登上山顶

我是里亚。

This is Ria.

欢迎来到《给小小人的小故事》。

Welcome to Little Stories for Tiny People.

我爱山峦。

I love the mountains.

登上山顶的感觉，是其他任何事物都无法比拟的。

There's something about reaching the top of a mountain that is unlike anything else.

这个故事讲的就是这个。

That's what this story is about.

故事的主角是松鼠基普，我们曾在《林中漫步》中第一次见到他。

It features Kip, the squirrel we first met in A Walk in the Woods.

他又回来开启新的冒险了。

He's back for another adventure.

所以，裹紧你的毯子吧。

So snuggle up with your blanket.

紧紧抱着，别让熊抢走了。

Hold it close so a bear cannot snatch it away.

不好意思。

Excuse me.

我们的故事叫《登顶高峰》。

Our story is called To the Mountain's Peak.

交给凯娅和凯登吧。

Take it away, Kaiya and Kaden.

记住，没有图片。

Remember, there are no pictures.

你需要在脑海中想象画面。

You have to imagine the pictures in your mind.

你可以任意想象这些画面。

You can imagine them however you want.

好了，我们开始吧。

Okay, here we go.

当基普决定前往山顶时，正是深夜。

It was the middle of the night when Kip decided to venture to the mountain's peak.

他以前从未爬过那里。

He had never hiked up there before.

他需要收集食物、修理树木，还要为几周后即将举行的《春天来了，歌声响起》节日练习音乐曲目。

There was food to be gathered, tree repairs to be finished, and musical arrangements to be practiced for the upcoming Here Come Spring, Here It Sing festival in a few weeks.

但基普是一只认真负责的松鼠，他储存了不少坚果。

But Kip, a conscientious squirrel, had a nice store of nuts.

他的树状况尚可，而且他已经专心练习长号好几个月了。

His tree was in passable condition, and he'd been practicing his tuba devotedly for months.

自那以后，他一直听到人们讨论登顶山顶的计划，这个想法就怎么也挥之不去。

And ever since, he'd heard the people discussing their plans to reach the mountain's peak, Kip couldn't seem to chase the idea from his mind.

那是几周前的事了。

It was weeks ago.

森林里还残留着冬日的寒意，而基普正忙着修理他的邮箱。

The chill of winter in the forest still clung to the trees, and Kip had been busily fixing his mailbox.

前一天晚上，一场风暴席卷了森林，导致邮箱一侧的钉子松动，邮箱因此悬垂着，无法容纳基普每周收到的大量信件。

A storm had rambled through the woods a day earlier, and the nail holding one side of the mailbox came loose, leaving it dangling, incapable of holding the many letters Kip received each week.

一大早，他正在外面修理邮箱时，听到了森林里 unmistakable 的脚步声。

He was outside fixing it first thing in the morning when he heard the unmistakable footfalls of people in the forest.

比这更不在乎森林里是否有人察觉到自己到来的，只有熊了。

The only creatures less concerned about the forest knowing they were coming were bears.

熊迈着沉重的脚步，不停地哼哼，向所有人宣告自己的到来，迫使所有生物赶紧藏起自己的毯子，以免被熊抢走。

Bears with their lumbering paw steps and their incessant grunting signaled their arrival to everyone and prompted all creatures to quickly hide their blankets from the bear's clutches.

当基普练习长号时，熊制造的喧闹让他极其分心。

The commotion a bear created was enormously distracting when Kip was trying to practice his tuba.

人类几乎同样吵闹。

People were nearly as loud.

他们大摇大摆地穿过森林，仿佛这片土地是他们的一样。

They plodded through the forest like they owned the place.

有时，基普观察到他们轻手轻脚地行走，试图隐藏自己。

Sometimes, Kip observed them walking lightly, attempting to conceal themselves.

这让基普觉得很好笑。

This was a source of amusement for Kip.

即使没有他们沉重的脚步声，他也能在半英里外就闻到他们的气味。

Even without their trudging, he could smell them coming a half mile away.

