At five to midnight, the college garden is dark and quiet. Only one building glows. It is the old glasshouse. Inside it, a white flower is about to open.
差五分钟到午夜，学院的花园黑暗而安静。只有一座建筑亮着。那是老温室。里面，一朵白色的花就要开了。
Jasmin stands beside the plant with a small brush in her hand. She is a student, and this is her whole project. The plant is a moon lily. It blooms once every seven years, for exactly one hour, at midnight.
贾丝明站在那株植物旁，手里拿着一支小刷子。她是个学生，这是她整个的研究项目。那株植物是月光百合。它七年才开一次花，正好开一个小时，就在午夜。
"Tell me again," says Mabel. She sits on an upturned bucket and eats an apple. "Why does it need a second flower?"
“再跟我说一遍，”梅布尔说。她坐在一只倒扣的水桶上，吃着苹果。“为什么它需要第二朵花？”
"One lily cannot make seeds alone," Jasmin says. "It needs pollen from another lily. And there is only one other lily in this college."
“一朵百合自己结不了种子，”贾丝明说，“它需要另一朵百合的花粉。而这个学院里只有另一株百合。”
"The baby in the north glasshouse."
“北温室里那株小的。”
"Yes. It is only three years old, but it opens tonight too. This time it is early. If they miss, both plants wait seven more years."
“对。它才三岁，但今晚也要开。这次开得早。要是错过了，两株都得再等七年。”
Mabel stops chewing. "Seven years is a long time."
梅布尔不嚼了。“七年可真长。”
"I will be a different person in seven years," Jasmin says. "Maybe with a different job."
“七年后我就是另一个人了，”贾丝明说，“说不定做着别的工作。”
The lily stirs. The tight white bud shivers. A thin line of silver light shows between its petals. Jasmin holds her breath. It opens slowly, like a hand. The whole glasshouse turns pale blue.
百合动了。紧紧的白色花苞颤抖起来。一条细细的银光从花瓣之间透出来。贾丝明屏住了呼吸。花苞慢慢绽开，像一只手。整座温室变成了淡蓝色。
Pollen floats up from the centre. It glows like tiny stars. Jasmin catches it on her brush. The glow is bright, but it will not last. Moon pollen dies in ten minutes once it leaves the flower.
花粉从花心飘起来。它像一颗颗小星星一样发着光。贾丝明用刷子把它接住。光很亮，但不会持久。月光花粉一离开花朵，十分钟就会死去。
"Ten minutes," she says. "Mabel, we must go now."
“十分钟，”她说，“梅布尔，我们得马上走。”
They run. The glasshouse door bangs behind them. The path to the north glasshouse crosses the whole garden. It passes the pond and the benches. It also passes a fence with an iron gate. At a fast run, it takes eight minutes.
她们跑了起来。温室的门在身后砰地关上。通往北温室的小路要穿过整个花园。它经过池塘和长椅，还经过一道带铁门的围栏。全速跑的话，要八分钟。
The brush glows in Jasmin's hand, a small star in the dark. Mabel runs beside her with a torch.
刷子在贾丝明手里发着光，是黑暗中的一颗小星。梅布尔拿着手电筒，在她身旁跑着。
"Faster," Mabel says.
“再快点，”梅布尔说。
"I run as fast as I can!"
“我已经跑得最快了！”
They reach the fence. The iron gate stands open. But it is a heavy gate with a spring. Every night, it swings shut by itself. It locks with a loud click. The college does this to keep strangers out. Tonight, it swings shut just as they arrive.
她们跑到了围栏边。铁门开着。可那是一扇带弹簧的沉重大门。每天夜里，它都会自己合上，咔哒一声大响锁死。学院这样做是为了把陌生人拦在外面。今晚，就在她们赶到的那一刻，它合上了。
Click.
咔哒。
Jasmin grabs the bars. The gate does not move. The lock is solid. The key is in the office, across the garden.
贾丝明抓住栏杆。门纹丝不动。锁结结实实。钥匙在花园对面的办公室里。
"Four minutes left," Mabel says, looking at her watch.
“还剩四分钟，”梅布尔看着手表说。
"We can climb it."
“我们可以爬过去。”
"The top has spikes, Jasmin."
“上面有尖刺，贾丝明。”
"Then we go around."
“那我们绕过去。”
"The fence goes all the way to the road. That is ten minutes." Mabel turns in a slow circle, thinking hard. "Wait."
“围栏一直通到马路边。那要十分钟。”梅布尔缓缓转了一圈，使劲想着。“等等。”
"What?"
“怎么了？”
"Water." Mabel points at the ground by the fence. A grey pipe comes out of the earth on this side. It goes under the iron bars. Then it comes out on the other side. It leads straight to the north glasshouse.
