Chapter 2

2 Signs of Trouble The following three days passed without a hitch. Rosa filled her time with work, tidying and preparing firewood, sowing seeds and weeding the vegetable patch. Keeping busy was the best way of taking her mind off things, but Rosa couldn't stop thinking about Nan. She talked to everyone about her, hoping for news.

接下来的三天过得很顺利。 罗莎把时间都用工作填满了，她打扫卫生，准备柴火，播种，给菜地除草。 保持忙碌是让她不去想事情的最好方法，但罗莎无法停止对南的思念。 她和每个人谈论她，希望得到消息。

'Have you heard anything about Nan?' she asked the three fish who always hung around at the water's edge. They'd been watching her with quizzical eyes. 'Left you all alone, has she?' said April. 'Goodness, that was a bad idea,' said May. 'I'm surprised you've not burned down the cabin by now!' said June. 'So I take it you haven't heard any news, then?' said Rosa, with a shake of her head. 'Not a peep,' said April. 'What about you, May?' 'No, nothing,' said May. 'I should imagine she's enjoying the peace and quiet without the girl, though! Don't you think, June?'

“你听说过南的事吗？”她问总是在水边徘徊的三条鱼。 他们一直用好奇的目光注视着她。 “她把你一个人丢下了，是不是？”爱普丽尔说。 “天哪，那是个坏主意，”梅说。 “我很惊讶你到现在还没有把小屋烧了！”琼说。 “那么我想你还没有听到任何消息，是吗？”罗莎摇摇头说。 “一点也没有，”爱普丽尔说。“你呢，梅？”“不，没什么，”梅说。 “不过，我想她在享受没有那个女孩的宁静吧！”你不这样认为吗，琼？”

'Oh yes, definitely,' said June. 'She would drive me scatty!' Rosa threw her hands up in the air in a huff and left the fish to bicker in the shallows. Even the insects buzzing about the lake had no news. But Nan had said she'd be four or five days, so Rosa carried on with her chores in the belief that she would return safe and well. Rosa was busy painting a final layer of varnish onto their canoe, Florence, when Little Pig flew over and landed on the hull. He bristled at the tacky goop underfoot and shuffled along, only to get stickier and ruin Rosa's perfect finish. 'What did you land there for?' she said. lfllac. 'Is this an owl trap?!' he cried, each

“哦，是的，当然，”琼说。 “她会把我逼疯的！”罗莎气呼呼地把双手举到空中，让鱼儿在浅滩里斗嘴。 就连在湖上嗡嗡叫的昆虫也没有消息。 但是南说过她要待四五天，所以罗莎继续做她的家务，相信她会安然无恙地回来。 罗莎正忙着给他们的独木舟“弗洛伦斯”涂最后一层清漆，小猪飞过来，落在船身上。 他对脚下的黏糊糊的东西感到恼火，拖着脚步往前走，结果变得更黏了，毁掉了罗莎完美的收尾。 “你在那儿着陆干什么？”她说。 “这是捕猫头鹰的陷阱吗？”他每个人都喊道

step bonding him to the canoe, making it increasingly hard for him to move. Rosa carefully pulled him free and washed his claws in the lake.

把他绑在独木舟上，让他越来越难以移动。 罗莎小心翼翼地把它拉了出来，在湖里洗了洗它的爪子。

Just then a slight shadow briefly whipped across the shoreline and there was a sudden change in Little Pig's behaviour. His feathers bristled and he shuffled backwards while looking to the sky. He bumped into Rosa's hand and froze. 'What is it, Little Pig?' asked Rosa. 'Sky beasts!' he cried. Rosa glanced up and caught sight of three huge birds passing over the mountain. Their wings were wide and long, and they were quite unlike crows or gulls, or even owls. Rosa hadn't seen their silhouettes before. 'Monsters!' whispered Little Pig. His eyes opened wide and then he screeched, 'FLYING BEASTS!'

就在这时，一道轻微的影子掠过海岸线，小猪的行为突然发生了变化。 他的羽毛竖了起来，向后拖着脚步望着天空。 他撞到了罗莎的手，僵住了。 “怎么了，小猪？”罗莎问。 “天空野兽!他叫道。罗莎抬头一看，看见三只大鸟从山上飞过。 它们的翅膀又宽又长，完全不像乌鸦、海鸥，甚至不像猫头鹰。 罗莎以前从未见过他们的身影。 “怪物!”小猪小声说。 他睁大了眼睛，尖叫道：“会飞的野兽！”