基普正拿着螺丝刀修理邮箱时，两群人从附近经过。

Kip had been at work on the mailbox fiddling with his screwdriver when two pairs of people crossed paths nearby.

为了保持敏锐的本能，他像往常一样在心里演练：如果有人朝他扑来，挥着他们那可笑的爪子，他会迅速咬住对方的脚踝，抓挠前臂，必要时跳上肩膀，对着他们大喊‘我们要冲上山顶了’。

As he frequently did to keep his instincts sharp, He mentally rehearsed how he'd deal with one of the humans coming at him with one of their silly paws, a swift bite to the ankle, a scratch at the forearm, and if need be, a leap onto the shoulder and a shriek into the we're headed to the peak.

基普的耳朵竖了起来。

Kip's ears perked up.

他瞥了那些人一眼，发现他们正在交谈。

He glanced at the people and saw they were having one of their conversations.

他喜欢听他们说话，只是为了弄清楚他们在干什么。

He liked to listen just to see what they were up to.

他们总是大声宣告自己的每一个举动，这真奇怪。

It was strange how they announced all of their movements.

其他生物不会这样。

Other creatures didn't do this.

尤其是小型林地生物，都会把计划藏得很紧。

Woodland creatures, especially small ones, kept their plans close to their vests.

如果它们没穿背心，就会把计划藏在毛发里。

If they weren't wearing vests, they'd keep them close to their fur.

但人类呢？

But people?

哦，他们特别喜欢提前透露自己的计划。

Oh, they loved to telegraph their plans.

我正在做这件事。

I'm doing this.

我要去那里。

I'm going here.

我要带我的狗去水疗中心过一天。

I'm taking my dog for a day at the spa.

他们好像根本不介意谁听说了，基普心里想着。

It's like they don't even care who knows, Kip thought to himself.

他继续听下去。

He went back to listening.

哦，我们还没去过那里。

Oh, we haven't been up there yet.

听起来挺远的。

Seems like quite a hike.

山顶有多高？

What's the summit?

一万一千英尺？

11,000 feet?

一万二。

12.

听起来像是一次冒险。

Sounds like an adventure.

好好享受。

Enjoy.

谢谢。

Thanks.

保重。

Take care.

基普看着两对人各自分开，他们的脚步声在他耳边回响，随后渐渐变弱。

Kip watched as the two pairs of people parted ways, their footfalls echoing in his ears then growing faint.

山顶，顶峰，这究竟意味着什么？

The peak, the summit, what did it mean?

在他年轻的时候，基普不会仔细听别人之间的对话。

There was a time in his younger days when Kip would not have listened closely to a conversation amongst people.

但自从几年前他了解到，人们走进树林散步根本没有什么特别的原因，事实上，就是为了散步而散步。

But ever since he learned, a few years back, that people took walks in the woods for no particular reason at all, in fact, took them just because.

他开始留心倾听。

He'd paid attention.

根据人们的热情，他自己也去树林里散步了。

Based on the people's enthusiasm, he himself had taken a walk in the woods.

这改变了他的人生。

It had changed his life.

从那以后，他又进行了许多次纯粹因为喜欢的散步。

Since then, he had taken many more just because walks.

尽管他认为人们是相当愚蠢、笨拙的生物，但他现在明白他们确实有一些智慧可以分享。

And though he did find people to be rather silly, ungraceful creatures, he now understood they did have some wisdom to share.

而他们又来了，把一些想法种进了他小小的心里——山顶、峰顶。

And here they were again, planting ideas in his little mind, the peak, the summit.

基普隐约觉得这些话指的是山顶。

Kip had the vague idea that these words referred to the top of the mountain.

他从未去过那里。

He had never been there.

那里离得挺远的。

It was a distance away.

他知道他住在一座山的山脚下。

He knew he lived at the base of a mountain.

他观察到水流向下奔涌，形成小瀑布，最终汇入一个整洁的蓄水池，基普就在那里取水。

He'd observed water flowing downward, streaming into tiny waterfalls, and eventually into a tidy reservoir where Kip collected his water.

