The Lamp That Counts Noise

The university library has a new lamp. It sits in the middle of the group study table. It is round and white. A sign says: "Green is good. Red is loud."

La biblioteca de la universidad tiene una lámpara nueva. Está en el centro de la mesa de estudio en grupo. Es redonda y blanca. Un letrero dice: «Verde es bueno. Rojo es ruidoso».

Yoon, Dmitri, and Uma take the table on Tuesday. They have a big test on Friday. They open their books.

Yoon, Dmitri y Uma ocupan la mesa el martes. Tienen un examen importante el viernes. Abren sus libros.

The lamp is green.

La lámpara está verde.

"Easy," says Dmitri in a loud voice.

—Fácil —dice Dmitri en voz alta.

The lamp turns yellow.

La lámpara se pone amarilla.

Uma puts a finger on her lips. "Quiet," she whispers. "The lamp hears you."

Uma se pone un dedo en los labios. —Silencio —susurra—. La lámpara te oye.

Yoon laughs, but he covers his mouth. The lamp stays yellow for a moment. Then it goes green again.

Yoon se ríe, pero se tapa la boca. La lámpara se queda amarilla un momento. Luego vuelve a ponerse verde.

They study for ten minutes. Uma reads a question. Dmitri thinks. Yoon writes the answer on a card. Nobody talks too much. The room feels calm and warm.

Estudian durante diez minutos. Uma lee una pregunta. Dmitri piensa. Yoon escribe la respuesta en una tarjeta. Nadie habla demasiado. La sala se siente tranquila y cálida.

Then Dmitri finds a funny picture in his book. It shows a man with a very big nose. Dmitri starts to laugh. He cannot stop.

Entonces Dmitri encuentra una imagen graciosa en su libro. Muestra a un hombre con una nariz enorme. Dmitri empieza a reírse. No puede parar.

The lamp turns red. A tiny sound plays. Beep, beep.

La lámpara se pone roja. Suena un sonidito. Bip, bip.

A student at the next table looks up. Dmitri says "sorry" with his hands over his face.

Un estudiante de la mesa de al lado levanta la vista. Dmitri dice «perdón» con las manos sobre la cara.

"New rule," Uma whispers. "Funny pictures are for after the test."

—Nueva regla —susurra Uma—. Las imágenes graciosas son para después del examen.

Yoon has an idea. "Let us make a game," he says. "We keep the lamp green for ten minutes. Then we eat a snack."

A Yoon se le ocurre una idea. —Hagamos un juego —dice—. Mantenemos la lámpara en verde durante diez minutos. Luego comemos algo.

"What snack?" asks Dmitri.

—¿Qué cosa? —pregunta Dmitri.

"An orange," says Uma. "I have three in my bag."

—Una naranja —dice Uma—. Tengo tres en mi mochila.

They agree. They use hand signs for yes and no. Uma points at a page. Yoon nods. Dmitri writes. The lamp stays green for five minutes. Then eight. Then ten.

Aceptan. Usan señas con las manos para decir sí y no. Uma señala una página. Yoon asiente. Dmitri escribe. La lámpara se queda en verde cinco minutos. Luego ocho. Luego diez.

Uma gives each boy an orange. They peel them very slowly. But peeling is a loud job. The lamp turns yellow again.

Uma le da una naranja a cada chico. Las pelan muy despacio. Pero pelar es una tarea ruidosa. La lámpara se pone amarilla otra vez.

"The orange is the enemy," Yoon whispers. They all shake with silent laughter.

—La naranja es el enemigo —susurra Yoon. Todos tiemblan de risa silenciosa.

After the snack, they play again. This time, they write notes on paper. Dmitri draws a small face on his note. It says, "Is this answer right?" Uma writes back, "Yes. Good job." Yoon draws a small star.

Después de la merienda, juegan otra vez. Esta vez escriben notas en papel. Dmitri dibuja una carita en su nota. Dice: «¿Esta respuesta está bien?». Uma le responde: «Sí. Buen trabajo». Yoon dibuja una estrellita.

The lamp stays green for twenty minutes. Then it stays green for thirty.

La lámpara se queda en verde veinte minutos. Luego se queda en verde treinta.

A girl from the next table comes over. She has a stack of books. "Can I sit here?" she whispers. "Your table is so quiet. My table is always red."

Una chica de la mesa de al lado se acerca. Trae una pila de libros. —¿Puedo sentarme aquí? —susurra—. Su mesa es muy silenciosa. La mía siempre está en rojo.

"Come in," Uma whispers. "But no oranges."

—Pasa —susurra Uma—. Pero sin naranjas.

The girl laughs without a sound. Uma gives her a pencil. She sits down and opens her book.

La chica se ríe sin hacer ruido. Uma le da un lápiz. Ella se sienta y abre su libro.

The group works for two more hours. They learn six chapters. Dmitri says the lamp is a strict teacher. It never gets tired. Uma says it is more like a friend.

El grupo trabaja dos horas más. Estudian seis capítulos. Dmitri dice que la lámpara es una maestra estricta. Nunca se cansa. Uma dice que es más bien una amiga.

On Friday, they take the test. The hall is very quiet. Dmitri looks at Yoon and smiles. Quiet is easy now.

El viernes, hacen el examen. La sala está muy callada. Dmitri mira a Yoon y sonríe. Ahora el silencio es fácil.

After the test, the friends walk back to the library. It is late, and the room is empty. The lamp sits in the middle of the table. It is green.

Después del examen, los amigos caminan de vuelta a la biblioteca. Es tarde y la sala está vacía. La lámpara está en el centro de la mesa. Está verde.

Yoon takes the last orange from his bag. He puts it next to the lamp.

Yoon saca la última naranja de su mochila. La pone junto a la lámpara.

"For the hero," he says.

—Para la heroína —dice.

The lamp stays green.

La lámpara sigue en verde.