CHAPTER 6
A bulldog sniffed greedily at the ground, following the bird’s tracks. The tracks stopped suddenly, and the dog sniffed madly. “Oh, here it is,” he said after a moment. “I picked up the bird’s scent.” The dog’s name was Gamma, and he wore a high-tech collar like Dug’s.
Another dog—a rottweiler named Beta— sniffed nearby. “Wait a minute, what is this? Chocolate? I smell chocolate.”
“I’m getting prunes … and denture cream!” Gamma narrowed his eyes. “Who are they?”
“Master will not be pleased,” Beta said. “We’d better tell him someone took the bird, right, Alpha?”
Alpha sat nearby, his back to the others. He was a fierce Doberman pinscher and the lead hunting dog. “No,” Alpha said. “Soon enough the bird will be ours yet again. Find the scent, my compadres, and you two shall have much rewardings from Master for the toil factor you wage.”
Though Alpha’s commands seethed with menace, the voice from his collar came out high and squeaky.
“Hey, Alpha,” Beta said, “I think there’s something wrong with your collar. You must have bumped it.”
“Yeah, your voice sounds funny!” Gamma agreed. He and Beta cracked up.
Alpha silenced them with a glare. “Beta. Gamma. Mayhaps you desire to—squirrel!”
All three dogs turned to stare at a tree. They stood stock-still, quivering with attention. Nothing moved. False alarm.
“Mayhaps you desire to challenge the ranking that I have been assigned by my strength and cunning?” Alpha finished.
Beta looked at the ground. “No, no. But maybe Dug would. You should ask him.”
Gamma snickered. “Yeah, I wonder if he’s found the bird on his very special mission.”
“Do not mention Dug to me at this time,” Alpha snapped. “His fool’s errand will keep him most occupied, most occupied indeed. Hahaha! Do you not agree with that which I am saying to you now?”
“Sure,” said Beta, “but the second Master finds out you sent Dug out by himself, none of us will get a treat.”
“You are wise, my trusted lieutenant.” Alpha nosed a button on Beta’s collar. A video screen flickered to life. “This is Alpha calling Dug. Come in, Dug.”
The screen showed grass and rocks moving past. The camera on Dug’s collar was pointed at the ground. “Hi, Alpha,” Dug said. “Your voice sounds funny.”
Alpha gritted his teeth. “I know, I know,” he growled. “Have you seen the bird?”
“Why, yes,” Dug said, “the bird is my prisoner now.”
Gamma snorted. “Yeah, right.”
But the camera shifted slightly, and a pink wing appeared on the screen. It was the bird! It lowered its head and hissed at the camera.
“Impossible!” Alpha snarled.“Where are you?”
“I am here with the bird,” Dug said, “and I will bring it back and then you will like me. Oh, gotta go.”
A boy in uniform appeared on the screen. “Hey, Dug!” Russell said. “Who you talking to?”
The screen went blank.
“No, wait!” Alpha shouted at the blank screen. “Wait!”
“What’s Dug doing?” Beta cried.
“Why is he with that small mailman?” Gamma asked. To the dogs, anyone in a uniform was a mailman.
Beta looked at Alpha. “Where are they?” Beta’s collar beeped, locating Dug.
“There he is,” Alpha cried. “Come on!”
The dogs blasted into the jungle. They were back on the trail.
Carl trudged along, pulling his house. The going wasn’t so bad, as long as he wasn’t walking against the wind. And it wasn’t half as hard as putting up with that dog’s constant begging.
“Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please be my prisoner!” Dug pleaded. He had latched on to Kevin’s foot and wouldn’t let go. The giant bird hardly seemed to notice, though. Kevin just kept plodding along, following Russell.
“Dug, stop bothering Kevin!” Russell ordered.
“That man there says I can take the bird,” Dug said, nodding at Carl, “and I love that man there like he is my master.”
“I am not your master!” Carl snapped. Sheesh, he thought irritably to himself, you would think I asked this circus act to come with me.
Finally, Kevin seemed to notice that there was a golden retriever attached to its leg. The bird stopped and tried to shake the dog off. But Dug didn’t budge, so Kevin hissed at him.
“I am warning you once again, bird!” Dug said. Kevin pecked at Dug, and the dog scrambled to attack.
“Hey, quit it!” Russell shouted.
Dug was discovering that it wasn’t easy to attack a twelve-foot-tall bird. “I am jumping on you now, bird,” the dog explained. It didn’t do much good.
