Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX As they cantered into the village, Phoebe felt like a superhero, swooping in and coming to the villagers' rescue. However, she quickly discovered that cleaning up after a flood was not exciting in the least. The first thing that hit her was the smell coming from the piles of rotting seaweed. The doors of buildings were thrown open as people wearing welly boots shovelled it out of their houses and swept away the remaining water. There were piles of debris everywhere; soggy bedding, clothes and rugs were all tangled up with seaweed and shells and items that had been swept into the surrounding fields by the flood.

当他们进入村庄时，菲比觉得自己像个超级英雄，突然冲了进来，来拯救村民。 然而，她很快发现，洪水过后的清理工作一点也不令人兴奋。 她首先感受到的是一堆堆腐烂海藻散发出来的气味。 建筑物的门被打开，穿着长筒靴的人们把水从房子里铲出来，冲走剩下的水。 到处都是成堆的残骸；湿漉漉的被褥、衣服和地毯上都缠满了被洪水冲到周围田地里的海藻、贝壳和其他东西。

The villagers were very pleased to have the girls' help. Lily and Feather set to work immediately, using Feather's magic to help retrieve the heaviest items that had floated away. The other girls grabbed brooms and started to sweep out the water, while their unicorns picked things up with their teeth and hung them out to dry. Clearing up was very dull and Phoebe soon got bored.

村民们很高兴有女孩们的帮助。 莉莉和费瑟立刻开始工作，用费瑟的魔法把漂走的最重的东西找回来。 其他女孩抓起扫帚，开始扫水，而她们的独角兽则用牙齿把东西捡起来，挂在外面晾干。 清理工作很枯燥，菲比很快就厌倦了。

"I wish I'd discovered my magic," Shimmer said with a sigh as they paused to watch Feather, who was using hers to carry a cart back from the fields. Phoebe couldn't have agreed more. Doing magic and being applauded would be much more fun than sweeping and wringing the water out of wet clothes. "How about we go to that ruined cottage on the cliff path over there? I can see some things that need retrieving and at least we'll get away from the smell for a while." "OK," said Shimmer eagerly. Phoebe vaulted on to his back and they cantered across the grass. The cottage roof had fallen in a while ago and moss clung to its stone walls. Clearly, no one had lived in it for quite some time and as Phoebe and Shimmer got closer they saw that the walls were just an empty shell. The grass surrounding it was scattered with objects that had been swept there by the flood water– buckets, flowerpots, baskets… Phoebe jumped off Shimmer and started collecting any objects she could carry. As she got close to the gaping doorway, something moved in

“我真希望我发现了我的魔法。”希默叹了口气说，这时他们停下来看羽毛，羽毛正用她的魔法把一辆车从地里推回来。 菲比完全同意。 表演魔术和被人鼓掌要比扫地和拧干湿衣服上的水有趣得多。 “我们去那边悬崖小径上那间被毁了的小屋怎么样？” 我能看到一些需要找回的东西，至少我们能暂时远离这种气味。” “好吧。”希默急切地说。 菲比跳上他的背，他们绕着小跑穿过草地。 小屋的屋顶不久前倒塌了，石墙上长满了青苔。 很明显，已经很久没有人住在里面了，菲比和希默走近时，发现墙壁只是一个空壳。 周围的草地上散落着被洪水冲到那里的东西——水桶、花盆、篮子……菲比跳下“微光”，开始捡起她能拿得起的东西。 当她走近敞开的门口时，有什么东西动了进来

the shadows inside the ruin. She gasped and jumped as a seagull flew up into the air with a loud cry. Phoebe took a trembling breath. It was just a bird. She picked up some more flowerpots and returned to Shimmer. He was holding a spade in his teeth. "Let's take this stuff back to the village," she said. "This cottage feels creepy." When they got back, Zara came riding up on Moonbeam. "Guess what? I've been talking to some of the villagers and a few of them mentioned seeing a stranger hanging around the village in last few days. They all remembered him for his clothes– he was dressed in a black suit with long coat tails and a tall hat. He sounds suspicious, doesn't he?" "Ooh, yes. He could be the culprit who caused the purple tornadoes and he might be responsible for the floods," said Shimmer. Moonbeam nodded. "It feels like someone has been doing dark magic around here. The air is thicker– heavier," she said uneasily. "I feel it too!" said Phoebe. She couldn't

