Dalia sold old books at the Sunday street market. Her stall was small. It had three tables and a green umbrella. Her neighbor Imran sold apples at the next stall.
达莉娅在星期天的街头集市上卖旧书。她的摊位不大，有三张桌子和一把绿色的伞。她的邻居伊姆兰在隔壁摊位卖苹果。
One morning, a man left a box at her stall. He did not give his name. He said, "Please take these. I do not need them." Then he went away.
一天早上，一个男人在她的摊位上留下了一个箱子。他没有说自己的名字，只说：“请你收下这些书吧，我用不着了。”然后就走了。
Dalia put the box under her table. She opened the first one and read the covers. Most books were about gardens and cooking. They were nice, but nothing special. At ten o'clock, the market was busy. Dalia sold two books. Then she heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
达莉娅把箱子放在桌子底下。她打开箱子，看了看封面。大多数书是讲花园和烹饪的，不错，但没有什么特别。十点钟，集市上人很多。达莉娅卖掉了两本书。这时她听到一个声音。滴答，滴答，滴答。
She stopped. "Imran," she said.
她停了下来。“伊姆兰，”她说。
"Do you hear that?" Imran put down an apple.
“你听到了吗？”伊姆兰放下了手里的苹果。
"Hear what?"
“听到什么？”
"A clock. Under my table." Imran listened.
“一个钟的声音。就在我桌子底下。”伊姆兰听了听。
"I hear people and cars and a baby. I do not hear a clock."
“我只听到人声、汽车声，还有一个宝宝在哭。我没听到钟声。”
Dalia felt silly. She went back to work. But after a few minutes, the sound came again. Tick, tick, tick. This time it was louder. "It is the box," she said.
达莉娅觉得自己有点傻，就回去干活了。可是几分钟后，那个声音又来了。滴答，滴答，滴答。这一次更响了。“是那个箱子，”她说。
Imran came over. He knelt down and put his ear on the books. His eyes grew big. "You are right," he said.
伊姆兰走过来。他跪下来，把耳朵贴在书上。他的眼睛睁得大大的。“你说得对，”他说。
"Something ticks in there."
“里面有东西在响。”
"A bomb?" Dalia whispered. She laughed at once.
“是炸弹吗？”达莉娅小声说。说完她马上笑了。
"No. That is silly."
“不会的，那太傻了。”
"It is silly," Imran agreed.
“是很傻，”伊姆兰同意道。
"But let us not open it near the apples."
“不过我们还是别在苹果旁边打开它。”
They carried the box behind the stall. Dalia took out the books one by one. Cooking, gardens, a book about birds, a book about boats. The sound got louder with each book. At the bottom, there was a thick red book. Tick, tick, tick. "This one," Dalia said.
他们把箱子搬到摊位后面。达莉娅把书一本一本拿出来：烹饪书、花园书、一本讲鸟的书、一本讲船的书。每拿出一本，声音就更响一些。箱子最底下有一本厚厚的红色的书。滴答，滴答，滴答。“就是这本，”达莉娅说。
She opened it. The pages were thick and soft. In the middle, someone cut a small hole. Inside the hole lay a tiny gold watch. It was no bigger than a coin. The long hand moved slowly around its little face.
她翻开了书。书页又厚又软。书的中间，有人挖了一个小洞。洞里躺着一块小小的金表，不比一枚硬币大。长长的指针在小小的表盘上慢慢地转着。
"A watch!" Imran said.
“一块表！”伊姆兰说。
"Why does it tick?" Dalia asked.
“它为什么会响？”达莉娅问。
"It is very old."
“它很旧很旧了。”
"Maybe somebody winds it every day."
“也许有人每天给它上发条。”
Dalia looked at the watch for a long time. On the back, there was a line of tiny words. She read them slowly. "For Mina. Every minute is yours."
达莉娅看了那块表很久。表的背面刻着一行小小的字。她慢慢地读出来：“给米娜。每一分钟都属于你。”
"Who is Mina?" Imran asked.
“米娜是谁？”伊姆兰问。
"I do not know. But someone loved her very much."
“我不知道。但是一定有人非常爱她。”
At noon, the market was almost empty. Dalia sat at her table with the watch. She did not want to sell it. She did not want to keep it either.
中午，集市上几乎没有人了。达莉娅坐在桌子旁，手里拿着那块表。她不想卖掉它，也不想留下它。
"The man left the box this morning," she said.
“那个男人今天早上留下了箱子，”她说。
"He did not know the watch was inside. Maybe he forgot it."
“他不知道表在里面。也许他忘了。”
"Then he will come back," Imran said.
“那他会回来的，”伊姆兰说。
"Maybe."
“也许吧。”
They waited. At one o'clock, an old woman walked along the street. She looked at every stall and then she saw Dalia. She stopped. Her mouth opened. "Oh," she said.
他们等着。一点钟，一位老太太沿着街走来。她看了每一个摊位，然后看见了达莉娅。她停住了，张大了嘴。“哦，”她说。
"Is the red book here?"
“那本红色的书在这里吗？”
"Yes," Dalia said.
“在，”达莉娅说。
"Are you Mina?"
“您是米娜吗？”
The woman nodded. Her eyes were wet. "My son gave away my books by mistake. I looked at six stalls today. The watch was my husband's present, many years ago. I hide it in a book so it is safe. Every night, I wind it, and I listen to it."
老太太点了点头，眼睛湿润了。“我儿子不小心把我的书送人了。我今天找了六个摊位。这块表是我丈夫很多年前送我的礼物。我把它藏在一本书里，这样它就安全了。每天晚上，我给它上发条，听它的声音。”
Dalia stood up. She held out the watch. Mina took it with both hands. She held it near her ear. She closed her eyes. Then Dalia took the red book from the table. She put it in Mina's bag. Imran gave the old woman his reddest apple.
达莉娅站起来，把表递过去。米娜用双手接了过去。她把表放在耳边，闭上了眼睛。然后达莉娅从桌上拿起那本红色的书，放进米娜的包里。伊姆兰把他最红的苹果送给了这位老太太。
