Raj got to the boathouse at six. The city was still asleep. Only the river made a small noise against the stones.
拉杰六点钟到了船库。城市还在沉睡。只有河水在石头上轻轻地发出一点声响。
Today was a big day. The junior race started at noon. The coach gave Raj one job. He had to check the first-aid kit.
今天是个大日子。青少年组的比赛中午开始。教练交给拉杰一项任务：检查急救箱。
"It is easy," the coach said last night. "Count everything on the list."
“很简单，”教练昨晚说，“把清单上的东西都数一遍。”
Raj opened the green tin on the wall. The list was inside the lid. It was written in old blue ink. He read it out loud.
拉杰打开墙上那只绿色的铁盒。清单贴在盒盖里面，是用旧的蓝墨水写的。他大声念了出来。
"Plasters. Tape. Scissors. One bandage. One cold pack. One brass whistle."
“创可贴。胶带。剪刀。一卷绷带。一个冷敷袋。一只黄铜哨子。”
He counted each thing twice. Everything was there, but the whistle. In the foam, he saw a small round space.
每样东西他都数了两遍。样样都在，除了哨子。在泡沫垫上，他看见一个小小的圆形空位。
"A whistle?" Raj said. "Why does a first-aid kit need a whistle?"
“哨子？”拉杰说，“急救箱为什么要放哨子？”
"Because of the boat," said a voice behind him.
“因为那条船，”身后有个声音说。
It was Thandi. She was the best rower in the club. She stood in the doorway with her bag on one shoulder.
是坦朵。她是俱乐部里最好的桨手。她肩上挂着包，站在门口。
"What boat?" Raj asked.
“什么船？”拉杰问。
"Heron." Thandi pointed at the long wooden boat on the ramp. Its nose touched the water. "She is older than the club. She won more races than any boat in the city."
“苍鹭号。”坦朵指着斜坡上那条长长的木船。船头触着水面。“她比俱乐部还老。她赢过的比赛比城里任何一条船都多。”
"So?"
“那又怎样？”
"So she is very proud. She only moves when she hears the brass whistle. The coach blows it at every start. He puts it back after every race."
“所以她很骄傲。只有听到黄铜哨子，她才肯动。教练每次出发都吹它。每场比赛后他都把它放回去。”
Raj laughed. Then he looked at her face. Thandi was not joking.
拉杰笑了。然后他看了看她的脸。坦朵不是在开玩笑。
"Boats do not listen," he said.
“船又不会听，”他说。
"Push her," said Thandi. "Go on."
“你推推看，”坦朵说，“来呀。”
Raj put both hands on the side of the boat. He pushed hard. Thandi pushed next to him. Heron did not move. It felt like pushing a wall.
拉杰双手按住船舷，使劲推。坦朵在他旁边一起推。苍鹭号纹丝不动。感觉像是在推一堵墙。
"She waits," Thandi said quietly.
“她在等，”坦朵轻声说。
Raj stepped back. His hands shook a little. "The race is at noon," he said. "Heron is our boat. We have no other boat."
拉杰退后一步。他的手有点发抖。“比赛是中午，”他说，“苍鹭号是我们的船。我们没有别的船。”
"I know."
“我知道。”
"The other two rowers come at nine. We have no time."
“另外两个桨手九点才来。我们没时间了。”
Thandi looked at the empty space in the kit. "Then we need a new whistle," she said. "Fast."
坦朵看着箱子里的空位。“那我们需要一只新哨子，”她说，“要快。”
Raj took some money from his pocket. "The sports shop on River Street opens at eight. I will go."
拉杰从口袋里掏出一些钱。“河街的运动用品店八点开门。我去。”
"First we look here," said Thandi. "Maybe the old whistle fell behind something."
“先在这儿找找，”坦朵说，“也许旧哨子掉到什么东西后面去了。”
They searched the boathouse together for an hour. Then Raj ran to the shop. He stood at the door for twenty minutes. At eight, a man opened it and let him in.
他们一起把船库搜了一个小时。然后拉杰跑去商店。他在门口站了二十分钟。八点钟，一个男人开了门，让他进去。
"I need a whistle," Raj said. "A loud one."
“我要一只哨子，”拉杰说，“声音大的。”
"I have forty," the man said. He showed Raj a box. "Silver, blue, yellow, or black?"
“我这儿有四十只，”男人说着，给拉杰看了一盒，“银色、蓝色、黄色还是黑色？”
"Do you have a brass one?"
“有黄铜的吗？”
"No. Brass is old. Nobody makes them now."
“没有。黄铜的太老了。现在没人做了。”
Raj bought a silver whistle. It was plastic, but it was very loud. He ran back to the boathouse with the whistle in his fist.
拉杰买了一只银色的哨子。是塑料的，但声音很响。他攥着哨子，跑回了船库。
Thandi was on her knees by the wall. Her hands were dusty. "I found three pens and a sock," she said. "No whistle."
坦朵跪在墙边，手上沾满了灰。“我找到三支笔和一只袜子，”她说，“没有哨子。”
"I have a new one." Raj held it up. "Stand back."
“我有新的了。”拉杰举起哨子。“让开点。”
They both went to the ramp. Raj took a big breath. He blew the whistle as hard as he could.
两人一起来到斜坡边。拉杰深吸一口气，使出全身力气吹响了哨子。
The sound was sharp and bright. It rang across the water. A bird flew off the roof.
声音尖锐而明亮，在水面上回荡。一只鸟从屋顶上飞走了。
Heron stayed still. But something small happened. The boat gave a little shake. Its nose turned away from them. It looked like a child with its arms crossed.
