Chinese · Episode 13
A Ship That Never Leaves
Spoken by 晓星
Why a small indoor job might still help her understand ships: a city is already a ship that never leaves.
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放学以后，我跟着兔子送东西， After school, I followed Rabbit delivering things,
从一个圆顶走到另一个圆顶。 walking from one dome to another.
中间的走廊两边是墙，上面也是墙， The corridor in between had walls on both sides, and overhead too,
走进去像进了一条大管子。到了另一头， so going in felt like entering a big pipe. Only at the other end
才又看见花园里的树。 could you see the trees in the garden again.
兔子在前面跑，我跟在后面，走过很多次了， Rabbit ran ahead and I followed; we've taken this route so many times
平时也不觉得有什么特别。 I don't usually think there's anything special about it.
今天陈师傅在那头修东西，我就停下来等他， Today Master Chen was fixing something at the far end, so I stopped to wait for him,
顺手摸了摸墙，发现还有一点暖。 and idly touched the wall—it was still a little warm.
我忽然想到，哥哥的船里面， I suddenly wondered: inside my brother's ship,
是不是也有这样的路？ are there paths like this too?
船外面没有空气，望城外面也没有。 There's no air outside the ship, and none outside Wangcheng either.
我们能在里面走来走去， We can walk around inside
都得靠这些墙把空气留住。 only because these walls hold the air in.
这么一想，望城倒像一条停在月亮上、 Thinking of it that way, Wangcheng is rather like a ship parked on the Moon,
不往别处开的船，里面有人吃饭、上学， one that never leaves, with people eating and going to school inside,
还有人照顾花园。 and people tending the gardens.
我以后想造飞船， I want to build spaceships someday,
总觉得现在这份工作离那个还远， and I always feel this job is still far from that—
只是在看几个小机器人送东西。 just watching a few little robots deliver things.
可兔子今天送的零件，要是没送到， But if the parts Rabbit was delivering today hadn't arrived,
等着修机器的人就得停下来。 the people waiting to fix the machines would have had to stop.
花园要水，灯要有人修， Gardens need water, lights need fixing,
东西也得送到该去的地方， and things have to reach where they belong
这么大的城才能让大家住得舒服。 for a city this big to keep everyone comfortable.
船上大概也有这些事吧， Ships probably have the same kind of work,
总不能只想着怎么往前飞。 you can't only think about flying forward.
陈师傅忙完，抬头问我：“送东西的是几号？” When Master Chen finished, he looked up and asked me, "Which number is making the delivery?"
我说：“三十二号。”这回没等他提醒。 I said, "Thirty-two." This time I didn't wait for him to remind me.
他检查完，让我带着兔子继续走。 After he checked, he told me to take Rabbit and keep going.
我本来想把刚才想的事讲给他听，看他又忙起来， I'd meant to tell him what I'd just been thinking, but seeing him get busy again,
就先没说。 I held off for now.
等兔子把东西送到，我想再去问问， Once Rabbit finishes the delivery, I want to go ask
今天这些零件是修什么用的。 what today's parts are being used to fix.