Kalani could not sleep. It was midnight. Her room was full of boxes. Next week her family moved to a new city. Her heart felt heavy.
卡拉尼睡不着。现在是半夜。她的房间里堆满了箱子。下个星期，她一家要搬到一座新城市。她的心里沉甸甸的。
She got up and put on her sweater. She walked up the stairs to the roof. In the day it was a plain place. It had old chairs and some pots.
她起了床，穿上毛衣。她沿着楼梯走上屋顶。白天，那里只是个普通的地方。有几把旧椅子和一些花盆。
But tonight the roof looked different. A soft blue light filled the air. Kalani stopped at the door and stared.
可是今晚，屋顶看起来不一样。一片柔和的蓝光充满了空气。卡拉尼站在门口，呆呆地看着。
All the plants were in flower. Hundreds of small flowers were open. Each one shone like a tiny lamp. Some were blue. Some were white. Some were pale gold.
所有的植物都开花了。几百朵小花开着。每一朵都像一盏小灯一样发光。有的是蓝色的。有的是白色的。有的是淡金色的。
"Am I dreaming?" she said. She pinched her arm. It hurt a little. "No. I am awake."
“我是在做梦吗？”她说。她掐了掐自己的胳膊。有一点疼。“不。我醒着。”
"Yes, you are awake," said a quiet voice.
“是的，你醒着，”一个轻柔的声音说。
An old woman sat in a chair in the corner. Kalani knew her. She lived on the fifth floor. She had a long grey braid and a kind face.
一位老奶奶坐在角落的一把椅子上。卡拉尼认识她。她住在五楼。她有一条长长的灰辫子，面容和善。
"Come and sit," said the woman. "But please talk softly. The flowers are shy."
“过来坐吧，”老奶奶说，“不过请小声说话。花儿们很害羞。”
Kalani sat down on the next chair. For a minute nothing happened. Then a blue flower opened a little more. It made a tiny sound, like a bell. Ting.
卡拉尼在旁边的椅子上坐下。一分钟里什么也没发生。然后一朵蓝花又开大了一点。它发出一个小小的声音，像铃铛一样。叮。
Then another flower sang. Ting. Then another. The roof was full of small, bright sounds.
接着另一朵花也唱起来。叮。又一朵。叮。屋顶上充满了细小而明亮的声音。
"It is so beautiful," whispered Kalani. "Why did I never see this?"
“太美了，”卡拉尼小声说，“我为什么以前从来没见过呢？”
"These flowers sleep all day," said the woman. "They open only at night. And they open only when someone sits very quietly."
“这些花白天都在睡觉，”老奶奶说，“它们只在夜里开放。而且只有当有人安安静静地坐着，它们才会开放。”
"Most people are asleep at night," said Kalani.
“夜里大多数人都睡着了，”卡拉尼说。
"Yes," said the woman. "And the people who are awake often talk too much."
“是啊，”老奶奶说，“而醒着的人，常常话太多。”
Kalani laughed softly. Then she stopped talking. The night was calm. The flowers shone brighter. Her heart did not feel so heavy now.
卡拉尼轻轻地笑了。然后她不再说话。夜晚很平静。花儿们发出更亮的光。她的心现在没那么沉重了。
After a long time, she spoke again. Her voice was very small. "I move away next week," she said. "I do not want to go. I do not know anyone there."
过了很久，她又开口了。她的声音很小。“我下星期就要搬走了，”她说，“我不想走。那里我一个人也不认识。”
A white flower gave a soft ting. It seemed to understand.
一朵白花轻轻地叮了一声。它好像听懂了。
"I came here when I was young," said the woman. "I was afraid too. I did not know a single person."
“我年轻的时候来到这里，”老奶奶说，“我也害怕。我一个人也不认识。”
"What did you do?" asked Kalani.
“那你怎么做的？”卡拉尼问。
"I carried a seed in my pocket," said the woman. "It came from my old home. I planted it here. It grew into this garden. It was my first friend."
“我口袋里带着一颗种子，”老奶奶说，“它来自我的老家。我把它种在这里。它长成了这个花园。它是我的第一个朋友。”
She put her hand in her sweater pocket. She took out a small brown seed. She put it in Kalani's hand.
她把手伸进毛衣口袋。她拿出一颗小小的棕色种子。她把它放在卡拉尼的手里。
"Take this," she said. "It is the child of these flowers."
“拿着这个，”她说，“它是这些花的孩子。”
"Will it grow in a new city?" asked Kalani.
“它能在新城市里长大吗？”卡拉尼问。
"Yes, if you plant it with care," said the woman. "Give it water. Give it light in the day. And at night, sit with it. Be quiet and be patient."
“能，只要你用心种它，”老奶奶说，“给它浇水。白天给它阳光。到了夜里，陪它坐一坐。要安静，要有耐心。”
Kalani held the seed in both hands. It felt warm. They sat together until the sky grew pale. One by one, the flowers closed and went to sleep.
卡拉尼用双手捧着种子。它感觉暖暖的。她们一起坐着，直到天空泛白。花儿们一朵接一朵合上，睡着了。
"Thank you," said Kalani. She did not know what else to say.
“谢谢您，”卡拉尼说。她不知道还能说什么。
"Good night," said the woman. "Or good morning. Both are right."
“晚安，”老奶奶说，“或者说早安。都对。”
A week later, Kalani's family arrived in the new city. The apartment was small. The walls were white and empty. Outside, a thousand windows shone in the dark.
一个星期后，卡拉尼一家到了新城市。公寓很小。墙壁又白又空。外面，一千扇窗户在黑暗中发着光。
That night, Kalani found a cup in the kitchen. She filled it with soil from a pot. She pushed the seed into the soil with one finger. She added a little water.
那天晚上，卡拉尼在厨房里找到一个杯子。她从花盆里装了一些土。她用一根手指把种子按进土里。她加了一点水。
She put the cup on the windowsill. Then she turned off the light.
她把杯子放在窗台上。然后她关了灯。
She sat on the floor by the window. She did not speak. She did not move. The city was loud, but she waited.
她坐在窗边的地板上。她不说话。她不动。城市很吵，可她在等待。
Kalani listened for a very small sound.
卡拉尼倾听着一个非常小的声音。
