儿童英语读物 The Zombie Project CHAPTER 6 Zombie Clues

The next morning, Jessie stood over Benny. “Wake up, Benny,” said Jessie.

“It’s time for breakfast,” said Violet

Benny opened his eyes. “Violet,” said Benny. “I used your camera last night.”

“That’s okay,” said Violet. “Grandfather said it was for everyone.”

“I used it to take a video of the zombie,” said Benny.

“The zombie?” said Henry.

“Oh,” said Violet. She looked at the camera but she didn’t pick it up. She wasn’t sure she liked having pictures of a zombie in her camera. It was a bit creepy.

Benny jumped out of bed. He picked up the camera from the nightstand. “It’s right here,” he said.

Benny turned on the camera. He went back to the video of the clock on the nightstand and pressed play. “Here it is.”

Henry, Violet, and Jessie looked at the camera. They watched the light in the woods.

“See that,” said Benny. “It’s the zombie.”

“Well . . .” said Henry.

“I don’t see a zombie,” said Violet.

“It’s just a light,” said Jessie.

“Then why was the owl¹ hooting³ again?” said Benny.

“Someone was using a flashlight to go back to the cabin,” said Henry.

“We used a flashlight last night, too,” said Jessie.

“But Maude said there wasn’t a trail to the cabins back there. And the owl didn’t hoot² at us,” said Benny. “Something scared it.”

“Let’s look at it again,” said Henry. He went back to the clock picture. Then he turned the sound up on the camera. “Okay, here we go . . .”

Henry pressed play. They heard the owl hooting. Then the video moved from the clock to the window.

Shuuursh! Shuuursh! Shuuursh! Shuuursh!

“What is that?” asked Benny.

“It doesn’t sound like an animal,” said Henry.

“What else could it be?” said Violet.

“It must be the zombie!” said Benny.

“But that’s only a story,” said Henry. “It’s not real.”

“Let’s go out and look,” said Jessie.

“We can film the evidence,” said Violet, “even if it is scary . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“Don’t worry, Violet. We’ll be with you,” said Jessie. She put her arm around Violet.

Violet closed her eyes. “Thanks.”

After Benny got dressed, the Aldens walked out of the cabin.

“It went that way,” said Benny. He pointed⁴ at the woods behind the cabin.

“Then let’s go that way, too,” said Henry.

“This is the way to the old fishing lodge⁵,” said Jessie.

“We worked on the trail here yesterday,” said Violet.

“Look,” said Benny. He pointed at the trail up ahead. Someone had pushed back the wall of branches they had cleared from the trail.

“Someone was here last night,” said Benny.

“And they made a mess,” said Violet. “That wasn’t very nice. Someone could trip on these branches.” The branches the children had neatly⁶ stacked on the side of the trail were scattered⁷ everywhere.

“What happened here?” said Jessie. She pointed at the ground. The dirt and grass were flattened⁸. It looked as if something long and heavy had been dragged along the ground.

Benny looked at the flat area. It was as wide as a human body. “The zombie must have captured someone here,” said Benny. “Then he dragged them away.”

“Look at this,” said Violet. There were clumps⁹ of uprooted¹⁰ grass and scuffs¹¹ along the ground. “It looks like someone was kicking the ground. But why? What is going on?”

“Someone was fighting the zombie,” said Benny. “They were trying to get away.”

“There must be another explanation for this,” said Henry.

“I hope so,” said Violet. ‘I don’t want to see any zombies.” She looked around nervously¹² at the woods.

Benny bent¹³ down. He picked up a small piece of wood. It fit in the palm of his hand. “Look at this.”

Benny showed the small wooden stake to Henry, Jessie, and Violet. The end was sharp and pointed, but the top was almost flat. It looked like a nail.

Violet filmed the small wooden stake in Benny’s hand. Then she moved the camera to film the area behind Benny.

“I see two more,” said Violet. “They’re right behind you, Benny.”

Benny turned around. He picked them up.

“The zombie must have come out of his coffin¹⁴,” said Benny.

