Chapter 8

Sometimes,” Haw said, “things change and they are never the same again.  This looks like one of those times, Hem¹.  That’s life! Life moves on.  And so should we.

Haw looked at his emaciated² companion and tried to talk sense to him, but Hem ‘s fear had turned into anger and he wouldn’t listen.

Haw didn’t mean to be rude to his friend, but he had to laugh at how silly they both looked.
As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh at himself, let go and move on.
He announced, “It’s maze³ time!”
Hem didn’t laugh and he didn’t respond.
Haw picked up a small, sharp rock and wrote a serious thought on the wall for Hem to think about.  As was his custom, Haw even drew a picture of cheese around it, hoping it would help Helm to smile, lighten up, and go after the New Cheese.  But Hem didn’t want to see it.

It read:If You Do Not Change,You Can Become Extinct.

Then, Haw stuck his head out and peered anxiously into the maze.  He thought about how he’d gotten himself into this cheeseless situation.

He had believed that there may not be any Cheese in the maze, or he may not find it.  Such fearful beliefs were immobilizing and killing⁴ him.

Haw smiled.  He knew Hem was wondering, “Who moved my Cheese?” but Haw was wondering,  “Why didn’t I get up and move with the Cheese sooner?”

As he started out into the maze, Haw looked back to where he had come from and felt its comfort.  He could feel himself being drawn⁵ back into familiar territory-even though he hadn’t found Cheese there for some time.

Haw became more anxious and wondered if he really wanted to go out into the maze.  He wrote a saying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for some time:What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
He thought about it.
He knew sometimes some fear can be good.  When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don’t do something, it can prompt you into action.  But it is not good when you are so afraid that it keeps you from doing anything.

He looked to his right, to the part of the maze where he had never been, and felt the fear.
Then, he took a deep breath, turned right into the maze, and jogged slowly, into the unknown.
 

于是唧唧转身来对哼哼说：“哼哼，有时候，事情发生了改变，就再也变不回原来的样子了。我们现在遇到的情况就是这样。这就是生活！生活在变化，日子在住前走，我们也应随之改变，而不是在原地踟蹰不前。”

　　唧唧看着他那因饥饿和沮丧而显得有些憔悴的朋友，试图给予他分析一些道理。但是，哼哼的畏惧早已变成了气恼，他什么也听不进去。

　　唧唧并不想冒犯他的朋友，但是，他还是忍不住要嘲笑他们自己，因为现在看起来他们俩真的是又狼狈又愚蠢。

　　当唧唧准备要出发的时候，他觉得自己整个人都变得都充满了活力，他挺起了胸膛，他的精神开始振作起来：“让我们出发吧。”

　　唧唧大笑着宣称：“这是一个迷宫的时代！”

　　哼哼笑不起来，他几乎没有任何反应。

　　唧唧拾起一块尖硬的小石头，在墙上写下一句恳切的话，留给哼哼去思考。他没有忘记自己的习惯，在这句话的周围画上奶酪的图案。唧唧希望这幅画能给哼哼带来一丝希望，会对哼哼有所启发，并促使哼哼起身去追寻新的奶酪。但是哼哼根本不想朝墙上看一眼。

　　墙上的话是：

　　如果你不改变，你就会被淘汰。

　　在墙上留完言后，唧唧伸出脑袋小心翼翼地朝迷宫中望了望，回想着到达奶酪C站以前所走过的路线。

　　他曾经想过，也许迷宫中再也没有奶酪了，或者，他可能永远也找不到奶酪。这种悲观的情绪曾经那样深地根植于他的心底，以到于差一点就毁了他。

　　想到这里，唧唧会心地微笑起来。他知道，哼哼现在一定还在原地懊恼：“究竟是谁动了我的奶酪？”而唧唧此刻想的却是：“我为什么没有早点行动起来，跟随着奶酪移动呢？”

　　当唧唧终于走出奶酪C站踏入黑暗的迷宫时，他忍不住回头看了看这个曾经伴随他和哼哼很长一段时间的地方。那一瞬间他几乎无法控制自己，又想走回那个熟悉的地方，又想躲进那个虽已没有奶酪但很完全的地方。

　　唧唧又有些担心起来，拿不准自己是否真的想要进入到迷宫中去。片刻以后，他又拿起石块在面前的墙上写下一句话，盯着它看了许久：

　　如果你无所畏惧，你会怎样做呢？

　　他对着这句话苦思冥想。

　　他知道，有时候，有所畏惧是有好处的。当你害怕不做某些事情会使事情变得越来越糟糕时，恐惧心反而会激起你采取行动。但是，如果你因为过分害怕而不敢采取任何行动时，恐惧心就会变成前进道路上最大的障碍。

　　他朝迷宫的右侧瞧了瞧，心中生出了恐惧，因为他从未到过那里面。

　　然后，他深吸了一口气，朝迷宫的右侧缓步跑去，跑向那片未知的领地。

1 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

2 emaciated   

adj.衰弱的，消瘦的

参考例句：

• A long time illness made him sallow and emaciated.长期患病使他面黄肌瘦。
• In the light of a single candle,she can see his emaciated face.借着烛光，她能看到他的被憔悴的面孔。

3 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。