79 THE STRANGE FAMILY

CHAPTER 79 THE STRANGE FAMILY Autumn was at its peak, and the island was turning deep shades of yellow and orange and red. Leaves dropped from their branches and floated to the ground. Some leaves landed on the pond and became snacks for the beavers who were busily preparing for winter. Brightbill glided through the crisp morning air and splashed down in the pond. The water rippled beside him, and Roz's head poked up. Then the two of them went for a swim. It was a lovely start to the day, but something was on Brightbill's mind. "I'm sorry, Ma," said the goose. "You've just met your grandgoslings, and tomorrow I have to take them away." "Please do not apologize," said the robot. "I know you must fly south for winter. I will miss you all very much, but I am excited for the goslings to go on their first migration." "They're excited too. They kept me up late last night with questions about the journey." Brightbill opened his mouth and yawned. "It's a good thing I've got

第七十九章奇怪的家庭秋天到了顶峰，岛上变成了深黄、橘黄和红色的阴影。 树叶从树枝上掉下来，飘到地上。 一些树叶落在池塘上，成了海狸们的零食，它们正忙着为冬天做准备。 布莱特比尔在早晨清爽的空气中滑行，溅到池塘里。 水在他身边荡起涟漪，罗兹的头探了出来。 然后他们俩去游泳。 这是美好的一天的开始，但布莱特比尔有心事。 “对不起，妈妈，”母鹅说。 “你刚刚遇到了你的小孙辈，明天我得把他们带走。” “请不要道歉，”机器人说。 “我知道你必须飞往南方过冬。 我会非常想念你们的，但我为小鹅们的第一次迁徙感到兴奋。” “他们也很兴奋。他们昨晚问了我很多关于旅行的问题，让我睡到很晚。” 布莱特比尔张开嘴打了个哈欠。 “这是我拥有的一件好事

Glimmer. I don't know how you raised me by yourself." "I was not by myself," said Roz. "The geese offered parenting advice. The beavers showed me how to build a home. The deer gave me gardening lessons. Each of our friends helped us in their own way." Brightbill thought for a moment and said, "Now that I'm a parent, I see how lucky I was to have you as my mother. You taught me things I couldn't have learned from anyone else. I wouldn't be me without you. Thank you, Ma." "Oh, Brightbill," said Roz. "Your sweet words would make me cry if only I had tear ducts." A smile spread across Brightbill's face, and he broke into laughter. And then came giggles as the goslings flew over, with Glimmer close behind. Roz spent that day with her family, exploring the island and answering questions from the curious goslings. When they passed under an old oak tree, Roz explained that old trees could support a broad swath of forest. "Underground, their roots entwine with the roots of their neighbors," she said. "Through that connection, they share water and nutrients and even information. The forest is a diverse community of living things which is linked together by old trees, like this oak." "Grandma, you have a lot in common with that oak

线。我不知道你是怎么一个人把我养大的。” “我不是一个人，”罗兹说。 鹅们提供了育儿建议。 海狸教我如何建造一个家。 鹿给我上了园艺课。 每个朋友都以自己的方式帮助了我们。” 布莱特比尔想了一会儿说：“现在我已经为人父母了，我才知道有你这样的母亲是多么幸运。 你教会了我从别人那里学不到的东西。 没有你就没有我。 谢谢你，妈妈。”“哦，布莱特比尔，”罗兹说。 “如果我有泪腺，你的甜言蜜语会让我哭的。” 布莱特比尔的脸上掠过一丝微笑，他哈哈大笑起来。 接着是咯咯的笑声，小鹅们飞过，闪闪紧跟在后面。 罗兹和她的家人一起度过了那一天，探索了这个岛屿，并回答了好奇的小鹅们的问题。 当他们经过一棵老橡树下时，罗兹解释说，老树可以支撑起一片广阔的森林。 “在地下，他们的根与邻居的根交织在一起，”她说。 “通过这种联系，它们分享水和营养，甚至信息。 森林是一个多样化的生物群落，由老树连接在一起，比如这棵橡树。” “奶奶，你和那棵橡树有很多共同之处

tree," said Quickwit. "Yeah, you're always helping others and bringing everyone together," said Moontail. "Maybe this tree is a grandma too!" said Widestride. Roz patted the tree trunk, and said, "Grandmother trees. I like the sound of that." Then the robot began climbing the tree. Leaves gently shook as she climbed higher and higher. She found a sturdy branch and sat with her legs dangling. There was a flurry of wingbeats, and the geese fluttered up to join her. Before long, Roz and Brightbill and Glimmer and the goslings were all perched near each other in that old oak tree. "We're a strange family," said Lighteyes. "Yeah, but I like it that way," said Cloudfeather. The whole strange family nodded in agreement.

快威特说。“是啊，你总是在帮助别人，把大家团结在一起。” “也许这棵树也是奶奶！” 罗兹拍了拍树干，说：“奶奶，树。 我喜欢这个说法。” 然后机器人开始爬树。 当她爬得越来越高时，树叶轻轻地摇晃着。 她找了一根结实的树枝，晃着腿坐了下来。 一阵拍打翅膀的声音，鹅们也跟着飞了起来。 没过多久，罗兹、布莱特比尔、格里姆姆和小鹅们都在那棵老橡树上靠得很近。 “我们是一个奇怪的家庭。” “是啊，但我喜欢这样。”云羽说。 全家人都点头表示同意。