天还没亮，Miso 就踩了 Clay 的脸。
Before dawn, Miso stepped on Clay’s face.
它找到一条很窄的路，从临时铺开的被子之间挤过来，先踩住他的手臂，再将鼻子伸到他耳边。Clay 以为是饭没吃，摸索着坐起来，才发现前门外有人在轻轻刮木板。
He found a narrow route through the makeshift bedding, stepped first on Clay’s arm, then pushed his nose beside his ear. Clay assumed he wanted breakfast and fumbled upright, then heard someone gently scraping the front door.
奥伦站在雨里，推车上绑着一台缝纫机。
Oren stood in the rain with a sewing machine tied to his cart.
机器下面还压着一个饼干盒，盒盖用麻绳勒住。他后面跟着一个女人，头发裹在围巾里，正朝坡上回看。
A biscuit tin lay beneath it, its lid bound with cord. Behind him, a woman with her hair wrapped in a scarf kept looking uphill.
“她屋里的地板开始走了。”奥伦说。
“Her floor started moving,” Oren said.
Clay 趿着鞋出去。地板并没有走到街上，可女人形容得很清楚：昨晚睡下时床在窗口，凌晨伸手拉窗帘，却摸到墙。她穿好衣服，先将机器推出门，再去拿抽屉里的东西，回来时门口比方才窄了一只手。
Clay shuffled outside. The floor had not walked into the street, but her description was clear: last night her bed was by the window; before dawn she reached for the curtain and found a wall. She dressed, pushed the machine out first, then returned for the drawer’s contents. Coming back, she found the doorway a hand-width narrower.
“还能回吗？”她问。
“Can I go back?” she asked.
Clay 看见她膝上粘着的木屑。
Clay saw wood shavings on her knees.
“先把位置告诉值班员。”他说，“别一个人进去。”
“Give the location to the attendant first,” he said. “Don’t go in alone.”
“我没问能不能一个人。”
“I didn’t ask whether I could go alone.”
他知道。她也知道他没有更好的回答。
He knew. She also knew he had no better answer.
雨下得细，路面却很滑。奥伦的车轮卡在门槛前，三个人用了好一会儿才把机器推上台阶。女人不许他们抬手轮，怕抬坏，终于自己动手将机头卸下来。沉重的铁架被留在门外，机头与盒子抬进屋。
The rain was fine, but the road slippery. Oren’s wheel caught before the threshold. The three struggled to push the machine up the steps. The woman forbade lifting by the handwheel, afraid of damage, then finally removed the machine’s head herself. They left the heavy iron stand outside and carried in the head and tin.
“早知道就这样搬。”奥伦喘着气说。
“Should’ve moved it like that first,” Oren panted.
女人坐在空凳上，拇指不停地擦着机头的黑漆。
She sat on an empty stool, thumb constantly rubbing the black enamel.
“我知道能拆。”她说，“我不想拆。”
“I knew it came apart,” she said. “I didn’t want to take it apart.”
天亮后，街上到处是绳子。
By daylight, cord was everywhere.
箱子有绳，被卷有绳，锅盖用细绳系在锅耳上。东西一旦要离开熟悉的房间，就突然长出了许多会松开的部分。Clay 给一只箱子打第三遍结时，里面的主人终于肯取出两本过重的账簿，抱在自己怀里。
Around boxes and bedding, tying pot lids to handles. Once things left familiar rooms, they suddenly acquired many parts that could come loose. As Clay tied a box for the third time, its owner finally removed two heavy ledgers and held them herself.
学校的地势高，安雅将书桌靠墙排好，在地上划了床位。原来写在黑板上的乘法还没擦；有人拿粉笔接着往下写人数，孩子们忍不住纠正，说三八后面不是二十五。
The school stood high. Anya lined desks along the walls and marked sleeping spaces on the floor. Multiplication remained on the board. Someone continued below it with head counts. Children corrected them: three eights did not make twenty-five.
“今天不是算这个。”安雅说。
“We’re not calculating that today,” Anya said.
“可是它就是不对。”
“But it’s still wrong.”
她抬头看了看，将人数挪到另一块黑板，留下那道没算完的题。
She looked up, moved the head count to another board, and left the unfinished problem.
面包店暂时还安全。诺拉让两名住客留守厨房，自己带一锅浓汤到学校。Clay 原以为她会同时带走大部分存粮，她却只搬了需要分出去的份额。夜里仍有人要回店睡，留在一处的食物也不能全堆到另一处。
The bakery was safe for now. Nora left two residents in charge and brought thick soup to the school. Clay expected her to bring most of her food stores too, but she moved only what needed distributing. People would still sleep at the shop, and concentrating everything elsewhere would not help.
贝娜送来两桶腌鱼。她将桶底重重落下，先宣布其中一桶有刺，别拿给孩子直接嚼；然后告诉所有人，鱼钱以后仍要算。
Bena brought two barrels of salted fish. Setting them down hard, she first announced that one contained bones and must not be given straight to children. Then she reminded everyone payment would still be due.
