The changing hut by the lake is small. It is made of grey wood. It has one bench, six hooks and a round mirror. The mirror is very old. When anyone breathes near it, it fogs up in a second.
湖边的更衣小屋很小，是灰色的木头搭成的。里面有一条长凳、六个挂钩和一面圆镜子。镜子非常旧。只要有人在旁边呼气，它一瞬间就会蒙上雾。
Every morning at six, Brina and Ife are alone in the hut. They change fast and run to the water. They swim to the yellow float and back. Then they sit on the bench and dry their hair.
每天早上六点，布里娜和伊费会单独待在小屋里。他们很快换好衣服，跑向水边。他们游到黄色浮标那儿再游回来。然后坐在长凳上擦干头发。
Brina talks a lot. Ife listens. That is how it works. She tells him about her sister, her bike and her boss. He tells her small things. The water is cold. The ducks are loud. His left shoe has a hole.
布里娜话很多，伊费听着。他们就是这样相处的。她跟他讲她的姐姐、她的自行车和她的老板。他跟她讲的都是些小事：水很凉，鸭子很吵，他的左脚鞋子破了个洞。
On Monday, Brina does not talk. She sits on the bench and looks at her feet.
星期一，布里娜没有说话。她坐在长凳上，低头看着自己的脚。
"I have news," she says at last. "I have a new job. It is in the city, four hours away. I start on Monday."
“我有个消息，”她终于开口，“我找到了一份新工作，在城里，离这儿四个小时的路。我下星期一就去上班。”
Ife looks at the floor. "That is great," he says. His voice sounds strange.
伊费看着地板。“太好了，”他说。他的声音听起来怪怪的。
"Is it?" she asks. "Tell me one true thing before I go. Something you never say to anyone."
“是吗？”她问，“走之前，告诉我一件真话。一件你从来不对任何人说的事。”
"One true thing," he says.
“一件真话，”他说。
"Yes. Not a text message. Not a note on paper. Say it to me with your own face."
“对。不是短信，不是纸条。当着我的面，亲口对我说。”
Ife thinks about it for a long time. His hands feel cold, and not from the lake. "I promise," he says.
伊费想了很久。他的双手发凉，并不是因为湖水。“我答应你，”他说。
"Good," says Brina. She smiles, takes his towel and puts it in her bag. This is a game they play. She always gives it back at the end.
“好，”布里娜说。她笑了笑，拿起他的毛巾放进自己的包里。这是他们玩的一个游戏。她总会在最后还给他。
On Tuesday, Ife tries to keep his promise. He waits on the wooden pier. Brina comes out of the water. Her hair is flat on her head. He opens his mouth.
星期二，伊费试着守住诺言。他在木栈桥上等着。布里娜从水里出来，头发贴在脑袋上。他张开嘴。
"Brina, I need to say…"
“布里娜，我有话要说……”
A duck jumps onto the pier and takes her sandwich. Brina shouts. The duck runs. She chases it down the whole pier. When she comes back, the moment is gone.
一只鸭子跳上栈桥，叼走了她的三明治。布里娜大叫起来。鸭子跑了。她沿着整条栈桥追了过去。等她回来，那个时机已经过去了。
On Wednesday, he tries in the water. They swim side by side to the float. He stops and holds the rope. "Brina," he says. Then a wave from a passing boat hits his face. He swallows half the lake. He coughs for five minutes. Brina hits his back and laughs until she cries.
星期三，他试着在水里说。他们并排游到浮标边。他停下来，抓住绳子。“布里娜，”他说。就在这时，一艘路过的船激起一道浪，打在他脸上。他呛了半湖的水，咳了足足五分钟。布里娜拍着他的背，笑得眼泪都流了出来。
"What did you want to say?" she asks.
“你刚才想说什么？”她问。
"Nothing," he says. "Only that the lake is wet."
“没什么，”他说，“只想说湖是湿的。”
On Thursday, he practises alone in the hut. He looks at the mirror. He says the words to his own face. "Brina, I like you." It sounds fine. Then he says it again and thinks of her eyes. His voice goes small and silly. He puts his hands over his face and makes a sad sound.
星期四，他一个人在小屋里练习。他看着镜子，对着自己的脸说出那些话。“布里娜，我喜欢你。”听起来还不错。可是他再说一遍，脑子里想到她的眼睛，声音就变得又小又傻。他用手捂住脸，发出一声难过的叹息。
On Friday, the hut is full. The swimming club comes, with thirty children and loud whistles. Brina has boxes in her car. She has no time. She waves at him through the crowd, and the whistles blow.