Russell waved his arms and tried to get between the dog and the bird. The group toppled to one side, dragging Russell and causing the house to wobble and tilt.
Crash!
A window smashed against a rock.
Carl gasped, looking up at the house. Ellie’s clubhouse—it was being ruined!
Dug and Kevin stopped fighting. The dog looked sheepishly at Carl. He could tell his new master was angry. Shouting was always a good clue.
Carl glared at Russell, who gave him a nervous smile. “I’m stuck with you.” He turned to Dug and Kevin. “And if you two don’t clear out of here by the time I count to three …” Carl raised his cane to show that he was serious.
But Dug didn’t get the threat. All he saw were the tennis balls that were stuck to the bottom prongs of the cane. “A ball!” Dug cried, leaping and bounding. “Oh, boy, oh, boy! A ball!”
“Ball?” Carl stared at his cane. That wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting. Still, it gave him an idea. Carl popped one of the balls off the end of his cane and waved it in front of Dug. “You want it, boy?”
“Yes, I do.” Dug danced impatiently. “I do ever so want the ball!”
“Go get it!” Carl heaved the ball as hard as he could. It sailed down a ravine … and Dug streaked after it. “Oh, boy, oh, boy!” Dug gushed. “I will get it and then bring it back!”
“Quick, Russell,” Carl urged, “give me some chocolate.”
Russell hesitated. He was saving that chocolate for Kevin. “Why?”
“Just give it to me!” Carl snapped.
Russell pulled the chocolate bar from his pocket and handed Carl a piece.
Carl waved the chocolate. “Bird,” he called. “Bird!”
Kevin looked over. Carl tossed the chocolate, and the bird chased after it.
“Come on, Russell!” Carl shouted. He hurried away as fast as he could, which wasn’t really very fast. After all, he was an elderly man pulling an entire house behind him.
“Wait,” Russell said, following Carl.“Wait, Mr. Fredricksen. What are we doing? Hey, uh, we’re pretty far now. Kevin’s going to miss me.”
But Carl kept going. He climbed over a ridge. Finally, Carl paused and looked back. “I think that did the trick,” he said to himself. He sat down on a log to rest.
But when he turned around, he came face to face with the golden retriever. The dog had the slobbery tennis ball in his mouth.
Then the bird showed up.
Dug dropped the ball in Carl’s lap.
Well, that didn’t work, Carl thought.
Darkness fell … and so did rain. Sheets of rain poured from the black sky. Every now and again, lightning flickered. It lit up the house, which was tied to a rock. Beneath it, Carl sat on a rock near a small fire as Russell tried to put up a tent. Dug was still wrapped around Kevin’s leg. Both animals were asleep nearby.
“Which one’s the front?” Russell asked himself as he fiddled with different parts of the tent. “Is this step three, or step five?”
Carl rolled his eyes. Some Wilderness Explorer, he thought.
Russell tightened something. He loosened it again. “There!” Russell got tangled in the tent poles and ropes. He frowned at one of the poles.
Carl looked away while Russell struggled.
“All done,” Russell announced finally. He pointed proudly toward the tent. “That’s for you!”
The tent fell over.
“Aw,” Russell said. “Tents are hard.”
“Wait, aren’t you Super Wilderness Guy?” Carl asked. “With the GPMs and the badges?”
Russell bit his lip. “Yeah, but … can I tell you a secret?”
“No,” said Carl.
“All right, here goes.” Russell took a deep breath. “I never actually built a tent before. There. I said it.”
“You’ve been camping before, haven’t you?” Carl asked.
“Oh, never outside,” Russell explained.
Carl eyed Russell’s sash full of badges. “Why didn’t you go ask your dad how to build a tent?”
Russell shrugged. “I don’t think he wants to talk about this stuff.”
“Why don’t you try him sometime?” Carl suggested. “Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
“Well, he’s away a lot,” Russell explained. “I don’t see him much.”
“He’s got to be home sometime.”
“Well, I called, but Phyllis told me I bug him too much.” Russell looked at the ground.
“Phyllis?” Carl repeated. “You call your own mother by her first name?”
“Phyllis isn’t my mom,” said Russell.
Carl looked away, finally understanding. Russell’s parents must be divorced. “Oh,” Carl said gently.
They both stared into the fire for a moment. Each was thinking his own thoughts.
“But he promised he’d come to my Explorer ceremony to pin on my Assisting the Elderly badge,” Russell said at last. “So he can show me about tents then, right?”
