The cabin sat at the end of a long forest road. Nuala found the key under a flat stone. The owner said to look there. Viktor carried the bags inside. The rooms smelled of pine and warm wood.
小木屋坐落在一条长长的林间公路的尽头。努阿拉在一块扁平的石头下面找到了钥匙。房主说过要去那里找。维克托把行李搬了进去。屋里有松木和暖木头的气味。
"It is very quiet," Viktor said.
“这里太安静了。”维克托说。
"That is why we came," Nuala said.
“所以我们才来呀。”努阿拉说。
She put her bag on the table. A small card slid out of it. It was her new name badge. The letters said NUALA, and under them, FIRST DAY.
她把包放在桌上。一张小卡片从里面滑了出来。那是她的新工作胸牌。上面写着“努阿拉”，下面是“上班第一天”。
Viktor looked at the card. "Is that from the museum?"
维克托看着那张卡片。“是博物馆的吗？”
"Yes. They sent it early," Nuala said. "They want me to start on Monday."
“是的。他们提前寄来了，”努阿拉说，“他们想让我星期一就开始上班。”
"And the garden school?"
“那花园学校呢？”
"They want me to start on Monday too." She laughed, but it was not a happy laugh. "Two jobs. Two good offers. I must say yes to one of them by tomorrow night."
“他们也想让我星期一开始。”她笑了，却不是开心的笑。“两份工作。两个都很好的机会。明天晚上之前，我必须答应其中一个。”
"So that is why you wanted a cabin."
“所以你才想来住木屋。”
"I wanted a place with no phone signal," Nuala said. "Nobody can ask me anything here."
“我想找一个没有手机信号的地方，”努阿拉说，“在这里没有人能问我任何事。”
Viktor made soup on the small stove. They ate by the window and watched the trees go dark. Nuala did not talk about the jobs. Viktor did not ask. He was a good friend that way.
维克托在小炉子上煮了汤。他们坐在窗边吃饭，看着树木渐渐暗下去。努阿拉没有谈工作。维克托也没有问。在这一点上，他是个好朋友。
Before bed, Nuala hung the badge on a hook by the door. Then she lay down and listened to the quiet. It was a big quiet. It was full of tiny sounds. Soon she slept.
睡前，努阿拉把胸牌挂在门边的钩子上。然后她躺下来，听着寂静。那是一种巨大的寂静，充满了细微的声响。不久她就睡着了。
A soft light woke her in the middle of the night. It was pale green, like a leaf in the sun. It came from the hook by the door. The badge glowed.
半夜里，一道柔和的光把她唤醒。那光是淡淡的绿色，像阳光下的一片叶子。它来自门边的钩子。胸牌在发光。
Nuala got up and touched it. It was warm, like a stone in the sun. She opened the cabin door and looked out.
努阿拉起身去摸了摸它。它是温的，像晒过太阳的石头。她打开木屋的门，向外张望。
Two paths led away from the step. When they came, there was only one. The left path went between tall pines. The right path went down toward a stream. A small lantern hung from a branch on each path.
台阶前延伸出两条小路。他们来的时候，只有一条。左边的小路穿过高大的松树，右边的小路向下通往一条小溪。每条路上的树枝上都挂着一盏小灯笼。
"Hello, first-day person," said a voice near her feet.
“你好呀，第一天的人。”脚边传来一个声音。
A grey fox sat on the step. It looked at the badge. It did not look afraid.
一只灰狐狸坐在台阶上。它看着那块胸牌，一点也不害怕。
Nuala did not scream. She was too sleepy. "Can foxes talk?" she asked.
努阿拉没有尖叫。她太困了。“狐狸会说话吗？”她问。
"On this step, in this forest, yes," said the fox. "Please do not ask for more."
“在这级台阶上，在这片森林里，会，”狐狸说，“请不要再问更多了。”
"What do you want?"
“你想要什么？”
"I want nothing. The badge wants something." The fox pointed its nose at the card. "Everyone with a first-day badge gets one walk on each path. You see the day that waits for you. Then you choose."
“我什么也不要。是胸牌想要点什么。”狐狸用鼻子指了指那张卡片。“每个有第一天胸牌的人，在每条路上都能走一趟。你会看到等着你的那一天。然后你再选。”
Nuala went back inside and shook Viktor's shoulder. He opened one eye.
努阿拉回到屋里，摇了摇维克托的肩膀。他睁开一只眼睛。
"There is a fox on the step," she said. "It talks."
“台阶上有一只狐狸，”她说，“它会说话。”
Viktor sat up. He looked at the door for a long time. "I think I am still asleep," he said.
维克托坐起来。他看了门很久。“我想我还在睡梦里。”他说。
"Good. Stay asleep. Come and walk with me."
“好。那就继续睡。来跟我走一走。”
He put on his boots without another word. Nuala pinned the badge to her coat. They took the left path first.
他一句话也没多说就穿上了靴子。努阿拉把胸牌别在外套上。他们先走了左边的小路。
The pines opened above them like a high roof. Glass cases stood between the trunks. A soft light shone on old clay pots and silver coins. Nuala stood in the middle of it, and she knew this place. It was the museum.
松树在他们头顶张开，像一座高高的屋顶。树干之间立着一个个玻璃展柜。柔和的灯光照在古老的陶罐和银币上。努阿拉站在其中，她认得这个地方。这是博物馆。
People walked past her in a slow line. A man asked about a clay pot. Nuala knew the answer. A girl asked where the coins came from. Nuala knew that answer too. Her coat was neat. Her voice was calm. She did everything well.
