The fish auction at the harbour started at five in the morning. At four, Boris was already there. He wore boots, a thick coat and a sleepy face.
港口的鱼市拍卖早上五点开始。四点钟，鲍里斯已经到了。他穿着靴子和厚外套，一脸睡意。
Boris was fifteen. He had a Saturday job at the auction. He carried boxes and swept the floor. That day he also carried a promise.
鲍里斯十五岁，在拍卖场做星期六的兼职，搬箱子、扫地。那天他还带着一个承诺。
Kirsten waited for him by the ice machine. She was the auctioneer's daughter. She held a big silver thermos in both hands.
克尔斯滕在制冰机旁等他。她是拍卖师的女儿，双手捧着一只大大的银色保温瓶。
"Boris, I need a favour," she said.
“鲍里斯，我想请你帮个忙，”她说。
"Another one?" Boris said. "Last week it was a box of crabs."
“又来？”鲍里斯说，“上周是一箱螃蟹。”
"This one is more important," said Kirsten. "My father has no voice today. He has a cold. He must call the sale at five."
“这次更重要，”克尔斯滕说，“我爸爸今天没有声音了，他感冒了。可他必须在五点叫价开拍。”
"He can't call a sale with no voice," said Boris.
“没有声音，他怎么叫价？”鲍里斯说。
"He can with this." She lifted the thermos. "It is lemon and honey. My mother made it. It fixes any throat."
“有这个就行。”她举起保温瓶。“这是柠檬蜂蜜水，我妈妈做的。什么嗓子都能治好。”
Boris looked at the thermos. It was very heavy.
鲍里斯看着保温瓶，它非常沉。
"So what do I do?" he asked.
“那我要做什么？”他问。
"Make my father drink it before the first bell," said Kirsten. "He says he will not drink it. He says it is a drink for children."
“在第一声铃响前，让我爸爸把它喝了，”克尔斯滕说，“他说他不喝，说这是小孩子喝的东西。”
"He never listens," said Boris.
“他从来不听人劝，”鲍里斯说。
"He is the worst," said Kirsten. "Promise me, Boris. Say it."
“他最糟糕了，”克尔斯滕说，“答应我，鲍里斯，说出来。”
Boris sighed. "I promise. He drinks it before the first bell."
鲍里斯叹了口气。“我答应。在第一声铃响前，他会喝的。”
"Thank you!" Kirsten ran off to help her mother. Boris stood alone with the thermos. It was half past four.
“谢谢你！”克尔斯滕跑去帮她妈妈了。鲍里斯独自拿着保温瓶站着，时间是四点半。
He found the auctioneer on the high platform. The man wore a wool hat and a scarf. His nose was pink. He held a paper with the day's list of fish.
他在高高的台子上找到了拍卖师。那人戴着羊毛帽，围着围巾，鼻头粉红，手里拿着一张写着当天鱼品清单的纸。
"Good morning," Boris said. His voice sounded loud in the empty hall.
“早上好，”鲍里斯说。他的声音在空荡荡的大厅里显得很响。
The auctioneer pointed at his throat. Then he shook his head. No sound came out of him at all.
拍卖师指了指自己的喉咙，又摇了摇头。他一点声音也发不出来。
"Kirsten sent this," said Boris. He held up the thermos.
“克尔斯滕让我送这个来，”鲍里斯说着举起保温瓶。
The man shook his head again. He made a face. Then he turned away and looked at his list.
那人又摇了摇头，做了个鬼脸，然后转过身去看他的清单。
Boris did not stop. He opened the thermos and poured some into the cup. Steam jumped out like a small white cloud. It was thick and it smelled of lemon.
鲍里斯没有放弃。他打开保温瓶，往杯子里倒了一些。热气像一小团白云一样蹿了出来。饮料很浓，有柠檬的香味。
The auctioneer looked back. He took the cup. He put his lips to the edge. Then he pulled his head away fast. His eyes went wide.
拍卖师回过头来，接过杯子，把嘴唇凑到杯沿，然后迅速把头缩了回去，眼睛瞪得老大。
He waved his hand in front of his mouth. He pointed at the cup and then at Boris. He seemed to say, "It burns!"
他在嘴前挥着手，先指指杯子，又指指鲍里斯。他好像在说：“烫！”
"Sorry!" said Boris. "It is very hot. Let us wait a little."
“对不起！”鲍里斯说，“太烫了。我们等一会儿。”
They waited. The first trucks arrived outside. Men carried in boxes of silver fish. The floor became wet and loud. Boris checked the cup every minute.
他们等着。外面来了第一批卡车。男人们把一箱箱银色的鱼抬了进来。地板变得又湿又吵。鲍里斯每隔一分钟就查看一次杯子。
It did not cool. Steam still rose from it. It looked like a small kettle.
它没有凉下来，仍在冒着热气，像一只小水壶。
At ten to five, Boris had an idea. He ran to the ice machine. He filled a bag with ice and ran back. He dropped three cubes into the cup.
四点五十分，鲍里斯想到了一个主意。他跑到制冰机那里，装了一袋冰，跑回来，往杯子里扔了三块冰。
The cubes made a hissing sound. They were gone in five seconds. The drink was still too hot to touch.
冰块嘶嘶作响，五秒钟就化没了。饮料还是烫得没法碰。
"What is in this thermos?" Boris said to himself. "A tiny sun?"
“这保温瓶里装的是什么？”鲍里斯自言自语，“一个小太阳吗？”
He tried again with more ice. He tried to blow on the cup. He poured the drink from one cup to another, back and forth. Nothing worked. The thermos kept its heat too well.
