6. Handing It Over

HANDING IT OVER 6 "Bubble gum is everywhere!" Ms. Grinker exclaimed in Principal Winik's office. "I don't know how three third graders created such a HUGE, sticky mess!" Sam, Lucy, and Antonio stood before their principal. Ms. Grinker was arguing that they should be fired from their hall monitor jobs. Principal Winik's mouth was a tight, stern line. Mr. Nekobi was there, too. He had been listening silently, but now he stepped forward.

“泡泡糖到处都是！”Ms。 格林克在温尼克校长的办公室里喊道。 “我不知道三个三年级的学生怎么弄出这么大的黏糊糊的东西！”萨姆、露西和安东尼奥站在校长面前。 格林克辩称，他们应该被解雇。 温尼克校长的嘴绷得很紧，绷得很紧。 Nekobi先生也在那里。 他一直默默地听着，但现在他走上前去。

"Principal Winik," Mr. Nekobi began. "Sam is a very responsible hall monitor. And Lucy and Antonio are the best assistant hall monitors this school has ever had." Ms. Grinker scowled. "Lucy closed a door in my face!" "It wasn't my Lucy started. Ms. Grinker interrupted. "And Antonio tripped me!" "I didn't—" Antonio began to say. Ms. Grinker slammed her hands down on Principal Winik's desk. "Being a hall monitor is a very special privilege. Students who get detention, who are tardy, and who cause bubble gum explosions cannot be hall monitors!" Principal Winik stood up. "I agree. You three are FIRED! Sam, please turn in your sash."

“温尼克校长，”内科比先生开始说。 “萨姆是一个非常负责任的厅长。 露西和安东尼奥是这所学校有史以来最好的助理宿舍管理员。” 格林克女士皱起了眉头。“露西当着我的面把门关上了！”露茜吓了一跳。 格林克女士打断了他。“安东尼奥把我绊倒了！”“我没有——”安东尼奥开口说。 格林克女士把双手重重地放在温尼克校长的桌子上。 “成为一名厅长是一种非常特殊的特权。 被留校察看的学生、迟到的学生和造成泡泡糖爆炸的学生不能当大厅监控器！”温尼克校长站了起来。 “我同意。你们三个被解雇了！萨姆，请把你的腰带交上来。”

Sam swallowed. He couldn't believe this was happening. Sam's hand trembled as he pulled the bright orange sash from his backpack. Mr. Nekobi had given him the sash on his first day as hall monitor. It was a symbol of the hall monitors' power. The moment he handed it to Principal Winik, Sam felt weak. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Sam remenmbered what Mr. Nekobi had told him, months earlier: "As hall monitor, you have the ability to sense the school— to see and feel and hear what others cannot."

山姆吞下。他不敢相信会发生这样的事。 山姆的手颤抖着，从背包里抽出亮橙色的腰带。 内科比先生在他担任大厅班长的第一天就给了他这个绶带。 这是大厅监控器力量的象征。 当他把它交给温尼克校长的那一刻，山姆感到很虚弱。 他觉得自己像被打垮了一样。 Sam记得几个月前Nekobi先生对他说过的话：“作为大厅管理员，你有能力感知学校——能看到、感受到和听到别人无法看到、听到的东西。”

Principal Winik stuffed the sash into a desk drawer. "One last thing," he said. "Sam, Lucy, Antonio: You will not be participating in tomorrow's Kickball Showdown. Instead, you three will scrub your classroom until it sparkles." Sam and his friends slunk down the hall. Mr. Nekobi followed them outside. Spring was just around the corner and the air was warm. "The school hasn't been left unprotected like this in years..." Mr. Nekobi said. "Unprotected? I don't understand," Lucy said. "We're still here. We can still fight." Mr. Nekobi's voice was heavy and sad. "Yes. But you are no longer hall monitors. I'm afraid you simply won't be strong enough to battle Eerie Elementary."

温尼克校长把腰带塞进了书桌抽屉里。 “还有最后一件事，”他说。 “山姆，露西，安东尼奥：你们不能参加明天的踢球对决。 相反，你们三个要把教室擦得亮晶晶的。” 萨姆和他的朋友们偷偷溜过大厅。 Nekobi先生跟着他们走了出去。 春天就要来了，空气很暖和。 “多年来，学校还没有像现在这样无人保护……” 内科比说。“无保护的吗? 我不明白。”露茜说。 “我们还在这里。我们仍然可以战斗。” 内科比先生的声音沉重而悲伤。 “是的。但你们不再是大厅监控器了。 我担心你根本没有足够的力量对抗怪诞小学。”

Sam and his friends dragged their feet as they walked home. "I can't believe we lost our jobs," Lucy said. "How did we let this happen?" "We didn't let anything happen," Sam said. "Orson Eerie messed with us all day and made us look like terrible hall monitors!" Antonio scowled. "It's like the school was trying to get us fired!" "Well, it worked!" Lucy said. "We were fired just in time for

萨姆和他的朋友们慢吞吞地走回家。 “我不敢相信我们丢了工作，”露西说。 “我们怎么会让这种事情发生？”“我们没有让任何事情发生，”萨姆说。 “奥森·怪诞整天跟我们捣乱，把我们弄得像个可怕的大厅监控器！”安东尼奥皱起了眉头。 “就像学校想让我们被开除一样！”“嗯，它起作用了！”露西说。 “我们被解雇的时间正好

"Kickball Showdown!" they exclaimed at once. "This was all part of Orson's plan!" Sam said. He looked back at the old, towering school. "We know what Orson wants. The same thing he always wants. To eat..." Sam's words hung in the air. What he said was true and terrifying. In fact, it was so terrifying that Sam and his friends walked the rest of the way home in frightened silence.

“踢球决战！”他们立刻喊道。 “这都是奥森计划的一部分！”山姆说。 他回头看了看那所古老的、高耸的学校。 “我们知道奥森想要什么。 他一直想要的东西。 吃……”萨姆的话悬在空中。 他说的是真的，也很可怕。 事实上，这太可怕了，山姆和他的朋友们在恐惧中默默地走完剩下的回家路。