There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, who almost lived up to his name.His parents called him Eustace; Clarence, the teacher called him Scrubb.I don't know how his friends talk to him because he doesn't have any.Instead of calling his parents "Father" and "Mother," he called them Harold and Alberta.he is very Eustace liked animals, especially beetles, dead and nailed to cardboard.He loved to read, to read informative books with illustrations of barns, or fat foreign kids doing gymnastics at model schools. Eustace; Clarence dislikes his cousins, the four Pevensies - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.But he was very glad to hear that Edmund and Lucy were coming to stay for a while.Because deep down he likes to give orders and bully the weak, and though he is too weak to fight with Lucy, let alone Edmund, he knows that if he is only a guest in his own home, then There are dozens of ways to make people suffer.

① Stas sounds similar to the word "useless" in English, see below for details. Edmund and Lucy did not want to come to live with Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta at all.But there is really no way.That summer, my father was going to the United States to give lectures for sixteen weeks, and my mother was going to accompany him, because she hadn't taken a real vacation for ten years.Peter is working hard to prepare for the exam, and he will be tutored by old Professor Kirk during the holiday.Long ago, during the Great War, the four children had lived with the Kirk family and had an adventure.If Kirk still lived in that house, he would let them all live there.Somehow, however, he became poor in his old age, and now lived in a cottage with only one bedroom to spare.It would be too expensive to bring all three children to America, so only Susan was taken.The grown-ups thought she was the prettiest of the children, and she didn't do well in schoolwork (even though she was too old for her age), and her mother said she "would learn more in America than the two younger ones" .Although Edmund and Lucy tried not to envy Susan's luck, it would have been terrible to have them spend the summer at their aunt's. "It's worse for me, though," said Edmund, "for at least you've got a room to yourself, and I'll have to share a bedroom with Eustace, the ever-dreading nuisance."

The story of this book begins with Edmund and Lucy secretly spending precious moments alone one afternoon.They were talking of Narnia, of course, which was the name of their own secret place.It seems to me that most of us have a secret place, but as far as we are concerned it is only an imaginary place.In this point, Edmund and Lucy were luckier than others.Their secret place is real.They've been there twice already; not in a game, or in a dream, but in reality.Of course they got there by magic, for that was the only way to get to Narnia.They had made an agreement, or nearly an agreement, when they were in Narnia, that someday they would return.The reader can imagine that they talked about Narnia at every opportunity.

① See "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". They were in Lucy's room, sitting by her bed, looking at a picture on the opposite wall. It was the only painting they liked in the house.Aunt Alberta didn't like the painting at all (that's why it was upstairs in a small back room), but she couldn't throw it away because it was given to her by someone she didn't want to offend a wedding gift. This drawing is of a boat - a boat coming almost straight towards you.The prow is gilded, like the head of a dragon with its mouth wide open.There was only one gun on board, and a large square sail was spread, and the canvas was a bright purple.From the ends of the gold-plated dragon wings, it can be seen that the sides are green.The boat is rushing to the crest of a gorgeous blue wave, and the nearby bank is rushing straight at you with strings of sea and star foam.It was clear that the ship was riding the wind and waves, moving fast, with a slight tilt on the port side. (By the way, if you're going to read this story to the end and you still can't figure it out, you'd better have a concept in your head that when you look forward, the left side of the hull is called the port side, and the right side is called the starboard side. ) The sun shines on the ship from that side, so the water on that side is green and purple.The other side of the sea is covered by the shadow of the hull, so it is dark blue.

"The question is," said Edmund, "whether looking at a Narnian ship and not being able to get on it makes things worse." "Just look at it," said Lucy, "it's a real Narnian ship." "Still playing your old tricks?" said Eustace, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, and was now grinning as he entered the room.He had been staying with the Pevensies for a while last year, and he'd heard them all talking about Narnia, and he liked to tease them about it.Of course he thought they were all made up, because he couldn't make anything up himself, so he didn't take it seriously

"You are not welcome here," said Edmund roughly. "I'm trying to figure out a doggerel," said Eustace, "something like this Some children playing games of Narnia" Getting dumber and dumber and dumber... "Well, to begin with, child and stupid don't rhyme," said Lucy. "It's the first vowel," said Eustace. "Don't ask him what vowel shit is," said Edmund, "he'd love to be asked. Don't say anything, or he'll go away." Most of the children who encounter such a gray nose will either walk away or jump eight feet high.Not so Eustace.He just held back with a hippie smile on his face, and after a while he opened his mouth to speak.

"Do you like that painting?" he asked. "By God, don't let him get involved with art and all that stuff," said Edmund hastily.But Lucy is very sincere, and she has said, "Yeah, I like it. I like this picture very much." "It's a bad picture," said Eustace. "You won't see the picture when you go outside the door," said Edmund. "Why do you like this picture," said Eustace to Lucy. "Speaking of which, I like the picture," said Lucy, "for one thing, because the boat really looks like it's moving, and the water looks like it's really wet. And the waves really look like they're coming together One volt."