Carl looked at Russell. The kid seemed hopeful, but also sad. Suddenly, Carl felt bad that he hadn’t been nicer to Russell. The poor kid tried so hard. He had a sash full of badges, but he had never even been camping.
Carl thought about the pin that Ellie had given him. It was made out of a grape-soda bottle cap, but it meant the world to him. She’d given it to him because they were in an adventurers’ club. But they’d never even had an adventure.
We’re not so different, I guess, Carl thought, watching Russell.
The empty place on Russell’s sash caught Carl’s eye. Assisting the Elderly. Has anyone ever worked so hard to get a stupid badge? Carl wondered. He doubted it.
“Hey, uh, why don’t you get some sleep?” Carl said gently. “Don’t want to wake up the wild kingdom over there.” He nodded at Dug and Kevin.
“Mr. Fredricksen, Dug says he wants to take Kevin prisoner,” Russell said. “We have to protect him!” With a yawn, Russell lay down on the log next to Carl. “Can Kevin go with us?”
Carl sighed. “All right. He can come.”
“Promise you won’t leave him?” Russell asked.
“Yeah.”
“Cross your heart?” Russell asked.
For a moment, Carl didn’t answer. He’d only ever crossed his heart for Ellie. “Cross my heart,” he said at last.
Carl glanced up at the house. The rain had stopped. The clouds had blown through, revealing a bright moon. The house was lit by its glow.
Carl looked around the camp—from Russell to Dug to the crazy-colored bird—and shook his head. At that moment, Paradise Falls seemed farther away than ever.
“What have I got myself into, Ellie?” Carl muttered.
第 6 章
一只斗牛犬貪婪地嗅著地面,追尋著鳥的蹤跡。但是,鳥的氣味忽然消失了,它發(fā)瘋般地東嗅西嗅起來(lái)。“哦,在這兒!”過(guò)了一會(huì)兒它說(shuō)道,“我聞到那只鳥的氣味了。”這只斗牛犬叫小寶,也戴著個(gè)和道格一樣的高科技項(xiàng)圈。
離小寶不遠(yuǎn),有只羅特韋爾犬也正朝地面嗅著,這是二寶。“等等,這是什么味兒?巧克力?我聞到了巧克力味兒!”
“我還聞到了西梅干味兒……還有假牙穩(wěn)固劑!”小寶瞇了瞇眼道:“那些人是誰(shuí)?”
二寶說(shuō):“主人會(huì)不高興的,我們最好報(bào)告一下,那只鳥讓人帶走了,對(duì)吧,大寶?”
大寶坐在不遠(yuǎn)處,背對(duì)著他倆。這是一頭兇猛的杜賓犬,也是這群獵犬的首領(lǐng)。“不,”大寶說(shuō),“那只鳥逃不出我們的手掌心。繼續(xù)追蹤,同志們,要是立了大功,主人一定會(huì)重重有賞的。”
雖然大寶語(yǔ)氣威嚴(yán),但是項(xiàng)圈中發(fā)出來(lái)的聲音卻陰陽(yáng)怪氣,又高又尖。
“嘿,大寶,”二寶說(shuō),“你的項(xiàng)圈好像有點(diǎn)問(wèn)題,肯定是撞壞了吧。”
“沒(méi)錯(cuò),你的聲音聽起來(lái)好好笑哦!”小寶贊同道。說(shuō)完,他和二寶便哈哈大笑起來(lái)。
大寶瞪了他們一眼,他倆立馬安靜了。“二寶,小寶,看來(lái)你們是想——松鼠!”
聽到這一聲喊,三只狗都轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)頭,緊緊盯著一棵樹。他們定在原地,身體因警覺(jué)而不由自主地顫抖。但是,那邊沒(méi)有一點(diǎn)兒動(dòng)靜,原來(lái)是假警報(bào)。
大寶接著說(shuō)道:“看來(lái)你們是想把我從這個(gè)位置趕下來(lái)?這可是我憑著自己的能耐和聰明弄來(lái)的。”
二寶低下頭看著地面說(shuō):“不,我們可不敢有這想法,不過(guò)道格或許有,你該問(wèn)問(wèn)他。”
小寶竊笑道:“是啊,不知道他的‘特殊任務(wù)’執(zhí)行得怎么樣了,有沒(méi)有找到那只鳥。”
“別哪壺不開提哪壺!”大寶厲聲說(shuō)道,“那倒霉差事夠他忙得團(tuán)團(tuán)轉(zhuǎn)了,絕對(duì)的。哈哈哈!難道你們不這么覺(jué)得嗎?”
