On Saturday, Abel played football for the town club. His team lost three to two. His younger sister Freya watched from the side. She wore a big green scarf. She shouted all game.
星期六，阿贝尔为镇上的俱乐部踢了一场足球赛。他的球队以三比二输了。他的妹妹弗蕾娅在场边看球。她戴着一条绿色的大围巾。整场比赛她都在喊加油。
After the match, the sky was already dark. The coach said, "The bus is full. Can you get home by yourselves?"
比赛结束后，天已经黑了。教练说：“大巴坐满了。你们自己能回家吗？”
"Yes," Abel said.
“能，”阿贝尔说。
"We know a way."
“我们知道一条路。”
The way was the canal path. It was a long, quiet road beside the water. In the day, many people walked there. At night, it was empty. Freya did not love the idea. "Is it safe?" she asked.
那条路就是运河小路。那是一条沿着河水延伸的长长的安静小路。白天，很多人在那里散步。到了晚上，那里空无一人。弗蕾娅不太喜欢这个主意。“安全吗？”她问。
"It is just a path," Abel said.
“只是一条小路而已，”阿贝尔说。
"And I have a torch."
“而且我有手电筒。”
He took the small torch from his bag. The light was weak and yellow. They started to walk. The water was black and still. The trees stood tall on both sides. Freya held her brother's sleeve.
他从包里拿出一支小手电筒。光线又弱又黄。他们开始往前走。河水又黑又静。两岸的树高高地立着。弗蕾娅拉着哥哥的袖子。
"You played well today," she said.
“你今天踢得很好，”她说。
"We lost," Abel said.
“我们输了，”阿贝尔说。
"You scored two goals. I counted." Abel smiled in the dark.
“你进了两个球。我数过了。”阿贝尔在黑暗中笑了。
"Thank you."
“谢谢你。”
After a while, they heard a strange sound. It was a thin, sharp noise. Peep, peep, peep. It came from the left side of the path. "What is that?" Freya whispered.
走了一会儿，他们听到一个奇怪的声音。那是一种又细又尖的叫声。啾，啾，啾。声音从小路左边传来。“那是什么？”弗蕾娅小声问。
Abel pointed the torch at the grass. Near the edge, a mother duck stood very still. She looked at them and made a low noise. Behind her, there was a deep ditch. It was about as deep as a chair. Six tiny ducklings stood at the bottom. They were small and wet. They tried to climb out. The earth was too steep.
阿贝尔用手电筒照向草丛。靠近路边，一只鸭妈妈一动不动地站着。她看着他们，低声叫着。在她身后有一道很深的沟。大概有一把椅子那么深。六只小鸭子站在沟底。它们又小又湿。它们想爬上来。可是泥土太陡了。
"They fell in," Freya said. Her voice shook.
“它们掉进去了，”弗蕾娅说。她的声音在发抖。
"Yes," Abel said.
“是啊，”阿贝尔说。
"And the mother cannot reach them." Abel put his bag on the ground. He lay down and stretched his arm into the ditch. It was too short. He could not touch the ducklings.
“鸭妈妈够不着它们。”阿贝尔把包放在地上。他趴下来，把手臂伸进沟里。手臂太短了。他碰不到小鸭子。
"I need something long," he said. Freya looked around. Near a tree, there was an old board. It was dirty and thin, but strong. She pulled it out and dragged it over.
“我需要一样长的东西，”他说。弗蕾娅四下看了看。一棵树旁边有一块旧木板。它又脏又薄，但很结实。她把它拔出来，拖了过来。
"Good," Abel said.
“好，”阿贝尔说。
"Put one end here."
“把一头放在这里。”
They put one end on the path. They put the other end in the ditch. Now the board was like a small hill. Abel put dry leaves on it. The ducklings could grip better.
他们把木板的一头放在小路上，另一头放进沟里。现在木板像一个小山坡。阿贝尔在上面铺了一些干树叶。这样小鸭子就抓得住了。
Then they waited. The ducklings did not move. The mother duck made a soft noise. One duckling looked up. Then it walked onto the board. It slipped and fell down. It tried again. This time, it climbed three steps. "Come on," Freya whispered. "Come on, little one."
然后他们等着。小鸭子们一动不动。鸭妈妈轻轻叫了一声。一只小鸭子抬起头。然后它走上了木板。它滑了一下，掉了下去。它又试了一次。这一次，它爬上了三步。“加油，”弗蕾娅小声说，“加油，小家伙。”
At last the first duckling jumped onto the path. It ran to its mother. Then came the second, and the third. Abel and Freya held their breath. The fourth duckling fell twice, but it did not stop. The fifth was fast. The sixth stood at the bottom for a long time.
终于，第一只小鸭子跳到了小路上。它跑向妈妈。接着是第二只，第三只。阿贝尔和弗蕾娅屏住了呼吸。第四只小鸭子摔了两次，但它没有放弃。第五只很快。第六只在沟底站了很久。
"Come," Abel said. He put out one finger, very slowly. The duckling looked at it. Then it ran up the board. The family was together again.
“来吧，”阿贝尔说。他慢慢地伸出一根手指。小鸭子看着那根手指。然后它沿着木板跑了上来。一家子又团聚了。
The mother duck looked at the two children. Then she walked away down the path. All six ducklings followed her in a straight line. Abel stood up. His knees were wet, and his hands were dirty. His torch was weak, but he smiled.
鸭妈妈看了看这两个孩子。然后她沿着小路走开了。六只小鸭子排成一条直线跟在她后面。阿贝尔站了起来。他的膝盖湿了，手也脏了。他的手电筒很暗，但他笑了。
"You are the best player on the team," Freya said.
“你是队里最棒的球员，”弗蕾娅说。
"It is only a duck rescue."
“这只是救了几只鸭子而已。”
"Two goals and six ducklings," Freya said.
“两个进球，还有六只小鸭子，”弗蕾娅说。
"I will tell Mum tonight." They walked home together. They did not need the torch any more. A round yellow moon came up over the water.
“今晚我要告诉妈妈。”他们一起走回家。他们不再需要手电筒了。一轮黄黄的圆月从河面上升了起来。
