The Cherry Chair Mix-Up

Mika was a runner at the big Sunday market. She carried boxes and took messages. Her boss was Lorna. Lorna spoke a different language.

米卡是星期日大集市的跑腿员。她搬箱子，传话。她的老板是洛娜。洛娜说的是另一种语言。

That morning, Lorna held up a tiny earpiece. She smiled and pointed at Mika's ear. Mika put it in. It was warm and very small.

那天早上，洛娜举起一个小小的耳机。她笑着指了指米卡的耳朵。米卡把它戴上了。耳机暖暖的，非常小。

Lorna spoke fast. The earpiece spoke in Mika's ear.

洛娜说得很快。耳机在米卡耳边把话说了出来。

"Bring five cherries to the music stage," it said.

“把五个樱桃送到音乐舞台，”它说。

Mika did not understand, but she wanted to help. She found a fruit stall. She bought five boxes of cherries. Then she carried them to the stage.

米卡没听懂，但她想帮忙。她找到一个水果摊。她买了五箱樱桃。然后把它们搬到了舞台。

Osei, the music man, stood there with his guitar. He looked at the boxes.

奥塞是负责音乐的人，他抱着吉他站在那里。他看着那些箱子。

"Where are my chairs?" he asked. "I see only cherries."

“我的椅子呢？”他问，“我只看到樱桃。”

"Lorna said cherries," said Mika.

“洛娜说的是樱桃，”米卡说。

"My band needs to sit. Cherries are not good chairs."

“我的乐队要坐下来。樱桃可不是好椅子。”

Mika put the boxes down. She felt silly. Then she ran back to Lorna. Lorna talked and pointed at the gate of the market.

米卡把箱子放下。她觉得自己很傻。然后她跑回洛娜那里。洛娜一边说话，一边指着集市的大门。

"Hang the new sign on the goat," said the earpiece.

“把新牌子挂在山羊上，”耳机说。

Mika looked around. A white goat stood near the cheese stall. A man held it on a rope.

米卡四下看了看。奶酪摊附近有一只白山羊。一个男人用绳子牵着它。

"Please, can I put this sign on your goat?" Mika asked.

“请问，我能把这块牌子挂在你的山羊身上吗？”米卡问。

The man laughed. "Why not?" he said.

那个男人笑了。“当然可以，”他说。

They tied the paper sign to the goat's back. It looked funny. People stopped and took pictures. Then the goat turned and ate half of the sign.

他们把纸牌子绑在山羊的背上。看起来很滑稽。人们停下来拍照。然后山羊转过头，把牌子吃掉了一半。

Lorna ran over. She put her hands on her head. She talked very fast.

洛娜跑了过来。她双手抱住头。她说得飞快。

"Tell Osei the show stops at six," said the earpiece.

“告诉奥塞，演出六点结束，”耳机说。

Mika ran to the stage again. Her legs hurt.

米卡又跑向舞台。她的腿很疼。

"Lorna says the show stops at six," she told Osei.

“洛娜说演出六点结束，”她告诉奥塞。

Osei looked at her. "Stops?" he said. "It starts at six. The people come at six. Why does it stop?"

奥塞看着她。“结束？”他说，“是六点开始。人们六点才来。怎么会结束呢？”

"I do not know," said Mika.

“我不知道，”米卡说。

She stood very still. She thought about the morning. Chairs and cherries. Gate and goat. Starts and stops. Every time, one word was close, but wrong.

她一动不动地站着。她回想这一早上。椅子和樱桃。大门和山羊。开始和结束。每一次，都有一个词很接近，却是错的。

Mika took the earpiece out of her ear. She looked at it for a long time. Then she put it in her pocket.

米卡把耳机从耳朵里取了出来。她看了它很久。然后把它放进口袋。

She found Lorna by the gate. She did not say a word. She held out a pen and a piece of paper.

她在大门口找到了洛娜。她一个字也没说。她递出一支笔和一张纸。

Lorna looked at the paper. Then she looked at the earpiece in Mika's hand. Her mouth opened. She began to laugh.

洛娜看着那张纸。然后她看了看米卡手里的耳机。她的嘴张开了。她笑了起来。

Lorna took the pen and drew a small chair. She drew a gate with a new sign. She drew a clock with the hands at six. Next to it, she drew a face and a guitar.

洛娜拿起笔，画了一把小椅子。她画了一扇挂着新牌子的大门。她画了一个时针指着六点的钟。旁边，她画了一张笑脸和一把吉他。

Mika nodded. Now she understood every picture.

米卡点点头。现在每一幅画她都明白了。

It was four o'clock. There was time. She ran to the café by the fountain. The owner gave her five chairs. Mika carried them to Osei. He put them in a circle and sat down.

现在是四点钟。还有时间。她跑到喷泉边的咖啡馆。老板给了她五把椅子。米卡把它们搬给奥塞。他把椅子摆成一圈，坐了下来。

"Good chairs," he said. "Now the band can sit."

“好椅子，”他说，“现在乐队可以坐了。”

Lorna painted a new sign. She hung it on the gate. The goat stood far away. It looked sorry, and its mouth was still full.

洛娜画了一块新牌子。她把它挂在大门上。山羊被拉得远远的。它看起来很抱歉，嘴里还塞得满满的。

At six, the music started. The market was full of people. Osei sang, and the band played. The people ate cherries and clapped.

六点，音乐响起来了。集市上挤满了人。奥塞唱着歌，乐队演奏着。人们吃着樱桃，鼓着掌。

Mika stood at the side. Lorna came and said something with a big smile. Mika did not understand one word. She only gave Lorna a cherry.

米卡站在一旁。洛娜走过来，笑容灿烂地说了些什么。米卡一个字也没听懂。她只是递给洛娜一颗樱桃。