Sven cleaned windows at night. His job was on the Ring. It was a big hotel in space. It went around the Earth once every ninety minutes. The guests slept, and the halls were quiet.
斯文在夜里擦窗户。他工作的地方是“环”，一座太空里的大酒店，每九十分钟绕地球一圈。客人们睡着了，走廊里一片寂静。
Sven liked the night shift. He had a soft cloth and a bottle of cleaner. He also had a small radio. He walked down the long hall with his cart. At every window he stopped and cleaned the glass.
斯文喜欢上夜班。他有一块软布、一瓶清洁剂，还有一台小收音机。他推着小车走在长长的走廊里，每到一扇窗前就停下来，擦干净玻璃。
The windows were his favorite part. Outside, Earth was big and blue. White clouds moved over the sea. Sometimes Sven stopped for a minute just to look.
窗户是他最喜欢的部分。窗外，地球又大又蓝，白云在海面上飘移。有时斯文会停下来一分钟，只是为了看一看。
On the fourth night, he heard a small sound. He turned around. A boy in blue pajamas stood in the hall. He was about seven years old. He held a toy rabbit.
第四个晚上，他听到一个很轻的声音。他转过身。走廊里站着一个穿蓝色睡衣的男孩，大约七岁，手里抱着一只玩具兔子。
"Hello," said Sven. "It is very late. Where is your mother?"
“你好，”斯文说。“现在很晚了。你妈妈在哪儿？”
"She is asleep," said the boy. "I walked out very quietly."
“她睡着了，”男孩说。“我悄悄地走出来的。”
"I cannot sleep," said the boy. "My name is Pavel. My room has no window."
“我睡不着，”男孩说。“我叫帕维尔。我的房间没有窗户。”
"Ah," said Sven. "That is a problem."
“啊，”斯文说。“这可是个问题。”
Pavel looked at the cart. "What are you doing?"
帕维尔看着小车。“你在做什么？”
"I clean the glass," said Sven. "Do you want to help?"
“我在擦玻璃，”斯文说。“你想帮忙吗？”
Pavel's eyes got big. Sven gave him a cloth. He showed him how to move his hand in circles. Pavel rubbed the window hard. His rabbit sat on the cart and watched.
帕维尔的眼睛瞪得大大的。斯文递给他一块布，教他怎样用手画圈。帕维尔用力地擦着窗户。他的兔子坐在小车上看着。
"Is it clean?" Pavel asked.
“干净了吗？”帕维尔问。
"Nearly," said Sven. "One more circle."
“差不多了，”斯文说。“再擦一圈。”
When the glass was clean, they looked out together. The Ring moved to the dark side. The blue turned dark. Little yellow lights came out on the ground. They looked like sugar on a black table.
玻璃擦干净后，他们一起向外望去。“环”转到了背阳的一面。蓝色变成了深色。地面上亮起了一点一点的黄灯，像撒在黑桌子上的糖。
"Those are cities," said Sven. "People are home. They eat dinner, and they watch TV."
“那些是城市，”斯文说。“人们都在家里，吃晚饭，看电视。”
Pavel put his hand on the glass. "I see a big one!" he said.
帕维尔把手按在玻璃上。“我看到一个好大的！”他说。
"That is a very big city," said Sven.
“那是一座很大的城市。”斯文说。
"My grandma lives in a city," said Pavel. "She is very far away. I want to say hello."
“我外婆住在一座城市里，”帕维尔说。“她离这儿很远很远。我想跟她问好。”
Sven thought for a moment. "Which country?"
斯文想了一会儿。“在哪个国家？”
"A cold one. It has a lot of snow."
“一个很冷的国家，那里有好多雪。”
"Then she is up there," said Sven. He pointed to the top of the window. "Look. There is a line of lights by a black sea."
“那她就在上面，”斯文说。他指着窗户的上方。“看，黑色的海边有一排灯光。”
Pavel looked for a long time. He lifted the rabbit to the window. Then he waved a small, slow wave.
帕维尔看了很久。他把兔子举到窗前，然后轻轻地、慢慢地挥了挥手。
"She cannot see me," he said.
“她看不见我，”他说。
"No," said Sven. "But maybe she looks at the sky tonight."
“是啊，”斯文说。“不过也许她今晚正望着天空呢。”
Pavel yawned. He held his rabbit tight. His eyes closed for a second and then opened again. Sven took him back down the hall to his room. He opened the door. The room was dark, and the bed was warm.
帕维尔打了个哈欠。他紧紧抱着兔子，眼睛闭了一下，又睁开了。斯文把他带回走廊那头他的房间，打开了门。房间里很暗，床是暖暖的。
"Thank you for the job," said Pavel.
“谢谢你给我的活儿，”帕维尔说。
"You are a good cleaner," said Sven. "Good night."
“你是个很棒的清洁工，”斯文说。“晚安。”
He walked back to his cart. At the window, he stopped and looked down. Far below, one yellow light in the snow blinked. It blinked two times.
他走回自己的小车旁。在窗前，他停下来，低头望去。很远很远的下方，雪地里有一点黄色的灯光在闪。它闪了两下。
Sven did not know what it was. He did not say so. He picked up the radio and kept it low.
斯文不知道那是什么。他没有说出来。他拿起收音机，把声音调得很低。
