As they started toward the mountain pass, Arlo felt a giant lump growing in his throat. Fear seemed to take over his entire body. Even though he was with Poppa, he had never been so scared.
The wind moved noisily through the trees and caused branches to bend and sway. Arlo looked at the sky. Dark storm clouds seemed to be swirling in and he started to feel even worse. “Poppa, what if we get lost?” he asked, glancing around at his strange surroundings.
But Poppa wasn’t stopping for anything. “We’ll follow the river home,” he said plainly.
BOOM!
Thunder rumbled and popped in the distance as Poppa continued to push Arlo along. “Come on,” he said.
Soon rain started to fall, and water began to fill the critter’s tracks in the mud—making them disappear.
“We’re losing it!” cried Poppa, picking up speed.
Arlo tried to keep up with him.
CRACK!
Lightning flashed, causing Arlo to whimper. The thunder was louder now and the storm was absolutely terrifying!
Trying to keep up, Arlo slipped in the mud and tumbled to the ground. “Poppa!” Arlo called. “Wait!”
Poppa turned and saw his son struggling, trembling with fear. Poppa softened. “It’s okay, Arlo. It’s okay,” he said kindly. “I’m sorry. I’ll help you through it.”
“Wh-wh-what if I just can’t—?” Arlo stammered.
“I know you can. You got it in you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re me, and more,” Poppa said, smiling.
Crack!
BOOM!
Lightening quickly flashed again, and the thunder grew even louder. The storm seemed to be right on top of them. Arlo leaned against Poppa, desperate for comfort. Poppa helped Arlo up and out of the mud. “Whaddya say we head home?” he asked.
As they started back, the ground trembled and the river swelled. Arlo could hear the ripping, crunching sound of roots coming out of the ground, and the loud thumping of trees falling against the wilderness floor in the distance.
Suddenly, Poppa’s face showed alarm and he yelled, “Run, Arlo!” He pushed Arlo up the hill with all his might, trying to get him away from the river. Arlo’s feet sank into the wet, thick mud as Poppa yelled, “Move!”
Horrified, Arlo looked up river and saw something huge and black coming toward them. The wind whipped faster, stinging Arlo’s eyes and knocking down trees so close that the sound of them hitting the ground was deafening. The thunder and lightning intensified. And Arlo froze, too terrified to move.
All at once, the river water seemed to rise to the sky and roared toward them like a monster. Using all his might, Poppa threw Arlo up to the safety of the riverbank. Arlo helplessly watched as Poppa tried to get up the hill and slipped—just as the giant wall of water hit. Arlo cried out as he watched the water swallow Poppa and sweep him away.
Arlo stared at the raging river as it became a colorless blur. The trees, the sky, and the earth beneath his feet seemed to melt away as he felt an indescribable hollowness.
Poppa was gone.
他們開(kāi)始朝山口走去。阿樂(lè)的心都提到嗓子眼了,恐懼似乎占據(jù)了他的整個(gè)身體。盡管龍爸爸就在身邊,他還是感到了前所未有的恐懼。
風(fēng)入林間,呼嘯而過(guò),樹(shù)枝被吹彎了,四下亂舞。阿樂(lè)看看天空,黑壓壓的雷雨云看似滾滾而來(lái),他感覺(jué)更糟糕了。他掃了一眼周?chē)吧沫h(huán)境問(wèn)道:“爸爸,如果我們迷路了怎么辦?”
但是龍爸爸不打算因?yàn)槿魏问露O?,而是平靜地說(shuō)道:“順著河走我們就能回家?!?
隆隆!
遠(yuǎn)處雷聲隆隆,轟然作響,龍爸爸繼續(xù)推著阿樂(lè)往前?!翱禳c(diǎn)兒?!彼f(shuō)。
很快,下起了雨,雨水淹沒(méi)了泥地里小男孩的足跡——那些足跡消失了。
“我們要跟丟了!”龍爸爸一邊喊一邊加快步伐。
阿樂(lè)努力跟上他。
噼啪!
閃電一閃,嚇得阿樂(lè)發(fā)出了嗚咽聲。此時(shí),雷聲越來(lái)越響,暴風(fēng)雨可怕極了!
為了努力跟上爸爸,阿樂(lè)滑進(jìn)了泥潭,跌倒在地上。他叫道:“爸爸!等等我!”
龍爸爸轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身,看到兒子在泥潭里掙扎,害怕地發(fā)抖。他心軟了,便和藹地說(shuō):“沒(méi)事了,阿樂(lè),沒(méi)事了。是我不好,我會(huì)幫你渡過(guò)這次難關(guān)的?!?
“如……如果我就是不行……呢?”阿樂(lè)結(jié)巴著說(shuō)。
“我知道你行的,你有這個(gè)潛力?!?
“你怎么知道?”
“因?yàn)槟闶俏业膬鹤?,而且你比我?qiáng)多了?!饼埌职中χf(shuō)。
噼啪!
隆??!
又一道閃電飛速劃過(guò),雷聲也越來(lái)越響,暴風(fēng)雨看似就在他們正上方。阿樂(lè)靠著龍爸爸,渴望得到安慰。龍爸爸將他從泥潭里拉了起來(lái)?!澳f(shuō)我們回家怎么樣?”阿樂(lè)問(wèn)道。
他們往回走的時(shí)候,大地開(kāi)始顫動(dòng),河流開(kāi)始翻涌。阿樂(lè)能聽(tīng)到樹(shù)被連根拔起時(shí),根部斷裂的嘎吱聲和遠(yuǎn)處樹(shù)被吹倒在地的重?fù)袈暋?
突然,龍爸爸的臉上露出了慌張的神色,他大聲喊道:“快跑,阿樂(lè)!”他用盡全身力氣把阿樂(lè)推上了小山,努力讓阿樂(lè)遠(yuǎn)離河流。龍爸爸大喊:“快跑!”這時(shí),阿樂(lè)的雙腳卻陷進(jìn)了厚厚的淤泥之中。
阿樂(lè)感到驚恐萬(wàn)分,抬頭看向河流,看到黑色的龐然大物正朝他們涌來(lái)。風(fēng)刮得更急了,刺痛了阿樂(lè)的雙眼,成片的樹(shù)林被刮倒,因?yàn)榘?lè)離得近,所以聲音震耳欲聾。雷聲和閃電愈演愈烈,阿樂(lè)僵住了,害怕得邁不開(kāi)步子。
突然,河水飛漲,看似要直達(dá)天際,像個(gè)怪物一樣向他們咆哮。龍爸爸用盡全身力氣,把阿樂(lè)扔到了河岸上安全的地方。河水像一面巨大的墻砸過(guò)來(lái)的時(shí)候,阿樂(lè)只能無(wú)助地看著爸爸努力爬上山又滑落下去??粗铀寻职忠豢谕滔?,又將爸爸沖走,阿樂(lè)大聲哭了起來(lái)。
咆哮的河流逐漸平靜下來(lái),阿樂(lè)盯著這一切,一種無(wú)以名狀的空洞感讓他覺(jué)得樹(shù)木、天空和腳下的大地都消失了。
爸爸沒(méi)了。
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