山上生活着各种动物，比如狮子、山羊，还有擅长在崎岖地形中行走的生物。

There were mountain animals lions, goats, creatures that were skilled at traversing craggy terrain.

山上的生活无处不在，但基普从未多想过这座山的山顶。

Mountain life was all around him, but Kip had not thought too much about the mountain's peak.

基普在工作时通常是一个人。

Kip was usually alone as he went about his work.

有时候，虽然如果你问他，他绝不会承认，但他确实会自言自语，只是为了理清思绪。

And sometimes, though he would never admit it to you if you asked, sometimes he talked to himself just to think things through.

山顶一定有什么特别之处，某种让它与其他地方不同的东西。

There must be something special about the mountain's peak, something about it that's different from the rest of the mountain.

但那会是什么呢？

But what could it be?

那天早上，基普在修理邮箱时，反复思考着这个问题。

Kip turned this over in his mind that morning as he fixed his mailbox.

修好后，他测试了一下，打开又关上那个小门。

When he was done, he tested it, opening and closing the tiny door.

准备好接收信件了，他自言自语地微笑着。

All ready for letters, he said, smiling to himself.

接下来的几周里，随着寒冬的凛冽逐渐让位于春天的舒缓，基普的思绪不断回到关于山峰的疑问上。

Over the next few weeks, as the sharpness of winter gave way to the ease of spring, Kip's mind kept circling back to the question of the mountain's peak.

于是，在某天夜里，当他入睡时，他的大脑在梦中再次提出了这个问题。

And so it happened that one night, as he slept, his mind brought the issue up once more within a dream.

这个梦飘渺而模糊。

The dream was ethereal and fuzzy.

梦中没有任何情节。

There was no storyline to it.

但当基普在半夜惊醒，从床上坐起来时，他清楚地知道这个梦想告诉他什么，以及接下来该做什么。

But when Kip woke from it in the middle of the night, sitting up in his little bed, he knew exactly what the dream was about and what he would have to do next.

我将前往山巅，”他在黑暗中轻声对自己说。

I will venture to the mountain's peak, he whispered to himself in the dark.

黎明时分，基普穿上他最喜欢的格子裤，背上一个小包，装了些水和一些种子，便走进了树林。

At dawn, Kip put on his favorite plaid pants, packed a small satchel with some water and some seeds, and set out into the woods.

没过多久，他就意识到自己根本不知道该如何到达山巅。

It wasn't long before he realized he had no idea how to reach the mountain's peak.

在基普为这次冒险做准备时，这看起来似乎再简单不过了。

It had seemed simple enough as Kip had readied himself for the adventure.

只要一直向上走，就一定能到达山顶。

If he moved in an upwards fashion, he'd be bound to reach the summit.

但随着他前行，地形似乎时而上升，时而平缓，有时甚至又向下延伸。

But as he went, it seemed as though the terrain moved upwards, then leveled off, and sometimes traveled back down.

如果我最终到了错误的地方怎么办？

What if I end up in the wrong place?

他心想。

He wondered.

基普决定向路上的生物求助，尽管这意味着他必须透露自己的计划。

Kip decided to ask creatures along his way despite it meaning he'd have to reveal his plans.

他遇到一只蟾蜍，静止地坐在一块石头上，看起来像一尊雕像。

He encountered a toad sitting so still on a rock, it looked like a statue.

基普差点就从它面前走过。

Kip nearly walked right past it.

除了完全静止外，这只蟾蜍的颜色和石头一模一样。

In addition to being completely still, the toad was the precise color of the rock.

它不是雕像的唯一证据是，每隔一会儿，蟾蜍就会眨一下眼睛。

The only evidence it was not a statue was that every now and then, the toad blinked its eyes.

眨眼的速度太快了，基普以为自己可能看错了。

The blinks were so swift, Kip thought he might have imagined them.

不错的伪装，”基普在蟾蜍面前停下来说。

Nice camouflage, Kip said, coming to a stop before the toad.

伪装。

Camouflage.

是的，蟾蜍回答道。

Yes, the toad replied.

太阳还没完全升起，森林依旧昏暗灰蒙。

The sun was not quite up, and the forest was still dark and gray.

