Lotte and Pilar pushed the small boat off the dock. The lake was black and still. A thousand stars shone above them.
洛特和皮拉尔把小船推离了码头。湖面漆黑，一片平静。无数星星在她们头顶闪耀。
"Tonight is the best night for meteors," Lotte said. "My brother Reuben told me."
“今晚是看流星的最佳夜晚，”洛特说，“我哥哥鲁本告诉我的。”
"Where is he?" Pilar asked.
“他在哪儿？”皮拉尔问。
"He is on the dock. He has a big torch."
“他在码头上。他有一支大手电筒。”
Reuben waved from the dock. "Take the lamp," he called. Pilar pressed the button, but the lamp stayed dark.
鲁本在码头上挥手。“带上那盏灯，”他喊道。皮拉尔按了按钮，可是灯还是黑的。
"The battery is dead," she said. "It is too late to find a new one."
“电池没电了，”她说，“现在太晚了，找不到新的了。”
"We do not need it," Lotte said. "We have the stars. I know the way."
“我们不需要它，”洛特说，“我们有星星。我认得路。”
Pilar sat at the front with a bag of snacks. Lotte sat in the middle and rowed. The boat moved slowly across the water.
皮拉尔坐在船头，抱着一袋零食。洛特坐在中间划桨。小船慢慢地驶过水面。
Pilar told a long story about her cat. Lotte laughed so hard that the boat shook. They both stopped and held the sides.
皮拉尔讲了一个关于她的猫的长故事。洛特笑得太厉害，船都晃了起来。她们俩立刻停下，抓住船边。
After ten minutes, the dock lights looked very small. Lotte stopped and lifted both oars. "This is a good place," she said.
十分钟后，码头的灯光看起来非常小了。洛特停下来，把两支桨都举了起来。“这里不错，”她说。
Then one oar slipped from her hand. It hit the water with a loud splash. Lotte reached for it, but it floated away.
这时，一支桨从她手里滑了出去。它“啪”的一声重重落进水里。洛特伸手去够，可是桨漂走了。
"Oh no," Lotte said. "I cannot see it."
“哦，不，”洛特说，“我看不见它了。”
Pilar took out her phone. She turned on the light. The oar was a long dark shape on the water. It was five meters away.
皮拉尔拿出手机，打开了灯。那支桨在水面上是一道细长的黑影，离她们有五米远。
"Do not worry," Pilar said. "I can see it. It has white tape on the end."
“别担心，”皮拉尔说，“我能看见它。它的一头缠着白胶带。”
"We have only one oar now," Lotte said.
“现在我们只剩一支桨了，”洛特说。
"Then we use it like a paddle," Pilar said. "Give it to me."
“那我们就把它当船桨划，”皮拉尔说，“给我吧。”
Lotte gave her the oar. Pilar knelt at the front. She put the oar in the water. Lotte used her hand on the other side.
洛特把桨递给她。皮拉尔跪在船头，把桨伸进水里。洛特在另一边用手划水。
"Left a little," Lotte said. "No, more left."
“往左一点，”洛特说，“不对，再往左一点。”
"Now it is close," Pilar said. "Hold the light for me."
“现在很近了，”皮拉尔说，“帮我举着灯。”
Lotte took the phone. Pilar pushed the oar through the water. The boat turned slowly. The white tape came closer and closer.
洛特接过手机。皮拉尔用桨拨着水。小船慢慢地转了过去。白胶带越来越近。
Pilar reached out and caught the oar. "Got it!" she said.
皮拉尔伸出手抓住了桨。“抓到了！”她说。
They laughed. Lotte took both oars again. Her hands were cold and wet. She rowed with care, and the boat moved straight.
她们笑了起来。洛特又拿起了两支桨。她的手又冷又湿。她小心地划着，小船径直向前。
A fish jumped near the boat. Pilar jumped too, and Lotte laughed again.
一条鱼在船边跃出水面。皮拉尔也吓得跳了起来，洛特又笑了。
"Let us stay here," Pilar said. "We do not need to row any more."
“我们就待在这儿吧，”皮拉尔说，“我们不用再划了。”
They lay back in the boat. The water made a soft sound under them. Lotte turned off the phone. The sky became very bright.
她们仰躺在船里。水在她们身下发出轻柔的声音。洛特关掉了手机。天空变得非常明亮。
"There!" Pilar whispered. A white line crossed the sky and was gone.
“看！”皮拉尔小声说。一道白线划过天空，转眼就不见了。
"I saw it!" Lotte said. "Look, there is another one."
“我看到了！”洛特说，“看，又有一颗。”
They counted twelve meteors. Pilar ate the last snack. Then Lotte looked at the shore.
她们数到了十二颗流星。皮拉尔吃掉了最后一块零食。然后洛特望向岸边。
"Where is the dock?" she asked.
“码头在哪儿？”她问。
Pilar sat up. The boat had moved in the dark. All the lights looked the same.
皮拉尔坐起身来。小船在黑暗中漂移了位置。所有的灯光看起来都一样。
Then a bright light flashed three times on the shore. It was Reuben with his big torch.
这时，岸边有一道明亮的光闪了三下。是鲁本，拿着他的大手电筒。
"There it is," Lotte said. "He calls us."
“在那儿，”洛特说，“他在叫我们。”
Pilar held the phone up and flashed it back. Lotte rowed toward the torch with strong, slow strokes.
皮拉尔举起手机，也闪了回去。洛特朝着手电筒的方向划去，每一桨都有力而缓慢。
When the boat touched the dock, Reuben took the rope. "How many did you see?" he asked.
小船碰到码头时，鲁本接住了缆绳。“你们看到几颗？”他问。
"Twelve," Pilar said.
“十二颗，”皮拉尔说。
"We lost an oar, and we found it," Lotte said. "Pilar was the hero."
“我们丢了一支桨，又把它找回来了，”洛特说，“皮拉尔是英雄。”
"No," Pilar said. "We did it together. You held the light."
“不，”皮拉尔说，“是我们一起做到的。你举着灯呢。”
Reuben laughed. "Next time, I bring a better lamp," he said.
鲁本笑了。“下次，我带一盏更好的灯，”他说。
Above his head, one last white line crossed the sky.
在他头顶上，最后一道白线划过了天空。
