At Marsh Lake Canoe Hire, every boat came home on time. Nobody knew why. The tourists said the lake was friendly. The owner said it was good business. Only Joss and the owner knew the truth.
在沼泽湖独木舟租赁处，每条船都准时回来。没人知道为什么。游客们说这片湖很友好。老板说这是生意好。只有乔斯和老板知道真相。
The truth sat on the counter, next to the cash box. It was an egg timer. It had the shape of a tin hen. She had a small beak and a small key in her back. When Joss turned the key, the hen ticked. When her time ended, she clucked three times. Then every canoe on the lake turned toward the dock. It felt as if a rope pulled it home.
真相就放在柜台上，挨着钱箱。那是一个煮蛋计时器，做成了一只锡皮母鸡的样子。她有一张小小的喙，背上有一把小小的发条钥匙。乔斯一拧钥匙，母鸡就滴答作响。时间一到，她就咯咯叫三声。然后湖上的每一条独木舟都会转向码头，仿佛有一根绳子把它拉回家。
Joss was sixteen, and this was his first summer job. He loved the hen. He loved how gently the canoes swung around. No tourist ever felt it. But he told nobody about her. The owner asked him not to.
乔斯十六岁，这是他的第一份暑期工。他爱这只母鸡。他爱独木舟被轻轻转过身来的样子。游客们从没有感觉到。但他没把她的事告诉任何人。老板请他别说。
Well, he told almost nobody. He told Yaw.
嗯，几乎没告诉任何人。他告诉了亚乌。
Yaw was Joss's best friend. He came to the dock every afternoon. He ate sunflower seeds and gave advice. He did not believe in magic. "A timer is a timer," he liked to say. "Tin is tin."
亚乌是乔斯最好的朋友。他每天下午都来码头，嗑着葵花籽，给人出主意。他不信什么魔法。“计时器就是计时器，”他爱这么说。“锡就是锡。”
On Friday, the owner drove to town at four o'clock. "The last hire goes out at half past four," she said. "Wind the hen carefully. She is older than both of you."
星期五，老板四点钟开车进城去了。“最后一单四点半出发，”她说。“上发条要小心。她比你们俩都老。”
"I always do," said Joss.
“我一向很小心，”乔斯说。
When she was gone, Yaw laughed. "You are so serious about a toy."
她一走，亚乌就笑了。“为了一个玩具，你可真严肃。”
"She is not a toy."
“她不是玩具。”
"Show me, then. Wind her up. Let me see the great magic."
“那你给我看看。给她上弦。让我见识见识那了不起的魔法。”
Joss wanted to prove it. He took the key and turned it. He turned it again, and again, harder each time. He wanted the hen to be loud for his friend. Then something inside went snap. The key spun round in his fingers with nothing to stop it.
乔斯想证明给他看。他拿起钥匙拧了起来。他拧了一圈又一圈，一次比一次用力。他想让母鸡在朋友面前叫得响亮些。接着，里面啪的一声断了。钥匙在他指间空转，什么也卡不住了。
"Oh no," said Joss.
“糟了，”乔斯说。
"What?"
“怎么？”
"I think I broke her spring."
“我想我把她的发条弄断了。”
Yaw stopped chewing. "Is that bad?"
亚乌停下了嚼瓜子。“很糟吗？”
Before Joss could answer, a family came down the dock. A dad and two small children wanted the last canoe. They wore orange life jackets. "One hour, please," said the dad.
乔斯还没来得及回答，一家人沿着码头走来。一位爸爸和两个小孩想租最后一条独木舟。他们穿着橙色救生衣。“租一个小时，”爸爸说。
Joss forced a smile. He set the hen to one hour, and the key spun uselessly. She did not tick. But the family was already in the canoe. They pushed away from the dock. Joss hoped for the best.
乔斯勉强挤出一个笑容。他把母鸡定到一小时，钥匙却空转个不停。她没有滴答作响。可那家人已经坐进了独木舟。他们划离了码头。乔斯只能往好处盼。
An hour went by. The sun sank lower and turned the water to gold. At half past five, the hen made a sound. It was not a cluck. It was a tiny click, like a mouse sneezing.
一个小时过去了。太阳沉得更低，把湖水染成金色。五点半，母鸡发出了一个声音。那不是咯咯声。那是一声极小的咔哒，像老鼠打了个喷嚏。
Out on the lake, the canoe did not turn. It floated near the trees by the island. The dad stood up and waved. One of the children dropped something in the water. It was the dad's paddle, and it slid away across the water.
湖面上，那条独木舟没有转向。它漂在岛边的树林附近。爸爸站起来挥手。一个孩子把什么东西掉进了水里。那是爸爸的桨，它顺着水面漂走了。
"Uh-oh," said Yaw.
“糟糕，”亚乌说。
"We have a problem," said Joss.
“我们有麻烦了，”乔斯说。
He ran to the end of the dock. He rang the big brass bell. The sound rolled out over the lake. The dad waved again. He thought it was a greeting. The canoe went on drifting slowly toward the island.
他跑到码头尽头，敲响了那口大黄铜钟。钟声滚过湖面。爸爸又挥了挥手。他以为那是在打招呼。独木舟继续缓缓朝岛的方向漂去。
"Plan B," Yaw said. "I swim out."