废墟里的影子。 当一只海鸥尖叫着飞向空中时，她喘着气跳了起来。 菲比颤抖地吸了一口气。 那只是一只鸟。她又拿了一些花盆，回到了希默身边。 他嘴里叼着一把铁锹。 “我们把这些东西带回村里吧，”她说。 “这个小屋感觉很恐怖。” 当他们回来时，扎拉骑着月光来了。 “你猜怎么着?我一直在和一些村民交谈，他们中的一些人提到在过去的几天里看到一个陌生人在村里闲逛。 他们都记得他的衣着——他穿着一套黑色西装，长燕尾服，戴着一顶高帽子。 他听起来很可疑，是不是？”“哦,是的。 他可能是造成紫色龙卷风的罪魁祸首，他可能要对洪水负责。” 月光点点头。“感觉好像有人在这附近施了黑魔法。 空气更浓了——更重了，”她不安地说。 “我也感觉到了！”菲比说。 她不能

actually feel anything different about the air but it was great that Moonbeam was adding to the drama and tension. "We mustn't jump to conclusions," said Zara quickly. "We need evidence, we can't just go on vague feelings but the sighting of this man is definitely a possible clue. The villagers I spoke to said he was seen hanging around the beach and walking near the old ruined cottage." "We've just been there," said Phoebe "Did you see anything?" Zara asked eagerly. "Well, it did feel creepy and I saw something move in the shadows," said Phoebe. Shimmer nodded. "It made Phoebe jump a metre high!" Seeing the look of enthusiasm on Zara's face, Phoebe couldn't resist adding to her story. "It might have been a person. In fact, I really think it might have been a man!" Zara gasped. "We need to investigate this. Come on!" Moonbeam whinnied and set off for the cottage. As Shimmer followed them, Phoebe felt a flutter of guilt. She hadn't really seen a man. She

我真的感觉空气有什么不同，但《月光》增加了戏剧和紧张感，这很棒。 “我们不能妄下结论，”扎拉赶紧说。 “我们需要证据，我们不能只凭模糊的感觉，但看到这个人绝对是一个可能的线索。 我采访过的村民们说，有人看见他在海滩上闲逛，在那座破旧的小屋附近散步。” “我们刚去过那儿，”菲比说，“你看见什么了吗？”扎拉急切地问。 菲比说：“嗯，确实感觉很恐怖，我看到阴影里有东西在动。” 微光点了点头。“它让菲比跳了一米高！”看到Zara脸上热情的表情，菲比忍不住要讲她的故事。 “可能是一个人。 事实上，我真的认为那可能是个男人！”Zara气喘吁吁地说。 “我们需要对此进行调查。 来吧!”月光呜咽着向小屋走去。 希默跟着他们，菲比感到一阵内疚。 她并没有真正看到一个男人。 她

knew it had been just a bird. She hadn't thought Zara would be quite so excited. Zara and Moonbeam went into the ruins of the cottage. "Wait, Shimmer!" Phoebe said as he went to follow them. "Do you think I should tell Zara I was making that stuff about a man up?" she whispered. Shimmer looked surprised. "No. Why?" "Well, there wasn't one really, and now Zara thinks there was and—"

我知道那只是只鸟。 她没有想到Zara会如此兴奋。 扎拉和月光走进了小屋的废墟。 “等等,微光!”菲比说，他跟着他们走了。 “你觉得我应该告诉扎拉我是在胡编乱造一个男人吗？”她低声说。 微光看起来很惊讶。“没有。 为什么?”“嗯，其实没有，现在Zara认为有，而且——”