Rosa worked in the garden at the moon base. The garden was a big glass room. It was warm and bright inside. Outside, the ground was gray and empty.
罗莎在月球基地的花园里工作。花园是一间大玻璃房。里面温暖又明亮。外面，地面灰蒙蒙的，空空荡荡。
Every day Rosa checked her plants. She had tomatoes, beans, and one small row of lettuce. The lettuce was new. It was the first lettuce on the moon.
罗莎每天都检查她的植物。她有番茄、豆子，还有一小行生菜。生菜是新种的。它是月球上的第一棵生菜。
A boy named Pavel came every morning. He was nine years old. His father worked at the base. So Pavel lived there too. He missed green things from Earth. The base had only gray walls and white lights.
一个叫帕维尔的男孩每天早上都来。他九岁。他爸爸在基地工作。所以帕维尔也住在这里。他想念地球上的绿色东西。基地里只有灰色的墙和白色的灯。
"Is it ready?" he asked each day.
“好了吗？”他每天都问。
"Not yet," Rosa said. "Plants are slow."
“还没有，”罗莎说，“植物长得慢。”
Pavel looked at the lettuce. It was only the size of his thumb.
帕维尔看着生菜。它只有他的拇指那么大。
One morning, he came very early. He had a small cup of water in his hand. "The lettuce is thirsty," he said.
一天早上，他来得很早。他手里拿着一小杯水。“生菜渴了，”他说。
"No, it is not," said Rosa. "The machine gives water at six o'clock. Too much water is bad."
“不，它不渴，”罗莎说，“机器六点钟会浇水。水太多不好。”
Pavel put the cup on the floor. His face was sad. Rosa sat down next to him.
帕维尔把杯子放在地上。他的脸很难过。罗莎在他旁边坐下。
"A plant needs three things," she said. "Light, water, and time. We have the first two. Now we wait for the third."
“植物需要三样东西，”她说，“光、水和时间。前两样我们有了。现在要等第三样。”
"How long?" he asked.
“要多久？”他问。
"Twelve days, maybe."
“也许十二天。”
Pavel took a pen from his pocket. He drew a calendar on his hand. He made twelve small boxes. Each morning he put a cross in one box.
帕维尔从口袋里拿出一支笔。他在手上画了一个日历。他画了十二个小格子。每天早上，他在一个格子里画一个叉。
On day four, he read a book to the lettuce. Rosa listened from the other side of the room. She did not say anything. She only smiled.
第四天，他给生菜读了一本书。罗莎在房间的另一边听着。她什么也没说。她只是微笑。
On day seven, the leaves were green and wide. A plant from the next row touched them. Pavel took a photo. He sent it to his grandmother on Earth. She wrote back, "Beautiful! Is it real?"
第七天，叶子又绿又宽。旁边一排的一株植物碰到了它们。帕维尔拍了一张照片。他把它发给地球上的奶奶。她回信说：“真漂亮！是真的吗？”
"It is real," Pavel said to the screen.
“是真的，”帕维尔对着屏幕说。
On day ten, the lettuce was big. It was as big as his hand. Pavel stood and looked at it for a long time. He did not talk. He only counted the leaves. There were nine.
第十天，生菜长大了。它有他的手那么大。帕维尔站着看了它很久。他没有说话。他只是数叶子。一共有九片。
On day twelve, Rosa came with a knife. She had a white plate. Pavel was already there. He had a clean shirt on.
第十二天，罗莎拿着刀来了。她带着一个白盘子。帕维尔已经在那里了。他穿了一件干净的衬衫。
"Today is the day," Rosa said.
“今天就是那一天，”罗莎说。
She cut one leaf, and then a second. She washed them in a bowl of water. She put one leaf on the plate. She gave the plate to Pavel.
她切下一片叶子，又切下第二片。她把它们放在一碗水里洗干净。她把一片叶子放在盘子上。她把盘子递给帕维尔。
"You first," she said.
“你先来，”她说。
Pavel held the leaf up to the light. It was soft and bright green. Then he took a small bite. It made a little sound.
帕维尔把叶子举到灯光下。它柔软，亮绿色。然后他轻轻咬了一口。它发出一点小小的声音。
"It tastes like rain," he said.
“它尝起来像雨，”他说。
"Rain?" said Rosa. "You never see rain here."
“雨？”罗莎说，“你在这里从来没见过雨。”
"I remember rain," Pavel said. "From Earth. This is the same."
“我记得雨，”帕维尔说，“在地球上。这个味道一样。”
Rosa laughed. She took the second leaf and tried it too. It was cold and sweet. It was the best leaf of her life.
罗莎笑了。她拿起第二片叶子也尝了尝。它清凉又香甜。这是她一生中最好的一片叶子。
Pavel looked at the empty soil in the next box.
帕维尔看着旁边那个箱子里空空的土。
"Can we plant more?" he asked.
“我们可以多种一些吗？”他问。
"Yes," said Rosa. She gave him a small bag of seeds. "You can hold these."
“可以，”罗莎说。她给了他一小袋种子。“你来拿着这些。”