“方案二，”亚乌说。“我游过去。”
"It is far, and the water is cold."
“太远了，水又冷。”
"Plan C. You fix the hen."
“方案三。你把母鸡修好。”
"I can't. The spring is broken. Only the owner can fix it." Joss pushed both hands into his hair. "The dock closes at six. They will soon be in the dark."
“我修不了。发条断了。只有老板才能修。”乔斯双手插进头发里。“码头六点关门。他们很快就要陷入黑暗里了。”
They looked at the tin hen together. She sat silent on the counter, with her small beak shining.
他们一起看着那只锡皮母鸡。她静静地坐在柜台上，小小的喙闪着光。
Then Yaw said slowly, "You told me the hen calls the canoes. Right?"
然后亚乌慢慢地说：“你告诉过我，是母鸡把独木舟叫回来的。对吧？”
"Right."
“对。”
"But what makes her call them? Is it the hen? Or is it the end of the time?"
“可是是什么让她把它们叫回来？是母鸡本身？还是时间到了？”
Joss was silent for a moment. He never thought about that. All summer he believed the magic lived in the tin. But maybe the magic lived in the sound. Maybe it lived in the moment a clock said, time is over.
乔斯沉默了片刻。他从没想过这个问题。整个夏天他都相信魔法住在锡皮里。可也许魔法住在那个声音里。也许它住在钟表说“时间到了”的那一刻。
"A timer is a timer," Joss said softly.
“计时器就是计时器，”乔斯轻声说。
"Exactly. Say it with me."
“没错。跟我一起说。”
They ran to the kitchen behind the dock. On the shelf above the sink sat three more timers. There was a plastic tomato with a loud beep. There was a yellow chick that went ding. And there was a small wind-up pig that squealed like a gate.
他们跑进码头后面的厨房。水槽上方的架子上还放着三个计时器。一个是会发出响亮哔哔声的塑料番茄。一个是会叮的一声响的黄色小鸡。还有一个发条小猪，叫起来像一扇吱呀的门。
Yaw grabbed the pig and the chick. Joss took the tomato. They ran back to the end of the dock. They stood side by side. They twisted all three dials to one minute.
亚乌抓起小猪和小鸡。乔斯拿了番茄。他们跑回码头尽头，并肩站着。他们把三个旋钮都拧到了一分钟。
For a short time, nothing happened. The lake lay flat and shining. The family drifted. A bird cried far away.
有那么一小会儿，什么也没发生。湖面平展闪亮。那家人漂着。远处有一只鸟在叫。
Then the tomato beeped. The chick went ding. The pig squealed, and it went on squealing. All three made their noises together in one wild, silly noise.
然后番茄哔哔响了。小鸡叮的一声。小猪尖叫起来，而且一直叫个不停。三个计时器一起发出声响，汇成一阵疯狂又滑稽的噪音。
Out on the water, the canoe shivered. Then slowly, it swung around. Its nose pointed straight at the dock. It began to glide, quietly and smoothly. No one paddled.
水面上，那条独木舟抖了一下。然后它缓缓地转过身来。船头直直对准了码头。它开始滑行，安静而平稳。没有人在划桨。
"It works!" Yaw shouted. "It really works!"
“成功了！”亚乌喊道。“真的成功了！”
The dad sat very still in the middle of the canoe. His mouth was open. The two children cheered. The canoe slid into the dock. The smaller child pointed at the timers.
爸爸一动不动地坐在独木舟中间。他张着嘴。两个孩子欢呼起来。独木舟滑进了码头。年纪小的孩子指着那些计时器。
"We heard chickens!" she said happily. "And a pig!"
“我们听到了小鸡的叫声！”她高兴地说。“还有一头猪！”
"And a tomato," said the other child.
“还有一个番茄，”另一个孩子说。
The dad climbed out and looked at Joss. He looked at the lake. He looked at the three small timers. "Thank you," he said at last. "I think." He took his children by the hands. They walked away along the dock. Twice he looked back over his shoulder.
爸爸爬出船来，看着乔斯。他看看湖。他看看那三个小小的计时器。“谢谢你们，”他终于说。“我想是吧。”他牵起孩子们的手。他们沿着码头走远了。他两次回头张望。
When the family was gone, Joss sat down hard on the dock. His legs felt like water. Yaw sat beside him. He put the pig, the chick, and the tomato in a row.
那家人走后，乔斯一屁股坐在码头上。他的腿软得像水。亚乌坐在他旁边。他把小猪、小鸡和番茄排成一排。
"So," said Yaw. "I was wrong."
“所以呢，”亚乌说。“是我错了。”
"A little."
“错了一点点。”
"Only a little." Yaw picked up the tin hen and looked at her closely. "What do we tell the owner about her spring?"
“只有一点点。”亚乌拿起锡皮母鸡，仔细端详她。“关于她的发条，我们怎么跟老板说？”
"The truth. Mostly." Joss took a deep breath. "And tomorrow we ask her to fix the hen."
“说实话。基本上。”乔斯深吸了一口气。“明天，我们请她把母鸡修好。”
Yaw grinned and shook the pig until it squealed. "Next summer," he said, "we buy a whole farm of timers."
亚乌咧嘴一笑，晃了晃小猪，直到它尖叫起来。“明年夏天，”他说，“我们买一整个农场的计时器。”
