Scaredy Camp

Scaredy Camp. Written by Russ Bouillac. Illustrated by Thomas Boatwright.

胆小鬼露营 拉斯·布亚克 撰文 托马斯·博特赖特 绘图

Sarah and I are drifting off to sleep when we hear something scraping against the tent. Did you hear that? Sarah whispers. I nod, and we wait to see if it will repeat. Rain patters against the nylon, and I can hear it striking the surface of the nearby lake. The downpour started as soon as we arrived at the campsite just outside town, So Sarah and I have barely left the tent. She'd promised me a weekend of fishing, campfires, and s'mores. That turned into endless rounds of go fish while her dad fished for trout in a rain slicker. The rain continues, sounding like white noise on the radio, but the scraping doesn't return.

我和萨拉正迷迷糊糊要睡着，忽然听见有东西刮帐篷的声音 你听见了吗？ 萨拉小声说 我点点头，我俩等着看那声音会不会再响 雨噼里啪啦打在尼龙帐篷上，我还能听见雨打在附近湖面的声音 我们刚到镇外的营地，大雨就下了起来，所以 萨拉 我俩几乎一直没出过帐篷 她本来答应我这周末去钓鱼、生营火、吃棉花糖夹心饼干 结果变成我们没完没了玩钓鱼牌，她爸爸穿着雨衣去钓鳟鱼了 雨还在下，听起来就像收音机里的白噪音，不过那刮擦声没再出现

It was probably a leaf or something falling off the branches overhead, I say. But Sarah doesn't look convinced. She huddles deeper into her sleeping bag and closes her eyes. I do the same, allowing the rainfall to lull me into slumber. I wake to Sarah shaking my shoulder, her eyes wide in terror. I heard it again, she says. Something is definitely outside. It's probably just your dad checking up on us or going to the bathroom. I grumble, rubbing my eyes. Why would he be scraping against the tent?

我说，说不定就是叶子，或是树上掉下来的什么东西 可萨拉看起来并不相信 她往睡袋里缩得更紧，闭上了眼睛 我也照做，任由雨声催我进入梦乡 我被萨拉晃醒，她眼睛瞪得大大的，满是恐惧 她说，我又听见了 肯定有东西就在外面 说不定只是你爸爸过来看看我们，或是去上厕所 我揉着眼睛嘟囔道 他干嘛要刮帐篷啊？

Mr. Martinez, is that you?" I call out. After a moment, Sarah's dad unzips the door of his tent next to ours, and then unzips our door. He holds up a bright lantern and shoves his hooded head inside. "'Everything okay in here?' he asks. We're okay, Sarah says, but we heard something outside scraping against the tent. I'm sure it was just a voracious bear looking for an easy feast, he says smiling. Not funny, Dad. It was a perfectly adequate dad joke, he says, but I'll take a look around.

“马丁内斯先生，是你吗？” 我大声喊道 过了一会儿，萨拉爸爸拉开了隔壁自己帐篷的拉链，接着拉开了我们的帐篷门 他举着一盏亮堂堂的提灯，把戴兜帽的脑袋探了进来 “你们这儿一切都好吗？”他问 萨拉说，我们没事，就是听见外面有东西刮帐篷 他笑着说，肯定是一头饿坏的熊来找现成的大餐啦 一点都不好笑，爸爸 这明明是合格的老爸冷笑话呀，他说，不过我还是去四周看看

We both thank him, and he zips up our tent. We follow the lantern and the sound of his squishing footsteps as he inspects the campsite. I don't see any bears or anything else lurking out here, ladies, he says, poking his head back into our tent. I'm going back to bed before I catch my death. You girls sleep tight and holler if you need anything.

我俩谢过他，他拉上了我们帐篷的拉链 我们跟着提灯的光，听着他踩泥地的咯吱脚步声，看他检查营地 他把脑袋探回我们帐篷说，我没看见熊，也没看见别的什么躲在这里，两位小姐 我得回去睡觉了，不然我要冻坏了 你们姑娘们好好睡，有事就喊我

We thank him again, and I hunker down into my bag, hoping this will be the end of it. Just as I'm about to drift off into dreamland, Sarah shines a flashlight into my face and hisses. Quinn, wake up. Someone's outside. Seriously, Sarah, I was just about to finally zonk out, I say with a groan. She shushes me, and then I hear it. Footsteps squishing through the muck outside. Too many to be just one person or animal.

我们又谢了他，我往睡袋里缩好，希望这事就这么过去了 我刚要迷迷糊糊进入梦乡，萨拉就拿手电筒照我的脸，压低声音叫我 奎因，醒醒 有人在外面 我咕哝道，说真的萨拉，我好不容易刚要睡着呀 她让我别出声，然后我也听见了 外面有脚步踩在烂泥里的咯吱声 脚步声太多了，不可能只是一个人或是一只动物