儿童故事集：The Beauty’s Homeland

 Chapter sixteen of our Waking Beauty series takes us far away from our usual setting, as Basil and Sally awake in Talia’s homeland. A Miller¹ takes them to a medieval tournament where he says they can meet the Wizard Merlin.

 

Story by Bertie.

 

Read by Elizabeth.

 

Proofread² by Jana Elizabeth.

 

Illustrated³ by Chiara Civati.

 

 

Sally knew that she was asleep, but her dream was so real that she could almost touch it. Her head was filled with the mellow⁴ voices of monks⁵ chanting psalms⁶. She was walking up the aisle⁷ of a stone chapel⁸ lit by candles, and she was holding the trail of a long, beautifully embroidered⁹ dress. An ermine shawl covered the shoulders of the bride who was proceeding¹⁰ in front of her, for this was an evening wedding and it was chilly¹¹ inside the chapel. She knew that the elegant figure and the long auburn hair belonged to none other than Princess Talia. She was not quite so certain about the identity of the groom¹², who was waiting at the altar with his back to her, because he was dressed in an elaborate cloak. For a moment she thought he might be the Law don, Count Anthony, because he was the only man she knew who had such fancy taste in clothes. But then, as she glanced to the side she saw that the entire congregation was dressed rather elaborately and eccentrically. Furs, silks, cloaks, heavy embroidery¹³, and chunky jewellery were all on display. At first everyone seemed to be watching attentively¹⁴ but the next time she looked, they had all nodded off to sleep.

 

“No, wake up, wake up!” she called out. But the Chaplain who was waiting at the altar with a bible in his hands fell to his knees as if in prayer before keeling over into a coma¹⁵. “Wake up, wake up!” called Sally. And eventually, she did.

 

“Oh, where am I?” she thought as the spell of the dream hung around her for a few moments before slipping off into the ether. She rubbed the crumb¹⁶ of sleep out of the corner of her eye and gazed around. Water was lapping against the side of the boat. Basil snored on the other couch. She shivered because it was cold, and set her feet on the floor. The fairy godmother was no longer sitting in the front cabin. Apparently¹⁷ she had gone.

 

“That’s a pity,” thought Sally, “because you never know when a little bit of magic might come in handy.” Then she recalled Edwina’s instructions: “Be sure to ask for the Wizard Merlin.”

 

“But ask whom?” she thought. For all she could see through the porthole of the boat was a thick fog. She went up on deck and sat in the prow¹⁸ of the boat for fifteen minutes or so to get some of the fresh damp air into her lungs. The boat drifted on through the whiteness. The odd swan floated by, and every now and then Sally had to duck to avoid a low hanging branch, but there were few clues as to what might or might not be waiting for them downstream.

 

She went back down into the cabin. “Come on sleepy head, wake up,” she said to Basil, giving him a bit of a push on the shoulder. For a moment she was afraid that he would not wake up. But he did.

 

“Who’s that?” he said. “Oh, er Sally. What’s going on?”

 

“I’m not sure,” said Sally. “But I think we might be sailing through time.”

 

“That’s weird¹⁹,” said Basil. “But everything else is weird too, so you might well be right.”

 

They went up on deck and were pleased to see that a hard cold sun was visible through the mist. Quite soon a stone bridge came into view and as they passed through it, they saw that quite literally²⁰, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Bright, dazzling light that sparkled and danced on the water. They heard the voices of children playing, and as they came out into the bright world, they saw half a dozen or so of them by the river bank. The younger ones were dressed in smocks, and the older ones wore breeches or shapeless dresses.

 

Basil stood up and threw the rope onto the river bank. “Here! Catch this and haul us in will you?” he said. An older boy grabbed it and started to pull back. Some infants came running over to help him, but one of these slipped on the edge of the bank and fell into the water. He went straight down like a stone, and only his straw hat was left on the surface. Basil jumped into the water, which went up to his chest, and dived down to fish the struggling child off the bottom. The boy was spluttering and sobbing²¹ but otherwise unharmed as Basil deposited him on the bank. Basil, of course, was dripping wet and had duckweed in his hair.

 

“Well that woke you up,” laughed Sally as she jumped onto the bank.

 

The other children found the episode all very exciting and amusing, but it wasn’t exactly easy to understand their speech. It was full of long vowels²² and strange guttural consonants²³.

 

“I think they said that you’re damp enough,” said Sally. “And poor Basil you are soaked through. I don’t think we’re going to find you a change of clothes unless you fancy yourself in a smock.”

 

“Yes, what language are they speaking?” asked Basil.

 

“English,” replied Sally. “It’s just a bit out of date that’s all.”

