Katya hid a box behind the oil drum in the maintenance room. In the box was a pair of skates.
卡佳把一只盒子藏在维修间的油桶后面。盒子里是一双溜冰鞋。
They were bright yellow, with soft white wheels. She bought them on Monday for Radha.
鞋子是亮黄色的，配着柔软的白色轮子。这是她星期一买的，要送给拉达。
Radha worked on the cable cars too. Every night, she checked the brakes and the long steel cables.
拉达也在缆车站工作。每天晚上，她都检查刹车和长长的钢缆。
Katya liked her very much. But she was too shy to say it.
卡佳非常喜欢她。可她太害羞，说不出口。
Radha loved to skate. She talked about it all the time.
拉达热爱滑冰。她总是在谈这件事。
"At home, I skate in my kitchen," Radha told her once. "My neighbours hate it."
“在家里，我就在厨房里滑，”拉达有一次对她说，“邻居们都恨死我了。”
Katya laughed, and an idea came to her. That night, she made a plan.
卡佳笑了，一个主意浮上心头。那天晚上，她定下了一个计划。
Her plan was simple. After work, she wanted to take Radha up to the top station. The square up there was wide and smooth. It had soft lights and a view of the whole town. She wanted to give Radha the skates. Then she wanted to skate with her under the stars.
她的计划很简单：下班后，她想带拉达到山顶站去。那里的广场又宽又平，灯光柔和，能看到整座小镇的景色。她想把溜冰鞋送给拉达，然后和她一起在星空下滑冰。
On Friday, Katya came to work early. She checked the box three times. It was still behind the oil drum.
星期五，卡佳早早来上班。她把盒子查看了三遍。它还在油桶后面。
At eight o'clock, she found Radha near the big wheel. Radha wrote numbers on a clipboard.
八点钟，她在大转轮附近找到了拉达。拉达正在写字板上记着数字。
"Radha, can you stay late tonight?" Katya asked.
“拉达，你今晚能留得晚一点吗？”卡佳问。
"Sure," said Radha. "Is something wrong?"
“当然，”拉达说，“有什么事吗？”
"No. I want to show you something at the top," Katya said. Her voice sounded strange.
“没有。我想在山顶给你看样东西，”卡佳说。她的声音听上去怪怪的。
Radha smiled. "Okay. I like a good surprise."
拉达笑了。“好啊。我喜欢好的惊喜。”
The plan was perfect. Then the night supervisor came in.
计划完美无缺。然后，值夜班的主管走了进来。
"Bad news," he said. "The line stops now. One cabin has a loose bolt."
“坏消息，”他说，“线路现在停运。有一个车厢的螺栓松了。”
Katya felt sick. "Which cabin?"
卡佳觉得一阵恶心。“哪个车厢？”
"Number four. Somebody must fix it before morning."
“四号。必须在早晨之前修好。”
"We can do it," Radha said at once. "Right, Katya?"
“我们可以修，”拉达立刻说，“对吧，卡佳？”
Katya wanted to cry. But she nodded. A cable car is not a toy. A loose bolt is a danger.
卡佳想哭。但她点了点头。缆车不是玩具。螺栓松了就是危险。
They worked for two hours. The cabin hung in the middle of the room. It was high above the floor. Radha held the lamp. Katya turned the wrench.
她们干了两个小时。车厢悬在屋子中央，离地面很高。拉达举着灯，卡佳转动扳手。
The bolt was old and stiff. It did not want to move. At last, it gave a small click.
螺栓又旧又僵，不肯动。最后，它终于咔嗒轻轻响了一声。
"Done," said Katya. She felt tired and sad.
“好了，”卡佳说。她觉得又累又难过。
"Good work," Radha said. "Now, what did you want to show me?"
“干得好，”拉达说，“现在，你想给我看什么？”
Katya looked at the clock. It was ten at night. The last cabin was gone. The top station was dark.
卡佳看了看钟。晚上十点。最后一班车厢早已离开。山顶站一片漆黑。
"Nothing," she said. "It was a silly idea."
“没什么，”她说，“那是个傻主意。”
Radha looked at her for a long moment. "Katya, you hid a box behind the oil drum. I saw it on Monday."
拉达看了她好一会儿。“卡佳，你在油桶后面藏了一只盒子。我星期一就看到了。”
"You saw it?" Katya asked.
“你看到了？”卡佳问。
"I am a good engineer. I see everything," said Radha. "I did not look inside. I promise."
“我是个好工程师。我什么都看得到，”拉达说，“我没往里面看。我发誓。”
Katya sat down on a tool box. Then she began to laugh. She could not stop.
卡佳坐在一只工具箱上，然后笑了起来，怎么也停不下来。
"It is a pair of skates," she said. "I wanted to take you to the square. I wanted a nice night for you."
“是一双溜冰鞋，”她说，“我想带你去广场。我想给你一个美好的夜晚。”
Radha sat next to her. "That is the kindest thing anyone ever planned for me."
