Mei works at the pet shop three evenings a week. Today she cleans all the small-animal cages alone for the first time. She feels proud. She moves each animal to a travel box. She cleans the cage, and the animal goes back.
梅每周有三个晚上在宠物店工作。今天，她第一次独自清理所有小动物的笼子。她觉得很自豪。她把每只动物挪进一个旅行箱，打扫笼子，再把动物放回去。
At closing time the shop is quiet. Only the fish tanks glow. Hugh sweeps the floor and counts the bird seed. Now he waits for her at the back room door.
打烊的时候，店里很安静，只有鱼缸在发光。休在扫地，也在清点鸟食。现在，他正等在里间的门口等她。
"You look worried," says Mei.
“你看起来很担心，”梅说。
"The lamp does it every few minutes," says Hugh.
“那盏灯每隔几分钟就会这样，”休说。
They go into the back room. It is long and narrow. It holds boxes, bags of sand and empty cages. In the corner, a small desk lamp stands on a shelf. It flickers. Two short blinks, one long one. Then it stays dark for a moment. Then it starts again.
他们走进里间。里间又长又窄，放着纸箱、沙袋和空笼子。角落里，架子上立着一盏小台灯。它在闪。两下短的，一下长的。然后暗上一会儿，接着又重新开始。
"Two short, one long," says Hugh. "It is always the same."
“两短一长，”休说，“每次都一样。”
"It's a bad bulb," says Mei.
“是灯泡坏了，”梅说。
"A bad bulb doesn't count to three."
“坏灯泡可不会数到三。”
Mei laughs, but she watches the lamp for a long time. Two short, one long. Then the same again. The pattern is perfect. It is a little scary.
梅笑了，可她盯着那盏灯看了很久。两短一长。然后又是同样的一轮。这规律精确得很，有点吓人。
"Maybe the wire is loose," she says. "I'll check the plug."
“也许是电线松了，”她说，“我去检查一下插头。”
She pulls the plug. The lamp goes dark. The room is quiet. Then, from somewhere behind the boxes, comes a tiny scratching sound.
她拔掉了插头。灯灭了。屋里一片安静。接着，从纸箱后面的某个地方，传来一阵细小的抓挠声。
Hugh freezes. "Did you hear that?"
休僵住了。“你听到了吗？”
"Yes."
“听到了。”
"Is it a mouse?"
“是老鼠吗？”
"We sell mice," says Mei. "We don't have wild ones. At least, I hope not."
“我们是卖老鼠的，”梅说，“可我们这里没有野老鼠。至少我希望没有。”
She follows the cord of the lamp with her eyes. It runs along the shelf and down behind some boxes. Near the floor, the plastic cover of the cord is gone. Small teeth marks show on the wire.
她的目光顺着台灯的电线看过去。电线沿着架子往下，绕到几个纸箱后面。靠近地面的地方，线外面的塑料皮没有了。电线上留着小小的牙印。
"Something chews the cord," says Mei. "Every time it bites, the lamp blinks."
“有东西在咬这根线，”梅说，“它每咬一口，灯就闪一下。”
"Two bites, then a rest, then one long bite," says Hugh. "That's the pattern."
“咬两口，歇一歇，再长长地咬一口，”休说，“这就是那个规律。”
"Teeth marks," says Mei. Her stomach turns cold. "Hugh, where is the ferret?"
“牙印，”梅说。她的胃一下子凉了。“休，雪貂在哪儿？”
She runs to the wall of cages. Her heart is loud in her ears. The door of the big cage at the end is not shut. The small metal latch hangs open. The cage is empty.
她朝那排笼子跑去。她的心跳声在耳朵里咚咚作响。尽头那个大笼子的门没有关好。小小的金属插销敞开着。笼子是空的。
"Oh, no," she says. "I cleaned this cage this evening. I forgot to close the latch."
“哦，不，”她说，“今晚我打扫过这个笼子。我忘了把插销扣上。”
"So the ferret is loose," says Hugh.
“这么说雪貂跑出来了，”休说。
"And it chews electric cords!" says Mei. "That's very dangerous for it. We have to find it. Fast."
“它还会咬电线！”梅说，“这对它来说太危险了。我们得找到它，快。”
Hugh takes his phone and turns on the torch. Mei takes a small bag of dried fish from the shelf. They walk slowly between the boxes.