“当然。”诺拉说。
“Of course,” Nora said.
贝娜看了她一眼，又把其中一桶的字改成“半价”。
Bena glanced at her and changed one barrel’s label to HALF PRICE.
鸭嘴兽先生在校门边摆了张小桌。离开小镇的人写一份，暂时留守的人写一份，还有一叠只写明谁家缺了谁。几张纸分别压在砖下，来的人可以改，也可以暂时不选。
Mr. Platypus set a small table by the school gate. One list for people leaving town, one for those staying temporarily, another stack stating only who was missing from each household. Bricks held the papers down. People could change their choice or leave it undecided.
穿雨衣的女人坐在桌边，重新写给儿子的信。
The raincoat woman sat there rewriting her letter to her son.
“船来了，我就走。”她告诉 Clay。
“When the boat comes, I’m leaving,” she told Clay.
“好。”
“All right.”
“不是住两天再说。”
“Not staying a few days to see.”
“我明白。”
“I understand.”
她将最后一句划掉，改成了一个外港地址。那地址在她前两封信里也出现过，Clay 已经能认出那几个字。可写在这张纸上，它第一次像一个需要腾出铺位、准备热饭的地方。
She crossed out the final sentence and replaced it with an outer-harbor address. It had appeared in her last two letters; Clay now recognized it. On this sheet, for the first time, it seemed a place that needed a bed cleared and a hot meal prepared.
一名老人把自己的名字写进留守纸，写完又问船票多少。他儿子看了他一眼，没有拦他把笔拿回来。
An old man entered his name on the staying list, then asked the fare. His son glanced over without stopping him from retrieving the pen.
奥伦的车在门外等着。Clay 出去帮忙卸最后一袋煤，听见他正在与缝纫机的主人争论铁架。女人想请他再走一趟，把门外铁架也带到学校；车上却还有三名走不动的住客要转移。
Oren’s cart waited outside. Clay helped unload the last coal sack and heard an argument about the sewing-machine stand. Its owner wanted another trip to bring it from the bakery to school, but three residents unable to walk still needed moving.
“一趟。”女人说。
“One trip,” she said.
“他们也只要一趟。”
“That’s all they need too.”
奥伦说完就后悔了，低头检查轮毂，没有看她。
Oren regretted it immediately and looked down to inspect the wheel hub.
女人把饼干盒抱到胸前。过了一阵，她让开了。
She hugged the biscuit tin. After a while, she stepped aside.
Clay 以为那盒里装着证件或首饰。等人走远，女人打开盖子，他才看见里面分格放着许多扣子，大的小的，白色贝壳磨成的，还有一粒只剩一半的红扣。每一格下面都有一张写着名字的小纸。
Clay had imagined documents or jewelry inside. When she opened it after the others left, he saw compartments of buttons: big, small, white shell, one red button with only half remaining. A named slip lay beneath each compartment.
“拿去配的时候知道找谁。”她解释。
“So I know whom to ask when matching one,” she explained.
Clay 伸出手，捡起掉在地上的一枚，放回她指的格子。他没有说这些东西比铁架重要。她只是眼下能抱住它们。
Clay picked up a fallen button and returned it where she pointed. He did not say these mattered more than the iron stand. They were simply what she could hold now.
临近中午，旧东岸又传来敲击声。
Near noon, knocking came from the old east shore again.
不是所有人都能听见。风从那边转来时，三下，停一停，再两下，刚好能越过学校后院的矮墙。
Not everyone heard. When the wind turned from that direction, three knocks, a pause, then two carried just over the schoolyard’s low wall.
诺拉正在给汤加水。木勺在锅边停住了。
Nora was adding water to the soup. Her spoon stopped at the rim.
Clay 站在她旁边，没有假装没听到。
Clay stood beside her and did not pretend not to hear.
“明天切开以后，那边会怎么样？”她问。
“What happens there after tomorrow’s separation?” she asked.
“新灯不会把那里接回来。旧光退了，那些影子也可能看不到。”
“The new light won’t reconnect it. When the old light retreats, the images may disappear too.”
她盯着汤面。碎菜叶在水里缓缓转，碰到勺柄，又各自散开。
She stared at the soup. Vegetable leaves slowly circled, touched the spoon handle, and drifted apart.
“可能？”
“May?”
“我不能确定会留多久。”
“I can’t be certain how long they’ll remain.”
诺拉把火减小，交代旁边的人别再加盐，随后脱下围裙。
Nora lowered the fire, told the person beside her to add no more salt, and removed her apron.
他们只走到理发店外。
They went only as far as the barber’s shop.
伊沃原来系的警戒绳往后挪了一段，白布杆仍靠在能看见的墙边。隔着光，窗前的人低头，抬手，做那个已经重复了许多次的动作。今天更模糊了，像隔着一盆刚被搅动的水。
Ivo’s warning rope had moved back. The white-cloth pole remained against a visible wall. Beyond the light, the man at the window lowered his head and raised his hand in the movement repeated so many times. He was blurrier today, as if seen through freshly stirred water.
