Cleo stands at the bottom of a huge sand dune. It is a hill of yellow sand. It is as high as a tall building. The sky above it is very blue.
克莉奥站在一座巨大沙丘的脚下。那是一座黄沙堆成的小山，像一栋高楼那么高。头顶的天空蓝得耀眼。
"Are we really going up that?" she asks.
“我们真的要爬上去吗？”她问。
"Yes," says her mother. "The view is wonderful at the top."
“是啊，”妈妈说，“山顶的风景好极了。”
"The view is fine at the bottom too," says Cleo.
“山脚下的风景也不错呀，”克莉奥说。
Her mother laughs and gives her a bottle of water. They take off their shoes. They leave them in the car. The sand is hot in the sun. It is cool in the shade.
妈妈笑了，递给她一瓶水。她们脱下鞋子，留在车里。沙子在阳光下很烫，在阴影里却很凉。
They start to climb. Cleo takes a step. Her foot goes deep into the sand. She takes another step. She slides back half a step. It is like walking up a down escalator.
她们开始往上爬。克莉奥迈出一步，脚深深陷进沙里。她再迈一步，又往后滑了半步。就像爬一架往下走的扶梯。
"This is not fair," she says.
“这不公平，”她说。
"Walk in my steps," says her mother. "The sand is harder there."
“踩着我的脚印走，”妈妈说，“那里的沙子更结实。”
Cleo looks at her mother's feet. Each footprint is a small hole in the sand. She puts her feet in them, one after the other. It is easier. Not easy, but easier.
克莉奥看着妈妈的脚。每个脚印都是沙里的一个小坑。她把脚一步一步踩进去。轻松了一些，虽然还谈不上轻松。
After ten minutes, they stop. Cleo looks down. The car is small now. The parking lot looks like a toy. She turns around and looks up. The top is still far away.
十分钟后，她们停了下来。克莉奥向下看，车子已经变小了，停车场像个玩具。她转过身向上看，山顶还是那么远。
"My legs are on fire," she says.
“我的腿像着了火，”她说。
"Mine too," says her mother. "Let's count to fifty and walk again."
“我的也是，”妈妈说，“我们数到五十，再接着走吧。”
They count out loud. At thirty, a small lizard runs across the sand. At forty, a brown bird flies over their heads. At fifty, they stand up and start again.
她们大声数起来。数到三十，一只小蜥蜴从沙面上跑过。数到四十，一只棕色的鸟从头顶飞过。数到五十，她们站起来，重新出发。
The wind begins to blow. It carries tiny bits of sand. They hit Cleo's legs like rain. She puts her scarf over her nose and mouth.
风开始吹了，卷着细小的沙粒，像雨点一样打在克莉奥的腿上。她用围巾捂住了鼻子和嘴。
"Do not stop!" her mother shouts. "We are near!"
“别停下！”妈妈喊道，“快到了！”
Cleo wants to sit down. Her legs shake, and her mouth is dry. But her mother is five steps ahead. She does not stop. Cleo thinks, "She can do it. So can I."
克莉奥想坐下来。她的腿在发抖，嘴里干得难受。可是妈妈在前面五步远的地方，没有停下。克莉奥心想：“她能做到，我也能。”
Cleo puts her head down and climbs. She does not look up. She watches only her feet. One step, one slide, one step, one slide. Her breath is loud in her ears.
克莉奥低着头往上爬，不再往上看，只盯着自己的脚。一步，一滑，一步，一滑。她的喘气声在耳边响得很大。
Then her hands touch something hard. It is not sand. It is a flat grey stone at the top.
忽然，她的手摸到了一样硬东西。那不是沙子，而是山顶一块平平的灰色石头。
She pulls herself up and sits on the stone. Her mother sits next to her. For a minute, neither of them speaks.
她拉着石头爬上去坐下。妈妈坐在她旁边。有一分钟，谁也没有说话。
Then Cleo looks up.
然后，克莉奥抬起头。
The sea is below them, wide and silver. Waves roll in slowly in long white lines. Beyond them, the dunes look like a yellow sea. A white bird floats in the wind. It does not move its wings.
大海就在脚下，辽阔而银亮。海浪慢悠悠地涌来，排成一道道长长的白线。再往远处，沙丘像一片黄色的海。一只白鸟飘在风里，翅膀一动也不动。
"Oh," says Cleo. "Oh, wow."
“哦，”克莉奥说，“哇，太美了。”
"Told you," says her mother.
“我说过吧，”妈妈说。
They drink all the water and eat two oranges. The sweet juice runs down their hands. The wind is warm now, and the sun is soft.
她们把水喝光，还吃了两个橙子。甜甜的汁水顺着手流下来。风现在是暖的，阳光也变得柔和。
"How do we go down?" asks Cleo.
“我们怎么下去呢？”克莉奥问。
Her mother smiles. She takes off her hat. She puts it in the bag. "Fast," she says.
妈妈笑了。她摘下帽子，放进包里。“飞快地下去，”她说。
Cleo stands up. She counts to three, and then she runs. Her feet go deep, and the sand flies around her. She shouts the whole way down.
克莉奥站起来，数到三，然后跑了起来。她的脚深深陷进沙里，沙子在她身边飞扬。她一路喊着冲下了山。