苍鹭号一动不动。但发生了一件小事：船轻轻抖了一下，船头转开了，背对着他们。看起来像一个双臂抱在胸前的孩子。
"She does not like plastic," said Thandi.
“她不喜欢塑料的，”坦朵说。
"She is a boat!" Raj said. "She cannot dislike things."
“她是条船！”拉杰说，“她不会不喜欢什么东西！”
"She just did."
“她刚才就是不喜欢。”
Raj sat down on the cold floor. His plan failed. It was half past eight. The other rowers came at nine. The race began at noon. And the boat did not move.
拉杰坐到冰冷的地上。他的计划失败了。现在是八点半。其他桨手九点到。比赛中午开始。而船不肯动。
"Think," Thandi said. She walked in a small circle. "What does the old whistle do? What does the coach do exactly?"
“想一想，”坦朵说。她在原地绕着小圈子走。“旧哨子是怎么用的？教练到底是怎么做的？”
"He blows it," said Raj. "Three times."
“他吹响它，”拉杰说，“吹三次。”
"Three times. Is it always the same?"
“三次。每次都一样吗？”
"Yes. Low, low, high." Raj stopped. He looked up. "Low, low, high. Like a song."
“对。低、低、高。”拉杰停住了。他抬起头。“低、低、高。像一首歌。”
"Maybe she does not want the whistle," Thandi said slowly. "Maybe she wants the song."
“也许她要的不是哨子，”坦朵慢慢地说，“也许她要的是那首歌。”
"We cannot whistle like brass."
“我们吹不出黄铜的声音。”
"No. But we can try."
“是吹不出。但我们可以试试。”
Thandi stood next to the boat. She closed her eyes. Then she hummed three notes. Low, low, high. Her voice was soft.
坦朵站在船边。她闭上眼睛。然后哼了三个音：低、低、高。她的声音很轻柔。
Heron shivered. It was only a small shiver, like a horse in the cold. But Raj saw it.
苍鹭号颤了一下。只是很小的一下，像一匹马在寒风里打战。但拉杰看见了。
"She heard you!"
“她听见你了！”
"She wants more," said Thandi. "She wants a crew. Hum with me."
“她还想要更多，”坦朵说，“她想要一整个船组。跟我一起哼。”
Raj felt silly. He was a boy in a boathouse, singing to a boat. But he put his hand on the wood. He hummed the three notes next to Thandi.
拉杰觉得自己傻乎乎的：一个男孩站在船库里，对着一条船唱歌。可他还是把手放在了木头上。他和坦朵一起哼出那三个音。
Heron shook again. This time, the whole boat moved. It slid one hand forward on the ramp.
苍鹭号又颤了一下。这一回，整条船都动了。她在斜坡上向前滑了一掌的距离。
At that moment, the door opened. The other two rowers walked in, early and sleepy. They saw Raj and Thandi with their hands on the boat. They saw the boat move.
就在这时，门开了。另外两个桨手走了进来，来得早，还睡眼惺忪。他们看到拉杰和坦朵的手搭在船上，看到船在动。
"What are you doing?" one of them asked.
“你们在干什么？”其中一个问。
"Hum," said Thandi. "Low, low, high. Please. Now."
“哼，”坦朵说，“低、低、高。拜托。现在。”
The two rowers looked at each other. They did not ask any more questions. They put their hands on Heron and hummed.
两个桨手互相看了一眼。他们没有再多问。他们把手放在苍鹭号上，哼了起来。
The sound filled the room. Four voices, three notes. Heron rolled down the ramp like a sleepy animal waking up. Her nose touched the river, and she floated.
歌声充满了整个屋子。四个声音，三个音符。苍鹭号顺着斜坡滚了下去，像一头睡眼惺忪、刚刚醒来的动物。她的船头触到河面，浮了起来。
The water held her. She sat there, light and steady, ready to race.
水托住了她。她停在那里，轻盈而平稳，准备好了去比赛。
Raj let out a long breath. His heart was loud in his chest. "That really happened," he said.
拉杰长长地呼出一口气。他的心在胸膛里怦怦直跳。“这真的发生了，”他说。
"It did," said one of the rowers. "Did I just sing to a boat?"
“是啊，”一个桨手说，“我刚才是不是对着一条船唱歌了？”
"You did," said Thandi. She smiled at Raj. "Good plan, by the way."
“是的，”坦朵说。她对拉杰笑了笑。“顺便说一句，好计划。”
"My plan was a plastic whistle."
“我的计划是一只塑料哨子。”
"Your second idea was better."
“你的第二个主意更好。”
Raj looked at the empty kit on the wall. He closed the lid. "I still have to find the brass whistle," he said.
拉杰看着墙上那只空空的急救箱。他合上了盖子。“我还是得把黄铜哨子找出来，”他说。
"Check the boat," said Thandi. "Under the seat, maybe."
“检查一下船，”坦朵说，“也许在座位底下。”
"Why under the seat?"
“为什么在座位底下？”
"Because she hides things when she is proud." Thandi picked up her oar. "Come on. Let me show you the best way to hold this."
“因为她骄傲的时候就会藏东西。”坦朵拿起她的桨。“来吧。我教你怎样握桨最好。”
"Will you tell the coach?" Raj asked.
“你会告诉教练吗？”拉杰问。
"No," she said. "Will you tell him his boat likes singing more than whistles?"
“不会，”她说，“你会告诉他，他的船喜欢唱歌胜过喜欢哨子吗？”
