Jolanta worked the night shift in the hospital laundry. The room was long and low and always warm. Big machines hummed along one wall. White sheets hung in rows from the ceiling. They looked like sails.
约兰塔在医院洗衣房上夜班。房间又长又低，总是暖烘烘的。大机器沿着一面墙嗡嗡作响。白床单一排排从天花板上挂下来，看上去像船帆。
Her work partner was Konrad. He was young and thin and talked very little. He folded towels fast and neatly, one on top of the other. Jolanta liked working beside him. They did not need many words.
和她搭档的是康拉德。他年轻，瘦瘦的，话很少。他折毛巾又快又整齐，一条叠在另一条上面。约兰塔喜欢和他并肩干活，他们不需要说很多话。
Every night at about three, a moth came. It was pale and big. It flew in through the loading door. It always landed on the grill above dryer nine. The warm air came out there. There it sat for an hour with its wings open.
每天夜里三点左右，会有一只蛾子飞来。它颜色很淡，个头很大，从装卸口的门飞进来，总是停在九号烘干机上方的格栅上，那里是热风吹出来的地方。它会在那里张着翅膀待上一个小时。
Jolanta loved the moth. She never told anyone at first. Then she told Konrad, and he only nodded. After that, they both looked up at three o'clock.
约兰塔很爱那只蛾子。起初她没有告诉任何人。后来她告诉了康拉德，他只是点了点头。从那以后，到了三点，他们两个人都会抬头看。
One night, Jolanta brought news. "My daughter wants to see it," she said. "She is on the children's ward. She broke her leg last week. She cannot sleep. She asks me every night what I do at work."
一天夜里，约兰塔带来了消息。“我女儿想看看它，”她说，“她在儿童病房，上周摔断了腿，睡不着觉。她每天晚上都问我上班都干些什么。”
"What do you tell her?" asked Konrad.
“你怎么跟她说？”康拉德问。
"That I fold sheets," said Jolanta. "It sounds so boring. I want to show her the moth."
“我说我折床单，”约兰塔说，“听起来太无聊了。我想让她看看那只蛾子。”
Konrad stopped folding. "Take a photo."
康拉德停下了手里的活。“拍张照片吧。”
"My phone is broken," said Jolanta. "The screen is black."
“我的手机坏了，”约兰塔说，“屏幕是黑的。”
Konrad was quiet. Then he opened his bag and took out a small grey camera. He held it for a moment before he gave it to her. "Use mine," he said. "But there is a problem. The memory is nearly full. It says one photo left."
康拉德没有说话。然后他打开自己的包，取出一台小小的灰色相机。他把它握了一会儿，才递给她。“用我的吧，”他说，“不过有个问题。内存快满了，显示只剩一张照片。”
"One photo?" said Jolanta. She looked at the little screen. "What is on it?"
“一张？”约兰塔说。她看着那个小屏幕。“里面是什么？”
"My trip to the mountains," said Konrad. "They are not saved anywhere else. Please, only one photo."
“我去山里旅行的照片，”康拉德说，“别的地方没有备份。拜托，只拍一张。”
Jolanta understood. She held the camera very carefully, like a glass cup. "I will be careful," she said.
约兰塔明白了。她捧着相机，像捧着一只玻璃杯一样小心。“我会小心的。”她说。
At ten to three, they stood by dryer nine and waited. The machine hummed. The warm air moved the sheets. The whole room seemed to breathe. Jolanta's hands were wet with sweat.
两点五十分，他们站在九号烘干机旁等着。机器嗡嗡响着，热风吹动床单，整个房间好像在呼吸。约兰塔的手心全是汗。
At three o'clock exactly, the moth came. It flew in a soft circle under the lights. Then it landed on the grill and opened its wings.
三点整，蛾子来了。它在灯光下轻轻地绕了一个圈，然后落在格栅上，张开了翅膀。
"Now," whispered Konrad.
“现在。”康拉德小声说。
Jolanta lifted the camera. She pressed the button. A hard white flash filled the room. The moth jumped up and flew away in fright. It went round the room twice, then out the loading door.
约兰塔举起相机，按下了按钮。一道刺眼的白色闪光充满了房间。蛾子受惊跳起来飞走了，在房间里绕了两圈，然后飞出了装卸口的门。
Jolanta looked at the screen. The photo showed a bright white blur. There was a piece of the grill in the corner. There was no moth. The little number in the corner said zero.
约兰塔看着屏幕。照片上是一团明亮的白色模糊，角落里有一小块格栅，没有蛾子。角落里的小数字显示着零。
"Oh, no," she said. Her voice was very small.
