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第12课 |
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“我们要去哪里呀？”浪花问深沉的大海妈妈。
“亲爱的孩子，我们要去金黄的沙滩，你要去那里做你的事儿。”
“可我想去玩。”一朵小浪花说，“我想去比赛，看我们谁能跳得最高。”“不行，走吧，我们要出发了。”另一朵比较负责的浪花说，“妈妈说得对，我们还要工作呢。”
“哦，我可不敢去。”还有一朵浪花说，“看看沙堆边那巨大的黑石吧，它一定会把我撕成碎片的，我可不去。”
“拉着我的手吧，妹妹。”那朵比较负责的浪花说，“让我们一起出发吧，你要知道做这类工作有多么的光荣。”
“我们还回到妈妈身边吗？”
“当然了，只要我们把工作做完了就回来。”
于是大家匆忙地出发了。即使那朵最想玩的小浪花也觉得他们的工作才是最有趣的。那朵胆子比较小的浪花也不甘落后，奋勇地奔向沙滩。
第一次，他们是第一次来到这幢美丽的沙滩城堡。扑通！扑通！他们都冲了过来。“噢，太有趣了。”他们叫道。
“妈妈让我带了一些海藻来，我要给它们找一个好的安家之所。”一朵浪花在岸边跑了好远，把海藻留在了浅水的鹅卵石上。鹅卵石嚷道：“欢迎你们的到来，我正想洗澡呢。”
“妈妈让我带来一些海贝，我不知道该放在哪里？”一朵起着波纹的小浪花说。“把他们一个挨一个放到沙地上吧，不要摔坏了。”一朵年纪最大的浪花说。
小浪花做着自己的工作，把海贝轻轻地放到地上，小心极了，生怕摔坏一个。
“我做什么呢？”一朵身材高大的浪花说，“这和玩差不多嘛，小个子都能轻松地做完这些工作。妈妈还说这是我的工作呢？！”它冲上了岸边那巨大的岩石。
穿过岩石，它来到一个小池子里，听到鱼儿说：“海水来了。真的，太感激你了，亲爱的大海，你总是在暴风雨来的时候给我们送来巨大的浪花。也感谢你，可爱的浪花，我们在这里挺好的。”
这时，浪花全都回到了岸边，它们累了，慢慢地退了回来。
“我的贝壳全都完好无损。”一朵说。
“我的海藻也留到了上面。”另一朵说。
“我给所有的鹅卵石都洗了澡。”第三朵说。
“我——冲过了岸边的岩石，来到一个小池里。”那个曾经想去做点大事的浪花说，“我没有做好，妈妈，那里没有什么事情可做。”
“安静一下，孩子们。”大海说话了。这时他们听到一个在岸上走的小男孩说：“妈妈，海水都已经漫过来了！看，沙滩又干净又漂亮，连小池里的水也清澈无比。”
这时大海说：“听！”远远的，他们听见了风呜咽的声音，暴风雨要来了。
“回来吧，我亲爱的孩子们。”大海妈妈说，“你们已经完成了你们的任务。现在让暴风雨去做他该做的事吧。”
“ Where are we to go?”said the little waves to the great, deep sea.
“ Go, my darlings, to the yellow sands:you will find work to do there.”
“ I want to play.”said one little wave; “I want to see who canjump the highest.”
“ No; come on, come on.”said an earnest wave; “mother must be right.I want to work.”
“ Oh, I dare not go.”said another; “look at those great, black rocks close to the sands; I dare not go there, for they will tear me to pieces.”
“ Take my hand, sister.”said the earnest wave; “let us go on together.How glorious it is to do some work.”
“ Shall we ever go back to mother?”“Yes, when our work is done.”
So one and all hurried on.Even the little wave that wanted to play, pressed on, and thought that work might be fun after all.The timid ones did not like to be left behind, and they became earnest as they got nearer the sands.
After all, it was fun, pressing on one after another — jumping, laughing, running on to the broad, shining sands.
First, they came in their course to a great sand castle.Splash, splash! they all went over it, and down it came. “ Oh, what fun.”they cried.
“ Mother told me to bring these seaweeds; I will find a pretty place for them.”said one — and she ran a long way over the sands, and left them among the pebbles.The pebbles cried, “We are glad you are come.We wanted washing.”
“ Mother sent these shells; I don't know where to put them.”said a little fretful wave. “ Lay them one by one on the sand, and do not break them.”said the eldest wave.
And the little one went about its work, and learned to be quiet and gentle, for fear ofbreaking the shells.
“ Where is my work?”said a great, full-grown wave. “ this is mere play.The little ones can do this and laugh over it.Mother said there was work for me.” And he came down upon some large rocks.
Over the rocks and into a pool he went, and he heard the fishes say, “The sea is coming.Thank you, great sea; you always send a big wave when a storm is nigh.Thank you, kind wave; we are all ready for you now.”
Then the waves all went back over the wet sands, slowly and carelessly, for they were tired.
“ All my shells are safe.”said one.
And, “My seaweeds are left behind.”said another.
“ I washed all of the pebbles.”said a third.
“ And I — I only broke on a rock, and splashed into a pool.”said the one that was so eager to work. “ I have done no good, mother — no work at al.”
“ Hush.”said the sea.And they heard a child that was walking on the shore, say, “O mother, the sea has been here! Look, how nice and clean the sand is, and how clear the water is in that pool.”
Then the sea, said, “Hark.”and far away they heard the deep moaning of the coming storm.
“ Come, my darlings.”said she; “you have done your work, now let the storm do its work.”