01 The Last Gift

Dingoes at dinnertime.

晚餐时间的澳洲野犬们。

Chapter 1 The Last Gift Annie sat on the porch steps. She stared down the street at the Frog Creek woods. Hey Jack, she said. Do you hear it? Jack sat next to her. He was reading a book. Hear what? He said. Teddy's calling us, said Annie. You're kidding, said Jack. But he looked down the street and listened too. A faint bark came from the distance.

第一章 最后的礼物 安妮坐在门廊台阶上，眼睛望着街那头的青蛙溪树林。 “嘿杰克，”她说，“你听见了吗？” 杰克坐在她旁边，正在读一本书。 “听见什么呀？”他问。 “泰迪在叫我们呢。”安妮说。 “你开玩笑吧。”杰克说，但他还是朝街道那头望去，也仔细听了起来。 远处传来了一阵微弱的狗叫声。

Arf, arf. A big smile crossed Jack's face. You hear it? Annie said. Yep, said Jack. You're right, time to go. He stood up and grabbed his backpack. Be back soon, Annie shouted through the screen door. Don't be late for dinner, their dad called. We won't, said Jack. He and Annie ran down the street and into the Frog Creek woods. Soon they came to the tallest oak. There was the magic tree house. A little black nose stuck out the window. Hi, silly, Annie called. We're coming. Arf, came a happy bark. Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started climbing.

“汪，汪。” 杰克脸上绽开了大大的笑容。 “你听到啦？” 安妮问道。 “嗯，听到了。”杰克说。 “你说得对，我们该走啦。” 他站起身，一把抓起自己的背包。 “我们很快就回来！”安妮隔着纱门大声喊。 “晚饭别迟到啦！”他们的爸爸喊道。 “我们不会的！”杰克回答。 他和安妮沿着街道往前跑，冲进了青蛙溪树林。 很快他们就来到了那棵最高的橡树跟前。 神奇树屋就在那儿呢。 一个黑黑的小鼻子从窗户里探了出来。 “嗨，小笨蛋！”安妮喊道。 “我们这就上来啦。” “汪！”传来一声欢快的狗叫。 安妮抓住绳梯，开始往上爬。

Jack followed her up into the treehouse. A small dog sat in a circle of afternoon sunshine. His tail wagged. Hey Teddy, said Jack. Jack and Annie hugged Teddy and the dog licked both of them. Morgan's note is still here, said Annie. Yep, said Jack. He knew the note by heart now. This little dog is under a spell and needs your help. To freedom you must be given four special things. A gift from a ship lost at sea. A gift from the prairie blue. A gift from a forest far away. A gift from a kangaroo. Be wise, be brave, be careful. Morgan.

杰克跟在她后面爬进了树屋。 一只小狗正坐在午后的阳光圈里。 它的尾巴晃来晃去的。 “嗨，泰迪。”杰克说。 杰克和安妮抱了抱泰迪，小狗舔了舔他俩。 “摩根的字条还在这儿呢。”安妮说。 “是啊。”杰克说。 他现在已经把字条的内容背得滚瓜烂熟了。 “这只小狗中了咒语，需要你们的帮助。” “要让它重获自由，你们得找到四样特别的东西。” “一份来自海上失事船只的礼物。” “一份来自蓝色大草原的礼物。” “一份来自遥远森林的礼物。” “一份来自袋鼠的礼物。” “要聪慧，要勇敢，要小心。” 摩根 留

Beside the note were the gifts from their first three trips. One, a pocket watch from the Titanic. Two, an eagle's feather from the prairie skies. Three, a lotus flower from a forest in India. We just need to get a gift from a kangaroo, said Annie, and Teddy will be free from his spell. We must be going to Australia, said Jack. That's where kangaroos live. Cool, said Annie. Teddy whined and scratched at a book lying in the corner. Jack picked it up. What I tell you, he said. He showed the cover to Annie. The title was Adventure in Australia. Great, said Annie. She looked at Teddy.

字条旁边放着他们前三趟旅程带回来的礼物。 第一样，是泰坦尼克号上的怀表。 第二样，是大草原天空里的鹰羽毛。 第三样，是印度森林里的莲花。 “我们只要再找到一份袋鼠的礼物，”安妮说，“然后” “泰迪就能解开咒语，恢复自由啦。” “我们这次肯定要去澳大利亚。”杰克说。 “袋鼠就住在那儿呀。” “太酷啦！”安妮说。 泰迪呜呜叫了几声，爪子扒拉着放在角落的一本书。 杰克把书捡了起来。 “我说什么来着？”他说。 他把书的封面递给安妮看。 书名是《澳大利亚历险记》。 “太棒啦！”安妮说。 她看向泰迪。

Ready to meet a kangaroo? Irf, irf! Jack opened the book. He found a page with small pictures of different animals and a big picture of a forest. Jack pointed at the forest. I wish we could go there, he said. The wind started to blow, the treehouse started to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still.

“准备好去见袋鼠了吗？” “呜汪！呜汪！” 杰克翻开了书。 他翻到一页，上面印着好多不同动物的小图，还有一张大大的森林图片。 杰克指着那片森林。 “我真希望我们能去那儿。”他说。 风刮了起来，树屋开始旋转。 它转得越来越快，越来越快。 然后一切都静止了。 完完全全静止了。