The Harbor Gate Hostel has a common room full of odd sofas. There are shelves of old board games. There is a table for cards and a window onto the street. At nine o'clock, about twelve travelers sit there, talking in six languages.
港门青年旅舍的公共休息室里摆满了各式各样的怪沙发，还有一排排放旧桌游的架子，一张打牌的桌子，以及一扇面向街道的窗户。晚上九点，大约有十二位旅行者坐在那里，用六种语言聊着天。
Tamsin sits alone in the corner with a notebook. She is seventeen, and this is her first trip without her family. She plans to write down everything she sees. So far she writes only four lines.
塔姆辛独自坐在角落里，手里拿着一本笔记本。她十七岁，这是她第一次没有家人陪伴的旅行。她打算把看到的一切都记下来。到目前为止，她只写了四行。
A high, thin whistle starts in the air.
空气中响起一阵又高又细的哨声。
Tamsin looks up. The sound is like a thin wire far away. It comes again and again. It makes her teeth feel strange. She looks around the room. Nobody else looks up. A man laughs at a card game. Two girls share a map.
塔姆辛抬起头。那声音像远处一根细细的金属丝。一遍又一遍地响着，让她的牙齿都觉得怪怪的。她环顾房间，其他人都没有抬头。一个男人在牌局上大笑，两个女孩正一起看着一张地图。
She tries to write. The whistle stays. She presses her fingers to her ears. It stays.
她想写字，可哨声一直在。她用手指按住耳朵，哨声还在。
"Excuse me," she says to the girl next to her. "Can you hear that whistle?"
“打扰一下，”她对身旁的女孩说，“你能听到那个哨声吗？”
The girl listens politely. "I hear nothing," she says. "Only the music."
女孩礼貌地听了听。“我什么也没听到，”她说，“只有音乐。”
Tamsin goes back to her notebook. She decides the whistle is in her own head. Maybe it comes from the long bus ride. She breathes slowly and counts to twenty.
塔姆辛回头看她的笔记本。她断定哨声是自己脑子里的。也许是坐了太久的长途巴士造成的。她缓缓地呼吸，数到二十。
The whistle is still there.
哨声还在。
Behind the desk, a boy stamps a pile of forms. He looks about eighteen. His name tag says, "Wiktor, Volunteer." He wears a green hat. Tamsin watches him for a while. Then she stands up and walks to the desk.
前台后面，一个男孩正在一摞表格上盖章。他看起来大约十八岁。他的名牌上写着：“维克托，志愿者”。他戴着一顶绿帽子。塔姆辛看了他一会儿，然后站起来，走向前台。
"Hi," she says. "This sounds strange, but there is a high whistle in the room. I cannot stop hearing it."
“嗨，”她说，“这听起来有点奇怪，但房间里有一种很高的哨声，我怎么也没法不去听它。”
Wiktor stops stamping. "A whistle? What kind?"
维克托停下手里的章。“哨声？什么样的？”
"Very high," says Tamsin. "Like a tiny wire singing. It comes and goes every few seconds."
“非常尖，”塔姆辛说，“像一根小小的金属丝在唱歌。每隔几秒钟就响一下，又停下来。”
Wiktor listens with his head to one side. He is silent for a long moment. "I hear the music, the card game, and the fridge," he says. "No whistle."
维克托歪着头听了听。他沉默了好一会儿。“我听到的是音乐、打牌的声音，还有冰箱的声音，”他说，“没有哨声。”
"I knew it," Tamsin says quietly. "It is only me."
“我就知道，”塔姆辛轻声说，“只有我自己听得到。”
"Wait," says Wiktor. "That does not mean it is not real."
“等等，”维克托说，“这并不代表它不是真的。”
He looks at her carefully. "Some sounds are very high. Older ears cannot hear them. My little sister can hear a doorbell two streets away. I cannot."
他仔细地看着她。“有些声音非常高，年纪大一点的耳朵就听不到。我的小妹妹能听到两条街外的门铃声，我就听不到。”
"I am seventeen," says Tamsin. "You are not much older."
“我十七岁，”塔姆辛说，“你也没比我大多少。”
"Eighteen," says Wiktor. "But I played drums in a band for three years. My ears are tired of loud sounds now." He smiles. "Let us find it."
“十八岁，”维克托说，“不过我在乐队里打过三年鼓。现在我的耳朵已经受够了大声的声音。”他笑了笑。“我们去找找它吧。”
"Now?" Tamsin asks. "In front of everyone?"
“现在？”塔姆辛问，“当着所有人的面？”
"Why not?" says Wiktor. "You are the only one with the right ears. I am only the helper."
“为什么不呢？”维克托说，“只有你有合适的耳朵。我不过是个帮手。”
Tamsin feels her stomach tighten. She does not like attention. But the whistle makes her head hurt. She nods.
塔姆辛觉得胃里一紧。她不喜欢被人注意。可是哨声让她头疼。她点了点头。
They walk to the middle of the room. Wiktor stands still. Tamsin closes her eyes and listens. The whistle comes from the left. Then it comes from the right. Then it is on the left again.
他们走到房间中央。维克托一动不动地站着。塔姆辛闭上眼睛倾听。哨声从左边传来，又从右边传来，接着又回到左边。
"It is louder here," she says. She points toward the wall by the window.
“这里声音更大，”她说着，指向靠窗那面墙。
"Okay," says Wiktor. "Walk slowly. I will follow. Say 'warmer' or 'colder.'"