“是夠他忙活的,”二寶說(shuō),“可是主人一旦知道你讓道格單獨(dú)行動(dòng),我們都沒(méi)好果子吃。”
“你們都是聰明人,是我信得過(guò)的副隊(duì)長(zhǎng)。”大寶用鼻子按下了二寶項(xiàng)圈上的一個(gè)按鈕,一個(gè)顯示屏閃現(xiàn)了出來(lái)。“大寶呼叫道格??旎卦挘栏?。”
屏幕上,野草和石頭不停地向后閃過(guò),看來(lái)道格項(xiàng)圈上的攝像頭正對(duì)著地面。“嗨,大寶,”道格說(shuō),“你的聲音真可笑。”
大寶咬了咬牙,忍不住咆哮道:“我知道,我知道,你找到那只鳥了嗎?”
“我找到了啊,”道格說(shuō),“它現(xiàn)在是我的俘虜。”
小寶很不屑地哼了一聲,“哦,是嘛。”
攝像頭微微地轉(zhuǎn)了一下,一只粉色翅膀出現(xiàn)在屏幕上。正是那只鳥!它低下頭,對(duì)著攝像頭嘶叫了一聲。
“不可能!”大寶吼道,“你在哪兒?”
“我和這只鳥在一起,”道格說(shuō),“我會(huì)把它帶回去的,到時(shí)候你們就會(huì)喜歡我了。哦,我得掛了。”
這時(shí),一個(gè)穿著制服的男孩出現(xiàn)在屏幕上。“嘿,道格!”小羅說(shuō),“你在跟誰(shuí)說(shuō)話呢?”
之后屏幕就變黑了。
“不,等等!”大寶沖著變黑的屏幕叫道,“等等!”
二寶大喊道:“道格在做什么?”
小寶也發(fā)出疑問(wèn):“他怎么跟那個(gè)小郵差在一塊兒?”對(duì)這些狗來(lái)說(shuō),所有穿著制服的人都是郵差。
二寶望向大寶,問(wèn)道:“他們?cè)谀膬海?rdquo;二寶的項(xiàng)圈嘟嘟響了起來(lái),正在鎖定道格的位置。
“他在那!”大寶喊道,“我們走!”
三只狗奔向叢林深處,繼續(xù)追蹤。
此時(shí),卡爾正拖著房子艱難地前行著。其實(shí)只要不是逆著風(fēng)走,情況也并沒(méi)有那么糟,比忍受道格一路上不停地懇求聲要好得多。
“哦,求你了,哦,求你了,哦,求你做我的俘虜吧!”道格懇求道。他抱著凱文的腳,不讓大鳥走。然而凱文卻完全無(wú)視他,只是跟著小羅,慢慢向前走。
“道格,別再煩凱文了!”小羅命令道。
“那位先生說(shuō)我可以帶走這只鳥,”道格沖卡爾點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭說(shuō),“我喜歡那位先生,他就像我的主人一樣。”
“我才不是你的主人!”卡爾厲聲道。他焦躁地想,老天,我真是受夠了這跟馬戲團(tuán)雜耍似的場(chǎng)面了!
凱文終于注意到了這只金毛獵犬一直在抱著它的腿。它停下來(lái),想把道格從腿上甩開,但道格卻紋絲不動(dòng),凱文便沖他嘶叫了一聲。
道格沖凱文喊道:“我再警告你一次,大鳥!”凱文聽后便用嘴去啄道格,而道格也起身回?fù)簟?br />
“嘿,快停下!”小羅喊道。
道格發(fā)現(xiàn)要想攻擊一只12英尺高的鳥并非易事。“大鳥,我這就撲上來(lái)了哦。”他解釋道。然而這并沒(méi)有用。
小羅揮舞著手臂,試圖擠到他們中間,阻止這場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)斗,結(jié)果這一堆人和動(dòng)物倒在了一旁,房子也因此左搖右晃。
嘭!
房子撞到巖石上,一扇窗戶碎了。
卡爾倒吸了一口氣,抬頭望了望——艾莉的俱樂(lè)部被他毀壞了!
