空氣暖洋洋的。
現(xiàn)在是拂曉時分。遠(yuǎn)處的一只狗在吠叫。
“我想這是亨利在叫!”安妮說,“我們的確到家了。”
他們雙雙向樹屋的窗外望去。
“家真近啊。”杰克說。
在遠(yuǎn)處,街道上的路燈還亮著。他們家樓上窗戶還亮著燈。
“唷——啊。”安妮說。“我想老媽和老爸起床了,得趕快!”
“等一等。”杰克有些迷糊,拉開背包的拉鏈,他抽出那本城堡書,書還濕漉漉的。不過杰克還是把它和樹屋里其他的書放在一起。
“走吧!快!”安妮說,迅速溜出樹屋。
杰克跟著她下繩梯。
他們到了地面上,在灰黑色的樹林中穿行。
他們離開了大森林,向著冷冷清清的街道跑去。
他們到了自己的院子,躡手躡腳地穿過草坪,直走到家的后門。
杰克和安妮溜進房子里。
“他們還沒下樓呢。”安妮低聲說。
“噓,”杰克說。
他沿樓梯上了樓,又下樓到客廳去。不見老媽和老爸的蹤影。但是他能聽見洗澡間的流水聲。
他們的家和那黑洞洞冰颼颼的城堡是如此的不同。家是這樣的安全,這樣的溫馨,這樣的親切。
安妮正站在她臥室的門口。她對杰克笑了笑,然后消失在她臥室里。
杰克飛快進入自己的房間。他脫掉自己的濕衣,換上了干燥柔軟的睡衣。
他坐在床上,拉開背包拉鏈。他拿出濕濕的筆記本。他在背包里摸鉛筆,但是他的手觸摸到一樣?xùn)|西。
杰克從背包里掏出那張藍(lán)色的皮書簽。這肯定是那張插在城堡書中的書簽。
杰克拿著書簽湊近燈前,仔細(xì)研究。皮書簽光滑陳舊,它似乎十分古老。
杰克第一次發(fā)現(xiàn)書簽上有個字母。一個奇異的M。
杰克打開床邊的桌子抽屜。他拿出金牌。
他看著上面的字母,也是同一個M。
這是一個令人驚奇的新事實。
杰克深深地吸了一口氣,一個神秘之謎破解了。
在恐龍時代失落金牌的人和樹屋那所有書籍的主人是同一個人。
這個人是誰呢?
杰克把書簽和獎牌并排放好,然后關(guān)上抽屜。
他拿起鉛筆,翻到筆記本濕得最少的那一頁。他開始記下這個新事實:
一樣的……
不過他還沒寫完字母M,雙眼就閉上了。
他夢見他們又和騎士在一起。他們?nèi)蓑T著黑馬在涼颼颼、黑漆漆的夜里奔馳。
馳過城堡的外墻。奔上月光照亮的小山。
消失在濃濃的霧中。
10 One Mystery Solved
The air was warm.
It was dawn. Far away a dog barked.
“I think that’ s Henry barking!” Annie said. “We did come home.”
They both looked out the tree house window.
“That was close,” said Jack.
In the distance, streetlights lit their street. There was a light on in their upstairs window.
“Uh-oh,” said Annie. “I think Mom and Dad are up. Hurry!”
“Wait.” In a daze, Jack unzipped his backpack. He pulled out the castle book. It was quite wet. But Jack placed it back with all the other books.
“Come on! Hurry!” said Annie, scooting out of the tree house.
Jack followed her down the ladder.
They reached the ground and took off between the gray-black trees.
They left the woods and ran down their deserted street.
They got to their yard and crept across the lawn. Right up to the back door.
Jack and Annie slipped inside the house.
“They’ re not downstairs yet,” whispered Annie.
“Shhh,” said Jack.
He led the way up the stairs and down the hall. No sign of his mom or dad. But he could hear water running in the bathroom.
Their house was so different from the dark, cold castle. So safe and cozy and friendly.
Annie stopped at her bedroom door. She gave Jack a smile, then disappeared inside her room.
Jack hurried into his room. He took off his damp clothes and pulled on his dry, soft pajamas.
He sat down on his bed and unzipped his backpack. He took out his wet notebook. He felt around for the pencil, but his hand touched something else.
Jack pulled the blue leather bookmark out of his pack. It must have fallen out of the castle book.
Jack held the bookmark close to his lamp and studied it. The leather was smooth and worn. It seemed ancient.
For the first time Jack noticed a letter on the bookmark. A fancy M.
Jack opened the drawer next to his bed. He took out the gold medallion.
He looked at the letter on it. It was the same M.
Now this was an amazing new fact.
Jack took a deep breath. One mystery solved.
The person who had dropped the gold medallion in the time of the dinosaurs was the same person who owned all the books in the tree house.
Who was this person?
Jack placed the bookmark next to the medallion. He closed the drawer.
He picked up his pencil. He turned to the least wet page in his notebook. And he started to write down this new fact. the same
But before he could draw the M, his eyes closed.
He dreamed they were with the knight again. All three of them riding the black horse through the cool, dark night. Beyond the outer wall of the castle. And up over a moonlit hill.
Into the mist.只需30秒,測測你的英語詞匯量!中外教一對一英語口語陪練,超低價!