“好，”维克托说，“慢慢走，我跟着你。说‘更近了’或者‘更远了’。”
Tamsin walks. Wiktor follows with his hands behind his back. He looks like a guide in a museum. Near the sofa, she says, "Colder." Near the table, she says, "Colder." Near the shelf by the window, her face lights up.
塔姆辛往前走。维克托把手背在身后跟着，像博物馆里的导游。走到沙发附近，她说：“更远了。”走到桌子附近，她说：“更远了。”走到窗边的架子旁，她的脸一下亮了起来。
"Warmer," she says. "Much warmer."
“更近了，”她说，“近多了。”
A boy playing chess looks up. "What are you doing?" he asks.
一个在下棋的男孩抬起头。“你们在做什么？”他问。
"Looking for a sound," says Wiktor. "Do not worry. She is the expert."
“在找一个声音，”维克托说，“别担心。她是专家。”
Tamsin stands in front of the shelf. The whistle is right in front of her now, sharp and clear. She puts out her hand. She touches a tall game box with a red lid. Behind it is a gap. In the gap, there is something small and white.
塔姆辛站在架子前。哨声此刻就在她面前，尖锐而清晰。她伸出手，摸到一个红盖子的高大游戏盒。盒子后面有一道缝隙，缝隙里有个小小的白色东西。
"There," she says. "Behind the big box."
“在那儿，”她说，“在那个大盒子后面。”
Wiktor moves the box to one side. A small white disc is fixed to the back of the shelf. A small light blinks on its front. Under the light, there are three words: "Low battery. Replace."
维克托把盒子挪到一边。架子后壁上固定着一个小小的白色圆盘，正面有一盏小灯在闪烁。灯下面有三个词：“电量低。请更换。”
"A smoke alarm," Wiktor says slowly. "It is almost dead. It hides behind the games for years. No one ever sees it."
“是烟雾报警器，”维克托慢慢地说，“它快没电了。它在游戏盒后面躲了好多年，没人见过它。”
"That is why it whistles," says Tamsin.
“所以它才会发出哨声。”塔姆辛说。
"It sends a warning when its battery is low," Wiktor says. "But the warning is very high. Many people cannot hear it, and the room is loud. If the battery dies, the alarm will not work in a fire."
“电池电量低的时候，它会发出警告，”维克托说，“可是那个警告声音太高，很多人听不到，而且房间里又吵。要是电池耗尽了，发生火灾的时候报警器就不会响。”
Tamsin looks at the little disc. For a moment, she cannot speak. Before, she thought the sound was only in her head. But it is real. She is the only one who can hear it.
塔姆辛看着那个小圆盘，一时说不出话来。刚才她还以为那声音只在自己脑子里。可它是真的，而她是唯一能听到它的人。
"Do we have a new battery?" she asks.
“我们有新电池吗？”她问。
"In the office," says Wiktor. "I will fetch it. Hold the shelf."
“在办公室里，”维克托说，“我去拿。你扶住架子。”
He runs to the back. Tamsin stands very straight with her hand on the shelf. It feels like the whole hostel needs her. People stop talking and watch her. The man from the card game comes closer.
他跑到后面去了。塔姆辛挺直身子站着，手扶着架子。她觉得整座旅舍都需要她。人们停止了交谈，看着她。打牌的那个男人走了过来。
"Is something wrong?" he asks.
“出什么事了吗？”他问。
"The smoke alarm will die soon," says Tamsin. Her voice shakes a little, but she keeps going. "It needs a new battery. You cannot hear the signal, but I can."
“烟雾报警器快要坏了，”塔姆辛说。她的声音有点发抖，但她还是继续说下去，“它需要换新电池。你们听不到它的信号，但我能听到。”
"You can hear it?" the man says. "That is amazing."
“你能听到？”男人说，“太神奇了。”
"Not amazing," Tamsin says. "Just young."
“不神奇，”塔姆辛说，“只是年轻。”
Several people laugh, and she laughs too. It feels good to laugh with them.
好几个人笑了起来，她也笑了。和他们一起笑，感觉真好。
Wiktor returns with a small square battery and a screwdriver. He opens the disc and takes out the old battery. He puts in the new one. The light stops blinking and turns steady green.
维克托拿着一块小小的方形电池和一把螺丝刀回来了。他打开圆盘，取出旧电池，装上新的。灯不再闪烁，变成了稳定的绿色。
The room goes quiet. Tamsin listens. She turns her head to the left, and then to the right. There is no whistle at all.
房间安静下来。塔姆辛仔细倾听。她把头转向左边，又转向右边，一点哨声也没有了。
"It is gone," she says.
“没了，”她说。
"Good," says Wiktor. "Now you can finally enjoy your evening."
“好，”维克托说，“现在你终于可以好好享受今晚了。”
Tamsin sits down on the sofa. The girl with the map moves over. She pats the seat beside her. A boy asks what her notebook is for. Tamsin opens it to the first page. She writes one new line at the top.
塔姆辛在沙发上坐下。拿着地图的那个女孩往旁边挪了挪，拍拍身边的座位。一个男孩问她的笔记本是做什么用的。塔姆辛翻到第一页，在最上面写下了新的一行。
When she looks up, Wiktor stands in front of her. He holds his green hat in his hand.
她抬起头时，维克托正站在她面前，手里拿着他的绿帽子。
"Tamsin," he says, "from now on, you are the official ears here."
“塔姆辛，”他说，“从现在起，你就是这里的官方耳朵了。”