星期五，小屋里挤满了人。游泳俱乐部来了，三十个孩子，还有响亮的哨子。布里娜的车里装着一箱箱东西，她没有一点空闲。她隔着人群向他挥手，哨声此起彼伏。
Ife goes home and cannot sleep. He lies on his bed and looks at the ceiling. He made a promise with his mouth. His mouth does not work.
伊费回到家，睡不着。他躺在床上盯着天花板。他用嘴巴许下了一个诺言，可是他的嘴巴不听使唤。
Then he has an idea.
然后，他想到了一个主意。
On Saturday, he comes to the hut at half past five. The lake is empty and grey. The hut is quiet. He stands in front of the mirror. It is clean and dry and shows only his tired face.
星期六，他五点半就来到了小屋。湖面空荡荡的，一片灰色。小屋里很安静。他站在镜子前。镜子干净而干燥，只映出他疲惫的脸。
He puts one finger on the glass. Slowly, he writes. His letters are small and careful. When he finishes, the glass looks the same. Nothing is there to see. He smiles and puts his finger in his pocket. He leaves his towel on the bench. Brina always takes it.
他伸出一根手指按在玻璃上，慢慢地写起来。他的字很小，很仔细。写完后，玻璃看上去和刚才一模一样，什么也看不到。他笑了笑，把手指插进口袋。他把毛巾留在长凳上。布里娜总是会拿走它。
At six, he goes to the water. He waits at the end of the pier.
六点，他走到水边，在栈桥尽头等着。
Brina comes into the hut a few minutes later. She is the last one today. This is her final morning at the lake. She puts her bag on the bench and takes off her coat. She puts Ife's towel in her bag, as always. Then she sees her face in the mirror. She does not like it.
几分钟后，布里娜走进了小屋。她今天是最后一个到的。这是她在湖边的最后一个早晨。她把包放在长凳上，脱下外套。她像往常一样，把伊费的毛巾放进包里。然后她在镜子里看到了自己的脸。她不喜欢。
"I look awful," she says to the empty hut. "I look like a person who does not sleep."
“我看起来糟透了，”她对着空荡荡的小屋说，“像个没睡觉的人。”
She breathes on the glass and makes a face. The mirror fogs up. Then something very strange happens. Words come out of the fog, one by one.
她对着玻璃呼了一口气，做了个鬼脸。镜子蒙上了雾。接着，一件非常奇怪的事发生了：一个个字从雾里显现出来。
Brina stops. She reads.
布里娜愣住了。她读了起来。
"Brina. This is the one true thing. I like you more than the lake. I do not want you to go. I am sorry I am bad at talking."
“布里娜。这是那一句真话。我喜欢你，胜过喜欢这片湖。我不想让你走。对不起，我不会说话。”
She reads it twice. Then she reads it again. Her eyes are wet, and she laughs. She does not know which comes first. The fog goes away slowly, and the words go with it. She breathes on the glass one more time to keep them.
她读了两遍，又读了一遍。她的眼睛湿了，同时又笑了起来。她不知道是先哭还是先笑。雾慢慢散去，字也跟着消失了。她又对着玻璃呼了一口气，想把它们留住。
Then she takes Ife's towel from her bag. She walks out to the pier.
然后她从包里拿出伊费的毛巾，走向栈桥。
He stands at the end, wet and cold. His arms are around himself. He cannot look at her.
他站在尽头，浑身湿冷，双臂抱着自己。他不敢看她。
"You said no notes," she says. "You said no paper."
“你说过不要纸条，”她说，“你说过不要写在纸上。”
"A mirror is not paper," says Ife.
“镜子不是纸，”伊费说。
"And you said with your face."
“你还说过要当着我的面。”
"My face is in the mirror," he says. "It was there the whole time."
“我的脸就在镜子里，”他说，“它一直都在那儿。”
Brina shakes her head. She is still smiling. "One true thing, you said. That was four true things."
布里娜摇摇头，依然笑着。“你说的是一件真话，”她说，“结果是四件。”
"I am a generous man," says Ife. His teeth start to shake. "Now can I please have my towel?"
“我是个慷慨的人，”伊费说。他的牙齿开始打战。“现在，我能把毛巾拿回来了吗？”
