Rhoda opened her locker after lunch. Her left shoe was gone. Only the right shoe sat on the floor.
午饭后，罗达打开她的储物柜，发现左脚的鞋不见了，地上只剩下右脚那只。
A white note lay on the shelf. She picked it up and read it.
架子上放着一张白纸条。她拿起来读了读。
"Your shoe is not lost. It hides. Start where the books sleep."
“你的鞋没有丢，它藏起来了。从书睡觉的地方开始找。”
Rhoda looked at the note again. The letters were big and round. She did not know the writer.
罗达又看了一遍纸条。字写得又大又圆，她不认识这个字迹。
Her friend Una came along the hall. She saw the single shoe. "Why do you have one shoe?" she asked.
她的朋友乌娜沿着走廊走过来，看见了那只孤零零的鞋。“你怎么只有一只鞋？”她问。
"Someone took the other one," Rhoda said. "Look at this note."
“有人把另一只拿走了，”罗达说，“你看这张纸条。”
Una read it twice. "This is a game," she said. "Come on. We go to the library."
乌娜读了两遍。“这是个游戏，”她说，“走吧，我们去图书馆。”
They walked to the library. It was quiet and cool. Rows of books stood along every wall.
他们走到图书馆。那里安静而凉爽，每面墙边都立着一排排书。
"The books sleep here," Una said. "Now we look for a clue."
“书就睡在这儿，”乌娜说，“现在我们找线索。”
Rhoda checked the tables. Una checked the chairs. Under the last chair, Rhoda found a small paper.
罗达查看桌子，乌娜查看椅子。罗达在最后一把椅子下面找到一张小纸条。
"Good work," Una said. "What does it say?"
“干得好，”乌娜说，“上面写的什么？”
Rhoda held it up. "Now go where we eat. Look under the long table."
罗达把它举起来。“现在去我们吃饭的地方，看看长桌子底下。”
"The canteen!" Una said. "Run!"
“食堂！”乌娜说，“快跑！”
They ran down the stairs. A girl at the door said, "No running!" They walked fast until she looked away.
他们跑下楼梯。门口的一个女孩说：“不许跑！”他们快步走着，直到她转过头去。
The canteen was empty. Chairs stood on the tables. The long table was by the window.
食堂里空无一人，椅子都倒扣在桌子上。长桌在窗户旁边。
Una got down on her knees. She looked under the table for a long time. "I see something," she said.
乌娜跪下来，在桌子底下看了很久。“我看到了个东西。”她说。
She pulled out a third note. It was stuck to the wood with tape. It had a drawing of a small foot on it.
她拉出第三张纸条，它用胶带粘在木头上，上面画着一只小脚。
"Read it," Rhoda said.
“念吧。”罗达说。
Una coughed once. "Last stop. Go where loud things live. Listen well."
乌娜咳了一声。“最后一站。去吵闹的东西住的地方，仔细听。”
"Loud things," Rhoda said. "The gym? The bell room?"
“吵闹的东西，”罗达说，“体育馆？还是铃房？”
"No," Una said. "The music room. Drums, horns, and a piano. That is loud."
“不对，”乌娜说，“是音乐教室。有鼓，有号，还有钢琴，那才吵呢。”
They climbed to the top floor. The music room door was shut. Rhoda put her ear on it.
他们爬到顶楼。音乐教室的门关着。罗达把耳朵贴在门上。
"I hear something," she said. "It is a low, strange sound."
“我听到了什么，”她说，“一种低低的、奇怪的声音。”
"Is it a monster?" Una asked.
“是怪兽吗？”乌娜问。
"Monsters do not play music," Rhoda said. She pushed the door open.
“怪兽才不会演奏音乐呢。”罗达说着，推开了门。
Valerio sat in the middle of the room. He was a quiet boy from their class. He held a big, shiny tuba on his knees.
瓦莱里奥坐在房间中央。他是他们班上一个安静的男孩。他的膝盖上抱着一把闪亮的大号。
The tuba made a low, soft sound. It sounded like a sleepy cow.
大号发出低低的、轻轻的声音，听起来像一头昏昏欲睡的奶牛。
"Hello," Valerio said. His voice was very small.
“你们好。”瓦莱里奥说，声音很小很小。
"Valerio!" Rhoda said. "Did you write the notes?"
“瓦莱里奥！”罗达说，“纸条是你写的吗？”
Valerio nodded. He did not look at them. "I am sorry. I did not know how to ask."
瓦莱里奥点点头，不敢看他们。“对不起，我不知道该怎么开口问你。”
"Ask what?" Una said.
“问什么？”乌娜说。
He pointed at the tuba. "My tuba is too loud. The band leader says I must play softer. I need a mute."
他指了指大号。“我的大号太响了。乐队指挥说我必须吹轻一点。我需要一个弱音器。”
Rhoda looked into the big round end. Something white and blue sat inside. It was her shoe.
罗达朝那个圆圆的大喇叭口里看去。里面有一样白蓝相间的东西，是她的鞋。
"My shoe is your mute?" she said.
“我的鞋是你的弱音器？”她说。
"It was the right size," Valerio said. "I looked in the lost box. I found nothing. Then I saw your shoe in your locker."
“大小正合适，”瓦莱里奥说，“我在失物箱里找了，什么也没有。后来我在你的储物柜里看到了你的鞋。”
Una began to laugh. She laughed so hard that she sat on the floor.
乌娜笑了起来，笑得太厉害，坐到了地板上。
"I wanted to give it back today," Valerio said. "So I made a game. It was a bad idea."
“我今天本来想还给你的，”瓦莱里奥说，“所以我编了个游戏。这是个坏主意。”
"It was a good game," Rhoda said. "But you can just ask next time."
“这是个好游戏，”罗达说，“不过下次你直接问就行。”
Valerio pulled out the shoe. It smelled a little like metal. He gave it to her with both hands.
瓦莱里奥把鞋拉了出来。它闻起来有一点金属味。他用双手把鞋递给她。
Rhoda looked at it and shook her head. Then she began to laugh too.
罗达看着鞋，摇了摇头，然后她也笑了起来。
"Can you play a song?" Una asked. "With no shoe?"
“你能吹一首歌吗？”乌娜问，“不放鞋的那种？”
Valerio took a deep breath and played. The sound was huge. The windows shook, and a bird flew off the roof.
瓦莱里奥深吸一口气，吹了起来。声音巨大无比，窗户都在震动，一只鸟从屋顶上飞走了。
"Maybe the shoe was better," Rhoda said.
“也许还是有鞋的时候更好。”罗达说。
Valerio smiled. He pushed the shoe back into the tuba.
瓦莱里奥笑了，把鞋又塞回了大号里。
"Only for today," Rhoda said. "I need it for gym on Friday."
“只限今天，”罗达说，“星期五上体育课我要穿。”
