Chinese · Episode 4
Not Quite Brave
Spoken by 晓星
Her machine parts make some things easier. Stepping outside the city is another matter.
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小美看我跳得高，就说我以后去圆顶外面， Xiaomei saw how high I jumped and said that when I go outside the dome later,
肯定也什么都不怕。 I'd definitely not be afraid of anything either.
这两件事可差远了。我在花园跳起来， Those two things are totally different. When I jump in the garden,
知道脚下是路，落下来还有她在旁边笑。 I know there's ground under my feet, and she's there smiling when I land.
外面没有空气，光想到这一点， There's no air outside. Just thinking about that,
我就不太想往前走了。 I don't really want to go any farther.
我是半机械人，腿里的机器部分能帮我用力， I'm a cyborg—the machine parts in my legs can help me push,
身体也能慢慢习惯不同地方的重力。 and my body can slowly get used to different gravity.
月亮上本来就容易跳高，我又比较会用力， It's already easier to jump high on the Moon, and I'm pretty good at putting force into it,
所以看起来跳得特别轻松。 so it looks especially effortless when I jump.
可这不代表出去就不用穿专门的衣服， But that doesn't mean I wouldn't need special clothes to go outside,
也不代表出了事，身体什么都能帮我。 or that my body could handle everything if something went wrong.
哥哥常常在外面干活。我问过他怕不怕， My brother often works outside. I asked him if he was scared,
他说：“怕啊，所以更要仔细。” and he said, "Of course I'm scared—that's why I have to be extra careful."
我以前还以为，他做得这么熟，肯定早就不怕了。 I used to think that since he was so practiced at it, he must have stopped being afraid long ago.
有一次我走到通往外面的门前， Once I walked up to the door that leads outside,
隔着窗看外面的灰，站了好一会儿。 and stood there a long while looking at the gray beyond the window.
那天并没有要出门的工作，我也没准备出去， There was no work that required going out that day, and I wasn't ready to go out,
就是想看看自己敢不敢再往前一点。 I just wanted to see if I dared take one more step.
结果连门都没想推，就转身回了花园。 In the end I didn't even think of pushing the door—I turned around and went back to the garden.
小美听了，说她大概也不会推。 When Xiaomei heard that, she said she probably wouldn't push it either.
我问：“那你怎么觉得我肯定敢？” I asked, "Then why did you think I'd definitely dare?"
她说因为我跳起来看着一点也不怕。 She said because when I jump I don't look scared at all.
我只好又告诉她，跳是我练过的， I had to tell her again that jumping is something I've practiced,
出去是另一回事。 Going outside is another matter.
先在圆顶里面把工作做好吧。真要学着出去， I'll just do my work well inside the dome first. If I really need to learn to go outside,
也得有人慢慢教我。 someone would have to teach me slowly.