人们排成一条缓慢的队伍从她身边走过。一位男士问起一只陶罐。努阿拉知道答案。一个女孩问那些银币是从哪里来的。努阿拉也知道。她的外套整洁，声音平静。她把每件事都做得很好。
But she looked at the clock on the wall again and again. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. At day's end, she looked at the clock one last time. She smiled. The smile said, finally.
可是她一次又一次地看墙上的钟。十分钟。二十分钟。一天结束时，她最后看了一眼钟，笑了。那笑容的意思是：终于。
Then the glass cases melted away. They were only pines again.
然后玻璃展柜融化消失了。它们又变回了松树。
"That was a good day," Nuala said.
“那是美好的一天。”努阿拉说。
"You were a very good guide," said Viktor. He was awake now, and his voice was small. "But you counted the minutes."
“你是个很出色的讲解员，”维克托说。他现在醒了，声音很轻。“可是你一直在数分钟。”
"Did I?"
“是吗？”
"All day. Like a person waiting for a bus."
“一整天都是。就像等公交车的人。”
Nuala frowned. She said nothing.
努阿拉皱起眉头，什么也没说。
They walked back to the step and took the right path. It went down through wet grass to the stream. A garden grew beside the water. There were long beds of beans and an old shed. A dozen children ran between the rows with muddy hands.
他们走回台阶，又走上右边的小路。它穿过潮湿的草地，向下通往小溪。水边有一座花园。那里有一长畦一长畦的豆子，还有一间旧棚屋。十几个孩子在垄间跑来跑去，手上沾满泥巴。
Nuala was in the middle of it. A small boy gave her a worm. She held it up and laughed out loud. A girl asked her a hard question about snails. Nuala did not know the answer. She said so, and they looked it up together under a tree.
努阿拉就在其中。一个小男孩递给她一条蚯蚓。她把它举起来，放声大笑。一个女孩问了她一个关于蜗牛的难题。努阿拉不知道答案。她直说了，然后他们在一棵树下一起查了起来。
Her coat was dirty. Her hair was full of leaves. Somewhere in that long day, the badge fell into her pocket. She never noticed. When the last bell rang, she was still sitting in the dirt. Nobody minded that she was late.
她的外套脏了，头发里全是树叶。在那漫长的一天的某个时刻，胸牌掉进了她的口袋。她一直没有发觉。最后一遍铃响时，她还坐在泥地里。没有人介意她迟到。
Then the garden melted away. The trees came back, and the stream sounded very loud.
然后花园融化消失了。树木回来了，小溪的声音变得很响。
Nuala felt in her pocket. The badge was there. It was warm.
努阿拉伸手摸了摸口袋。胸牌就在那里。它是温的。
"That one was messy," she said.
“这一天乱七八糟的。”她说。
"That one was loud," Viktor said. "You did not look at a clock once."
“这一天热热闹闹的，”维克托说，“你一次也没有看钟。”
They climbed back to the cabin. The fox waited on the step, and the sky turned pale.
他们爬回了木屋。狐狸还在台阶上等着，天空泛起了淡白。
"Now choose," said the fox. "The badge can only say one name."
“现在选吧，”狐狸说，“胸牌只能写下一个名字。”
Nuala sat down on the step. She held the badge in both hands. Both days were good. The museum paid more. It was safe and clean, and everybody liked it. The garden paid less. It was muddy. The shed was old. The work was hard.
努阿拉在台阶上坐下。她双手捧着胸牌。两种日子都很好。博物馆的薪水更高，既安稳又干净，大家都喜欢。花园的薪水低一些，泥巴很多，棚屋老旧，活儿也辛苦。
"Everyone says the museum is the smart choice," she said.
“大家都说博物馆是明智的选择。”她说。
"Which day did you want to finish?" Viktor asked.
“你想把哪一天过完？”维克托问。
Nuala thought about it. "The museum day. A little."
努阿拉想了想。“博物馆那一天。有一点点。”
"And which day did you want to keep?"
“那你想留下哪一天？”
She looked at the badge. She did not need to answer. Viktor smiled, and the fox yawned.
她看着胸牌。她不需要回答。维克托笑了，狐狸打了个哈欠。
Nuala turned the card over. The letters moved. FIRST DAY slid away, like water running off a window. New letters came in their place. They said: NUALA, GARDEN SCHOOL.
努阿拉把卡片翻过来。上面的字动了起来。“上班第一天”滑走了，像水珠从窗玻璃上流下去。新的字出现在原来的位置。上面写着：努阿拉，花园学校。
The badge glowed one last time. Then it went dark and plain.
胸牌最后闪了一次光。然后它暗了下来，变得平平常常。
"Well," said the fox. "That is done." It stepped off the step and walked into the ferns. Its tail was the last thing to go.
“好啦，”狐狸说，“成了。”它从台阶上跳下，走进蕨丛。尾巴是最后消失的部分。
Nuala stayed on the step for a while. The first birds started to sing. She felt light, and a little afraid, and very awake.
努阿拉在台阶上又待了一会儿。第一批鸟儿开始鸣唱。她觉得轻松，有点害怕，又格外清醒。
Viktor sat down next to her. He pulled his coat over his knees.
维克托在她身旁坐下。他把外套拉过膝盖。
"So," he said. "Who calls the museum? Who makes breakfast?"
“那么，”他说，“谁去给博物馆回电话？谁来做早饭？”
