Kasia arrived in the old town on festival night. She came alone. She did not know the language. Her phone had no battery.
卡莎在灯节的夜晚来到了古镇。她是一个人来的。她不懂这里的语言，手机也没电了。
The streets were full of people. Paper lanterns hung from every window. They were red, gold, and white. Music played from a small stage. The air smelled of fried food.
街上到处都是人。每扇窗户上都挂着纸灯笼，有红的、金的、白的。一个小舞台上传来音乐声。空气里弥漫着油炸食物的香味。
A very long table stood in the square. Hundreds of people sat at it. A woman in an apron pointed at an empty chair. "Sit, sit," she said in simple English. "Eat."
广场上摆着一张很长很长的桌子，上百个人坐在桌边。一位系着围裙的女人指着一张空椅子。“坐，坐，”她用简单的英语说，“吃。”
Kasia sat down. A man sat in the chair next to hers. He had a camera and a kind face. He spoke to her. She did not know the words. She shook her head and smiled.
卡莎坐了下来。旁边椅子上坐着一个男人，他带着一台相机，面容和善。他对她说了些什么，她一个字也听不懂。她摇摇头，笑了笑。
"Sorry," she said. "I do not understand."
“对不起，”她说，“我听不懂。”
The man laughed. "Me too," he said in English. "I do not understand anyone here."
男人笑了。“我也是，”他用英语说，“这里的人说的话我一句都听不懂。”
"You speak English," said Kasia.
“你会说英语。”卡莎说。
"A little. My name is Leandro. I am from far away."
“会一点。我叫莱安德罗，从很远的地方来。”
"I am Kasia."
“我叫卡莎。”
A boy brought two big bowls of noodles. The noodles were hot, and the soup was red. Kasia took one bite and her eyes filled with water.
一个男孩端来两大碗面。面很烫，汤是红色的。卡莎吃了一口，眼睛里立刻涌出了泪水。
"It is very hot," she said.
“太辣了。”她说。
Leandro tried his. He went red in the face. He drank a whole glass of water. Kasia laughed. She could not hold her spoon.
莱安德罗也尝了一口，脸一下子红了。他喝光了整整一杯水。卡莎笑得连勺子都拿不稳了。
An old man across the table watched them. He said a word and pointed at their bowls. Then he pointed at a plate of white bread. He pushed the plate toward them.
桌子对面的一位老先生看着他们。他说了一个词，指指他们的碗，又指指一盘白面包，把盘子推到他们面前。
"Bread," said Leandro. "It stops the fire."
“面包，”莱安德罗说，“它能灭火。”
"Thank you," said Kasia. She put a small piece in her mouth. It helped a lot.
“谢谢。”卡莎说。她把一小块面包放进嘴里，真的好多了。
The old man smiled and said a word again. This time Kasia repeated it. The old man laughed and clapped. Soon five people at the table taught her words. She learned "thank you," "very good," and "moon." Leandro learned "friend."
老先生笑了，又说了一遍那个词。这一次卡莎跟着重复。老先生大笑着拍起手来。很快，桌边有五个人一起教她说话。她学会了“谢谢”“很好”和“月亮”。莱安德罗学会了“朋友”。
"Friend," he said. "This one is easy."
“朋友，”他说，“这个很容易。”
The bowls were empty. A girl came with a tray of lanterns. Each one was small and white. A thin pen lay next to each one.
碗都空了。一个女孩端着一托盘灯笼走过来。每个灯笼都小小的、白白的，旁边各放着一支细笔。
"For wishes," said the woman in the apron. "Write a wish. Then we send it up."
“许愿用的，”系围裙的女人说，“写下一个愿望，然后我们把它放上天。”
Kasia looked at the white paper. She did not know what to write. She looked at Leandro. He held his pen over the paper.
卡莎看着白纸，不知道该写什么。她看看莱安德罗，他正握着笔，悬在纸上。
"What do you write?" she asked.
“你写什么？”她问。
"I cannot tell you," he said. "A wish is a secret."
“我不能告诉你，”他说，“愿望是个秘密。”
"Then I write mine, and you cannot see."
“那我也写我的，你不许看。”
They bent over their lanterns. Kasia wrote three words and covered them with her hand. Leandro wrote a longer line. Then they both stopped and looked at each other.
他们俯身在各自的灯笼上。卡莎写了三个字，用手遮住。莱安德罗写了更长的一行。然后他们都停下笔，互相看了一眼。
The whole square walked to the river. A man lit each lantern with a small flame. One by one, the lanterns rose into the dark sky. They were soft golden dots that went higher and higher. Hundreds of them floated over the river.
整个广场的人一起走向河边。一个男人用一小团火苗点亮每一盏灯笼。灯笼一盏接一盏升上黑夜的天空，是一个个柔和的金色光点，越飞越高。成百上千盏灯笼飘在河面上空。
Kasia held her lantern with both hands. It was warm. "Ready?" said Leandro. They counted together, "One, two, three," and let go.
卡莎用双手捧着她的灯笼，它暖暖的。“准备好了吗？”莱安德罗说。他们一起数：“一、二、三”，然后松开了手。
Their lanterns rose side by side. For a long time, they stayed close. Then the wind took one a little to the left.
他们的灯笼并排升起。很长一段时间，它们都靠得很近。后来，风把其中一盏稍稍吹向了左边。
"Mine goes away," said Kasia.
“我的飘走了。”卡莎说。
"No," said Leandro. "Look. It comes back."
“不会的，”莱安德罗说，“你看，它会回来的。”
She watched. It was true. Her lantern came back toward his. The two lights flew up together.
她看着。真的是这样。她的灯笼朝他的灯笼飘了回来。两点灯光一起向上飞去。
Kasia turned to him. "Leandro, I have no battery in my phone," she said. "Can you take my photo?"
卡莎转向他。“莱安德罗，我的手机没电了，”她说，“你能帮我拍张照吗？”
He lifted his camera. She stood by the river. The sky was golden behind her.
他举起相机。她站在河边，身后的天空一片金黄。
"Say 'friend,'" said Leandro, and he pressed the button.
“说‘朋友’。”莱安德罗说，然后按下了快门。
