灯房的门被一只空面粉桶挡着。
An empty flour bucket was blocking the light-house door.
Clay 踢开桶，铁钥匙插了两次才到底。门一开，一股热金属和湿木头混在一起的味道涌出来。屋子比他记得的小，里面堆满拆下来的零件。窗下那张工作台还在，台脚却浸在一汪浅水里。
Clay kicked it aside. It took two tries to get the iron key all the way into the lock. When the door opened, the smell of hot metal and wet wood rolled out. The room was smaller than he remembered, crowded with dismantled parts. The workbench was still beneath the window, but its legs stood in a shallow pool of water.
“别进来。”他对诺拉说。
“Stay outside,” he told Nora.
她停在门外，把 Miso 的绳子缠短了一圈。
She stopped at the door and wound another loop of Miso’s lead around her hand.
Clay 按了墙上的开关。头顶的普通灯泡亮了一下，又暗下去，细丝仍微微发红。他抬头看分区灯的玻璃罩，里面的透镜完好，灯芯却没有接上。
Clay pressed the switch on the wall. The ordinary bulb overhead flashed, then dimmed, its filament still faintly red. He looked up at the sector lamp’s glass housing. The lens was intact, but the burner was disconnected.
他知道旧开关在哪里。右手第三个，小圆柄，向下按住再往左扳。照理扳过去，后街就会亮。
He knew where the old switch was. Third on the right, a little round handle: press down, then turn left. That should light the back street.
他把手伸过去，停住了。
He reached for it, then stopped.
圆柄下面多出了一束导线，从旧装置侧面穿进地板。铜片上有新鲜的烧痕，瓷接头已经裂开。有人在他走后加了一条支路。
A new bundle of wires ran beneath the handle, down through the floor from the side of the old apparatus. The copper strip bore fresh scorch marks. A porcelain connector had cracked. Someone had added a branch circuit since he left.
“街上呢？”他问。
“How’s the street?” he asked.
诺拉侧身看了一眼。
Nora turned sideways to look.
“人还在。车少了一个轮子。”
“He’s still there. The cart’s lost a wheel.”
Clay 拿起台上的绝缘柄钳，先剪断通向积水的旧照明线。头顶灯泡彻底灭了。他拉开窗帘，日光照出两道彼此平行的接槽，其中一道烧黑，另一道接着粗线。黑槽旁残留一个模糊的粉笔圈。
Clay picked up the insulated pliers on the bench and first cut the old lighting wire that ran toward the water. The overhead bulb went out completely. He drew the curtain aside. Daylight revealed two parallel connection slots, one scorched black, the other joined to a thick wire. A faint chalk circle remained beside the blackened slot.
他没有碰它。
He left it alone.
工具包还挂在钉子上。他伸手去拿，钉子随整片朽木一起脱落，包砸在地上，散出扳手、麻绳和一盒生锈的垫片。
His tool bag still hung from its nail. When he reached for it, the nail came away with an entire piece of rotten wood. The bag hit the floor, spilling a wrench, hemp rope, and a box of rusty washers.
门外传来诺拉的声音。
Nora called from outside.
“他过来了。”
“He’s coming toward us.”
Clay 立即回头。
Clay turned at once.
送货人没有迈步。他仍站在原处，双手抓紧车把，但街道像被揉皱了一样，把人和车慢慢推向门口。两人之间的石板挤成一道窄脊，边缘闪着玻璃般的光。
The deliveryman had not taken a step. He was still standing where he had been, both hands clamped around the cart’s handles. But the street seemed to crumple, slowly pushing man and cart toward the door. The paving stones between them buckled into a narrow ridge, their edges gleaming like glass.
男人忽然一歪，膝盖跪了下去。车上的面粉袋翻下来一只，撞在路面上，裂开了。白粉散到那层灰亮的水里，没有浮起，也没有沉下去。
The man lurched sideways and fell to one knee. A sack of flour toppled off the cart and split against the road. White powder scattered into that layer of gray, shining water. It neither floated nor sank.
从中间开始，袋子不见了。
Starting at its center, the sack disappeared.