休拿出手机，打开手电筒。梅从架子上取下一小袋小鱼干。他们在纸箱之间慢慢地走。
The scratching sound comes again. It is on the left. Then it is on the right. The ferret is quick. Every time they come close, it moves away.
抓挠声又响了起来。声音在左边。然后又跑到右边。雪貂动作很快。每次他们走近，它就跑开。
"Wait," Hugh whispers. "If it hears us, it runs."
“等等，”休小声说，“它要是听到我们，就会跑掉。”
"Then we stop walking," says Mei. "Let it come to us."
“那我们就别走了，”梅说，“让它自己过来。”
They stand still and wait for the sound. It begins again, soft and near. Hugh points his light at a gap between two boxes. Two small black eyes shine in the dark. A long brown body slides back and disappears.
他们站着不动，等着那个声音。它又响起来了，轻轻的，很近。休把光照向两个纸箱之间的缝隙。两只小小的黑眼睛在暗处发亮。一个长长的棕色身体往后一滑，不见了。
"There!" he says.
“在那儿！”他说。
Mei opens the bag of fish and holds it out. The smell fills the air. She puts a few pieces on the floor in a line. The line runs from the gap to an open travel box.
梅打开鱼干袋子，伸手递出去。那股气味飘满了空气。她在地上放了几块鱼干，排成一条线。这条线从缝隙一直通到一个敞开的旅行箱。
"You're making a road," says Hugh.
“你在铺一条路，”休说。
"A road to dinner."
“一条通往晚饭的路。”
The ferret comes out slowly. It sniffs the first piece. It eats it. It sniffs the second piece. Its tail moves. Then it runs along the line and goes into the box.
雪貂慢慢地钻了出来。它闻了闻第一块，吃了下去。它又闻了闻第二块，尾巴动了动。然后它沿着那条线跑过去，进了箱子。
"Now," says Mei.
“现在，”梅说。
Hugh closes the lid, very gently. The ferret looks at them and finishes its fish.
休非常轻地合上了盖子。雪貂看着他们，把剩下的鱼干吃完了。
"Got you," says Hugh. He sits down on the floor. His hands shake.
“抓到你了，”休说。他一屁股坐在地上，双手在发抖。
Mei sits next to him. "I almost lost an animal on my first night alone," she says. "I should tell the boss."
梅坐到他身旁。“我第一次独自上夜班，差点就弄丢了一只动物，”她说，“我该告诉老板。”
"First we fix everything," says Hugh. "Then we tell."
“先把一切都弄好，”休说，“然后再说。”
They fix it together. They put the ferret in its own cage and close the latch. Then they push the latch down one more time, to be sure. Hugh finds a big clip in the drawer. He puts it on the door. Hugh puts the old lamp in the bin. "It is not safe now," he says. He brings a new lamp from the shelf in the shop. Mei tapes its cord high on the wall, far from the floor.
他们一起动手处理。他们把雪貂放回它自己的笼子，扣上插销。然后又把插销往下按了一次，确保扣牢。休在抽屉里找到一个大夹子，夹在笼门上。休把那盏旧灯扔进了垃圾桶。“现在它不安全了，”他说。他从店里的架子上拿来一盏新灯。梅把它的电线贴在高高的墙上，离地面远远的，用胶带粘好。
"It looks a little silly," she says.
“看起来有点傻，”她说。
"It looks safe," says Hugh.
“看起来很安全，”休说。
She plugs the new lamp into the wall. It lights up and stays bright. There is no blinking now. The pattern is gone.
她把新灯插到墙上的插座里。灯亮了，一直亮着。再也不闪了。那个规律消失了。
Mei counts the cages one by one, and Hugh counts them again. Every door is shut. Every animal is in its place. The small shop is calm.
梅把笼子一个一个数了一遍，休又数了一遍。每扇门都关着。每只动物都在自己的位置上。小小的店里一片平静。
She looks at the clip, the tape and the clean cage. Then she looks at Hugh and smiles.
她看看夹子、胶带和干净的笼子。然后她看向休，笑了。
Hugh looks at the lamp, the tape and the fish bag. "Mei," he says, "who will tell the boss?"
休看看灯、胶带和鱼干袋。“梅，”他说，“谁去告诉老板？”
