双语漫威故事《奇异博士》 第七章
CHAPTER 7
第七章
Doctor Strange was standing in the middle of the Museum, feeling out of place. He'd been waiting for Brother Voodoo for over ten minutes and was beginning to get annoyed.
奇异博士站在博物馆中央，觉得很不自在。他已经等了巫毒兄弟十几分钟了，开始气不打一处来。
“Excuse me, but do you work here?” a tourist woman asked him. Her little boy looked him up and down, admiring the Cloak of Levitation.
“打扰一下，请问您在这里工作吗？”一名女游客问他。她的小儿子上下打量着奇异博士，非常艳羡他的魔浮斗篷。
“No, madam, I do not work here. I am a doctor,” said Strange, forcing a smile. I should have made myself invisible, he thought. “If you'll excuse me, I must attend to some business.”
“不，女士，我不在这里工作。我是一名医生。”奇异博士强作欢颜地说。他心想：“早知道就隐身了。”他又说：“请原谅，我得去处理一些事情。”
Doctor Strange grew nervous as the woman reached into her purse. With so many unexpected occurrences lately, she could've very well been an evil sorceress in disguise. He braced himself for whatever was coming next.
看到那名女士伸手去翻手提袋，奇异博士不禁紧张起来。由于最近发生了太多的意外，他觉得这名女士很可能是伪装的邪恶女巫。他为即将来临的恶仗做好了准备。
“Would you mind taking a photo of me and my son?” the woman asked sheepishly. “Mom, can the doctor be in the photo, too?” the boy asked. “I like his cape!”
“您介意帮我和我儿子拍张照片吗？”女士羞怯地问。“妈妈，可以让这位医生和我们合照吗？”男孩问道，“我喜欢他的斗篷！”
Doctor Strange awkwardly posed with the woman and her son. They thanked him and went on their merry way. That wasn't so bad, Strange thought. He received a few lingering stares, but was otherwise ignored by the museum-goers. In New York City, a man wearing a flowing red cloak wasn't as weird as people might've thought.
奇异博士站在那对母子身旁，尴尬地摆好了姿势拍照。他们谢过奇异博士后，继续开心地参观博物馆。奇异博士心想：“一切其实并没有那么糟糕。”虽然有几道目光在他身上停留，但他总的来说是被参观博物馆的人群给忽略了。毕竟在纽约市，一个身披飘逸的红色斗篷的男人并没有人们想得那么奇怪。
“Taking photographs with fans?” said Brother Voodoo, appearing out of thin air. “I had no idea that a master of the mystic arts did such things.”
“和粉丝一起拍照？”巫毒兄弟从天而降，戏谑道，“真没想到秘术大师会做这种事。”
Brother Voodoo had known Doctor Strange for many years. Their paths, though often very different, had crossed numerous times. Jericho Drumm gained his powers by joining himself to the spirit of his dying brother and studying voodoo under a mystic priest known as a houngan. He eventually became an expert in dark magic and used his powers to communicate with the spirits of the dead, an ability Strange had trouble mastering. Voodoo's powers could be unpredictable, which made Strange slightly uneasy. But the two heroes had much to offer each other and delighted in the opportunity to work together.
巫毒兄弟与奇异博士相识多年。虽然他们选择的道路常常大相径庭，却也多次有所交叉。杰里科·德拉姆与他垂死的兄弟的灵魂合为一体，在一位人称厚安的神秘牧师的指导下学习巫毒，以此获得自己的力量。最终，他成了黑魔法专家，并利用自己的力量与死者的亡灵进行交流，这是奇异博士难以掌握的能力。巫毒兄弟的力量可能深不可测，这让奇异博士略感不安。但是这两位英雄对彼此都大有帮助，并且很高兴能有机会一起工作。
“It's good to see you, Voodoo,” said Strange. “I want you to know that any competition we may have had in the past is of little consequence now. We are both experts in the field of magic, and I respect you very much.” Strange paused. He looked around and saw that no one seemed to notice Brother Voodoo's presence.
“很高兴见到你，巫毒兄弟。”奇异博士说，“我想让你知道，虽然我们曾经有过各种竞争，但都不会对当下造成任何影响。我们都是魔法领域的专家，我也非常敬重你。”奇异博士顿了顿。他环顾四周，似乎没有人注意到巫毒兄弟的存在。
“I'm invisible to everyone in the museum except for you. It's better this way,” explained Voodoo. He'd brought along a host of mystical items, including shrunken heads, the Staff of Legba, and assorted magic powders. “It's not so easy for someone dressed like I am to walk right through the front door. How'd you get in?”