“Do you think these are coffin nails?” asked Jessie.

Benny nodded his head. What else could they be?

“These look familiar, but I’m not sure what they are,” said Henry. Then he put the three small wooden nails in his pocket. “We have to fix up the trail again,” he said.

“Can we do it after breakfast?” said Benny. “I’m hungry.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Jessie.

Henry patted the wooden nails in his pocket. “But don’t tell anyone about this,” he said. “We don’t want Maude to worry. We’ll come back and make it good as new after breakfast.”

“I’m worried,” said Violet. “What do you think is happening?”

“Someone was out in the woods at night,” said Jessie.

“Maude mentioned that at breakfast yesterday,” said Henry.

“She did?” said Benny.

“Not in so many words,” said Jessie. “After you told her about seeing the light, she said, ‘Not again.’ Then she went into the kitchen for a minute.”

“But what does that mean?” asked Benny.

“Do you think someone is trying to scare the guests away?” asked Jessie.

“Maude did say that business has been slow,” said Henry.

“But what does that have to do with a light in the woods?” said Henry. He tapped his pocket. “And these wooden nails?”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Violet.

“Do you think another lodge is trying to shut this one down?” asked Jessie.

“Maybe,” said Henry. “But the Hansen family has lived here for years.”

“And Maude is a nice person,” said Benny.

“Yes, she is,” said Violet. “That can’t be it.”

“Do you think it’s the teens?” asked Jessie.

“Maybe,” said Violet. “Caleb and Abby weren’t by the fire pit when we heard the noise in the woods.”

“And the sound I filmed was different,” said Benny.

“Do you think that Madison is trying to make a big story for her blog?” asked Violet.

“She did say it was a big scoop,” said Henry.

“And she wanted to put it in the paper, too,” said Benny.

“We’ll keep quiet about this until we know more,” said Jessie. “Can you do that, Benny?”

“I won’t tell anyone,” said Benny. “I promise.” He crossed his heart with his hand.

“Good,” said Henry. “Let’s go to breakfast.”

The Aldens walked down the trail and into the main lodge. No one was there but Maude.

“Good morning,” said Maude. “Are you ready for some pancakes?”

“Oh, yes,” said Benny, “I have to eat a big breakfast so I can . . .”

Benny stopped and looked at Henry.

Henry shook his head.

“Can what?” said Maude as she poured the pancake batter¹⁵ on the griddle.

“Uh . . . so I can . . .” Benny stopped again.

Jessie leaned over and whispered in Benny’s ear.

“So I can take a long walk on the trail,” said Benny. He looked nervously at Maude, but Maude didn’t look up.

“It’s a fine day for a walk on the trail,” said Maude. She turned over the pancakes. “I can walk for miles on a day like this.”

Benny leaned over and whispered to Henry. “What if she sees the mess on the trail?”

Henry whispered back. “She has to make breakfast for everyone at the lodge first. We can fix it up while she is busy cooking.”

“We’ll have to work fast,” said Benny.

“We will,” said Henry.

Maude put the pancakes onto four plates. Then she turned and put the plates on the counter. “Come and get it!”

“Thanks!” said Benny. He walked over and picked up his plate.

Two plates of pancakes later, Benny was back in the toolshed behind the lodge. Henry put the tools they needed into the wheelbarrow.

“Henry, why does she have two kinds of rakes?” asked Benny. Henry knew all about tools.

“These rakes with the long tines are for raking leaves,” said Henry. “We’ll use those to move the leaves off the trail.”

Benny followed as Henry pushed the wheelbarrow out of the toolshed. “But what about the other rakes?”

“These are garden rakes,” said Henry. “They have short tines for moving dirt. We’ll use them to smooth out the dirt on the trail.”

Soon the Aldens reached the spot where the trail was torn up.

“Why did the zombie do this last night?” said Benny.

“I don’t think a zombie did this,” said Henry.

“But it happened at night this time,” said Benny. “It must have been a zombie.”

