The ropeway crossed the gorge in three minutes. The drop below it was very long. Quincy ran the lower station. He knew every sound the cabin made. He liked the hum of the wheels. He liked the soft bump at each tower.
索道只要三分钟就能越过峡谷，下面的深渊极深。昆西管着下站。他熟悉缆车发出的每一种声音，喜欢车轮的嗡嗡声，也喜欢每经过一座塔架时那轻轻的一颠。
On the day of the village festival, someone banged on his window. It was Reza, and he had a bag on his back.
村里节日那天，有人砰砰地敲他的窗子。是礼萨，背上背着一个包。
"Quincy! Open the gate. I have a promise to keep."
“昆西！快开门。我要去兑现一个承诺。”
"You look like a man who ran here," Quincy said.
“你看起来像是一路跑来的，”昆西说。
"I did run here." Reza took a breath. "The flag will not rise. The rope on the top pole is stuck. Nobody can fix it from the ground. I must go up with the new flag and fix it myself."
“确实是跑来的。”礼萨喘了口气。“旗子升不起来了。顶上旗杆的绳子卡住了，在地面上谁也修不了。我必须带着新旗子上去，亲手把它弄好。”
Reza was the man who planned the festival. Last year, the old flag tore in two. A group of children stood around him and asked a small question. "Will we have a new one?" Reza said yes. Then he said more. "I promise it will fly over the gorge at noon. Next year. I promise."
礼萨是筹办这次节日的人。去年，旧旗子裂成了两半。一群孩子围在他身边，问了一个小小的问题：“我们会有新的吗？”礼萨说会的，接着又说了更多：“我保证，它会在中午升起，飘扬在峡谷上空。明年。我保证。”
The children made the new flag with their own hands. The cloth was blue. Each child pressed a hand in white paint on it. There were many small hands, in rows, like birds. It was the best flag the village ever owned.
孩子们亲手做了那面新旗子。布是蓝色的，每个孩子都把一只手蘸了白颜料，按在上面。许多小手一排排地印在那里，像一群鸟。这是村里有过的最好的旗子。
Now it was twenty to twelve. The whole village waited in the square below the gorge. The band was ready. The mayor was ready. The flag was in a bag on Reza's back.
此刻已是差二十分钟十二点。全村的人都在峡谷下方的广场上等着。乐队准备好了，村长也准备好了，旗子就装在礼萨背上的包里。
"Come," said Quincy. "I will take you up myself."
“来吧，”昆西说，“我亲自送你上去。”
They stepped into the cabin. It was small and clean and smelled of oil. Quincy closed the door and pressed the green button. The cabin shook, and then it moved out over the edge.
他们走进缆车。车厢又小又干净，有一股机油味。昆西关上门，按下绿色按钮。缆车晃了一下，接着驶出了崖边。
Reza did not like heights. He told almost nobody. He sat down on the bench and looked at his shoes.
礼萨不喜欢高处，几乎没告诉过谁。他在长椅上坐下，低头看着自己的鞋子。
"It is a short ride," Quincy said. "You can look at your shoes the whole way."
“只是一小段路，”昆西说，“你可以一路都看着鞋子。”
"I am not afraid," said Reza.
“我不怕，”礼萨说。
"Of course not."
“当然不怕。”
Halfway over the gorge, the cabin stopped.
缆车行到峡谷中间时，停住了。
First came a click. Then a long quiet. The hum of the wheels died. The cabin swung a little and hung still.
先是咔哒一声，接着是一段长长的寂静。车轮的嗡嗡声消失了。缆车轻轻摇晃了一下，悬在半空，不动了。
Quincy pushed the green button. Nothing happened. He pushed it again. He took the radio from the wall.
昆西按了按绿色按钮，没有反应。他又按了一次，然后从墙上取下了对讲机。
"Station, this is Quincy. I am stopped over the gorge. What happened?"
“站里，我是昆西。我停在峡谷上空了。出什么事了？”
The radio made a noise, and then a voice came back. "The power went out for a moment. The brake locked. We must restart it by hand. Maybe ten minutes. Maybe twenty."
对讲机里响了一阵杂音，接着传来一个声音：“刚才瞬间停电，刹车锁死了。我们得用手动重启，也许十分钟，也许二十分钟。”
Quincy put the radio down. He did not say the time, but Reza looked at his watch. It was a quarter to twelve.
昆西放下对讲机。他没有说时间，但礼萨看了看自己的手表。十一点四十五分。
"Twenty minutes is too long," Reza said.
“二十分钟太久了，”礼萨说。
"I know. The cabin will not fall. It is only waiting."
“我知道。缆车不会掉下去，它只是在等着。”
"The flag cannot be late. I promised them." Reza stood up too fast. The cabin rocked. He sat down again and held the bench with both hands. "I promised the children. They worked on that cloth for three weeks."
