9 Caravaggio's Folly

9 Caravaggio's Folly The path they followed led from the cleaning station's door and skirted the outer limits of the Green Valleys. It was very narrow and very overgrown. In fact, the group had to pause every few metres so that 67 could cut back the dense, tangled knots of oil-painted bramble that blocked their way. At least the brier provided some cover to help keep the group hidden. "Peanut, these actually taste nice," said Rockwell, munching on one of the sandwiches that Peanut had sketched for them back at the station. "You're getting better at drawing snacks." "Agreed," said Little-Bit. "My jam sandwich

9 卡拉瓦乔的愚人屋 他们走的路从清洁站大门出发，沿着绿谷的边缘延伸 这条路非常狭窄，还长满了野生植物 实际上，小队每走几米就得停下，让67砍掉挡路的、缠成一团的油彩野蔷薇 至少这些野蔷薇能提供掩护，帮小队藏住身形 "花生，这个真的很好吃，"罗克韦尔一边嚼一边说，这是花生刚才在清洁站给他们画出来的三明治 "你画零食越来越厉害了" "没错，"小不点说 "我的果酱三明治

almost tastes like it should. There is a slight tang of pilchard, but it's not bad at all. "So, who is this Caravan bloke anyway?" asked Rockwell. "Caravaggio," said Peanut. "He was an Italian painter in the Renaissance period, famous for his use of light. His work is really amazing, actually. Very dramatic." "A bit like you, Rocky," said Little-Bit. "Funny," deadpanned Rockwell. Also, what's a folly?" "I can tell you that," replied Little-Bit. "It's basically a small building that doesn't really have a purpose. It just looks nice. People would build them to show off about how rich they were. All a bit boastful and pointless, really."

吃起来几乎和真的一模一样 就是带了点沙丁鱼的味道，不过一点也不难吃 "所以，这个叫卡拉万的家伙到底是谁啊？"罗克韦尔问 "是卡拉瓦乔，"花生说 "他是文艺复兴时期的意大利画家，以对光影的运用闻名 说真的，他的作品特别惊艳 戏剧感非常强" "跟你有点像哦，洛基，"小不点说 "真好笑，"罗克韦尔面无表情地说 还有，愚人屋是什么？" "这个我来告诉你，"小不点回答 "它本质上就是一栋没什么实际用途的小建筑 只是长得好看罢了 以前的人建它就是为了炫耀自己有多有钱 说白了就是爱显摆，没啥实际意义，真的"

"That's all true," said Dad, who was leading the way just ahead of them. "But the folly we're heading towards will serve a very definite purpose. For us, at least." An hour later, they arrived at a junction in the path, took the right fork and found themselves walking up a steep hill. The group was pleased to see that the greenery surrounding them, although still wild, was set back a little. Half an hour later, the morning sunbeams finally managed to pierce the canopy and paint fragmented, golden patterns on the path. "There it is," said Dad, pointing to his left after a few more minutes of climbing. "I must admit, it's rather lovely."

"你说的都对，"走在队伍最前面的爸爸开口说 "但我们要去的这栋愚人屋，有非常明确的用处 至少对我们来说是这样" 一小时后，他们走到了岔路口，选了右岔路，接着开始攀登陡峭的山坡 小队开心地发现，周围的草木虽然依旧野趣十足，但都退到了路边不挡路 半小时后，清晨的阳光终于穿透了树冠，在小路上投下了零零散散的金色光斑 "就是那儿了，"又爬了几分钟后，爸爸指着左方说 "我得承认，它真的很美"

Right in the centre of a picturesque meadow was a small but extraordinarily beautiful building sitting at the top of the rise, overlooking the valleys. It featured an elegant round tower, about five metres tall, with a domed roof.

风景如画的草地正中央，山丘顶端立着一栋小巧却格外美丽的建筑，俯瞰着整片山谷 建筑有一座精致的圆塔，大约五米高，塔顶是穹顶设计

Surrounding the tower was a circular balcony held up by a series of grand columns. "Ionic," said Little-Bit. "Yeah. I— er— was about to say that," said Rockwell. "Hand-painted by Caravaggio himself during his stay in Chroma. Late sixteenth century, I believe," added Dad. "Such form. Such symmetry." "Oh look!" said Leo. "There's some sort of bird perched on the roof. It looks a bit like a peacock. And there are two more flying above us. "KALEIDOSCOPPI!" shouted Peanut, Little-Bit and Rockwell in unison. "Kaleido-what now?" said Leo. "Shh!" said Dad. "Remember, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves." He looked at the gold-crested creature sitting proudly atop the folly, and the red- and green-crested creatures that circled overhead. "They are rather beautiful though." The kaleidoscoppi were a near-extinct breed of bird native to Chroma whose song was believed to inspire

圆塔周围环绕着一圈圆形阳台，由好几根气派的立柱支撑 "是爱奥尼柱，"小不点说 "对呀 我——呃——我正要说这个呢，"罗克韦尔说 "是卡拉瓦乔住在克罗玛的时候亲手画的 我记得是16世纪末，"爸爸补充道 "这么美的造型 这么工整的对称" "哦快看！"利奥说 "屋顶上停着一只鸟 长得有点像孔雀 还有两只在我们头顶飞呢 "万花灵鸟！"花生、小不点和罗克韦尔齐声大喊 "万什么鸟？"利奥问 "嘘！"爸爸说 "别忘了，我们不想引来别人的注意" 他看着骄傲停在愚人屋顶的金冠灵鸟，还有在头顶盘旋的红冠灵鸟和绿冠灵鸟 "不过它们确实挺好看的" 万花灵鸟是原产克罗玛的濒危鸟类，传说听过它们歌声的人，都会获得