“哦，不。”她说，声音非常小。
Konrad took the camera and looked at the blur. For a long time he said nothing. Then he pressed a button on the back. "Delete," said the screen. "Delete this photo?"
康拉德接过相机，看着那团模糊。他很久没有说话。然后他按了一下背面的按钮。“删除，”屏幕上写道，“删除这张照片吗？”
"What are you doing?" said Jolanta.
“你在做什么？”约兰塔说。
"It is only a blur," said Konrad. "Now the camera has room for one more." He pressed yes. The number on the screen changed. One left.
“这只是一团模糊，”康拉德说，“这下相机又能多拍一张了。”他按下了“是”。屏幕上的数字变了：剩余一张。
"Thank you," said Jolanta. She wanted to say more, but she did not know how.
“谢谢你。”约兰塔说。她想多说几句，却不知道该怎么说。
"The moth will come back," he said. "Tomorrow, you must do it differently."
“蛾子还会回来的，”他说，“明天你得换个方式。”
The next night, they planned together. Konrad thought about the problem all day. He told Jolanta his idea while they folded the first sheets. "The flash scared it," he said. "So no flash."
第二天夜里，他们一起制订了计划。康拉德想了一整天这个问题。他们折第一批床单时，他把自己的想法告诉了约兰塔。“是闪光灯吓到它了，”他说，“所以不要闪光灯。”
"But the room is dim," said Jolanta. "The photo will be dark."
“可是房间很暗，”约兰塔说，“照片会很黑的。”
"Then we stay still. We use the light that is already here." Konrad pointed at the small window in the dryer door. A warm yellow glow came from inside it. Above it, the green sign for the exit shone softly.
“那我们就不要动。用这里已有的光。”康拉德指着烘干机门上的小窗。一团温暖的黄光从里面透出来，在它上方，绿色的安全出口标志发着柔和的光。
They put a stack of folded towels beside the dryer. The stack was just the right height. Konrad turned off the flash. He set the camera on the top towel. He pointed it at the grill. Then he stepped back.
他们在烘干机旁放了一摞叠好的毛巾，高度刚刚好。康拉德关掉了闪光灯。他把相机放在最上面的毛巾上，对准格栅，然后退后一步。
"The camera shakes if you hold it," he said. "On the towels, it sits still."
“拿在手里相机会抖，”他说，“放在毛巾上就稳了。”
"And how do I take the photo?" asked Jolanta.
“那我怎么拍呢？”约兰塔问。
"You press it very softly, with one finger. And you don't breathe."
“用一根手指轻轻地按。还有，别呼吸。”
At three o'clock, the moth came again. It flew its soft circle, as before, and landed on the grill. Its wings opened slowly, one then the other. They shone a little in the yellow light.
三点整，蛾子又来了。它像之前一样轻轻绕了一个圈，落在了格栅上。翅膀慢慢张开，先是一边，然后是另一边，在黄色的光里微微发亮。
Jolanta got down on her knees beside the towels. She did not move. She did not breathe. Behind her, she could feel Konrad doing the same. The machines hummed and the sheets moved. Very gently, she pressed the button with one finger.
约兰塔跪在毛巾旁边。她一动不动，也不呼吸。她能感觉到身后的康拉德也在做同样的事。机器嗡嗡响着，床单轻轻摆动。她用一根手指，极其轻柔地按下了按钮。
There was no flash, only a small click. The moth stayed where it was. It closed its wings once and opened them again.
没有闪光，只有轻轻的一声咔嗒。蛾子待在原地没动。它合上了一次翅膀，又张开了。
This time Jolanta felt her eyes fill with tears. The photo was a little dark, but clear. In the middle, a white moth sat on a grey grill. A warm yellow light shone below it like a tiny lamp.
这一次，约兰塔觉得眼里涌满了泪水。照片有点暗，却很清晰。画面中央，一只白色的蛾子停在灰色的格栅上，下方一团温暖的黄光像一盏小灯。
"It is perfect," she whispered.
“太完美了。”她小声说。
"It is," said Konrad. He looked at the screen for a long time. Then he gave a rare, shy smile. "Show your daughter in the morning."
“是啊。”康拉德说。他盯着屏幕看了很久，然后露出一个难得的、腼腆的微笑。“明天早上拿给你女儿看吧。”
"What do I tell her?" asked Jolanta.
“我该怎么跟她说呢？”约兰塔问。
"Tell her the moth works nights too," said Konrad.
“告诉她，蛾子也上夜班。”康拉德说。