“旗子不能迟到。我答应过他们的。”礼萨一下子站得太猛，缆车晃了起来。他又坐下，两只手紧紧抓住长椅。“我答应了孩子们。他们为那块布忙了三个星期。”
Quincy said nothing. He looked out of the window. Far below, the village square looked as small as a plate. Tiny people stood in rows. A few of them pointed up at the cabin.
昆西没有说话。他望向窗外。远远的下方，村里的广场小得像一只盘子，小小的人排成一排排站着，有几个人正指着缆车。
"They can see us," Quincy said.
“他们能看见我们，”昆西说。
"Please do not say that."
“求你别这么说。”
"Look."
“你看。”
Reza did not want to look. But he lifted his head, just a little. He saw the square. He saw the tiny crowd, and the white-and-blue line of the band. He saw the tall pole on the top station. It was empty. Then he saw something else. He saw the cable above them, thick and grey.
礼萨不想看。但他还是抬起头来，只抬了一点点。他看到了广场，看到了小小的人群，还有乐队那条蓝白相间的队列。他看到了上站那根高高的旗杆，上面空空的。然后他又看到了别的东西：他们头顶那根粗粗的灰色缆绳。
He looked up at the roof. There was a round hatch. Above the hatch, a strong metal bar ran across the ceiling.
他抬头看向车顶。那里有一个圆形的舱口，舱口上方，一根结实的金属横杆横跨车顶。
"Quincy," he said slowly. "Where do you keep the long pole?"
“昆西，”他慢慢地说，“你把那根长杆放在哪儿？”
"The pole? For the emergency?" Quincy pointed to a long metal pole on the wall. "There. Why?"
“长杆？应急用的那根吗？”昆西指了指墙上一根长长的金属杆。“在那儿。怎么了？”
"A flag needs two things," Reza said. "It needs a pole. And it needs to go up."
“旗子需要两样东西，”礼萨说，“一根杆子，还有往上升。”
Quincy looked at the pole. He looked at the hatch. Then he started to laugh.
昆西看了看杆子，又看了看舱口，然后笑了起来。
"You are a very strange man," he said.
“你这个人真奇怪，”他说。
"Help me."
“帮帮我。”
Quincy took the pole from the wall. Reza opened his bag. The flag came out in his hands. It was soft and heavy. He did not let himself look down. He looked only at the cloth.
昆西把杆子从墙上取了下来。礼萨打开包，把旗子拿了出来。旗子又软又沉。他不让自己往下看，只盯着那块布。
They tied one corner to the end of the pole. Reza's fingers shook, and Quincy helped with the knots. They tied the second corner. Then they stood on the bench and opened the hatch. Cold air came in.
他们把旗子的一角系在杆子的一端。礼萨的手指发抖，昆西帮他打结。他们又系好了第二个角。然后两人站到长椅上，打开了舱口。冷空气灌了进来。
"Push it up," said Quincy.
“往上推，”昆西说。
Reza pushed. The pole slid through the hatch. The flag followed it into the sky. It hung for a moment, then opened. The blue cloth snapped once, loud and clear. Far below, a sound came up from the square. It was a small, thin sound. It was a cheer.
礼萨用力一推，杆子穿过舱口，旗子跟着它升进了天空。它停了片刻，随后展开了。蓝色的布啪地响了一声，又响又清脆。远远的下方，广场上传来一个声音，又小又细，那是欢呼声。
"Hold it straight," Quincy said.
“把它扶直，”昆西说。
"I have it."
“我握着呢。”
"Your knees shake."
“你的膝盖在发抖。”
"My knees are not important."
“我的膝盖不重要。”
Quincy took a rope from the wall. He tied the pole to the bar. He pulled each knot hard. The pole stood up through the hatch, tall and straight. The flag lifted above the cabin and above the gorge. It was a real flag now. The whole village could see it.
昆西从墙上取下一根绳子，把杆子绑在横杆上，每个结都使劲拉紧。杆子从舱口笔直地竖了起来。旗子高高飘在缆车和峡谷之上。这下它是一面真正的旗子了，全村的人都能看到。
At two minutes to twelve, the radio spoke again.
十二点差两分，对讲机又响了。
"Quincy, we are ready. I start the motor now."
“昆西，我们准备好了。我现在启动电机。”
"Wait," Quincy said. He looked at Reza. "Are you ready?"
“等一下，”昆西说。他看着礼萨。“你准备好了吗？”
Reza stood very straight. He did not look at his shoes. He looked at the flag over his head. For the first time that day, he smiled.
礼萨站得笔直。他没有看自己的鞋子，而是看着头顶上的旗子。这一天里，他第一次笑了。
"Yes."
“好了。”
Quincy pressed the green button, and the cabin began to climb.
昆西按下绿色按钮，缆车开始向上爬去。