他又加了更多冰试了一次，还试着对着杯子吹气，把饮料在两只杯子之间倒来倒去。什么办法都没用。这保温瓶太会保温了。
The buyers started to come in. They wore heavy coats and they talked in loud voices. Some of them looked up at the platform. The auctioneer stood very still. His face said, "Where is my voice?"
买家们开始进场了。他们穿着厚大衣，大声交谈。有些人抬头看着台子，拍卖师一动不动地站着，脸上写着：“我的声音在哪儿？”
Boris looked at the big clock. It was four minutes to five. His heart jumped.
鲍里斯看了看墙上的大钟，还有四分钟就五点了。他的心猛地一跳。
Then Kirsten appeared at his side. She saw the cup and the steam. Her mouth opened.
这时克尔斯滕出现在他身边。她看见了杯子和热气，张大了嘴。
"You did not let him drink it?" she said.
“你没让他喝？”她说。
"It is too hot," Boris whispered. "I broke my promise. I am sorry."
“太烫了，”鲍里斯小声说，“我没守住承诺，对不起。”
"It is always this hot," Kirsten said. "My mother says it stays hot for hours."
“它一直都这么烫，”克尔斯滕说，“我妈妈说它能烫好几个小时。”
"We do not have hours," said Boris. "We have three minutes."
“我们没有几个小时，”鲍里斯说，“我们只有三分钟。”
He looked at the steam again. It rose from the cup in a thick line. It floated up toward the auctioneer's face.
他又看了看热气。它从杯子里升起，成了一条浓浓的线，向着拍卖师的脸飘去。
"Wait," he said. "Does steam help a sore throat?"
“等等，”他说，“蒸汽对喉咙痛有用吗？”
"My mother says it does," said Kirsten. "She puts her head over a bowl when she is ill."
“我妈妈说有用，”克尔斯滕说，“她生病的时候，就把头凑到一碗热水上面。”
"Then he does not need to drink it," said Boris. "He needs to breathe it."
“那他不用喝，”鲍里斯说，“他只需要吸进去。”
Boris climbed the steps to the platform. He held the cup under the auctioneer's chin. "Please breathe in," he said. "Slowly. Through your mouth."
鲍里斯爬上台阶，把杯子举到拍卖师的下巴下面。“请吸气，”他说，“慢慢地，用嘴。”
The man looked at him. He looked at the buyers. Then he closed his eyes and breathed in.
那人看着他，又看看买家们，然后闭上眼睛，吸了一口气。
Boris stood there with the cup in both hands. His arms began to shake. The man breathed in again. The steam wrapped around his scarf and his nose.
鲍里斯双手捧着杯子站在那里，胳膊开始发抖。那人又吸了一口，蒸汽缠绕着他的围巾和鼻子。
Kirsten held up a hand. She counted down the seconds. Two minutes. One minute.
克尔斯滕举起一只手，数着秒数。两分钟，一分钟。
The auctioneer made a small noise. It was like a door that opened a little. He cleared his throat. He tried again. The noise was bigger now.
拍卖师发出一个轻轻的声音，像一扇门被推开了一条缝。他清了清嗓子，又试了一次，声音大了一些。
"Ah," he said. It was a rough, tiny sound, but it was a real sound.
“啊，”他说。那声音沙哑而微弱，但确实是声音。
The first bell rang. Five o'clock. The buyers went quiet and looked up.
第一声铃响了，五点整。买家们安静下来，抬头望去。
The auctioneer took one more deep breath of steam. Then he lifted his chin and called, "Good morning, everyone! Our first fish is a box of cod!"
拍卖师又深吸了一口蒸汽，然后抬起下巴，喊道：“大家早上好！我们的第一批鱼是一箱鳕鱼！”
His voice was low and a bit rough. Still, it filled the whole hall. A buyer shouted a number. Another shouted a higher one. The sale began.
他的声音低沉，有些沙哑，却响遍了整个大厅。一个买家喊了个价，另一个喊出更高的价。拍卖开始了。
Boris laughed, and his arms stopped shaking. He sat down on the top step with the cup beside him. Kirsten sat next to him.
鲍里斯笑了，胳膊也不再发抖。他在最上面的台阶坐下，杯子放在身边。克尔斯滕在他旁边坐下。
"You did it," she said. "You kept your promise."
“你做到了，”她说，“你守住了承诺。”
"Not the way you wanted," said Boris. "He never drank it."
“不是你想要的那种方式，”鲍里斯说，“他根本没喝。”
"He did not need to," said Kirsten. "It was better this way. My father hates sweet drinks."
“他不用喝，”克尔斯滕说，“这样更好。我爸爸讨厌甜饮料。”
They listened to the sale for an hour. The auctioneer sold every fish on the list. At six o'clock the cup was still warm. Boris held it up to his own nose and breathed in. The lemon smell was lovely.
他们听了一个小时的拍卖。拍卖师卖光了清单上的每一种鱼。六点钟，杯子还是温热的。鲍里斯把它举到自己鼻子下，吸了一口气，柠檬的香味真好闻。
When the sale ended, the auctioneer came down the steps. He stopped in front of Boris and Kirsten. He pointed at the thermos and smiled.
拍卖结束后，拍卖师走下台阶，在鲍里斯和克尔斯滕面前停下，指着保温瓶笑了。
"Papa, will you drink some now?" Kirsten said.
“爸爸，你现在要喝一点吗？”克尔斯滕说。
The auctioneer took the cup. He drank it all at once. His eyes went wide again.
拍卖师接过杯子，一口喝光，眼睛又瞪得老大。
"Still hot!" he said in a small, rough voice. "Kirsten, next time, please make it in a bucket. At least a bucket cools down."
“还是烫！”他用微弱沙哑的声音说，“克尔斯滕，下次请用水桶装吧。至少水桶会凉下来。”