“把绳子给我。”诺拉说。
“Give me the rope,” Nora said.
Clay 捡起麻绳。她已经把 Miso 交给赶到的鸭嘴兽，挽起袖子，准备走下台阶。
Clay picked it up. She had already handed Miso to the platypus, who had just arrived, and rolled up her sleeves to step down from the threshold.
“不要踩路面。”
“Don’t set foot on the road.”
“那你把他拉回来。”
“Then get him back.”
Clay 把一端绕在门内的铁柱上，另一端打了活结。他试着抛过去，绳圈落在车前不到两步的地方。那人伸出手，没够到。
Clay wound one end around the iron post inside the door and tied a running loop in the other. He threw it. The loop landed less than two paces short of the cart. The man reached out, but could not touch it.
“松开车。”Clay 喊。
“Let go of the cart!” Clay shouted.
男人摇头，用嘴说了什么。
The man shook his head and mouthed something.
声音仍然过不来。
Still no sound could reach them.
Clay 看了一眼车上的货，再看向男人攥白的指节。他换了个说法。
Clay looked at the load on the cart, then at the man’s white knuckles. He tried again.
“车我来赔！”
“I’ll pay for the cart!”
男人犹豫了一下，终于放开一只手。
The man hesitated, then finally released one hand.
诺拉伏在台阶上，用一根长柄烤炉铲把绳圈往前推。铲面擦过石板边缘，发出刺耳的声音。送货人抓住绳子，套在胸前，另一只手却仍不肯离开车。
Nora lay flat on the steps and pushed the loop toward him with a long-handled oven peel. Its blade scraped shrilly against the edge of the paving. The deliveryman caught the rope and slipped it around his chest, but his other hand still held the cart.
“另一只！”诺拉吼。
“The other one!” Nora bellowed.
他松手了。
He let go.
手推车向旁边倾过去，撞上墙。墙上那扇窗也跟着倾斜。Clay 看着它，突然明白强拉会发生什么：绳子会把人从这一边扯回来，另一边却未必放手。
The handcart tipped sideways into the wall. The window above it tilted too. Watching it, Clay suddenly understood what would happen if they pulled hard: the rope would haul the man back from this side, but the other side might not release him.
他按住诺拉的肩。
He pressed a hand to Nora’s shoulder.
“先别拉。稳住他。”
“Don’t pull yet. Hold him steady.”
“你有多久？”
“How long have you got?”
“不知道。”
“I don’t know.”
他回到开关前。
He returned to the switch.
烧裂的瓷接头不是主回路。新支路拖着旧线路，负载过大，但整段拆掉会发生什么，他没有图纸，无法判断。他能做的是隔开积水处，把裂开的接头替换掉，再让主灯接通。
The cracked porcelain connector was not part of the main circuit. The added branch was dragging down the old wiring, overloading it. But he had no diagram; he could not tell what removing the whole branch would do. What he could do was isolate the flooded section, replace the cracked connector, and reconnect the main lamp.
“这里改过。接上以后我不知道会怎样。”他朝门口说。
“Someone’s altered this. I don’t know what’ll happen when I connect it,” he called toward the door.
诺拉咬住下唇，手里的绳子正在一寸寸收紧。
Nora bit her lower lip. The rope in her hands was drawing tighter, inch by inch.
“我也不知道等下去会怎样。”
“I don’t know what’ll happen if we wait, either.”
Clay 从盒底找到一只尺寸合适的旧接头，用衣角擦干。他的手掌蹭破了，血沾在白瓷上，擦了两次才装稳。他把松线抬离水面，用皮带绑在梁上，然后转动那枚熟悉的小圆柄。
At the bottom of the box, Clay found an old connector of the right size and dried it on the hem of his shirt. He had scraped his palm. Blood smeared the white porcelain, and he had to wipe it twice before he could fit it securely. He lifted the loose wire clear of the water, strapped it to a beam with his belt, and turned the familiar little round handle.
圆柄卡住了。
It stuck.
他把肩膀抵到柜边，换另一只手，缓慢加力。
He braced his shoulder against the cabinet, changed hands, and slowly increased the pressure.
