Tessa has a bakery under the sea. It is a round glass room on the sea floor. It is in a small town of glass houses. Every morning, she bakes bread. The smell goes out of a small door. It fills the street.
特莎在海底开了一家面包店。那是一间建在海床上的圆形玻璃房子。它位于一个由玻璃房子组成的小镇里。每天早上，她都烘焙面包。香味从一扇小门飘出去，弥漫在整条街上。
Her bakery has one big window. Outside it, the water is green and calm. Every evening at six o'clock, something special happens. The fish come.
她的面包店有一扇大窗户。窗外的海水碧绿而平静。每天傍晚六点钟，都会发生一件特别的事。鱼来了。
They are small and bright, orange and blue and silver. They come in a big group. They look at the warm yellow lights. Tessa gives them one small crumb of bread each. The children in town love to watch.
它们小小的，色彩明亮，有橙色的、蓝色的和银色的。它们成群结队地游来。它们望着温暖的黄色灯光。特莎给每条鱼一小块面包屑。镇上的孩子们很爱看。
Nolan is eleven years old. He helps Tessa after school. His job is to sweep and count the fish. He has a notebook and a pencil.
诺兰十一岁。放学后他来帮特莎的忙。他的工作是打扫卫生和数鱼。他有一个笔记本和一支铅笔。
"Yesterday there were forty-two," he says.
“昨天有四十二条，”他说。
"And today?" asks Tessa.
“那今天呢？”特莎问。
"Let us see."
“我们来看看。”
At six o'clock, they stand at the window. Nolan holds his pencil. Tessa holds a bowl of crumbs. They wait.
六点钟，他们站在窗前。诺兰握着铅笔。特莎端着一碗面包屑。他们等着。
The water is empty. Nobody comes.
水里空空的。没有一条鱼来。
"Are they late?" Nolan asks.
“它们迟到了吗？”诺兰问。
"Maybe," says Tessa.
“也许吧，”特莎说。
They wait ten more minutes. The street lamps come on one by one. Still there are no fish. Nolan puts his pencil down. His face gets long.
他们又等了十分钟。路灯一盏接一盏亮了起来。还是没有鱼。诺兰把铅笔放下。他的脸拉长了。
"Where are they?" he asks.
“它们去哪儿了？”他问。
"I do not know," says Tessa. She puts the bowl on the shelf. "But we can find out."
“我不知道，”特莎说。她把碗放在架子上。“不过我们可以去查一查。”
She puts on her coat. Nolan puts on his boots. They go out into the street. The water outside is cold and dark. They walk past the school and the post office. The new street lamps shine on every corner.
她穿上外套。诺兰穿上靴子。他们走到街上。外面的水又冷又暗。他们走过学校和邮局。新的路灯照亮了每一个街角。
"Look," says Nolan. "The lamps are different."
“看，”诺兰说，“路灯不一样了。”
Tessa stops. She looks up. The old lamps were yellow. The new lamps are a hard, bright blue.
特莎停下脚步。她抬头看。旧路灯是黄色的。新路灯是刺眼的亮蓝色。
"They put them in last week," says Nolan.
“他们上个星期装上的，”诺兰说。
"The fish like the yellow light," says Tessa. "It is warm. Maybe the blue is too strong."
“鱼喜欢黄色的灯光，”特莎说，“它很温暖。也许蓝光太强了。”
She goes to the end of the street. There is a small office with a light on. A man is inside, eating a sandwich. Tessa knocks.
她走到街的尽头。那里有一间亮着灯的小办公室。一个男人在里面吃三明治。特莎敲了敲门。
"Hello," she says. "I have a question about the lamps."
“你好，”她说，“我想问问路灯的事。”
The man listens. He looks at Nolan's notebook. Nolan shows him the numbers for last month. Forty. Forty-two. Thirty-eight.
那个男人听着。他看了看诺兰的笔记本。诺兰给他看上个月的数字。四十。四十二。三十八。
"Every night, at six," says Nolan. "Until today."
“每天晚上，六点钟，”诺兰说，“直到今天。”
The man puts down his sandwich. "I did not know," he says. "I changed the lamps for the new building. But I can change them back. I have yellow glass in the back room."
男人放下了三明治。“我不知道这件事，”他说，“我是为了那栋新楼才换了路灯。不过我可以换回来。我后面的房间里有黄色的玻璃。”
"Can you do it tonight?" asks Tessa.
“你今晚能换吗？”特莎问。
"Yes. It is easy," he says.
“能。很容易，”他说。
He takes a ladder. Tessa and Nolan hold it. One by one, he puts yellow glass on the lamps. The street turns warm and gold.
他拿来一把梯子。特莎和诺兰扶着它。他一盏一盏地给路灯装上黄色的玻璃。街道变得温暖而金黄。
The next evening at six, Nolan stands at the window. He has his notebook. He does not say anything. The water outside is green. Then a small orange fish comes. Then a blue one. Then twenty more, and then fifty.
第二天傍晚六点，诺兰站在窗前。他拿着他的笔记本。他什么也没说。窗外的海水是绿色的。然后一条橙色的小鱼游来了。接着是一条蓝色的。然后又来了二十条，再后来是五十条。
"Fifty-one!" Nolan shouts.
“五十一条！”诺兰喊道。
Tessa gives out the crumbs. The children come and watch. Nobody talks. She feels light and happy. So does Nolan.
特莎分发着面包屑。孩子们都来看。没有人说话。她觉得轻松又快乐。诺兰也是。