拉达坐到她身边。“这是有人为我计划过的最温柔的事。”
"But the plan is dead," said Katya. "The line is closed."
“可是计划完了，”卡佳说，“线路停运了。”
Radha looked around the room. Her eyes went from the floor to the walls and back again.
拉达环顾屋子。她的目光从地板移到墙壁，又移回来。
"Katya, how long is this room?" she asked.
“卡佳，这间屋子有多长？”她问。
"About forty metres. Why?"
“大约四十米。怎么了？”
"And how smooth is the floor?"
“地板有多平？”
"Very smooth. I clean it every week." Katya stopped. "Wait. You mean…"
“非常平。我每周都擦。”卡佳停住了。“等等。你是说……”
"I mean we do not need the square," Radha said. "We have a floor right here."
“我是说我们不需要广场，”拉达说，“这里就有一块地板。”
They jumped up. Together they pushed the tool carts against the wall. They rolled the oil drum into a corner. Radha swept the floor with a wide broom. Katya looked for lamps.
她们跳了起来。一起把工具车推到墙边，把油桶滚到角落里。拉达用一把宽扫帚打扫地板，卡佳去找灯。
She found six work lamps and a long orange cable. She hung the lamps on the hooks above the cabins. Warm yellow light filled the room. The big wheel stood still in the shadows. It looked like a huge clock.
她找到了六盏工作灯和一根长长的橙色电缆。她把灯挂在车厢上方的挂钩上。温暖的黄色灯光洒满了屋子。大转轮静静立在阴影里，看上去像一只巨大的钟。
"It looks like a dance hall," said Radha.
“看起来像个舞厅，”拉达说。
"It looks like a workshop," Katya said.
“看起来像个车间，”卡佳说。
"A very beautiful workshop."
“一个非常漂亮的车间。”
Katya went to the oil drum and picked up the box. Her hands shook a little. She gave it to Radha.
卡佳走到油桶旁，拿起盒子。她的手有点发抖。她把它递给拉达。
Radha opened it. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she lifted one skate and touched a wheel.
拉达打开盒子。有一会儿，她什么也没说。然后她拿起一只鞋，摸了摸轮子。
"They are my size," she whispered. "How did you know?"
“跟我的尺码一样，”她轻声说，“你怎么知道的？”
"I looked at your work boots," said Katya. "When you were not near."
“我看了你的工作靴，”卡佳说，“趁你不在旁边的时候。”
Radha laughed. It was a happy, loud laugh, and it filled the room.
拉达笑了。那是一阵快乐而响亮的笑声，充满了整间屋子。
"Sit down," said Radha. "I will put on my skates. And then I will help you with yours."
“坐下，”拉达说，“我先穿上我的鞋。然后再帮你穿你的。”
"I do not have skates," Katya said. "I only bought one pair."
“我没有溜冰鞋，”卡佳说，“我只买了一双。”
"Of course you did," said Radha. She smiled. "Then we have a problem."
“当然啦，”拉达说。她微微一笑。“那我们有个问题了。”
Katya thought for a second. Then she looked at the tool carts. They had four wheels each, and a strong flat top.
卡佳想了一秒钟。然后她看了看那些工具车。每辆都有四个轮子，一个结实平整的台面。
"Not a problem," she said. "I have an idea."
“不是问题，”她说，“我有个主意。”
She pulled a cart into the middle of the floor. She stood behind it and held the handle with both hands.
她把一辆车拉到地板中央，站在它后面，双手握住把手。
"This is my skate," said Katya. "It is slow, but it is safe."
“这就是我的溜冰鞋，”卡佳说，“慢，但是安全。”
Radha put on her new skates and tied the laces. She stood up slowly. The floor was smooth, and the wheels were quiet. She took one step, then another.
拉达穿上她的新鞋，系好鞋带，慢慢站了起来。地板很平，轮子悄无声息。她迈出一步，又一步。
"They roll so well," she said. She sounded like a child on a birthday.
“它们滚得真好，”她说，听起来像个过生日的孩子。
She made a small circle around the oil drum. Then she made a big circle around the cabins. The lamps showed her shadow on the wall. Katya watched her and did not speak.
她绕着油桶滑了一个小圈，又绕着车厢滑了一个大圈。灯光把她的影子投在墙上。卡佳看着她，没有说话。
On the third circle, Radha stopped in front of her.
滑到第三圈时，拉达停在她面前。
"Katya, come out from behind that cart," she said.
“卡佳，从那辆车后面出来，”她说。
"I can't skate," said Katya. "I will fall."
“我不会滑，”卡佳说，“我会摔倒的。”
"Then we fall together." Radha held out both hands.
“那我们一起摔。”拉达伸出了双手。
Katya looked at the hands. She looked at Radha's face. Then she let go of the cart.
卡佳看着那双手，又看着拉达的脸。然后她松开了推车。
She took Radha's hands, and they rolled slowly across the floor.
她握住拉达的双手，她们慢慢地滑过了地板。
