啪作响

island. And then she discovered something unexpected. Mushrooms. Lots of them. And where the mushrooms grew, the soil was darker, richer, healthier. Mushrooms are fascinating things. They're not plants or animals—they're fungus. Surprisingly, the fungal growths were surviving in that harsh environment. The robot's computer brain went to work and found that certain kinds of mushrooms were capable of healing the land by absorbing toxic substances. And when Roz studied the ground, she spotted tiny green sprouts trying to take root. If only the poison tide would go away, this island could recover, which meant her own island could recover too. The robot felt a little boost of hope, and she marched back into the waves and continued her long journey north.

岛。然后她发现了一些意想不到的事情。 蘑菇。有很多。蘑菇生长的地方，土壤更黑，更肥沃，更健康。 蘑菇是很迷人的东西。 它们既不是植物也不是动物——它们是真菌。 令人惊讶的是，真菌生长在那种恶劣的环境中存活下来。 机器人的计算机大脑开始工作，发现某些种类的蘑菇能够通过吸收有毒物质来治愈土地。 当罗兹仔细观察地面时，她发现微小的绿色嫩芽正试图扎根。 只要毒潮退去，这个岛就能复原，这意味着她自己的岛也能复原。 机器人感到了一丝希望，她回到了海浪中，继续向北的长途旅行。