Eustace certainly knew a good deal to answer, but he said nothing.The reason is that while he was looking at the waves, he saw that the waves really seemed to be bobbing together.He only sailed once (and only as far as the Isle of Wight), and got seasick, and made a hell of a fuss.He fainted again when he saw the painting of sea waves.He turned blue and wanted to take another look.All three children were dumbfounded. It may be hard to believe what they saw when you saw the story in black and white, but it is almost as hard to believe when you see it with your own eyes.The scenery in the painting is actually moving.It didn't look like a movie at all; the colors were too vivid, too clear, and it was almost in the open air, which movies don't do.The bow of the boat plunged into the waves, creating a big spray, and then came up again, throwing the waves behind the boat, and the stern and decks were seen for the first time, but when the second wave came on, the bows of the boat were raised again. Coming up, the stern and deck were out of sight again.At this moment, an exercise book that had been placed next to Edmund on the bed flipped and floated up, and flew towards the wall behind him out of thin air. Just like on a windy day.And it was a windy day, but the wind was blowing towards them from the painting.All at once the wind brought with it all kinds of noises—the rushing of the waves, the splashing of the water against the ship's sides, the groaning of the hull, and the overwhelming, high, regular roar of air and water.But it was the smell, the strong salty sea smell, that really convinced Lucy that she was not dreaming.

① Isle of Wight: An island in southern England, near the English Channel, separated from the British Isles by the Solent Strait. "Stop it," came Eustace's voice, shrill, frightened and petulant, "you two are playing some ridiculous game again. Shut up and I'm going to tell Alberta—ouch !" The two siblings were so much used to adventure that they said "ouch" at the very moment Eustace said "ouch!"Because a large expanse of cool and salty sea water had already broken out of the frame, and it didn't count that they were completely drenched, and they couldn't even breathe. .

"I'm going to smash this bad picture," cried Eustace; and at that moment several things came together.Eustace rushed to the painting.Edmund had already experienced a thing or two about the power of magic, so he jumped up and chased him, warning him to be careful and not to do stupid things.Lucy grabbed him from the other side and was dragged forward.At this moment, either their bodies are getting smaller and smaller, or the painting is getting bigger and bigger.Eustace jumped up, tried to tear the picture off the wall, and before he knew it, he was standing on the frame; in front of him was not a mirror, but the real sea, with the wind and waves rushing towards the frame , like hitting a rock.Dazed with fright, he grabbed the two jumping men beside him.They struggled, shouted, and quarreled for a while, thinking that their bodies had stabilized, when a huge blue wave surged around them and dragged them into the sea.The sea water poured into Eustace's mouth, and his desperate cries were cut short.