 

“Out of date! It sounds like Chaucer.”

 

“I think that’s not far off,” agreed Sally.

 

A girl picked up the child who had fallen into the water and comforted him.

 

“Go thither²⁴, and put on array that is dry,” she said to a somewhat puzzled Basil.

 

“I think she means you can get changed,” said Sally. And the girl was pointing towards a crude but functioning windmill that stood on a small hill above the river.

 

The children ran and skipped ahead, and quickly spread the news to the family and workers back at the mill. There was a small group of people including a rather emotional mother waiting to greet Sally and Basil. Some just stood and stared at them, because obviously, they were rather oddly dressed for the times. Basil was soggy and bedraggled. Sally was wearing a light blue t-shirt bearing the slogan:

 

‘Can you feel my awesomeness²⁵?’

 

She tried to explain that they were from a far away place but nobody could understand a word that she was saying. A child took Basil inside and gave him some dry clothes to change into. He emerged from the mill wearing a loose tunic²⁶ and some baggy²⁷ trousers and Sally exclaimed: “Oh Basil! If Talia was here, she would say that you’re dressed like a yokel²⁸!” And then she put her hand over her mouth hoping that nobody had understood the word ‘yokel’ because it didn’t sound very polite.

 

Eventually the Miller came out to see what all the fuss was about. He was more smartly dressed than the others and looked like a stocky man of some substance. He heartily²⁹ slapped Basil on the back to thank him for saving the child. Basil looked rather dazed and confused, but Sally remembered that they had come to this place on an urgent mission. She thought there was a chance that the Miller might understand them.

 

“Look,” she said. “Can you tell us where to find Merlin? You know the famous Wizard Merlin?”

 

And the Miller replied: “Let us ride. I shall show thee Merlin.”

 

Which was clear enough. There was an hour of mostly waiting around, but at the end of it, Basil was sitting astride a wooden saddle on top of a mule³⁰, and Sally was seated sideways on a donkey. The Miller rode a dapple horse and with a certain amount of kicking and coaxing³¹, they started to make their way down the road. It wasn’t exactly the most luxurious³² way to travel. Their behinds bore the brunt of every bump along the road. On the way, the Miller spoke³³ at length, pointing out fields and the occasional village or church. The further they went along the way, the more people they met. Various horses, carts, and people on foot were heading in the same direction. As far as Sally could make out, from what the Miller was saying, they were all aiming for the town where there was to be some sort of tournament.

 

And sure enough, after a couple of hours plodding³⁴ down the road, they came in sight of a great noisy crowd that was gathered outside the walls of a town. It was definitely some sort of fair. Flags were fluttering and hawkers were selling pies and ale. And then Sally said: “Basil, do you see him?” And Basil turned his head to where Sally was looking and saw a knight³⁵ in full armour³⁶ riding a white charger through the crowd. People were hurriedly getting out of his way, and away from his servant who was riding by his side with a whip in his hand. A huge sword was slung³⁷ over the knight’s saddle. He did not look like somebody you would want to annoy, unless you were tired of this life.

 

The Miller found the medieval equivalent of a car park, and paid a man to look after their horse, donkey, and mule. And then they made their way on foot around the crowd towards an enclosure where seats and a stand for the nobility where laid out. The area was fenced off, and a guard barred the way in. The Miller was clearly trying to smooth talk him saying that they were honoured guests from abroad, come to meet the Wizard Merlin, but the guard was having none of it. He was staring at Sally and her t-shirt and jeans in a way that clearly meant:

 

“Who’s that weirdo?”

 

And Sally said: “Don’t look at me like that. It’s rude.” Basil was still clearly somewhat confused and overwhelmed. He was unusually quiet and listless. He looked like he wasn’t quite sure if he was awake or dreaming.

 

Then Sally had an idea. She pulled out the amulet³⁸ that Talia had given her and which she wore under the neck of her t-shirt. It was some sort of precious stone set in an elaborate golden cross. As she showed it to the guard, the stone’s colour changed from green to red. The guard clearly recognised it as some sort of sign, because he immediately bowed and let them pass. The Miller led the way to a tent that was also guarded, and where also the amulet was the key to the entrance.

 

Inside, men and women were seated on cushions and servants were bringing them drink and food. A minstrel band was piping and strumming a merry tune³⁹. This was clearly the place to be and none of them, not even the Miller, were dressed for the occasion. Some of the servants gave them odd looks, but most other people were far too busy enjoying themselves to notice them. But then a man, a great hulking man, with a red beard and a gold embroidered tunic came rolling towards them and called out: “Sooth. It is the very likeness⁴⁰ of Eric in his youth!” which both Sally and Basil understood, but found very puzzling. Basil found himself being hugged in a very powerful and somewhat suffocating⁴¹ embrace, and receiving bristly kisses on both cheeks. The knight hauled Basil over to a table that was laid out with food and drink, and where a group of young and beautiful women were seated in long flowing dresses. Sally was left behind, and she felt, well, quite left out really.

