我迫切地想要離開(kāi)這所房子,但任何我想去的地方都得開(kāi)上三天的車(chē)才能到。無(wú)論如何,我還是穿上靴子,漫無(wú)目的地走下樓。我甚至沒(méi)有看看天氣,就直接套上了我的雨衣,重重地踏著步子走出門(mén)外。
It was overcast, but not raining yet. I ignored my truck and started east on foot, angling across Charlie's yard toward the ever-encroaching forest. It didn't take long till I was deep enough for the house and the road to be invisible, for the only sound to be the squish of the damp earth under my feet and the sudden cries of the jays.
天陰沉沉的,但沒(méi)在下雨。我不去理會(huì)自己的卡車(chē),徒步向東面走去,斜穿過(guò)查理的院子走向我此前從未涉足過(guò)的森林。沒(méi)花多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間我就走進(jìn)了叢林深處,走到無(wú)論是從房子里還是從馬路上都已經(jīng)看不到的地方。唯一的聲音是來(lái)自我腳下的濕土的吱嘎聲,還有突如其來(lái)的松鴉的叫聲。
There was a thin ribbon of a trail that led through the forest here, or I wouldn't risk wandering on my own like this. My sense of direction was hopeless; I could get lost in much less helpful surroundings. The trail wound deeper and deeper into the forest, mostly east as far as I could tell. It snaked around the Sitka spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples. I only vaguely knew the names of the trees around me, and all I knew was due to Charlie pointing them out to me from the cruiser window in earlier days. There were many I didn't know, and others I couldn't be sure about because they were so covered in green parasites.
一條窄窄的羊腸小道穿過(guò)密林延伸到這里,否則我不會(huì)冒著讓自己迷路的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)走到這里來(lái)。我的方向感向來(lái)讓人絕望:要是周遭有助于認(rèn)路的信息再少一點(diǎn),我就必定要迷路了。這條小徑蜿蜒著伸向密林里更深處,就我所知,總體上是一路向東延伸。它曲折著繞過(guò)一棵棵西德加云杉和鐵杉,一棵棵紫杉和楓木。我只是隱約知道自己周?chē)臉?shù)的名字,而我知道的這一切都得歸功于查理。更早些的時(shí)候,他曾在巡邏車(chē)?yán)餅槲抑赋龃巴膺@些樹(shù)的名字。這里有許多我不認(rèn)識(shí)的樹(shù),還有有一些樹(shù)我沒(méi)法確認(rèn),因?yàn)樗鼈兌几采w在了密密麻麻的綠色藤蔓植物下。