道格和凱文也因此停止了爭(zhēng)斗。道格局促不安地望著卡爾,他非常確定這位新主人生氣了,因?yàn)榕鹜ǔR馕吨鴳嵟?br />
卡爾瞪著小羅,小羅緊張地笑了笑。“我受夠你了!”說(shuō)完,卡爾又轉(zhuǎn)向道格和凱文,“我數(shù)到3,如果你倆還沒(méi)從我面前消失的話……”說(shuō)著卡爾舉起了手杖,看來(lái)他是認(rèn)真的。
然而道格卻并沒(méi)接收到這個(gè)威脅的信號(hào),他的注意力全都被手杖底部叉子齒上的棒球吸引過(guò)去了。“球!”道格又蹦又跳地喊道,“哦,老天,哦,老天啊!是球!”
“球?”卡爾看了看自己的手杖。這個(gè)反應(yīng)可出乎他的意料。不過(guò),這倒讓他想到了一個(gè)主意??枏氖终鹊撞坎鹣聛?lái)一個(gè)球,拿到道格面前晃了晃。“你想要這個(gè),小家伙?”
“是啊。”道格急得上躥下跳,“我老早就想要這球了!”
“去撿吧!”卡爾使勁把球扔了出去。球沿著峽谷滾落下去……道格快速地追了上去。“哦,老天,哦,老天??!”道格滔滔不絕地說(shuō)著,“我會(huì)把球撿回來(lái)的!”
“快點(diǎn),小羅,”卡爾催促道,“給我點(diǎn)巧克力。”
小羅猶豫起來(lái),他的巧克力是留給凱文的。“要巧克力干什么?”
“給我就是了!”卡爾厲聲說(shuō)。
小羅從口袋里掏出巧克力,掰下一塊遞給卡爾。
卡爾晃了晃手中的巧克力,叫道:“鳥兒,鳥兒!”
凱文看了看他??柊亚煽肆θ恿顺鋈?,這只鳥便朝著巧克力追去。
“快走,小羅!”卡爾喊道。他用自己最快的速度向前走去,但其實(shí)也快不到哪兒去。畢竟他是個(gè)老頭,而且還拖著一座房子。
“等一下,”小羅跟在卡爾后面說(shuō),“等一下,費(fèi)迪遜先生。我們這是在做什么?嘿,哎,咱們已經(jīng)走很遠(yuǎn)了,凱文會(huì)找不到我的。”
然而卡爾卻繼續(xù)向前。爬上一個(gè)山脊后,他終于停了下來(lái),回頭看了看。“看來(lái)那招奏效了。”他自言自語(yǔ)道,說(shuō)完就坐在了一個(gè)原木上休息起來(lái)。
但是等他轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身來(lái),卻跟道格撞了個(gè)對(duì)臉。道格嘴里還叼著那個(gè)沾滿了口水的網(wǎng)球。
緊接著凱文也出現(xiàn)了。
道格把球放到了卡爾的膝蓋上。
好吧,看來(lái)它沒(méi)奏效,卡爾心想。
夜幕降臨……下起雨來(lái)。大雨穿過(guò)漆黑的夜空,傾盆而下。一道道閃電也時(shí)不時(shí)劃破深夜,照亮了被拴在巖石上的房子。在房子下面,卡爾挨著一小團(tuán)火苗,坐在火堆旁的巖石上,而小羅正努力地搭著帳篷。道格仍然緊緊地抱著凱文的腿,只是他們兩個(gè)都在附近睡著了。
“哪個(gè)是前面?”小羅擺弄著帳篷的各個(gè)部件,自言自語(yǔ)道,“這是第三步還是第五步?”
卡爾翻了個(gè)白眼,心想,這就是傳說(shuō)中的野外探險(xiǎn)家啊。
小羅把什么東西系緊了,然后又解開了。“是這樣!”他用繩子把幾個(gè)帳篷桿纏在一起,纏好后,對(duì)著其中一個(gè)桿子皺起眉頭。
在小羅奮力地支著帳篷時(shí),卡爾則向別處望去。
“好了。”小羅最終宣布道。他自豪地指著那個(gè)帳篷說(shuō):“這是給你的!”
誰(shuí)知?jiǎng)傉f(shuō)完帳篷就倒了。
“噢,”小羅說(shuō),“搭帳篷真難。”
“等等,你不是超級(jí)野外探險(xiǎn)家嗎?”卡爾問(wèn)道,“還有那個(gè)什么衛(wèi)星導(dǎo)航和徽章。”
小羅咬了下嘴唇說(shuō):“是啊,不過(guò)……我能跟你說(shuō)個(gè)秘密嗎?”