分区灯内部传出一声清脆的响动。
A sharp click came from inside the sector lamp.
光没有立即亮。最先回来的是声音：车轴摩擦墙壁的尖叫，送货人的喘息，远处一扇窗不断撞着窗框。
The light did not come on at once. Sound returned first: the shriek of the cart axle against the wall, the deliveryman’s gasping, a distant window banging repeatedly against its frame.
“拉！”Clay 喊。
“Pull!” Clay shouted.
他扑到门口，和诺拉一起抓住绳子。鸭嘴兽把 Miso 系在栏杆上，过来抱住绳子的后段。三个人往后退，绳索绷得笔直，送货人胸前的外衣被勒开，纽扣一颗颗蹦到石板上。
He lunged for the door and seized the rope beside Nora. The platypus tied Miso to the railing and came to take hold farther back. All three stepped backward. The rope drew taut. The deliveryman’s coat pulled open across his chest, its buttons popping one by one onto the stones.
最后半步，他自己爬了过来。
He crawled the last half-step himself.
诺拉松开绳子，往后一坐。Clay 还抓着，直到掌心传来锐痛才放手。
Nora dropped the rope and sat down hard. Clay kept holding it until a sharp pain in his palm made him let go.
灯罩里的光渐渐铺满后街。
Light from the glass housing slowly filled the back street.
灰亮的薄层从台阶前退下去，碎石、排水沟、马车留下的旧辙，一点点重新显出来。倾斜的窗户回到墙上。车轮卡在墙根，断了两根辐条，车上只剩三袋面粉。
The thin gray gleam withdrew from the steps. Gravel, drains, the old ruts left by wagons reappeared little by little. The tilted window returned to its place in the wall. The cartwheel was wedged against the foot of the wall, two spokes broken. Only three sacks of flour remained on the cart.
送货人蜷在门边，反复摸自己的腿。
The deliveryman curled beside the door, feeling his legs over and over.
“车——”
“The cart—”
“会赔你的。”诺拉喘着气说。
“We’ll pay for it,” Nora said, breathless.
“车里还有我的饭。”
“My lunch is in it.”
诺拉看了他两秒，突然笑了，笑到咳嗽。她扶着门框站起来，眼泪从眼角淌下去，用围裙擦了一把。
Nora stared at him for two seconds, then began to laugh, so hard that she coughed. Holding the doorframe, she got to her feet. Tears ran from the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them with her apron.
Clay 也想笑，手却抖得厉害。他把钳子放回台上，连续两次都没放稳。
Clay wanted to laugh too, but his hands were shaking badly. Twice he tried to set the pliers on the bench before they stayed put.
鸭嘴兽去街口叫人。诺拉带送货人进店，给他搬了一把椅子。Clay 确认接头没有继续发热，关好灯房门，留了一道缝散热。
The platypus went to the street corner to call for help. Nora took the deliveryman into the bakery and brought him a chair. Clay checked that the connector was no longer heating up, then closed the light-house door, leaving a gap to let the heat out.
他忽然很饿。
Suddenly he was very hungry.
刚才那两片面包只吃了一片。茶也许还温着。
He had eaten only one of his two slices of bread. Perhaps the tea was still warm.
他走回窗边的桌子，伸手去拿自己的杯子。杯子空了，被诺拉放到了水池旁。
He went back to the table by the window and reached for his cup. It was empty. Nora had put it beside the sink.
“我再倒一点。”她说。
“I’ll pour you some more,” she said.
“不用洗，还是我喝。”
“No need to wash it. It’s still me drinking it.”
诺拉停了停，拿着杯子朝他看过来。
Nora paused and looked at him, cup in hand.
“你手在流血。”
“Your hand’s bleeding.”
她取出药箱，放在柜台上，又给送货人添了水。Clay 拉开药箱的小抽屉，准确找到棉布和药水。他以前经常在这里包扎。灯塔上的药箱是空的，他总说下次买。
She took out the first-aid box and set it on the counter, then refilled the deliveryman’s water. Clay opened the box’s small drawer and found the cloth and antiseptic without looking. He had often bandaged himself here. The first-aid box at the lighthouse was empty; he always said he would buy supplies next time.