因此，这只蟾蜍不仅靠体色隐藏，还借助了光线的不足。

So the toad was concealed not just by his coloring, but by the lack of light.

你知道去山顶的路吗？

Do you know the way to the mountain's peak?

山顶。

The mountain's peak.

是的。

Yes.

你知道路吗？

Do you know the way?

路。

The way.

基普仔细打量着那只蟾蜍。

Kip peered at the toad.

他突然想起，蟾蜍以难以捉摸著称。

He remembered just then toads were known for being inscrutable.

这大概不是问路的最佳生物。

This was probably not the best creature to ask for directions.

你去过山峰吗？

Have you ever been to the mountain's peak?

基普问道，还不愿放弃。

Kip asked, not ready to give up.

蟾蜍眨了眨它那双大眼睛。

The toad blinked its big eyes.

它一动不动。

It remained completely still.

山峰，蟾蜍重复道。

The mountain's peak, the toad repeated.

是的。

Yes.

山顶。

The summit.

你知道路吗？

Do you know the way?

路嘛，青蛙开始说，眼睛睁得比以往都大，就是往上，青蛙说完。

The way, the toad began, its eyes wider than ever, is up, the toad finished.

它紧紧闭上眼睛，完全融入环境，仿佛在说：我们谈完了。

It closed its eyes tightly, camouflaging himself fully as if to say, we are done.

基普明白了意思，道了声再见。

Kip took the hint and said goodbye Bye.

然后跑进了树林。

And scampered into the Woods.

路就是往上，他自言自语道。

The way is up, he muttered to himself.

蟾蜍并没有错。

The toad wasn't wrong.

基普最终找到了一条似乎持续向上延伸的山路。

Kip eventually found a path that seemed to consistently travel up the mountain.

太阳升过树梢，森林沐浴在清晨的阳光中。

The sun lifted above the trees, and the forest was bathed in early morning light.

昼行的生物从洞穴和巢穴中爬了出来。

Day creatures crept from their burrows and nests.

基普留意着头顶的猛禽。

Kip watched for birds of prey above.

你好，一个声音从灌木丛后传来。

Hello, came a voice from behind a shrub.

基普吓了一跳，但努力掩饰了这一点。

Kip was startled but tried to hide it.

一只高大的松鼠出现了。

A tall squirrel emerged.

这只松鼠穿着和基普相似的格子裤。

The squirrel was wearing plaid pants similar to Kip's.

这只高大的松鼠似乎注意到了裤子的关联，但两人都没有提起。

The tall squirrel seemed to notice the pants connection, but neither of them mentioned it.

这是我的地盘，

This is my territory, the squirrel said, peering at Kip.

哦，天哪。

Oh, dear.

有些松鼠非常具有领地意识。

Some squirrels are highly territorial.

基普尽量避开它们，因为它们可能具有攻击性。

Kip tried to avoid them as they could be aggressive.

我不是在收集食物。

I'm not gathering food.

真的吗？

Really?

我正在徒步前往山顶。

I'm hiking to the mountain's peak.

那只高大的松鼠皱起了眉头，既困惑又觉得好笑。

The tall squirrel wrinkled his brow in equal parts befuddlement and amusement.

真的吗？

Really?

是的。

Yes.

那只高大的松鼠转头看向山顶的方向。

The tall squirrel turned its head in the direction of the summit.

他嗅了嗅空气。

He sniffed the air.

我不建议你这么做。

I wouldn't recommend that.

风要来了。

The winds are coming.

基普皱起了眉头。

Kip frowned.

他也闻了闻空气。

He sniffed the air too.

在我看来不像，他低声说道。

Doesn't seem like it to me, he murmured.

但事实上，他也说不准。

But in truth, he couldn't tell.

如果风真的来了，那可能是个问题。

And if the winds did come, that could be a problem.

哦，风就要来了。

Oh, they're coming.

你最好赶紧回家。

You'd better head on home.

基普不得不离开这只 squirrels，管它有没有风。

Kip had to move away from this squirrel winds or no winds.