Lucy thanked God to herself that she had tried so hard to learn how to swim last summer.Seriously, if she had used a slower stroke, she would have swam a lot better, and the water was a lot cooler than just seeing it on screen.Still, she kept her composure and kicked off her shoes, as anyone who falls into deep water with clothes on should do.She even kept her mouth shut and her eyes open.They were so close to the hull that she saw the green side towering above them, and the ship's men watched her from the deck.Then, as was to be expected, Eustace seized her in a panic, and they sank together. As they resurfaced, she saw a white figure jump over the side into the water.Now Edmund was close to her, treading the water, and holding Eustace by the arms, who were still howling.Then, another person quietly stretched out his arm to support her from the other side. This person's face was vaguely familiar.Many people on board were shouting at one another, and the bulwarks were crowded with people, and the cables were thrown from above.Edmund and the stranger wound the rope round her.After finishing the winding, it seemed to be delayed for a long time. She was so anxious that her face turned blue and her teeth were chattering.It didn't take long actually, they were waiting for the line to be secure enough to hoist her aboard without bumping against the side.Despite their best efforts, when she finally stood on the deck, dripping and shaking, one knee was bruised.Then Edmund was hoisted aboard, and then poor Eustace.Last came the stranger—a blond boy a few years older than she was. " "Kay-Kay-Caspin!" cried Lucy, breathlessly, as soon as she recovered.It was Caspian--the little King Caspian of Narnia who had helped put him on the throne when they went back to Narnia.Edmund recognized him at once, too.All three were joyful, shaking hands and clapping shoulders. "But who is this friend of yours?" asked Caspian, turning back to Eustace with a broad smile.Unexpectedly, Eustace cried harder. Any boy of his age who encountered something like getting wet had the right to cry, but he didn't cry so hard. He just kept shouting. :"Let me go. Let me go back. I don't like this kind of thing." "Let you go?" said Caspian, "but to where?" Eustace rushed over the side, as if he wanted to look at the picture frames hanging over the sea, or at Lucy's bedroom.But what he saw was the blue waves covered with stars and foam, the light blue sky, and the sea and sky stretched as far as the eye could see.He was terrified out of his wits, and maybe we can't really blame him.He suddenly felt uncomfortable "Hi, Rainif," said Caspian to one of the sailors, "send mulled wine to your Graces. You need something to warm up after you've been in the water a while." He called Edmund and Lou Lucy for the two Landes, because they, together with Peter and Susan, had been King and Queen of Narnia long before he came to the throne.Time passes differently in Narnia than it does here.If you live a hundred years in Narnia, you return to our world at the same hour as the day you left.If you went back to Narnia after spending a week in our world, or just a day, or just a little while, you might find that a thousand years had passed in Narnia.You won't know until you get there.Therefore, since the two brothers and sisters of the Pevensie family returned to Narnia for the second time last time, their return this time (in the eyes of the Narnia people) is as if the legend says that one day they will return to King Arthur of England. ①Finally returned to the same.I say the sooner the better. Rainif brought a bottle of steaming mulled wine and four silver cups.The wine came just in time, and Lucy and Edmund felt a rush of warmth through their toes as they groaned.But Eustace grimaced, vomited, vomited, vomited again, and cried loudly, and asked if there was any Mapletree nutritional food with vitamins, and if it could be prepared with distilled water, he begged desperately. Bai Lai insisted that he be sent ashore at the next stop. "This is the lovely companion you have brought us, my lord," said Caspian, grinning and whispering to Edmund, but before he could say anything more, Eustace broke out again. " "Ah! Wow! What the hell is that! Take this nasty thing away." It turned out that he was a little surprised this time with good reason.Sure enough, a very strange thing came out of the cabin of the poop, and walked slowly towards them.You might as well call it a mouse--it was a mouse.But this mouse stood on two hind legs and was about two feet high.A thin gold hoop went round the head, under one ear and over the other, and in the hoop stuck a long crimson feather. (Because the mouse's fur is so dark, almost black, the effect of this attire is striking.) The mouse's left paw rests on the hilt of a sword nearly as long as its tail.It walked majestically over the swaying deck, with poise and grace.Lucy and Edmund recognized it at once - Reepicheep, leader of an army of mice, the most valiant of talking beasts in Narnia.In the second battle of Belluna, it won the honor of immortality.Lucy longed to take Reepicheep in her arms and hug him.She's always wanted to do that in the past.But she is also very clear that she can never enjoy this kind of fun, because doing so will deeply offend it.So she got down on one knee and talked to it. ①King Arthur is the king around the sixth century AD in British legend, the leader of the Knights of the Round Table. According to the legend, he is not dead, but lives in the fairyland, and will come back one day to save the people. Reepicheep stretched out his left leg, drew back his right, bowed, kissed her hand, straightened himself up again, twisted his beard, and said in a shrill voice: "My lord salutes Her Majesty the Queen, and my Majesty Edmund." (Here it bows again.). .Thanks to the presence of the two Majesties, this glorious voyage can be said to be perfect. " "Oh, take it away," cried Eustace. "I hate mice. I've never been able to stand animal shows. It's boring, and vulgar--and sentimental." "I suppose this particular insolent man is under your Majesty's protection?" said Reepicheep, after staring at Eustace for a moment, "because, if it hadn't been-- Lucy and Edmund both sneezed now. "What a fool I am to keep you standing here soaked," said Caspian. "Go down below and change. Of course I'll give you my cabin, Lucy, but, I'm afraid there are no women's clothes on board. You'll have to make do with mine. Reepicheep, lead the way." "For the queen's sake," said Reepicheep. "Even the question of honor has to be abandoned, at least for the time being." Here it cast a sharp look at Eustace.But Caspian urged them on, and in a second Lucy passed through the hatch and into the aft cabin without knowing it.She immediately liked the cabin—three square windows facing the turquoise water swirling out the stern, the table with cushioned stools on three sides, and a dangling silver lamp hanging above her head (she saw the ingenious the workmanship of the dwarves, as you can tell by the workmanship of the dwarves), and the flat gold statue of Aslan the Lion on the wall above the door.She had seen all this in the cabin at a glance, for Caspian opened a door on the starboard side, and said, "This is your cabin, Lucy. I'll get some dry clothes myself," he said. Then I rummaged in a storage box, "I'll let you change your clothes when you find them. If you throw the wet clothes outside the door, I'll ask someone to take them to the kitchen to dry them." Lucy felt at ease, as if she had lived in Caspian's cabin for weeks, and she did not mind the motion of the ship at all, for she had made many voyages when she was Queen of Narnia.The cabin, though small, was bright, had panels of pictures (of birds and beasts, vermilion dragons and vines), and was spotless.Caspian's dress was too big for her, but she managed to get by.His shoes, slippers, and boots were too big, but she didn't mind walking barefoot on the deck.After she was fully dressed, she looked at the sea water washing past the window, and took a deep breath.She was convinced they had a good time.