哼哼冒险进入迷宫
FOR THE NEXT few days, Hem wandered through corridors, working his way deeper and deeper into the Maze. The corridors were empty, except for a few small rocks here and there. No sign of Cheese.
接下来的几天里，哼哼穿梭在迂回的通道之中，渐渐闯入了迷宫深处。通道里大多是空荡荡的一片，除了偶尔会出现一两块小石头子儿，全然没有奶酪的影子。
Every time he came to a new chamber, he poked his head inside to scan for Cheese. But every single chamber was empty.
每当他来到一个新的密室，他都会把脑袋探进去，极力搜寻奶酪。但是每一次密室里都空空如也。
Every so often, he would come to a dark corner. When that happened, he would quickly turn back and head the other way. He was determined not to get lost.
有时，他会碰到一个黑暗的角落。每当遇到这种情形，他会转身就走。他绝不能让自己迷路。
Now and then, he passed by a blind alley. He would peer down, just to make sure, and when he saw that it ended in nothing but a brick wall and darkness, he would hurry on his way.
偶尔，他会路过一个死胡同。他会往胡同里面张望一下。当确信胡同的另一头只有一堵砖墙和一片漆黑之后，他就匆匆地离开继续向前走。
Here and there, Hem could see that Haw had passed by that way, because Haw had scratched notes on the corridor walls, each note framed with a drawing of Cheese. They made no sense to Hem.
时不时地，哼哼可以辨识出唧唧曾经从这里经过。他看得到唧唧在墙壁上刻下的话。每句话旁都附着一小块奶酪的简笔画。这些对于哼哼来说完全无厘头。
Anyway, he was too hungry and too tired to stop and read.
他并没有停下来细读。他太饿，也太累了。
There was still no sign of any Cheese at all.
然而，依然没有奶酪的任何踪迹。
As he explored, Hem kept thinking about that question that had gnawed at him, turning it over in his mind again.
哼哼一边搜寻，一边反反复复地思量那个困扰他许久的问题。
Why didn't he go with Haw?
他为什么没有和唧唧一起离开呢？
To be honest, Hem had always thought of himself as the brains of the pair. Haw was a fine Littleperson and a good companion, with a cheery disposition and a good sense of humor. More of a copilot than pilot, though. That's what Hem always thought.
坦率地说，哼哼曾经一直以为自己是他们俩当中更有头脑的那一个。唧唧是一个很不错的小矮人和一个称职的好伙伴。他积极乐观，充满幽默感。尽管他更多的时候是个副手，而不是总指挥。哼哼一直是这样认为的。
Now he wasn't so sure.
但是现在他不那么确定了。
“Why didn't I go with Haw when I had the chance?” he murmured to himself.
“我为什么没有抓住机会和唧唧一起离开呢？”他低声自言自语着。
Was it because he was stubborn? Or just plain foolish?
是因为自己太固执了？还是完全就是愚蠢？
Or, was he just a bad Littleperson?
或许，自己其实是一个挺差劲的小矮人？
Hem thought about that as he walked through corridor after corridor. “Maybe this is punishment for something I did,” he said out loud.
哼哼一边思索，一边穿过一个又一个通道。“这也是对我某些所作所为的惩罚。”他脱口而出。
The worse he felt about himself, the more his energy dropped, though he did not notice this. He was not even aware of the thoughts he was having about himself as they ran through his mind, like little mice in a maze.
随着他自卑情绪的增加，他的精神状态也在不知不觉中渐渐变得低迷。他甚至没有意识到他这些对于自己的看法在他的脑海中四处游荡着，就像一只小老鼠在迷宫中奔走。
Then he had a thought so terrible it froze him in his tracks. “Maybe it's my destiny to run in circles in the Maze forever.”
接着，一个可怕的念头让他怔住了。“也许我就是注定要永远在这迷宫中徒劳地打转下去，周而复始。”
Hem felt his legs about to give out. He leaned against the corridor wall and slid to the ground.
哼哼的腿一下子发软了。他的身子倚靠在墙壁上，慢慢地滑向地面。
On the opposite wall was one of Haw's notes:
对面的墙上刻着唧唧的一串话：
Hem just shook his head.
哼哼只是摇摇头。
“Oh, Haw,” he murmured. “What were you thinking? Cheese is either there or it's not. Beliefs have nothing to do with it!”
“唉，唧唧，”哼哼自言自语地说，“你在胡思乱想些什么？奶酪要么在那儿，要么不在那儿。观念和它没有任何关系！”
For the first time, he wondered if Haw might have gotten too weak to go on and simply given up. He wondered if that's what was happening to himself right now.
他头一次开始猜想，唧唧是不是太累了，走不动了，便就此放弃了。他怀疑自己现在是不是就是这样。
All at once he felt alone and afraid.
他一下子感到孤单无助和惶恐不安。
Nothing was the way it used to be. Before, the Maze was where Hem and Haw had worked and had a social life. They both grew up there and built their lives there. The Maze was Hem's world.
事情完全不一样了。之前，迷宫是哼哼和唧唧工作和社交的场所。他们一起在这里长大，在这里建立起自己的生活。迷宫就是哼哼的整个世界。
But the Maze had changed.
但是，迷宫发生了变化。
Now, it seemed as if everything was different. Haw was gone, Sniff and Scurry were gone, the Cheese was gone, and he was out wandering the corridors, getting weaker and weaker. Hem didn't understand why all this was happening.
现在，一切都变得不一样了。唧唧不见了，嗅嗅和匆匆不见了，奶酪也不见了。而他则在迷宫的通道间徘徊着，越来越疲惫不堪。哼哼想不明白这一切究竟为什么会这样。
The Maze had become a dark and scary place.
迷宫变成了一个又阴暗又可怕的地方。
He curled up on the floor and fell into a troubled sleep.
他蜷缩在地上，在困扰中睡去。