他继续前行，当远离了那只高大松鼠的领地时，感到松了一口气。

He trudged on feeling relieved when he was well out of the tall squirrel's territory.

他继续向山上走去。

He continued up the mountain.

但那只松鼠说得对。

But the squirrel was right.

风真的来了。

The winds did come.

基普感到很尴尬，因为他竟然没有察觉到风的到来。

Kip felt embarrassed he hadn't sensed them.

他很高兴自己不必听到那只高大松鼠幸灾乐祸。

He was glad he didn't have to hear the tall squirrel gloat.

风势强劲而猛烈。

The winds were powerful and blustery.

在几分钟里，基普被牢牢地压在一棵大树上，用他微小的爪子紧紧抓住树干，以免被风吹走。

And for a few minutes, Kip was pinned to a large tree, holding onto it with his tiny claws so as to not be blown away.

他设法爬上了高高的树，在树冠下找到了庇护。

He managed to scrabble up the lofty tree and find refuge under its canopy.

风来了。

The winds came.

当风来临时，很难预料它们会持续多久。

When the winds came, it was unpredictable how long they would last.

基普想起了很久以前风持续了三天的那个时候。

Kip's mind went to a long ago time when the winds lasted for three days.

他想知道，如果那种情况再次发生，自己该怎么办。

He wondered what he'd do if that happened again.

他努力将这个念头从脑海中赶走。

With effort, he pushed the thought from his mind.

当他环顾四周，调整方向，安顿在临时休息处时，发现有一束微光从他肩头上方的一片大叶子中透进来。

As he glanced around getting his bearings, settling into his temporary resting spot, he saw a pinprick of light coming through a large leaf just over his shoulder.

他把眼睛凑到那个小孔前，朝外望去。

He put his eye up against the opening and peered through.

他身处极高的地方，旅程已经走了很远。

He was very high up and he had come far in his journey.

当他透过树叶上的洞往外看时，完美地看到了山顶。

When he peered through the hole in the leaf, he had a perfect view of the mountain's summit.

山顶，他轻声对自己说。

The peak, he whispered to himself.

那真是一番壮丽的景象——一块裸露的岩石，上方除了天空别无他物。

It was quite a sight, a rocky outcropping with nothing above it except sky.

基普心中涌起一阵兴奋，想象着坐在那些岩石上远眺会是什么感觉。

Kip felt excitement build within him and wondered what it would be like to sit atop those rocks and look out.

基普凝视着那片树叶许久，不知不觉忘记了时间，直到他注意到一切突然安静下来。

Kip stared through the leaf for a while, losing track of time, until he noticed everything had become still.

风停了。

The winds were gone.

基普推测已经过去了两个小时，因为太阳已经升得更高了，他正从橡树上悄悄爬下来。

Kip guessed two hours had passed as the sun was much higher in the sky as he crept down from the oak tree.

他喝了一口水，把一些种子扔进嘴里。

He took a sip of water and tossed some seeds in his mouth.

然后他朝着山顶出发了。

Then he set off towards the peak.

接下来的几个小时非常艰难。

The next few hours were challenging.

基普花了相当长的时间在树与树之间跳跃，因为这比在地上奔跑要快。

Kip spent a good portion of them leaping from tree to tree as it was quicker than scampering along the ground.

随着海拔升高，空气变得凉爽而稀薄。

As he gained elevation, the air cooled and became thin.

当基普在松树下一块平坦的岩石上停下来休息时，已是下午晚些时候。

It was late afternoon when Kip stopped in the flat spot of a boulder beneath a pine tree to take a rest.

从他的高处，基普可以眺望远方，看到地面优美的下坡，让他意识到自己已经走了多远。

From his perch, Kip could look out and see the lovely downward slope of the ground, showing him how far he'd come.

当他休息并让自己适应海拔时，他感到脖子上的毛发竖了起来。

As he rested, allowing himself to adjust to the altitude, he felt the fur on his neck stand up.

他感觉到有人在盯着他。

He sensed he was being watched.

他的耳朵竖了起来。

His ears perked up.

他环顾四周，眼睛睁得大大的。

He glanced around, eyes wide.

