兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》 第三冊 Mummies in the Morning 08

8木乃伊

里面是一個真正的木乃伊。

紗布繃帶還裹著那個光光的骷髏腦袋，但臉上的大部分繃帶已經脫落了。

這就是哈特比，尼羅河王后。

她殘破的牙齒也露了出來，還有她帶著皺紋的耳朵、被壓碎的鼻子、萎縮的肉體和空洞的眼眶都露在了外面。

連包裹身體的破舊的繃帶也都快要脫落了，露出了里面的骨頭。

“哦，天啊!”安妮叫道，“咱們走吧。”

“不。”杰克說，“這多有意思啊。”

“忘了它吧!”安妮說著開始往屋外走去。

“等等，安妮。”

“來啊，杰克，快點!”安妮站在門邊喊著。

杰克拿出那本關于埃及的書，翻到了印有木乃伊圖片的一頁。他大聲讀道：

古埃及人試圖良好地保存尸體，使它能永遠保留。他們首先用鹽來干燥尸體。

“哦，別念了!”安妮說。

“你聽著。”杰克說著繼續(xù)讀道：

然后將尸體抹上油，并用繃帶緊緊包裹。腦子是要從尸體里取出來，方法是——

“哎呀!別念了!”安妮叫道，“再見吧!”

她說著沖出了房間。

“安妮!”杰克喊道，“我們得把死亡之書給她啊!”

可是安妮已經沖出了房間。

杰克把手伸進背包取出了卷軸和權杖，把它們放到了木乃伊骷髏的旁邊。

是他的想像嗎?好像有一聲深深的嘆息在房間里回響著，木乃伊的臉好像變得平靜了。

杰克一面往后退去，一面屏住了呼吸。他退出了木乃伊的房間，退出了放著木船的房間，走下了階梯。

在階梯下面，他終于長出了一口氣，放下心來。

他往走廊那頭看了看，空蕩蕩的什么也沒有。

“嘿，安妮，你在哪里啊?”他說。

沒人回答。

安妮到底在哪里呢?

杰克開始朝走廊走去。

“安妮!”他喊著。

難道她已經跑出金字塔了嗎?難道她已經在外面了嗎?

“安妮!”

“救命啊，杰克!”一聲呼喊從遠處傳來。

是安妮。可是她在哪里呢?

“救命，杰克!”

“安妮!”

杰克順著昏暗的走廊跑了起來。

“救命啊，杰克!”安妮的叫聲似乎越來越小了。

杰克停下了腳步。

他好像跑得離安妮的呼救聲越來越遠了。

“安妮!”他叫道，又回到了墓室。

“杰克!”

在那兒!她的聲音比剛才大了。

“杰克!”

聲音更大了。

杰克爬上階梯，重又回到了有木船的那個房間。

他四下里看了看，還是那些家具、樂器和那只木船。

這時他看見了另一扇門，就在他剛才經過的門旁邊。

這另一扇門也開著。

杰克沖了進去，發(fā)現自己正站在一截階梯的最上面。

這階梯和隔壁走廊里的階梯一模一樣。

杰克走進了走廊，墻上的火把照亮著四周。

這走廊也和旁邊那個走廊一模一樣。

“安妮!”他喊道。

“杰克!”

“安妮!”

“杰克!”

安妮正從走廊那頭向他跑來。

她猛地撲到杰克的懷里。

“我迷路了!”她喊道。

“我猜這是那些假通道中的一個。是用來迷惑盜墓賊的。”杰克說。

“假通道?”安妮氣喘吁吁地說。

“是啊，看上去就和正確的走廊一樣。”杰克說。“我們得回到那間有木船的房間，從右邊的門出去。”

就在這時，他們聽到一陣吱吱呀呀的聲音。

杰克和安妮回過頭去，順著階梯望上去。

門在他們恐懼眼神的注視下慢慢地合上了。

遠處傳來一陣低沉的轟隆隆的聲音，所有的火把都熄滅了。

8 The Mummy

A real mummy.

Bandages were still wrapped around the bald skull. But most of the bandages had come off the face.

It was Hutepi. Queen of the Nile.

Her broken teeth were showing.Her little wrinkled ears.Her squashed nose.Her withered flesh. Her hollow eye sockets.

Plus the rotting bandages on her body were coming off. You could see bones.

“Oh， gross!” cried Annie. “Let’s go!”

“No，” said Jack. “It’s interesting.”

“Forget it!” said Annie. She started out of the room.

“Wait， Annie.”

“Come on， Jack. Hurry!” cried Annie. She was standing by the door.

Jack pulled out the Egypt book and flipped to a picture of a mummy. He read aloud：

Ancient Egyptians tried to protect the body so it would last forever. First it was dried out with salt.

“Ugh， stop!” said Annie.

“Listen，” said Jack. He kept reading：

Next it was covered with oil. Thenit was wrapped tightly in bandages. The brain was removed by—

“Yuck!Stop!” cried Annie. “Good-bye!”

She dashed out of the room.

“Annie!” called Jack. “We have to give her the Book of the Dead!”

But Annie was gone.

Jack reached into his pack. He pulled out the scroll and the scepter. He put them next to the mummy’s skull.

Was it just his imagination?Or did a deep sigh seem to shudder throughout the room?Did the mummy’s face grow calmer?

Jack held his breath as he backed away. Out of the mummy room. Out of the boat room. Down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs， he heaved his own sigh. A sigh of relief.

He looked down the hallway. It was empty.

“Hey!Where are you?” he said.

No answer.

Where in the world was Annie?

Jack started down the hallway.

“Annie!” he called.

Had she run out of the pyramid?Was she already outside?

“Annie!”

“Help， Jack!” came a cry. The voice sounded far away.

It was Annie!Where was she?

“Help， Jack!”

“Annie!”

Jack started to run. Along the shadowy hallway.

“Help， Jack!” Her cry seemed fainter.

Jack stopped.

He was running away from her voice.

“Annie!” he called. He went back toward the burial chambers.

“Jack!”

There!Her voice was louder.

“Jack!”

Even louder!

Jack climbed the stairs. He went back into the boat room.

He looked around the room. At the furniture.The musical instruments. The boat.

Then he saw it. Another door!Right next to the door he had just come through.

The other door was open.

Jack dashed through it. He found himself at the top of some stairs.

They were just like the stairs in the other hallway.

He went down into the hallway. It was lit by torches on the wall.

It was just like the other hallway.

“Annie!” he called.

“Jack!”

“Annie!”

“Jack!”

She was running through the hallway toward him.

She crashed into him.

“I was lost!” she cried.

“I think this is one of those false passages.Built to fool the tomb robbers，” said Jack.

“A false passage?” said Annie， panting.

“Yeah， it looks just like the right hallway，” said Jack. “We have to go back into the boat room.And out the right door.”

Just then they heard a creaking noise.

Jack and Annie turned around. They looked up the stairs.

Then they watched in horror as the door slowly creaked shut.

A deep sound rumbled in the distance. And all the torches went out.