第6部分

請關閉瀏覽器的閱讀/暢讀/小說模式並且關閉廣告遮蔽過濾功能，避免出現內容無法顯示或者段落錯亂。

Saturday　afternoons；　with　their　influx　of　parents　and　visitors；　brought　a　certain　relaxation；　less　accountability。　On　one　such　blue　and　vivid　afternoon　I　slipped　away　to　get　to　my　hill。　From　the　great　oak；　I　could　see　its　summit　ahead　of　me；　unknown；　inviting。　Inconspicuously；　I　edged　along　the　baseball　field；　then　slipped　into　the　underbrush。

It　was　hard　going；　hard　to　keep　a　sense　of　direction　in　such　a　tangle　of　vine　and　thicket。　I　stumbled　over　rotten　logs；　stepped　into　anthills。　Marsh　hillocks　gave　way　under　my　feet；　dead　branches　snagged　me；　prickly　seeds　worked　into　my　wet　sneakers。　The　air　was　stagnant。　With　mosquitoes　droning　and　hover…flies　circling　and　darting；　I　plodded　on；　losing　myself　and　losing　track　of　time。

I　must　have　been　struggling　on　for　at　least　an　hour。　Suddenly　I　came　to　a　clearing；　an　open　grove　of　ash　and　maple；　and　as　the　sunlight　filtered　through　the　leaves。　I　saw　in　front　of　me　a　eluster　of　ornate　diminutivc　houses。　Brightly　painted　in　a　variety　of　colors；　trimmed　with　scrollwork　and　cusps　and　scalloped　shingles；　with　narrow；　high…pitched　roofs；　each　was　no　more　than　an　arm’s　length　from　the　next；　and　all　were　empty。　There　was　no　sign　of　any　living　being。

To　me；　emerging　from　the　wood；　the　sunlit　grove　was　like　something　out　of　Grimm；　as　if　this　odd　little　village　had　been　put　under　a　spell　and　had　been　asleep　for　100　years。　A　yellow　house　in　front　of　me　with　a　blue…latticed　front　porch　could　have　been　waiting　for　Hansel　and　Gretel。　So　quiet　the　grove　was；　so　still　the　air；　that　even　the　aspen　leaves　hung　limp。　Blu