他确实被人盯着。

He was being watched.

那只是一只巨大而阴森的乌鸦。

There was an enormous, ominous looking crow.

它正专注地盯着他，头歪向一侧。

It was watching him intently, its head cocked to one side.

基普知道，幸好只是只乌鸦，而不是鹰或大型猫科动物，这让他松了口气。

Kip knew he should be relieved it was only a crow and not a hawk or a big cat.

他更仔细地看了看。

He looked closer.

那只鸟用一双小眼睛死死盯着他。

The bird fixed a beady eye on him.

那不是乌鸦。

It was not a crow.

那是一只黑鸟。

It was a grackle.

基普感到一股寒意从尾巴窜过。

Kip felt a shiver run through his tail.

虽然黑鸟比乌鸦小，但总是让他毛骨悚然。

Though grackles were smaller than crows, they always gave him the creeps.

就是它们看他的眼神，好像他是一顿可口的美餐。

It was the way they looked at him, like he might make a tasty meal.

它们还有那种刺耳的叫声，能让松鼠的牙齿发酸。

They also had the kind of grating call that could set a squirrel's teeth on edge.

就在那一刻，基普听到了森林中有什么庞然大物正拖着沉重的脚步走来。

At that very moment, Kip heard lumbering steps of something big moving through the forest.

被乌鸦那冰冷的目光分散了注意力，Kip在那生物从树林中现身前，无法分辨它是熊还是人。

Distracted by the grackle stony glare, Kip couldn't work out whether it was a bear or a human before the creature emerged from the trees.

是两个人。

It was two people.

他们经过时并没有注意到Kip或那只乌鸦。

They didn't notice Kip or the Grackle as they passed.

他们来得快，去得也快。

They were gone as quickly as they'd come.

魔力靴子，乌鸦喃喃道。

Enchanted boots, the Grackle murmured.

什么？

Excuse me?

Kip说道。

Kip said.

哦

Oh,

我刚才说出口了吗？

did I say that out loud?

渡鸦说道，没有看基普。

The Grackle said, not looking

看着基普。

at Kip.

那些人类穿着魔法靴子。

The humans were wearing enchanted boots.

魔法？

Enchanted?

你什么意思？

What do you mean?

基普说道，很高兴渡鸦不再盯着他。

Kip said, glad the Grackle was no longer staring at

他。

him.

魔法的，没错。

Enchanted, yes.

他们穿着魔法靴子。

They wear magical boots.

人类是脆弱的生物。

Humans are weak creatures.

他们的脚掌很容易疲劳。

Their foot paws tire easily.

几分钟内，他们就会穿上魔法靴子，以便能够长途旅行。

Within minutes, they wear enchanted boots to allow them to travel long distances.

基普持怀疑态度，但没有说出口。

Kip was skeptical, but kept it to himself.

你怎么会知道这些？

How do you

知道这些？

know about this?

乌鸦盯着基普，用它那锐利的小眼睛，基普又一次感到后颈一阵发麻。

The grackle fixed a beady eye on Kip, and once again, he felt a prickle on his neck.

你应该来参加我的一次研讨会。

You should come to one of my seminars.

研讨会？

Seminars?

我是研究人类行为的专家。

I'm an expert on human behavior.

我会就各种与人类相关的主题进行演讲。

I give talks on different human related topics.

我将在下周三举办一场讲座。

I'll be hosting a talk this coming Wednesday.

主题是人类发型

It's about the connection between human haircuts

与月相之间的联系。

and the phases of the moon.

我的研讨会准时在下午7点13分开始，07:13。

My seminars begin promptly at seven, thirteen PM, 07:13.

我会好好考虑一下。

I'll I'll think about it.

嘿。

Hey.

我打算去山峰。

I'm heading to the Mountains Peak.

你对那里了解多少？

Do you know much about it?

山的顶峰？

The mountain's peak?

是的。

Yes.

我想你会对这个感兴趣的。

I suppose it would interest you.

基普皱了皱眉。

Kip furrowed a brow.

与广阔的天空相比，山峰算不了什么。

The mountain's peak is nothing compared to the open sky.

