Mei visited a small museum in an old stone house. She had a paper map from the front desk. It showed five rooms. Each room had a number.
梅参观了一座老石头房子里的小博物馆。她手里有一张从前台拿的纸质地图。地图上有五个展厅，每个展厅都有编号。
Room One was full of old coins. Room Two had paintings of the harbor. Room Three had a big model of a ship. Room Four had masks from many countries. Mei walked through all four rooms. She read every sign.
一号厅里摆满了旧硬币。二号厅里有港口的画。三号厅里有一艘大大的船模。四号厅里有来自许多国家的面具。梅走遍了这四个展厅，每一块说明牌都读了。
Then she looked at the map again. "Room Five," she said. "Where is Room Five?"
然后她又看了看地图。“五号厅，”她说，“五号厅在哪儿呢？”
She walked back down the hall. There was a door to the garden. There was a door to the toilets. There was a door to a staff room. There was no door with a five on it.
她沿着走廊走回去。有一扇门通向花园，有一扇门通向洗手间，还有一扇门通向员工室。没有哪扇门上写着五。
She went upstairs. The upstairs was only a short hall with a window. She went down again and counted the doors. Room One, Two, Three, Four. Nothing else.
她上了楼。楼上只是一条带窗户的短走廊。她又下楼，数了数那些门。一号厅、二号厅、三号厅、四号厅，再没有别的了。
A young guide stood near the coins. He wore a green jacket. His name tag said "Nico." Mei walked over to him.
一个年轻的讲解员站在硬币旁边。他穿着一件绿夹克，名牌上写着“尼科”。梅走了过去。
"Excuse me," she said. "I cannot find Room Five."
“打扰一下，”她说，“我找不到五号厅。”
Nico smiled in a strange way. "Ah," he said. "Many people ask me that."
尼科露出一个奇怪的微笑。“啊，”他说，“很多人都这么问我。”
"Is it closed?"
“它关门了吗？”
"No. It is open all day. But it is hard to find."
“没有。它整天都开放。只是不太好找。”
"Is it on the first floor?"
“它在一楼吗？”
"Yes. And no." He laughed. "Look at your map again."
“在，也不在。”他笑了起来，“再看看你的地图吧。”
Mei studied the map. Room Five was a small box at the back. Next to it, the map said, "Please be quiet."
梅仔细看着地图。五号厅是最里面的一个小方框。方框旁边写着：“请保持安静。”
"Quiet?" she said.
“安静？”她说。
"Yes. That is the clue." Nico leaned closer. "Which room is the quietest?"
“对，线索就在这儿。”尼科凑近了一些，“哪个展厅最安静？”
Mei thought for a while. Room One was quiet, but a clock ticked loudly there. The ship room had a video with sound. The masks room had a fan that hummed. The harbor room had a bench and no noise.
梅想了好一会儿。一号厅很安静，可是那里有一座钟在滴答作响。船模厅里有个带声音的视频。面具厅里有一台风扇嗡嗡响。港口厅里有一条长椅，一点声音也没有。
"Room Two?" she said.
“二号厅？”她说。
"Good guess. Go in and look at the back wall."
“猜得好。进去看看后面的墙。”
Mei went into Room Two. It was cool and still. The paintings hung in a line. At the back stood a tall bookcase of old books. She looked at it for a long time. Then she saw something odd. One book was not a book. It was a small brass handle.
梅走进二号厅。里面凉爽而安静，画一幅幅挂成一排。最里面立着一个装满旧书的高书柜。她看了很久，然后发现了一件怪事：有一本“书”不是书，而是一个小小的黄铜把手。
She pulled the handle. The bookcase moved. Behind it, there was a narrow door.
她拉了一下把手。书柜动了。书柜后面有一扇窄窄的门。
Mei took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
梅深吸一口气，推开了门。
The room behind it was very small. It had one window and two chairs. There was a little table. A jug of water stood on the table. Outside the window, the harbor shone in the afternoon sun. The only sound was the soft noise of the sea.
门后的房间非常小，只有一扇窗和两把椅子，还有一张小桌子。桌上放着一壶水。窗外，港口在午后的阳光里闪闪发亮。唯一的声音是大海轻轻的响动。
On the wall, a card said, "Room Five. A room for rest. Sit. Look. Do not hurry."
墙上有一张卡片，写着：“五号厅。一个休息的房间。请坐下，看一看，不必着急。”
Mei sat down. She walked for two hours that day. Her feet hurt. She poured herself a glass of water. For ten minutes, she did nothing at all. A small boat went across the harbor. A bird sat on the window and flew away.
梅坐了下来。那天她走了两个小时，脚很疼。她给自己倒了一杯水。有十分钟，她什么也没做。一条小船驶过港口。一只鸟落在窗台上，又飞走了。
When she came out, Nico stood by the bookcase.
她出来的时候，尼科正站在书柜旁边。
"How was it?" he asked.
“怎么样？”他问。
"It was the best room," Mei said. "Why is it hidden?"
“这是最好的展厅，”梅说，“为什么要藏起来？”
"The old owner built it for his wife," said Nico. "She liked to sit and watch the boats. He did not want visitors to disturb her. So he hid the door. Now it is a secret for careful people."
“以前的主人是为他的妻子建的，”尼科说，“她喜欢坐在那里看船。他不想让参观的人打扰她，所以把门藏了起来。现在，它成了留给细心人的秘密。”
"And the other visitors?"
“那其他的参观者呢？”
"Most of them never find it. They look for a door with a five. There is none."
“大多数人从来没找到过。他们都在找写着五的门，可是根本没有那样一扇门。”
Mei looked at the paper map in her hand. She took a pen from her bag. She drew a star next to Room Five.
梅看了看手里的纸质地图。她从包里拿出一支笔，在五号厅旁边画了一颗星。
"Please do not tell anyone," she said. "I want my friend to find it herself."
“请别告诉任何人，”她说，“我想让我的朋友自己找到它。”
Nico put his finger on his lips and winked.
尼科把手指放在嘴唇上，眨了眨眼。
