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雷辛芬格船长历险记

2023-06-01 17:53

来源：澎湃新闻·澎湃号·政务

THE TALE OF CAPTAIN RAISINFINGERS

By Christyne Morrell Art by Dorota Rewerenda

雷辛芬格船长热爱航海。现在他正站在船头，凝视前方一望无际的大海。航行了这么长时间，一切似乎都顺利，可是他还有一个隐忧：格鲁格。雷辛芬格船长从未见过格鲁格，但关于它的故事却很传奇。格鲁格是海底的怪兽，可以一口生吞下一艘船。雷辛芬格船长看到远处有不明物体，他举起了双筒望远镜，一个巨大的紫色斑点正朝着他的船慢慢移动……雷辛芬格船长会遭遇怎样的风浪？读到故事的结尾，你又会有怎样的发现？

CAPTAIN RAISINFINGERS STOOD on the prow of his ship, looking at the endless sea. He’d been sailing for so long. He wasn’t sure he’d ever touch dry land again. He loved the seafaring life but had one problem: Glug. Glug was the sea monster at the bottom of the ocean who could swallow a ship in a single gulp. Captain Raisinfingers had never seen Glug, but the tales about him were legendary.

Captain Raisinfingers spotted something in the distance. He lifted his binoculars and gasped at the sight of a giant purple blob moving toward his boat. It swam at an alarming speed, with so many slimy arms that Raisinfingers lost count of them. He dropped his binoculars and shouted, “We’ve got company, Admiral Wrinkletoes.” Wrinkletoes was a trusty first mate, even though he was as sharp as a marble.

“Gah?” muttered Wrinkletoes.

“Never mind,” said Raisinfingers. As the beast barreled toward them, Raisinfingers called out, “Identify yourself, intruder!”

The creature raised his round head and fixed his bulging yellow eyes on the captain. “I mean you no harm,” said the octopus. “I’m fleeing from a one-eyed monster who tried to swallow me whole!”

“Glug!” said Raisinfingers. “He must be nearby. Slimy friend, come take shelter on our boat.” Using his tentacles to cling to the slippery hull of the boat, the octopus heaved himself onto the deck. Wrinkletoes laughed at the octopus’s wobbly arms.

The ship bobbed along merrily. The octopus entertained the sailors with his exceptional juggling. But soon Raisinfingers saw a splash and a blur of movement in the water. “Someone is in distress!” he cried. He waved and screamed, “Hello! Do you need help?”

The splashing stopped, and a bird’s head emerged from the water. “Help?” chuckled the penguin, sliding her goggles onto her forehead. “Why, I’m the fastest swimmer in the sea. If anyone can escape from Glug, it’s me!”

“You’ve seen Glug?” asked Raisinfingers with a shudder.

“Yes,” said the penguin. “He tried to suck me into an undertow, but I was too quick.”

“You must be tired,” said Raisinfingers. “Why don’t you climb aboard and rest?”

The octopus dipped one of his long arms into the water, curled it around the penguin, and scooped her up.

The ship once again sailed through calm seas. The penguin told dramatic tales of her epic swim from Antarctica to Bermuda and back again. She was in the middle of one such story when a great gush of water shot straight into the sky. Had their little boat been a few feet to the right, the spout would have sent them flying.

“What was that?” asked the octopus.

“Is it Glug?” asked the penguin.

“Oooh,” said Wrinkletoes.

The boat began to rock violently, sending everyone on board toppling this way and that. Captain Raisinfingers managed to grab the side of the boat and peer over the edge. A massive eye peered back at him. “Glug!” he yelped.

The creature laughed, and the shaking threatened to break the ship into pieces. “I’m not a sea monster,” he said. “I’m swimming away from a sea monster!” Captain Raisinfingers realized that he was peering into the eye of a giant whale.

“In that case, would you mind backing away from my ship?” asked Raisinfingers. “You’re going to wreck us!”

The whale sank into the water and reemerged at a safe distance from the boat. “Sorry,” he said, with a frown on his giant mouth. “Sometimes I forget how big I am.”

“That’s all right,” said Raisinfingers. “You seem quite gentle. Do you want to join us in our escape from Glug? You’re too big to board, but you can swim beside us.”

The whale brightened. “That would be wonderful!” The unlikely crew traveled the seas with their new companion by their side. Wrinkletoes spat water on the deck, trying to imitate the whale. The others took turns riding the whale’s spout, which was more thrilling than a carnival ride. Their hoots were so loud that they almost didn’t hear the gurgling sound coming from deep below them.

“Could it be . . . ?” whispered the octopus, slithering over to the penguin for protection.

“Is it him?” gulped the whale. He shivered, creating waves in the ocean.

“Gluuuugggg!” cried Wrinkletoes.

“The moment has finally arrived,” said Raisinfingers, stomping to the prow of the ship. He spoke to the depths of the sea, where Glug was hiding. “I’m not afraid of you! I’ve got a crew now, and together we will defeat you!”

“Yeah!” said the octopus.

“Yeah!” said the penguin.

“Yeah!” said the whale.

“Yaaaaaaah!” howled Wrinkletoes, releasing a loud battle cry.

The daring crew did not scare Glug. From his lair on the seafloor, he began to churn the ocean until it spun wildly. The vortex pulled down anything in its path. It tipped the little boat forward. From that angle, Raisinfingers finally caught a glimpse of the mysterious Glug. The monster was covered in silver scales, with one steely, unblinking eye in the center of its face. It opened its jaw and a gaping black hole appeared. Captain Raisinfingers panicked. His ship was falling into that deep dark place! The others looked to their captain for help. He had to save them! But what could he do?

There was only one way to rescue his crew from the clutches of Glug. He would have to face something even more powerful than a sea monster.

“Mom!” he cried. “Five more minutes. Pleeeease!” He flashed his sweetest smile and batted his eyelashes.

“Fine,” said his mother. “You can have five more minutes in the tub. Then it’s straight to bed, with no story.”

“It’s a sacrifice I have to make,” said Captain Raisinfingers, climbing back onto the prow of his ship. His mother plugged the drain of the tub and put an end to Glug’s reign of terror . . . for now. His baby brother, Admiral Wrinkletoes, gurgled happily and sucked on one arm of the plastic purple octopus.

“Ahoy!” shouted Captain Raisinfingers as they sailed on. “To your post, Wrinkletoes. I spy mermaids up ahead!”