黑鸟抬头望着云朵。

The Grackle gazed upward at the clouds.

但那是你最接近它的时候了。

But it is the closest you'll ever get.

说完，黑鸟展开翅膀，飞向空中。

And with that, the grackle spread its wings and lifted into the air.

在他消失之前，基普听见他说：来参加我的研讨会吧。

Before he was out of sight, Kip heard him say, come to my seminar.

会有柠檬饼干。

There will be lemon cookies.

基普摇摇头，笑着看着黑鸟消失在蓝天中。

Kip shook his head and chuckled, watching the grackle disappear into the blue.

他直到那只傲慢的鸟不再眼前时，才意识到自己有多紧张。

He hadn't realized how tense he'd been with the imperious bird glaring at him until he was no longer there.

似乎那只乌鸦的意思是想让人忽视山峰的吸引力。

It seemed as though the grackle had meant to dismiss the allure of the mountain's peak.

但基普专注于那句话：‘这是你这辈子最接近的机会了。’

But Kip focused on the words, it's the closest you'll ever get.

只要他继续前进，就能接近那片开阔的天空。

He could get close to the open sky if only he kept going.

他合上小挎包的盖子，从巨石上爬了下来。

He closed the flap on his little satchel and climbed down from the boulder.

当基普接近山顶时，地面变得越来越崎岖，地形也越来越陡峭。

As Kip neared the peak, the ground grew rockier, the terrain steeper.

太阳渐渐西沉，他担心如果赶不上日落前到达，就无法领略山顶的美景。

The sun dipped low, and he worried that if he did not make it before sundown, he wouldn't experience the beauty of the mountaintop.

他将无法眺望远方，看到那些景象。

He wouldn't be able to see out and and what.

他不确定外面会看到什么，会经历什么。

He wasn't sure what he'd see out there, what he'd experience.

他跑得更快了，跳进树丛，朝着目标荡去。

He scampered faster, leaping into the trees and swinging towards his goal.

他赶上了，正好赶上日落。

He made it, just in time for sunset.

基普又走了几步爪子的距离，终于站在了那块嶙峋的岩突上。

Kip stepped a few more paw steps, and there he was on the craggy outcropping.

当基普透过那片大叶子看到那块岩石突起时，他曾想象过站在上面的感觉。

When Kip had spied that rocky outcropping through the big leaf, he'd imagined what it would feel like to stand on it.

他想象自己会感到高高在上，无比宏大。

He'd imagined feeling aloft, enormous.

他想象那种感觉会让他觉得自己变得巨大，大得像整座山一样。

He'd imagined the feeling it would give him of being big, big as the mountain itself.

但那并不是真的。

But that wasn't it.

完全不是。

Not at all.

基普站在山顶眺望，眼睛渐渐湿润了。

Kip felt his eyes become misty as he looked out from the summit.

他不仅能看见这座山本身，还能看见远处的山谷。

He could see not only the mountain itself but the valley beyond.

再往远处，他能看到——确切地说，他看到的仿佛无边无际。

And beyond that, he could see well, he could see for what felt like forever.

在远方，还有更多的山峦。

Out in the distance, there were more mountains.

那些是他从未能想象出来的山。

Mountains he could have never dreamed up.

它们层层叠叠，呈现出各种紫色调，被落日染上了色彩。

They appeared in layers, all in shades of purple, colored by the sunset.

它们看起来就像被画在天空上一样。

It looked as though they were painted against the sky.

但基普知道它们是真实的。

But Kip knew they were real.

它们是那些他永远无法到达的遥远土地。

They were distant lands he would never visit.

这就是山顶的馈赠。

That was the gift of the mountaintop.

不是感到自己伟大，而是看到世界的浩瀚、荒野的辽阔，它如何一直延伸到无尽的未知远方。

Not feeling big, but seeing the bigness, the vastness of the world, of the wilderness, how it continued on forever into the unknown distance.

基普的一生都在落叶、橡果和青草中度过。

Kip's life was spent among leaves, acorns, grasses.