“你怎么知道在那儿？”诺拉问。
“How did you know where to find those?” Nora asked.
Clay 以为她在逗他，没有抬头。
Clay thought she was teasing him and did not look up.
“你放东西从来不换地方。”
“You never move anything.”
没人接话。
No one answered.
他倒好药水，把棉布按在手心，才发现诺拉仍站在柜台后面。
He poured out the antiseptic and pressed the cloth to his palm. Only then did he notice that Nora was still standing behind the counter.
“Clay，是吗？”她说。
“Clay, is it?” she said.
他看着她。
He looked at her.
“我听他们这么叫你。”
“I heard them call you that.”
Clay 把棉布放下。
Clay put the cloth down.
“诺拉。”
“Nora.”
“嗯？”
“Yes?”
“我的茶不放糖。”
“I don’t take sugar in my tea.”
她瞥了一眼手边的糖罐。
She glanced at the sugar bowl beside her.
“好。”
“All right.”
“你刚才给我倒过一杯。”
“You poured me a cup just now.”
诺拉皱起眉。她的眼睛从桌上的面包移到窗边，又移回来。
Nora frowned. Her eyes moved from the bread on the table to the window and back.
“对。我记得。你上了楼，狗不愿走楼梯。”
“Yes. I remember. You went upstairs. The dog didn’t want to climb the stairs.”
“你记得我给你修过锁吗？”
“Do you remember me fixing your lock?”
她摇头。
She shook her head.
Clay 从衣袋里拿出铜钥匙。红绳被他的血染暗了一小截。他把钥匙放在桌上，推向她。
Clay took the brass key from his pocket. A short length of its red cord had darkened with his blood. He laid it on the table and pushed it toward her.
诺拉伸手摸了摸自己的围裙口袋，取出另一把。两把钥匙并排放着，齿口同样缺了一小角。
Nora felt in her apron pocket and took out another key. Side by side, both keys had the same tiny corner missing from a tooth.
“你说我以前总不还。”Clay 说。
“You said I always used to forget to give it back,” Clay said.
诺拉捏住自己那把钥匙。她抿着嘴，仿佛在努力回忆一句已经说到一半的话。
Nora held her own key tightly. Her lips pressed together, as though she were trying to remember a sentence she had been halfway through saying.
“我说过。”她缓缓道，“可是我不知道为什么会那么说。”
“I did say that,” she said slowly. “But I don’t know why.”
Clay 想提醒她那把锁是怎样坏的，想说出她认识的每一个人的名字。话挤在喉咙里。他一只手伸向她，在碰到围裙之前停了下来。
Clay wanted to remind her how the lock had broken. He wanted to name every person she knew. The words crowded his throat. He reached toward her, then stopped before his hand touched her apron.
她没有后退，但肩膀紧了。
She did not step back, but her shoulders stiffened.
他把手收回。
He drew his hand away.
店外的后街很亮。送货人端着水，正向进来帮忙的邻居讲那辆车，说到一半用手在空中比出袋子消失的样子。
The back street was bright outside the bakery. Holding his water, the deliveryman was telling the neighbors who had come to help about his cart. Midway through, he shaped his hands in the air to show how the sack had vanished.
诺拉听了一会儿，把带红绳的钥匙推回 Clay 面前。
Nora listened for a moment, then pushed the key with the red cord back toward Clay.
“房间你继续住。”她说。
“You can keep the room,” she said.
Clay 没接。
Clay did not take it.
“我记得你刚才救了他。”
“I remember you saving him just now.”
鸭嘴兽从门口进来，听见最后一句，停住了。他的目光落在两把钥匙上，随后慢慢转向窗外刚亮起来的分区灯。
The platypus came through the door and stopped at those last words. His eyes settled on the two keys, then slowly turned toward the newly lit sector lamp outside the window.
Clay 也看过去。
Clay looked too.
这回他没有伸手去找工具。
This time he did not reach for his tools.