“除了你，我对博物馆里的所有人都隐身了。这样更方便。”巫毒兄弟解释道，他带了很多魔法神器过来，包括缩头龟、格巴之杖和各种魔法粉末，“对像我这身打扮的人来说，通过前门可没那么容易。你是怎么进来的？”
“I'm a member, of course. I have always found natural history to be quite fascinating,” clarified Strange. He waved his hand fancifully, making himself invisible. “Now we're both cloaked and can focus on the task at hand. Did you bring your powders?”
“当然啦，我可是这里的会员。我一直觉得自然历史魅力无穷。”奇异博士说明原委，他挥手施展魔法，让自己隐身，“现在我们都隐身了，可以专注于手头的任务。你带了魔法粉末吗？”
Voodoo motioned to his utility belt, filled with trinkets and magic dusts. “I brought them all,” he said. He poured a thimbleful of sparkling red powder into Strange's hand.
巫毒兄弟指着自己的功能腰带，里面装满了小玩意儿和魔法粉末。“我把所有的都带来了。”说着，他将一小撮闪亮的红色粉末倒在奇异博士的手中。
Strange tossed the powder into the air and blew it across the crowd. As it settled, his suspicions were confirmed. The museum was crawling with demon elves. They'd been skulking around in secret and seemed confused.
奇异博士将魔法粉末撒到空中，吹过人群。粉末落下时，他的怀疑得到了证实。博物馆里果然爬满了恶魔精灵。它们鬼鬼祟祟，偷偷潜行，看起来似乎困惑不已。
“Can they see us?” asked Voodoo.
“它们能看到我们吗？”巫毒问道。
“No,” replied Strange. “They seem to be trapped between realms, with no means of escape. I believe they came here, to the museum, looking for something they could use to return home.”
“不能。”奇异博士答道，“它们似乎被困在各领域之间，无法逃脱。我相信它们之所以来到博物馆，是为了寻找可以帮它们回家的东西。”
“Are they dangerous?” asked Voodoo.
“它们危险吗？”巫毒问道。
“They're demon elves,” offered Strange. “They're certainly not our friends.”
“它们是恶魔精灵，当然不是善类。”奇异博士回答道。
Voodoo pondered the predicament. “This is a tricky situation indeed. These creatures are lost, without a way home,” he said. “They may be demons, but so far they haven't hurt anyone or caused trouble. It would be foolish to engage them in battle at this point. We must remove them from this plane of existence without revealing ourselves. First and foremost, we'll need to keep the people safe.”
巫毒思索着眼下的困境。“这种情况的确棘手。这些生物迷失了，找不到回家的路。”他说，“它们可能是恶魔，但到目前为止，它们没有伤害任何人，也没制造过任何麻烦。此时与它们交战未免愚蠢了些。我们必须将它们从这个维度驱逐出去，但不能暴露自己。首先，我们要保护人们的安全。”
Doctor Strange was very impressed with Brother Voodoo. Normally, Strange followed his own instincts and did things his way. It was rare for him to listen to the advice of others. Perhaps working together wasn't so bad after all. It gave him an idea.
巫毒兄弟给奇异博士留下了极其深刻的印象。通常，奇异博士会遵循自己的直觉，按照自己的方式行事，很少听取别人的建议。或许两人携手工作也没有那么糟糕。突然，他计上心来。
“I know a spell we can use to remove the demon elves,” said Strange. “It's quite unpleasant and could frighten the creatures into violence. I'll need your help to control it and make sure that doesn't happen.”
“我知道一道咒语，我们可以用它来驱逐恶魔精灵。”奇异博士说，“不过，这样会使这些怪物相当难受，惊恐万状，狂暴不安。我需要你帮我控制局面，确保乱象不会发生。”
“And you shall have it, Doctor,” assured Voodoo. “I'll hypnotize these beasts so they remain silent and peaceful.”
“我会帮你的，博士。”巫毒兄弟保证道，“我会催眠这些怪物，让它们保持沉默平静。”
Voodoo began to murmur secret spells. He raised the Staff of Legba in the air and shook it vigorously. As it glowed bright with mystic power, the demons stopped in their tracks to look at its radiant light.