树木是他所遇到的最大的事物。

Trees were the biggest things he encountered.

他很渺小。

He was small.

他把目光聚焦在微小的事物上。

He focused his eyes on small things.

但在这里，他连远处一棵树上的一片叶子都看不清，更别说橡果了。

But up here, he could not make out a single leaf, let alone an acorn, on a distant tree.

从山顶俯瞰的广阔视野让他意识到，在这个广阔的世界里，自己是多么渺小。

The expanse of his view from the mountain's peak reminded him of how very small he was in a big, wide world.

这是一种美妙的感觉。

It was a beautiful feeling.

接着，仿佛眼前的景色忍不住要变得更加美丽，太阳落山了。

And then, as if the vista before him couldn't resist making itself even more beautiful, the sun set.

基普感到一阵战栗贯穿全身，这不是出于恐惧或寒冷，而是源于敬畏。

Kip felt a shiver run through him, not of fear or cold, but of awe.

就像他第一次在森林里散步时看到满月——那轮辉煌的圆灯照亮了整片森林——他突然意识到，这一切都不是理所当然的。

And just like on his first walk in the woods when he had seen the full moon, a glorious round lamp lighting up the forest, he was struck by the fact that none of this was guaranteed.

风可能已经刮了好几天。

The winds could have lasted for days.

他本可能被一只以搞笑为志向的山羊拦住去路。

He could have been waylaid by a mountain goat known for their aspirations to be comedians.

他可能已经困在那里好几分钟，听着一个没完没了的笑话。

He could have been stuck for whole minutes listening to an endless joke.

而他根本不会知道。

And he wouldn't have known.

他永远也不会知道自己错过了什么。

He would never have known what he had missed.

在他的一生中，这种事发生过多少次？

How many times had that happened in his life?

他有多少次只是错过了某些不可思议的东西，却从未察觉？

How many times had he just missed something incredible and never even known it?

这并不重要。

It didn't matter.

他没有错过日落。

He had not missed the sunset.

他没有错过山顶这份礼物。

He had not missed the gift of the mountain's peak.

在繁星点点的黑夜之下，基普悄悄钻到了一块岩石的弧形下方。

Under the dark night sky, speckled with stars, Kip crept beneath the curve of a rock.

那里像个浅浅的洞穴，非常适合松鼠栖身。

It served as a shallow cave, perfect for a squirrel.

他蜷缩起来，抱着自己的尾巴，凝望着天空，直到不知不觉间沉沉睡去。

He curled up, hugging his tail, and watched the sky until, without him noticing, he drifted off to sleep.

你听到那个声音了吗？

Do you hear that?

群山在召唤你。

The mountains are calling.

你最好赶紧去。

You'd better go.

但真的，没有什么比站在山巅更令人难忘的了。

But truly, there is nothing quite like being on a mountain's peak.

如果你还没去过，我希望你在日落之前能有机会去一次。

If you haven't been, I hope you get there someday before sunset.

该睡觉了。

Think it's time for bed.

《给小人物的小故事》由我，里亚·赫克托，撰写、表演并制作。

Little Stories for Tiny People is written, performed, and produced by me, Rhea Hector.

我的内部技术总监彼得·K负责管理我的网站，并将我的故事上传到互联网，供你们所有人欣赏。

My in house tech director, Peter K, runs my website and puts my Stories in the internet for all of you to enjoy.

感谢凯娅和凯登在开头提供的这条非常重要的提醒。

Thank you to Kaiya and Kaden for this super important reminder message at the beginning.

感谢我的《小故事》高级订阅用户支持本节目，让我能够继续为世界各地的孩子创作故事。

Thank you to my Little Stories Premium subscribers for supporting this show and making it possible for me to continue creating stories for children around the world.

你可以成为高级订阅用户，收听更多故事，并享受无广告的聆听体验。

You can become a Premium subscriber to hear more stories and get an ad free listening experience.

请在节目描述中找到链接，或访问 littlestoriespremium.com。

Find the link in the episode description or visit littlestoriespremium.com.

一如既往，感谢你的收听。

And thank you, as always, for listening in.