“水。”梅布尔指着围栏边的地面。一根灰色的管子从这边的土里伸出来。它从铁栏杆底下穿过去，又在另一边钻出来。它径直通向北温室。
Jasmin stares at it. "That is the garden water pipe."
贾丝明盯着它看。“那是花园的水管。”
"It feeds both glasshouses from one tank. You told me that on the first day."
“它用同一个水箱给两座温室供水。你第一天就告诉过我。”
"Yes. But what has water to do with—"
“对。可是水跟——”
She stops. Her eyes go wide. "A moon lily drinks through its roots," she says. "Last year I put pollen in the water of a small plant. It worked."
她停住了。她的眼睛睁得老大。“月光百合是用根来喝水的，”她说，“去年我把花粉放进一株小植物的水里。成功了。”
"Mabel, you are very smart."
“梅布尔，你真聪明。”
"I know," says Mabel. "Tell me what to do."
“我知道，”梅布尔说，“告诉我该怎么做。”
"The tank is behind the pond. Open the big wheel and let the water run. I will put the pollen in the pipe."
“水箱在池塘后面。打开那个大转轮，让水流起来。我把花粉放进水管里。”
They run back along the fence. The tank sits beside a wall. It is a round metal drum with a wheel on its side. Mabel turns the wheel with both hands. The pipe gives a deep groan. Cold water rushes along it, under the fence, toward the north glasshouse.
她们沿着围栏跑回去。水箱靠着一堵墙。那是个圆形的金属桶，侧面有个转轮。梅布尔双手转动转轮。管子发出一声低沉的呻吟。冰凉的水沿着它冲了出去，从围栏下面，流向北温室。
Jasmin kneels by the pipe. There is a small door where the gardener adds plant food. She opens it and holds her brush over the dark water.
贾丝明跪在水管旁。那里有一扇小门，园丁往里面加植物营养液。她打开它，把刷子举在黑色的水面上方。
The glow grows weak. It is a pale yellow now, like a tired candle.
光在变弱。现在是淡黄色的，像一支疲惫的蜡烛。
"Two minutes," Mabel whispers.
“两分钟，”梅布尔小声说。
Jasmin shakes the brush. The last bits of pollen fall into the stream. For a moment, they shine like sparks. Then the water carries them away. The silver light races down the pipe and under the fence.
贾丝明抖了抖刷子。最后的花粉落进了水流里。有那么一瞬，它们像火花一样闪亮。然后水把它们带走了。银色的光顺着水管冲了出去，从围栏下面穿了过去。
The two of them stand still. Nothing happens.
两个人站着不动。什么也没发生。
"Did it work?" Mabel asks.
“成功了吗？”梅布尔问。
"I do not know. We cannot see inside."
“我不知道。我们看不到里面。”
"Then let us go and look."
“那我们去看看。”
"The gate is locked."
“门锁着。”
A light comes along the path. It is the night guard. He has the gate key on a long chain. He listens to them for a moment. Then he sighs and opens the gate without a word.
一束灯光沿着小路过来了。是值夜班的守卫。他的门钥匙挂在一条长链子上。他听了她们说了一会儿。然后叹了口气，一句话没说就把门打开了。
Together, they run the last stretch. They reach the north glasshouse twelve minutes after they left.
她们一起跑完最后一段路。离开后十二分钟，她们到了北温室。
Inside, the young lily is alone in the dark. Its bud is tight and silent.
里面，年幼的那株百合独自待在黑暗中。它的花苞紧闭，悄无声息。
"It is too late," says Jasmin. Her voice is very small.
“太晚了，”贾丝明说。她的声音很小很小。
Then the leaves begin to shake. Far below, in the pot, a line of light appears. It shines in the soil. It climbs the stem like a slow flame. Then it reaches the bud. The petals open one by one. Soon the flower is as white as milk.
这时，叶子开始抖动。很深的下方，花盆里出现了一道光线。它在泥土里闪耀。它像一团缓缓的火焰沿着茎往上爬。然后它到了花苞。花瓣一片一片地绽开。很快，这朵花白得像牛奶。
The glasshouse fills with soft blue light. Pollen drifts up from the centre, and it glows.
温室里充满了柔和的蓝光。花粉从花心飘起，发着光。
Mabel sits down on the floor. She is out of breath. She smiles. Jasmin sits beside her. Neither of them speaks.
梅布尔一屁股坐在地上。她上气不接下气。她笑了。贾丝明坐到她身旁。两个人谁也没有说话。
Outside, the iron gate sways in the night air. It makes one last small sound, then settles. Inside, two moon lilies glow in two buildings. The garden between them is quiet.
外面，铁门在夜风中轻轻摇晃。它发出最后一声轻响，然后安定下来。里面，两株月光百合在两座建筑里发着光。它们之间的花园一片静谧。