“I hope not,” said Violet. “I don’t want to see a zombie.” She shivered.

“Lots of creatures come out at night in the woods,” said Jessie. She moved a branch back to the edge of the trail.

Benny looked at the woods around him. “If it wasn’t a zombie, then what was it?”

“Jessie’s right,” said Henry. “It could have been a squirrel or a raccoon or even a skunk¹⁶.”

“A skunk,” said Benny. He held his nose. “I don’t want to find a skunk!”

“Neither do I,” said Violet. She waved her hand in front of her nose.

The Aldens looked at each other and then they started laughing.

“The woods are full of surprises,” said Jessie.

“Let’s get back to work,” said Henry.

Henry, Jessie, and Violet carried more branches to the edge of the trail. Benny smoothed out the dirt.

Click! Click! Click! Violet heard something behind her. What was that? She quickly turned around. Oh. It was only the reporter and her camera. No need to worry.

“Did you think the zombie came out here last night?” said Madison. She snapped pictures of the torn-up ground.

Benny looked at Madison. How did she know he thought it was a zombie?

Benny looked Henry, but Henry shook his head. Benny remembered his promise. He didn’t say a word.

“Look at how the grass and the dirt are flattened here,” said Madison. “The zombie must have dragged a body here last night. I think this looks like the work of the Winding¹⁷ River Zombie,” said Madison. “I was hoping to see it while I was here.”

She walked to the edge of the trail and snapped another picture. “I must put this on my blog,” said Madison. Then she turned and started walking back to the main lodge.

“I knew they would find it first,” Madison said to herself as she walked away.

The Aldens waited until Madison was out of sight.

“Did you hear that?” asked Benny.

“Do you think Madison did this?” asked Violet. “Why would she?”

“So she has something to write on her blog,” said Henry.

“And in the paper,” said Jessie.

“Let’s get to work,” said Henry, “and clean this up before anyone else comes.”

Jessie and Violet carried the rest of the branches to the edges of the trail. Then they raked the leaves and small branches over to the side.

When they were done, Benny put his rake into the wheelbarrow. Then he looked at the trail. “That looks much better.”

“It certainly does,” said Henry. “Now let’s put our tools away.”

Violet and Jessie put their rakes into the wheelbarrow. Henry pushed the wheel-barrow back to the toolshed and put the rakes away.

Dong! Dong!

“It’s time for lunch!” said Benny.

The Aldens walked to the front of the lodge and went inside.

“There’s Madison,” said Jessie.

Madison was sitting at a table talking to some other guests. After the Aldens sat down, Madison stood up and came over. “Any more zombie sightings?” asked Madison.

“We didn’t see any zombies,” said Henry.

“If you see anything strange, be sure to let me know,” said Madison.

“Okay,” said Henry. He touched his pocket. The three small wooden nails were still in there.

“Thanks,” said Madison and she walked back to the other table.

Henry leaned over and whispered, “Do you think Madison planted these little sticks so we would find them?”

“I don’t know,” replied Jessie. “Something strange is going on.”

Violet nodded her head. Yes, it was all very strange and upsetting, too. What if Benny was right? What if there really was a zombie?
 

1 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

2 hoot   

n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭

参考例句：

• The sudden hoot of a whistle broke into my thoughts.突然响起的汽笛声打断了我的思路。
• In a string of shrill hoot of the horn sound,he quickly ran to her.在一串尖声鸣叫的喇叭声中，他快速地跑向她。

3 hooting   

（使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩

参考例句：

• He had the audience hooting with laughter . 他令观众哄堂大笑。
• The owl was hooting. 猫头鹰在叫。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

6 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

7 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

8 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

9 clumps   

n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了，剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 scuffs   

v.使磨损( scuff的第三人称单数 )；拖着脚走

参考例句：

• These covers would not shine like paint, but they absorbed scuffs and scrapes with less notice. 这些包括不亮如漆，但他们吸收较少通知scuffs和擦伤。 来自互联网

12 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

13 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

14 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

15 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

16 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

17 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。