“不能。”卡爾回答道。
“好吧,是這樣的。”小羅深吸了一口氣。“我其實(shí)從來(lái)沒(méi)搭過(guò)帳篷。好了,我說(shuō)完了。”
“你之前好歹野營(yíng)過(guò)吧?”卡爾問(wèn)道。
“嗯,但從沒(méi)在野外過(guò)。”小羅解釋道。
卡爾看了眼小羅那掛滿徽章的肩帶,問(wèn)道:“那你為什么不問(wèn)問(wèn)你爸爸怎么搭帳篷?”
小羅聳了聳肩說(shuō):“我想他不會(huì)跟我聊這些的。”
“為什么不找機(jī)會(huì)試一下?”卡爾建議道,“說(shuō)不定會(huì)有驚喜呢。”
“其實(shí)吧,他總是出差,”小羅說(shuō),“我很少見到他。”
“那他總有在家的時(shí)候吧。”
“我打過(guò)電話,但是菲利斯說(shuō)我這樣太打擾他了。”小羅低頭看著地面說(shuō)。
“菲利斯?”卡爾重復(fù)了一句,“你就這樣直呼你媽媽的名字?”
“菲利斯不是我媽媽。”小羅說(shuō)。
卡爾移開了視線,他終于清楚是怎么回事了。小羅的父母肯定是離婚了。于是他輕輕地說(shuō)了一句:“哦。”
接下來(lái)的一段時(shí)間,兩人都凝視著那團(tuán)火焰,各懷心事。
最終還是小羅打破了沉默:“但是他保證過(guò),會(huì)來(lái)參加我的探險(xiǎn)家授獎(jiǎng)儀式,為我戴上助老徽章。那樣的話,他就可以教我怎么搭帳篷了,對(duì)吧?”
卡爾看著小羅,這孩子滿懷期望,但又顯得十分悲傷。忽然間,卡爾有點(diǎn)后悔之前沒(méi)對(duì)小羅好一點(diǎn)。畢竟,這個(gè)可憐的小男孩是那么努力。而且,雖然他擁有一條掛滿徽章的肩帶,但卻從沒(méi)野營(yíng)過(guò)。
卡爾想起艾莉送給他的那枚徽章,雖然那只是用葡萄味汽水瓶蓋做的,但卻對(duì)他非常重要。因?yàn)樗麄兌际翘诫U(xiǎn)家俱樂(lè)部的成員,艾莉才把那枚徽章送給他。然而,他們卻從未真正地探險(xiǎn)過(guò)。
或許我和這個(gè)小男孩并沒(méi)有那么不同,卡爾望著小羅,若有所思。
他忽然看到小羅肩帶上那塊空隙,那是留給助老徽章的。還有誰(shuí)會(huì)這么努力,只為得到一枚傻透了的徽章?卡爾沉思道。他對(duì)此充滿了懷疑。
“嘿,嗯,你要不要睡一會(huì)兒?”卡爾輕聲道,“吵醒那倆野生動(dòng)物可就有得受了。”他揚(yáng)頭指了指道格和凱文。
“費(fèi)迪遜先生,道格說(shuō)他要抓凱文做俘虜,”小羅說(shuō),“咱們得保護(hù)凱文!”他打了個(gè)哈欠,在卡爾旁邊的木頭上躺了下來(lái),“凱文能跟我們一起走嗎?”
卡爾嘆了口氣道:“好吧,帶上他吧。”
“發(fā)誓你不會(huì)丟下他哦?”小羅問(wèn)道。
“好。”
“你發(fā)誓?”小羅又問(wèn)道。
卡爾思忖片刻,沒(méi)有回答。除了艾莉,他這輩子還沒(méi)對(duì)別人發(fā)過(guò)誓呢。但最終他還是答道:“我發(fā)誓。”
卡爾抬頭瞟了一眼房子。雨停了,云散了,天邊露出一輪明月,點(diǎn)點(diǎn)銀輝灑落到房子上。
從小羅到道格,再到那只顏色夸張的大鳥,卡爾環(huán)顧了一下這個(gè)營(yíng)地,搖了搖頭。那一刻,他從沒(méi)覺(jué)得離天堂瀑布有這么遠(yuǎn)過(guò)。
“我都做了些什么蠢事啊,艾莉?”卡爾喃喃道。