The lantern festival started at six o'clock. It was four o'clock. Zola and her grandfather Goran stood in the school hall. Forty paper lanterns sat on the floor. They were red, yellow, and white.
灯笼节六点开始。现在是四点。佐拉和她的爷爷戈兰站在学校礼堂里。地上放着四十只纸灯笼，有红的、黄的、白的。
"The truck is late," Goran said. He looked at his phone.
“卡车晚了。”戈兰说。他看了看手机。
"The driver says the main road is closed. There is a street market there today."
“司机说主路封了，今天那里有街头集市。”
"Then how do we take the lanterns to the river?" Zola asked. Goran looked at an old wooden cart by the wall. Then he looked at Zola.
“那我们怎么把灯笼运到河边呢？”佐拉问。戈兰看了看墙边一辆旧木板车，又看了看佐拉。
"We walk," he said.
“我们走过去。”他说。
They put the lanterns in the cart with great care. Zola put a blanket over them. Goran took the front handle. Zola pushed from behind. The cart rolled out and down the hill.
他们小心翼翼地把灯笼放进板车里。佐拉在上面盖了一条毯子。戈兰拉着前面的把手，佐拉在后面推。板车滚出门，沿着山坡往下走。
The first part was easy. The road was quiet, and the cart ran smoothly. Zola sang a little song. Goran walked fast for an old man. After ten minutes, the sky turned grey. "Rain?" Zola asked.
第一段路很轻松。路上很安静，板车走得很平稳。佐拉哼起了小曲。戈兰走得很快，不像个老人。十分钟后，天色变灰了。“要下雨吗？”佐拉问。
"Maybe," Goran said.
“也许吧。”戈兰说。
"We must hurry."
“我们得快点。”
The second part was not easy. They came to a narrow alley between two shops. The cart was too wide. Zola pushed. Goran pulled. The wheel hit the wall with a bang. "Stop!" Zola said. "A lantern bends."
第二段路就不轻松了。他们来到两家店铺之间的一条窄巷。板车太宽了。佐拉推，戈兰拉。车轮“砰”的一声撞在墙上。“停！”佐拉说。“有只灯笼被压弯了。”
She took two lanterns out and held them. Now the cart was thinner. They pushed it slowly through the alley. At the end, she put the lanterns back. Not one was torn.
她取出两只灯笼，抱在怀里。这下板车变窄了。他们慢慢地把车推过小巷。到了巷子那头，她又把灯笼放回去。一只都没有破。
The third part was the worst. They reached a footbridge over a small stream. It had twelve steps on each side. A cart could not go up twelve steps.
第三段路最难走。他们来到一条小溪上的人行桥前。桥两边各有十二级台阶。板车上不了十二级台阶。
Goran sat on the bottom step. He breathed hard. "I am too old for this," he said.
戈兰坐在最下面的一级台阶上，大口喘气。“我年纪太大了，干不动了。”他说。
"You are not," Zola said.
“才不是呢。”佐拉说。
"But you are tired. Let us carry them in groups."
“不过你累了。我们分批搬吧。”
They made a plan. Zola took five lanterns in a big bag. Goran took five in a box. They went up the steps and over the bridge. Then they came back for more. They did this four times. Their legs hurt. A girl on a bicycle stopped and watched them.
他们定了个办法。佐拉用一个大袋子装了五只灯笼，戈兰用一个箱子装了五只。他们走上台阶，过了桥，再回来搬更多。他们这样来回走了四趟。腿都酸了。一个骑自行车的女孩停下来，看着他们。
"Can I help?" she asked.
“我能帮忙吗？”她问。
"Yes, please," Zola said.
“好啊，谢谢你。”佐拉说。
"Take this box. Be careful."
“拿着这个箱子，小心点。”
The girl's name was Mina. She took one box, then another. Soon two boys from the park joined them too. With five people, the work was fast. In fifteen minutes, all forty lanterns were across the bridge. Then the first drops of rain fell. "Quick," Goran said. "Under the bridge!"
女孩名叫米娜。她拿了一个箱子，又拿一个。很快，公园里的两个男孩也加入了。五个人一起干，活儿快多了。十五分钟后，四十只灯笼全都过了桥。这时，第一滴雨落了下来。“快，”戈兰说，“躲到桥下去！”
They pulled the cart under the stone arch. Everyone sat close together. The rain was loud on the road above. Nobody spoke. Zola held her breath and looked at the lanterns. They were dry. Every one of them was dry.
他们把板车拉到石拱桥下面。大家紧紧坐在一起。雨点打在上面的路上，声音很响。没有人说话。佐拉屏住呼吸，看着灯笼。它们是干的，每一只都是干的。
After ten minutes, the rain stopped. The clouds opened. A thin gold light came over the stream. They pushed the cart the last part of the way. It was just ten minutes to the river. At the park, a woman with a clipboard ran up. "You are here! We thought the lanterns were lost!"
十分钟后，雨停了。云层散开，一缕淡金色的光洒在溪水上。他们推着板车走完了最后一段路。到河边只剩十分钟路程了。在公园里，一个拿着写字夹板的女人跑了过来。“你们来了！我们还以为灯笼丢了呢！”
"Almost," Goran said. He laughed. "But not quite." It was a quarter to six. People waited near the water with candles. Zola and Mina gave a lantern to each child. Goran gave the last one to the woman.
“差一点就丢了，”戈兰笑着说，“不过没有。”这时是五点四十五分。人们拿着蜡烛在水边等着。佐拉和米娜给每个孩子发了一只灯笼。戈兰把最后一只递给了那个女人。
At six o'clock, the music began. Zola lit the first candle. She held the lantern high, and the red paper glowed. Then Mina lit hers, and then the boys. One by one, the lights went up over the river.
六点整，音乐响起。佐拉点亮了第一支蜡烛。她把灯笼高高举起，红色的纸透出光亮。接着米娜点亮了她的，然后是那两个男孩。灯光一盏接一盏，升到了河面上空。
