Niall has a grey cat. The cat sleeps on his bed every night. She is old and calm. She does not like loud noises. She likes tuna, warm socks, and long naps.
尼尔有一只灰色的猫。这只猫每天晚上都睡在他的床上。她年纪大了，性格平静。她不喜欢嘈杂的声音。她喜欢金枪鱼、暖和的袜子和长长的午睡。
One night Niall has a strange dream. He is in his bedroom. The cat sits on the blanket and looks at him. Then she opens her mouth and speaks.
一天晚上，尼尔做了一个奇怪的梦。他在自己的卧室里。猫坐在毯子上看着他。然后她张开嘴，说话了。
"Take your umbrella tomorrow," she says. Her voice is deep and slow, like an old teacher.
“明天带上你的伞，”她说。她的声音低沉而缓慢，像一位老教师。
Niall wakes up. The room is dark. The cat is asleep at his feet. "What a silly dream," he says.
尼尔醒了。房间里很黑。猫正睡在他的脚边。“这梦真傻，”他说。
In the morning the sky is blue. There is not one cloud. But Niall remembers the dream. He laughs at himself. Then he puts his umbrella in his bag anyway.
早上，天空湛蓝。连一朵云都没有。可是尼尔还记得那个梦。他笑自己。但他还是把伞放进了包里。
At four o'clock the sky turns black. Rain falls hard. The people at the bus stop have no umbrellas. They stand close to the wall. Niall opens his umbrella. A young woman looks at him with big eyes.
四点钟，天一下子黑了。大雨倾盆而下。公交站的人都没带伞。他们紧紧靠着墙站着。尼尔撑开了他的伞。一位年轻女士睁大眼睛看着他。
"Come under," he says. "There is room for two."
“过来吧，”他说，“伞下够两个人。”
"Thank you!" she says. "You are very smart."
“谢谢你！”她说，“你真聪明。”
"No," says Niall. "My cat is smart."
“不是我，”尼尔说，“是我的猫聪明。”
The next night he has the same dream. The grey cat sits on the blanket again. "Call your mother," she says.
第二天晚上，他又做了同样的梦。灰猫又坐在毯子上。“给你妈妈打个电话，”她说。
In the morning Niall is busy. He has a long list of jobs. But he remembers the cat's words. At lunch he calls his mother.
早上，尼尔很忙。他有一长串事情要做。但他记得猫说的话。午饭时，他给妈妈打了电话。
"Oh, Niall!" she says. "I was just about to call you. My big shelf fell down. All my books are on the floor. I cannot lift it."
“哦，尼尔！”她说，“我正要给你打电话呢。我的大书架倒了。我的书全掉在地上了。我搬不动它。”
After work he goes to his mother's house. He lifts the shelf and fixes the wall. They put the books back, one by one. Then they eat soup together.
下班后，他去了妈妈家。他把书架扶起来，把墙修好。他们把书一本一本放回去。然后他们一起喝了汤。
"How did you know?" his mother asks.
“你怎么知道的？”妈妈问。
"A cat told me," says Niall. His mother laughs and does not believe him.
“一只猫告诉我的，”尼尔说。妈妈笑了，不相信他。
On the third night the cat speaks again. "Look in the pocket of your blue coat," she says.
第三天晚上，猫又说话了。“看看你那件蓝外套的口袋，”她说。
Niall has not worn the blue coat for months. In the morning he finds it in the closet. In the pocket there is a train card. He lost it in the spring. Under the card there is a twenty-dollar note.
尼尔已经好几个月没穿那件蓝外套了。早上，他在衣柜里找到了它。口袋里有一张乘车卡。那是他春天弄丢的。卡下面还有一张二十元的钞票。
"This is too strange," says Niall. He looks at the cat. She sits on the window seat. Her eyes are half closed. She looks very pleased.
“这也太奇怪了，”尼尔说。他看着猫。她坐在飘窗上。她的眼睛半闭着。她看起来非常满意。
On the fourth night Niall decides to ask a question. The cat comes to the end of the bed. She sits very straight.
第四天晚上，尼尔决定问一个问题。猫走到床尾。她坐得笔直。
"How do you know these things?" he asks.
“你是怎么知道这些事的？”他问。
The cat cleans one paw. She takes her time. "I do not know them," she says. "You know them. I only say them."
猫舔了舔一只爪子。她慢条斯理地。“我不知道这些事，”她说，“是你知道。我只是说出来。”
"What do you mean?" asks Niall.
“你是什么意思？”尼尔问。
"In the day you are too busy," she says. "You do not hear yourself. At night you are quiet. You can listen."
“白天你太忙了，”她说，“你听不见自己的声音。到了晚上你安静下来，就能听见了。”
Niall thinks about this for a long time. It sounds true.
尼尔想了很久。这话听起来是对的。
"Can I ask you one more thing?" he says. "What do you want?"
“我能再问你一件事吗？”他说，“你想要什么？”
The cat looks at him. Her eyes are green and bright. "The tuna with the blue lid," she says. "The good one. You always give me the grey tin. It is boring."
猫看着他。她的眼睛又绿又亮。“蓝盖子的金枪鱼罐头，”她说，“好的那种。你总是给我灰色的罐头。太无聊了。”
Niall wakes up and smiles. He goes to the kitchen in his socks. At the back of the cupboard is a tin. It has a blue lid. He forgot about it for weeks.
尼尔醒来，笑了。他穿着袜子走进厨房。橱柜最里面有一个罐头。它是蓝盖子的。他已经忘了好几个星期了。
He opens it and puts it in the cat's bowl. The real cat walks in slowly. She smells the tuna. She begins to purr, loud and happy.
他打开罐头，倒进猫碗里。真正的猫慢慢走了进来。她闻了闻金枪鱼。她开始呼噜呼噜地叫，又响亮又开心。
"Is there anything else?" Niall asks her.
“还有别的吗？”尼尔问她。
The cat looks up. She says nothing. Then she says, "Meow."
猫抬起头。她什么也没说。然后她说：“喵。”
"Yes," says Niall. "I understand you very well."
“好，”尼尔说，“我听得懂你。”
