It rains on Sunday, and Rafi is bored. His mother is at work. His father is asleep on the couch. His little sister Sana sits on the floor. She has a toy horse. Rafi has no homework. He has no friends at the door. He cannot go to the park. He looks out the window and sighs.
星期天下雨了，拉菲很无聊。妈妈去上班了，爸爸在沙发上睡着了。他的小妹妹萨娜坐在地板上，手里拿着一匹玩具马。拉菲没有作业，门口也没有朋友来找他，不能去公园。他望着窗外，叹了口气。
Raindrops run down the glass. Some are fast. Some are slow. Some stop for a second and then go again. "Sana," he says.
雨滴顺着玻璃往下跑。有的快，有的慢，有的停一下，又接着跑。“萨娜，”他说。
"Come here." She walks to the window with her horse. She is five years old. She has two small braids and a very serious face.
“过来。”她拿着她的马走到窗边。她五岁，扎着两条小辫子，表情很严肃。
"Look at the drops," says Rafi.
“看那些雨滴，”拉菲说。
"They race."
“它们在赛跑。”
"They do not race," says Sana.
“它们没有赛跑，”萨娜说。
"They fall."
“它们只是往下掉。”
"Pick one," he says.
“选一滴吧，”他说。
"I pick the big one at the top." Sana thinks for a long time. Then she points at a tiny drop near the corner.
“我选最上面那颗大的。”萨娜想了很久，然后指着角落里一颗很小的雨滴。
"That one," she says.
“就这颗，”她说。
"It is too small," says Rafi.
“它太小了，”拉菲说。
"It will lose."
“它会输的。”
"No," says Sana.
“不会，”萨娜说。
"It is fast."
“它很快。”
They put their fingers on the glass. Rafi says, "One, two, three, go!" Both drops start to move. The big drop runs down in a straight line. The small drop turns and stops. It starts again.
他们把手指放在玻璃上。拉菲说：“一、二、三，开始！”两颗雨滴都动了起来。大雨滴笔直地往下跑，小雨滴拐了个弯，停住了，又重新出发。
"I win," says Rafi.
“我赢了，”拉菲说。
"Wait," says Sana.
“等一下，”萨娜说。
The big drop reaches a dust spot on the glass. It stops. It shakes, and it cannot move. The small drop runs past it and reaches the bottom. "I win!" Sana shouts. She jumps up and down. Her horse flies through the air.
大雨滴碰到玻璃上的一处灰尘，停住了。它晃了晃，动不了了。小雨滴从它旁边跑过去，到了最下面。“我赢了！”萨娜大叫，又蹦又跳。她的马在空中飞了起来。
"Shh," says Rafi.
“嘘，”拉菲说。
"Dad is asleep."
“爸爸在睡觉。”
"My drop is the best," Sana says. It is a loud whisper. "One more race," says Rafi.
“我的雨滴最棒，”萨娜说。那是很大声的悄悄话。“再来一局，”拉菲说。
They race again, and again. They give the drops names. The big one is Thunder. The small one is Pepper. A third one, with a long tail, is the Snake. Sana likes the Snake the most. She says it is a friend of her horse.
他们一局接一局地比。他们给雨滴起了名字：大的叫“雷霆”，小的叫“胡椒”，第三颗拖着长尾巴的叫“小蛇”。萨娜最喜欢小蛇，她说它是她那匹马的朋友。
After ten races, Rafi has an idea. He gets a pen and a piece of paper. He draws a line down the middle. On one side he writes his name. On the other side he writes Sana's name. "We keep score," he says.
比了十局之后，拉菲有了主意。他拿来一支笔和一张纸，在中间画了一条线，一边写上自己的名字，另一边写上萨娜的名字。“我们来记分，”他说。
"What is score?" Sana asks.
“分是什么？”萨娜问。
"A number for winning," he says.
“赢了就得的数字，”他说。
She counts on her fingers. "I have three. You have four."
她掰着手指数。“我有三分，你有四分。”
"No, you have four," says Rafi.
“不对，你有四分，”拉菲说。
"I made a mistake."
“我算错了。”
"You let me win," says Sana. Rafi looks at the paper. It is true, and he is a little embarrassed.
“你让着我，”萨娜说。拉菲看着那张纸。她说得没错，他有点不好意思。
"A little," he says.
“有一点吧，”他说。
"Do you mind?"
“你介意吗？”
"No," she says.
“不介意，”她说。
"But next time, do not."
“不过下次别这样了。”
The rain gets harder. The drops run faster. Sana makes a new rule. The winner never stops on the way. Rafi tells her that is a very good rule. She nods like a small teacher. Their father wakes up. He walks into the room with his hair standing up. "What is this noise?" he asks.
雨下得更大了，雨滴跑得更快。萨娜定了一条新规则：赢的雨滴中途不能停。拉菲说这是条很好的规则，她便像个小老师一样点点头。这时爸爸醒了，头发乱蓬蓬地走进房间。“这么吵，怎么了？”他问。
"We race the rain," says Sana.
“我们在给雨赛跑，”萨娜说。
"Who wins?"
“谁赢了？”
"I am," she says.
“我赢了，”她说。
"Rafi lets me win." Their father sits down on the floor next to them. His knees crack. He looks at the window. He looks at the paper.
“拉菲总是让着我。”爸爸在他们旁边的地板上坐下，膝盖咔咔作响。他看看窗户，又看看那张纸。
"May I play?" he asks.
“我能玩吗？”他问。
"You need a drop," says Rafi.
“你得有一颗雨滴，”拉菲说。
Their father looks for a long time. He picks a drop near the middle. It is round and clear. "This one," he says.
爸爸看了很久，选了中间附近的一颗，又圆又清亮。“就这颗，”他说。
"I call him Dad."
“我叫它爸爸。”
"Dad is slow," says Sana.
“爸爸很慢，”萨娜说。
"Dad is careful," says their father.
“爸爸很谨慎，”爸爸说。
They put their fingers on the glass. Rafi counts down. Three drops run, and a fourth, and a fifth. The room is full of noise. Their father laughs. Sana shouts. Rafi forgets that he was bored. Dad loses the first race. He loses the second race too. By the evening, he has no points at all.
他们把手指放在玻璃上。拉菲倒数。三颗雨滴跑了起来，接着是第四颗、第五颗。屋里满是喧闹声。爸爸大笑，萨娜大叫，拉菲忘了自己刚才还很无聊。爸爸第一局输了，第二局也输了。到了傍晚，他一分也没有得到。
"I am a bad drop," he says.
“我是一颗很差的雨滴，”他说。
"You are a very bad drop," says Sana kindly. When their mother comes home, the rain is soft. She opens the door. Three people stand at the window. Nobody turns around.
“你是一颗非常差的雨滴，”萨娜善意地说。妈妈回到家时，雨已经变小了。她推开门，看见三个人站在窗前，谁也没有回头。
"What are you doing?" she asks.
“你们在干什么？”她问。
"Shh," says Rafi.
“嘘，”拉菲说。
"The last race."
“最后一局。”
