50 The Truth

Chapter 50 The Truth As Mum, Dad, Leo and Doodle disappeared through the hatch, something caught Peanut's eye. It was The Scream, Edvard Munch's 1893 masterpiece in oils, leaning against the wall. Mr White had stolen it from the National Gallery in Oslo several months earlier. And then it began. Slowly, silently, a figure emerged from behind the painting. They were wearing a suit, shirt and tie so white that they appeared to be made of actual light. On top of their head was a similarly dazzling fedora, pulled down low over their eyes. The agonised face in Munch's painting was a perfect reflection of the children's feelings in that moment. "M-M-Mr White?" stammered Rockwell. "B-b-but you're

第50章 真相。当妈妈、爸爸、利奥和杜德尔从舱口消失后，一样东西吸引了花生的目光。 那就是《呐喊》，爱德华·蒙克1893年创作的油画杰作，斜靠在墙边。 几个月前，怀特先生把它从奥斯陆国家美术馆偷了出来。 紧接着，怪事发生了。 一个身影缓缓地、悄无声息地从画后走了出来。 他穿的西装、衬衫和领带白得晃眼，仿佛本身就是光做的。 头上也戴着一顶同样耀眼的费多拉帽，帽檐压得低低的，遮住了眼睛。 蒙克画里那张痛苦的脸，正好就是孩子们此刻心情的写照。 “你、你、你是怀特先生？”罗克韦尔结结巴巴地问。 “可、可、你明明……

stuck in plaster down in the lake. You're... you're... Mr Stone. I-I-I just saw you!" The gleaming figure carefully put down the walkie-talkie they were holding and then, with a surprising burst of speed and purpose, reached into their jacket pocket. Peanut, sensing danger, pulled the spray can from her bandolier as fast as she could and aimed it at the figure. But she was too slow. White was the faster gunslinger. By the time Peanut's finger had found the button on the can's nozzle, White had already taken Little Tail from their pocket and, with a flick of a wrist, used the eraser to rub out a tiny section of an almost-invisible graphite line that stretched from the floor to the highest point of the ceiling. Instantly, a large pencil-drawn cage plummeted to the ground, trapping the helpless Peanut, Little-Bit and Rockwell. "HA!" shouted a gleeful 67. "It has happened again! We managed to get you humans right where we wanted you! You were standing in exactly the right place! Honestly, this is far too easy. Not missing a beat, White rushed over to the hatch in the floor and slid the cast-iron bolt across, locking it. Then they turned to face the caged children and smiled. The room was silent for a good ten seconds, before a shell-shocked Peanut eventually spoke. "I... I don't understand," she said to White, her voice

被困在湖底的石膏里啊。 你明明…… 你是…… 斯通先生啊。 我、我、我刚才才见过你！” 这个浑身发亮的身影轻轻放下手里的对讲机，接着动作飞快又果断地伸手摸进了夹克口袋。 花生察觉到危险，飞快地从子弹带上拔出喷雾罐，对准了那个身影。 可她还是慢了一步。 怀特出枪更快。 等花生摸到喷雾罐喷嘴的按钮时，怀特已经从口袋掏出了小尾巴铅笔，手腕一翻，用橡皮擦掉了一道从地板连到天花板、几乎看不见的石墨线的一小段。 瞬间，一个铅笔画的大笼子掉落在地，把无助的花生、小点和罗克韦尔困在了里面。 “哈！”六十七号兴高采烈地大喊。 又成功了！ 我们终于把你们这些人类引到我们想要的地方了！ 你们站的位置正好！ 说真的，这也太简单了。 怀特动作一点没停，冲到地板的舱口那里，推上铸铁插销锁死了舱门。 然后他转向被困在笼子里的孩子们，笑了笑。 房间安安静静过了足足十秒，一脸震惊的花生终于开口了。 “我…… 我搞不懂，”她对怀特说，声音

shaking and confused. "If... if... if you're not Mr Stone, then who are you?" White tucked the pencil back into their inside jacket pocket, raised a gloved hand and pushed back the brim of the fedora. Then they tilted their face upwards towards the light and looked directly at Peanut. Eventually, they said the two words that revealed the truth—a truth that, unbeknownst to her, had been staring Peanut in the face for a very long time.

发着抖，满肚子疑惑。 “如、如、如果你不是斯通先生，那你是谁？” 怀特把铅笔插回夹克内袋，抬起戴着手套的手，把费多拉帽的帽檐往上推了推。 接着他把脸朝向光仰起来，直直地看着花生。 最后，他说出了揭露真相的两个字——花生一直不知道，这个真相其实早就明明白白摆在她眼前很久了。

"Hiya, lovely."

“嘿，亲爱的。”