巫毒兄弟开始默念秘密咒语，他将格巴之杖高举到空中，用力地挥舞着。有了魔法的力量，魔杖散发出耀眼的光辉，只见恶魔停驻在各自的轨道上，望着四射的光芒。
Now it was time for Doctor Strange to work his magic. His body pulsed with mystic energies ready to be harnessed. The spell he had in mind was usually used for attacking demons. Using it to help demons would take every ounce of control he had. Strange was nervous as he focused his power. The barrier between realms was fragile, and they both knew how important it was to protect it. Voodoo noticed Strange trembling and sweating quite a bit. His magic was breaking down.
到了奇异博士施展魔法的时候了。他体内集聚了神秘的能量，早已蓄势待发。他牢记的那道咒语通常用于攻击恶魔。如果用它来帮助恶魔的话，这道咒语会慢慢失效。集中力量时，奇异博士紧张难安。各领域之间的屏障十分脆弱，他俩都知道保护屏障至关重要。巫毒兄弟觉察到奇异博士浑身打战，大汗淋漓。他的魔力正在散失。
Suddenly, a headstrong demon elf shook itself out of its peaceful trance and shrieked deafeningly. The screech soon roused the other demon elves from their daze. They were awake, and they were not happy. Neither was Doctor Strange.
突然，一个顽固的恶魔精灵从昏昏沉沉中挣脱了出来，发出了震耳欲聋的尖叫。刺耳的尖叫声很快唤醒了其他被催眠的恶魔精灵。它们苏醒了，非常不悦。这下，奇异博士也恼了。
“Blast it!” Strange said angrily. “I couldn't sustain my power. The barrier between worlds has broken down.” Strange didn't like being so emotional in front of Voodoo, but he didn't have time to think about it—not with a horde of fuming demon elves standing before them.
“见鬼！”奇异博士生气地吼道，“我的力量已经撑不住了。各领域之间的屏障已经破裂。”奇异博士不想在巫毒面前如此情绪化，但他没有时间去思考了——尤其是一大群气得冒烟的恶魔精灵就站在他们面前时。
“Take a moment to collect your thoughts, Stephen,” said Voodoo. “Loa conceal us!” A dense fog swept into the room, camouflaging the magic heroes. But not before a nasty demon elf spotted them and charged at the weakened Doctor Strange. Brother Voodoo waved the Staff of Legba, creating a cage of protective fire and stopping the demon elf in its tracks.
“史蒂芬，花点时间理一理思绪。”巫毒兄弟说，“洛亚迷雾掩护！”浓雾顿时笼罩了整个屋子，遮住了两位魔法英雄。但很快，一个讨厌的恶魔精灵发现了他们，并向力量受损的奇异博士发起了攻击。巫毒兄弟挥舞着格巴之杖，创造了一个保护火笼，阻止了恶魔精灵的步伐。
“Now that these creatures are aware of our presence, we do not have much time, Doctor Strange,” said Voodoo. Strange nodded. It was now or never.
“现在这些怪物已经察觉到我们的存在，我们的时间不多了，奇异博士。”巫毒说。奇异博士点点头，绝对不能错失良机。
Keep it together, Stephen, he thought. A gigantic glowing hand appeared above the demon elves. It carefully scooped them up and returned them to the dimension from which they had come. Doctor Strange let out a well-deserved sigh of relief. The process had gone smoother than he could have imagined.
“史蒂芬，振作起来。”他心想。这时，一个发光的巨手出现在恶魔精灵上方，小心翼翼地把它们捞起来，将它们送回原来的维度。奇异博士松了一口气，感觉如释重负。整个过程比他想象的要顺畅。
“Thank you, Jericho. I truly appreciate your help,” said Strange.
“谢谢你，杰里科。真的非常感谢你的帮助。”奇异博士说。
Without Brother Voodoo's expertise, the situation might've been much worse. It gave Strange an idea. It was time to end the magical assaults once and for all. “Join me on a new adventure, Brother Voodoo?” he asked. “I'll share a spell with you on the way there.”
如果没有巫毒兄弟的独门秘技，情况可能会更糟。这让奇异博士产生了一个想法。是时候一劳永逸，彻底结束魔法攻击了。“和我一起加入新的冒险之旅吧，巫毒兄弟？”他问道，“在路上我会再教你一个咒语。”
Brother Voodoo smiled. “Anything for a friend.”
巫毒兄弟笑了笑，说：“愿为朋友赴汤蹈火。”