 

“Hey, what about me?” she exclaimed.

 

And Basil was trying to say to the man: “My name’s Basil, and this is my friend Sally. We’ve come a long way.” But by now he was surrounded by other men who wanted to hug him or at least shake him by the hand. One was saying that he was a ‘skinny sapling’ and others that he was ‘so very like Sir Eric’. Next, women were curtsying and offering their hands to be kissed.

 

“Um, if anyone is listening, we’ve come to see the Wizard Merlin,” said Sally. And she held up Talia’s amulet hoping that somebody would take notice.

 

“I am Merlin,” said a voice behind her.

 

And she turned round and saw an extremely calm and almost expressionless face. He was well groomed⁴², even by modern standards, and wore a very modest black tunic. Although he had silver hair, his face’s skin was almost without wrinkles. He definitely had a very different aura from everyone else in the room.

 

“And if that young man is Sir Basil,” said Merlin in perfectly⁴³ modern and understandable English, “then you must be Sally.”

1 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

2 proofread   

vt.校正，校对

参考例句：

• I didn't even have the chance to proofread my own report.我甚至没有机会校对自己的报告。
• Before handing in his application to his teacher,he proofread it again.交给老师之前，他又将申请书补正了一遍。

3 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

4 mellow   

adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟

参考例句：

• These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节，苹果就熟透了。
• The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时，色彩变得柔和了。

5 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 psalms   

n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)

参考例句：

• the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
• A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句

7 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

8 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

9 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

10 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

11 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

12 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

13 embroidery   

n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品

参考例句：

• This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品，使人惊叹不已。
• This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。

14 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

16 crumb   

n.饼屑，面包屑，小量

参考例句：

• It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
• Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。

17 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

18 prow   

n.(飞机)机头，船头

参考例句：

• The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
• He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。

19 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

20 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

21 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

22 vowels   

n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

23 consonants   

n.辅音，子音( consonant的名词复数 )；辅音字母

参考例句：

• Consonants are frequently assimilated to neighboring consonants. 辅音往往被其邻近的辅音同化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

24 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

25 awesomeness   

可怕的

参考例句：

• Dominion and awesomeness are his who brings about harmony in his heavens. 权能和威严为他所有，他在高天缔造和平。 来自互联网
• There is no charge?for awesomeness, or attractiveness. 彪悍不求回报，迷人更无所需。 来自互联网

26 tunic   

n.束腰外衣

参考例句：

• The light loose mantle was thrown over his tunic.一件轻质宽大的斗蓬披在上衣外面。
• Your tunic and hose match ill with that jewel,young man.你的外套和裤子跟你那首饰可不相称呢，年轻人。

27 baggy   

adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的

参考例句：

• My T-shirt went all baggy in the wash.我的T恤越洗越大了。
• Baggy pants are meant to be stylish,not offensive.松松垮垮的裤子意味着时髦，而不是无礼。

28 yokel   

n.乡下人；农夫

参考例句：

• The clothes make him look like a yokel.这件衣服让他看起来像个乡巴佬。
• George is not an ordinary yokel.乔治不是一个普通的粗人。

29 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

30 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

31 coaxing   

v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应

参考例句：

• No amount of coaxing will make me change my mind. 任你费尽口舌也不会说服我改变主意。
• It took a lot of coaxing before he agreed. 劝说了很久他才同意。 来自辞典例句

32 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

33 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

34 plodding   

a.proceeding in a slow or dull way

参考例句：

• They're still plodding along with their investigation. 他们仍然在不厌其烦地进行调查。
• He is plodding on with negotiations. 他正缓慢艰难地进行着谈判。

35 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

36 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

37 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

38 amulet   

n.护身符

参考例句：

• We're down here investigating a stolen amulet.我们来到这里调查一个失窃的护身符。
• This amulet is exclusively made by Father Sum Lee.这个护身符是沙姆.李长老特制的。

39 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

40 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

41 suffocating   

a.使人窒息的

参考例句：

• After a few weeks with her parents, she felt she was suffocating.和父母呆了几个星期后，她感到自己毫无自由。
• That's better. I was suffocating in that cell of a room.这样好些了，我刚才在那个小房间里快闷死了。

42 groomed   

v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• She is always perfectly groomed. 她总是打扮得干净利落。
• Duff is being groomed for the job of manager. 达夫正接受训练，准备当经理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

43 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。