06 The End Is Here

Chapter 6. The end is here. Jack threw open the door to the room of scrolls. He and Annie rushed in and ran over to the shelves. Jack pulled out the piece of paper with a Latin title on it. Vir fortissimos in mundo. Okay, he said, we have to find the scroll with this title. They began frantically unrolling scrolls.

第六章 末日降临 杰克猛地推开卷轴室的门，他和安妮冲了进去，直奔书架。 杰克掏出那张写着拉丁文标题的纸条。 世界上最勇敢的人 "好啦，"他说，"我们得找到标题是这个的卷轴。" 他们开始慌慌张张地展开一个个卷轴。

one by one. They were all handwritten in Latin. Here it is, said Annie. She held up a scroll. The words at the top matched the one on their paper. Yay, said Jack. I wish I could read Latin so we could find out what the story is. Don't think about it now, said Annie. Let's go. Annie handed the scroll to Jack, then started out of the room. Come on, she said. Bring it. I just want to check and see what the story is about, said Jack. He put the scroll in the leather bag. Then he flipped through the book on Roman times, looking for a picture of the ancient scroll. In the middle of the book he found a picture of the scroll.

一个接一个，这些卷轴全都是用拉丁文手写的。 "找到了！"安妮喊道，她举着一个卷轴。 卷轴顶端的字和他们纸条上的字一模一样。 "太棒啦！"杰克说，"要是我懂拉丁文就好了，就能知道这个卷轴讲的什么故事啦。" "现在别想这个啦，"安妮说，"我们快走吧。" 安妮把卷轴递给杰克，然后就往房间外面走。 "快点呀，"她说，"带上卷轴。" "我就想看看这个故事讲的是什么嘛。"杰克说。 他把卷轴放进皮包里，然后翻起了那本讲古罗马的 书籍，想找一张这种古老卷轴的图片。 翻到书中间的时候，他找到了那张卷轴的图片。

Picture of a volcano erupting over a town. Under the picture was written, for 800 years, Mount Vesuvius was a peaceful mountain, rising above the town of Pompeii. Then at noon, on August 24th, AD 79, it erupted into a deadly volcano. Oh no, whispered Jack. August 24th, AD 79? That's today. Oh man, what time is it? He looked around wildly. Annie! She was gone again. Annie! Jack grabbed the leather bag. Then clutching the book, he tore out of the scroll room. Annie! He cried. What? Annie appeared at the door to the dining room.

图片上一座火山正在小镇上方喷发。 图片下方写着： 八百年来，维苏威火山一直是座温和的山， 静静矗立在庞贝小镇的上方。 直到公元79年8月24日的正午， 它爆发了，变成了一座夺命的火山。 "哦，糟了！"杰克小声惊呼。 公元79年8月24日？ 就是今天啊！ 我的天，现在几点了？ 他慌慌张张地四处张望。 安妮！ 她又不见了。 安妮！ 杰克一把抓过皮包。 然后紧紧攥着那本书，冲出了卷轴室。 安妮！ 他大喊着。 "怎么了？" 安妮出现在餐厅的门口。

V -V -Volcano! stuttered Jack. What? said Annie. It's coming! A volcano at noon! said Jack. Annie gasped. What time is it? cried Jack. So that's what the soothsayer meant, Annie said. The end is near. What time is it? Jack asked again. He looked around the garden. He saw something near the mermaid fountain. A sundial, he said. That's how the Romans told time. Jack and Annie raced to the sundial. What time does it say? said Annie. I don't know, said Jack. His hands shook as he turned the page of the page.

"火、火、火山喷发了！"杰克结结巴巴地说。 "什么？"安妮问。 "它要来了！" "火山正午就要喷发了！"杰克说。 安妮倒吸了一口凉气。 "现在几点了？" 杰克大喊道。 "原来那个预言家说的是这个意思，"安妮说， "末日快到了。" "现在几点了？" 杰克又问了一遍。 他环顾花园四周。 他看见美人鱼喷泉旁边有个东西。 "是日晷。"他说。 "古罗马人就是用它来计时的。" 杰克和安妮飞快地跑到日晷旁边。 "上面显示几点了？"安妮问。 "我不知道。"杰克说。 他的手止不住发抖，一页一页地翻着

of the book. He stopped on a picture of a sundial. It showed examples of different times. Jack looked back and forth from the page to the real sundial in the garden.

书。他停在印着日晷的那一页，上面列着不同时间的日晷示例。 杰克看看书页，又看看花园里的真实日晷，来回比对。

Here, he said. He had found the one that matched. Jack read the writing under the picture. The shadow on the sundial can hardly be seen at noon. Oh, man, he whispered. He looked at Annie. The end isn't near. The end is here. Just then he heard a terrible blast. It was the loudest sound he had ever heard.

"就是这个！"他说，他找到了匹配的那一款。杰克读起了图片下方的文字。 正午的时候，日晷上的影子几乎看不见。 "哦，天呐，"他小声说，看向安妮，"不是末日快到了，是末日已经来了。" 就在这时，他听到了一声可怕的巨响，那是他这辈子听过的最响的声音。