诺拉没带鞋，也没喊名字。
Nora brought no shoe and called no name.
她站在那里，直到那个人把杯子推开三次。
She stood until he had pushed the cup away three times.
“如果我现在走了，就看不到最后一下。”她说。
“If I leave now, I won’t see the last one,” she said.
Clay 望着窗子。里面没有最后一下，每一回停顿都又重新开始。他知道诺拉不是不知道。
Clay watched the window. There was no last one. Every pause began again. He knew Nora understood that.
“学校那锅汤会糊。”她又说。
“The soup at school will burn,” she added.
“有人看着。”
“Someone’s watching it.”
“我知道。”
“I know.”
她把手从外套口袋里拿出来，攥了攥冻僵的指尖。身后有一扇松门被风撞响，她吓得转过头；再转回来时，窗前已经做完了一次敲击。
She took her hands from her pockets and flexed her numb fingers. Wind slammed a loose door behind them. Startled, she turned. By the time she looked back, another round of knocking had finished.
她没有等下一回。
She did not wait for the next.
回到面包店，她在楼上找出一只旧木箱，将埃利的鞋放进去。右鞋底能看见伊沃新缝的粗线。Clay 帮她扶箱盖，听见她在里面又放了一件毛衣、一册账和一个少了半边耳朵的陶杯。
At the bakery, she found an old wooden box upstairs and put Eli’s shoes inside. Ivo’s thick new stitches showed on the right sole. Clay held the lid while she added a sweater, a ledger, and a pottery cup missing half its handle.
“这箱先放学校。”她说。
“This goes to the school first,” she said.
“好。”
“All right.”
她没有把自己的鞋放进去。那双鞋还要穿。
Her own shoes did not go inside. She still needed to wear them.
Clay 搬箱子前，她从柜台后抽出一张纸，写下面包店暂住的名单和联络地点，贴在门内的玻璃上。写到最后，她犹豫了一会儿，又补上学校后院从哪道门进去。
Before Clay moved the box, she wrote the bakery’s temporary residents and contact location on a sheet and posted it inside the door’s glass. After hesitating, she added which gate led to the schoolyard.
他知道那句话也留给一个也许不会来的人。纸不重，门也仍在，没有谁必须要求她拿掉。
He knew that line also waited for someone who might never come. Paper weighed little; the door still stood. Nobody needed to make her take it down.
Miso 跟着他们回学校时，嘴里叼着一块不知从哪儿找来的布。
Miso followed them to school carrying a piece of cloth he had found somewhere.
它把布拖到安雅划出的床位旁，放下，绕一圈，又叼起来。每次有人从旁边过去，它都要让一让。最后它索性走到 Clay 脚下，把布丢在他的鞋面上。
He dragged it beside a marked sleeping space, dropped it, circled, and picked it up again. Every passerby made him move aside. Finally he went to Clay and dropped it across his shoes.
Clay 认出那是客房里铺在旅行包下面的小毯子。
Clay recognized the little blanket from beneath his travel bag in the guest room.
他的包还在店里，回程衣服、刮胡刀、已经不用的船票都塞在里面。过去几天他一直没真正拆开它，好像只要东西仍按到来时的样子摆着，离开就还是一件很近的事。
The bag remained at the bakery, packed with return clothes, razor, useless ferry ticket. He had never truly unpacked these past days, as though keeping everything in arrival order kept departure close.
他蹲下来，摸了摸狗的耳朵。
He crouched and rubbed Miso’s ears.
Miso 立刻将整个体重靠给他。他手伤着，被压得失去平衡，差一点坐进汤锅旁的空盆里。
The dog immediately leaned his full weight against him. With his injured hand, Clay lost his balance and nearly sat in an empty basin beside the soup pot.
贝娜恰好看见，发出一声短促的笑。
Bena caught it and gave a short laugh.
“它比你知道该搬什么。”
“He knows what to move better than you.”
“它昨天想搬一根鱼骨。”Clay 说。
“Yesterday he wanted to move a fish bone,” Clay said.
“那是我的。”
“Mine.”
他们笑了一会儿，又各自去干活。
They laughed briefly, then returned to work.
下午测海前，岚需要有人把普通灯具和食物送到主塔外廊。那儿有一处朝北的观测位，获准使用，与上锁的旁路隔着一整道墙。她自己先去海边看潮位。Clay 接下送东西的活，也决定把 Miso 带去：学校的人太多，狗已在别人铺好的床上踩出两串湿印。
Before the afternoon sea measurements, Lan needed ordinary lamps and food delivered to the tower’s outer corridor. They had permission to use a north-facing observation point there, separated from the locked bypass by a full wall. She went to inspect the tide first. Clay accepted the delivery and decided to bring Miso: the crowded school already had two trails of wet pawprints across other people’s bedding.
伊沃从桌子下面抽出一张旧图，递给他。
Ivo drew an old map from beneath the table.
“别走西边。那条路少了一截。正面外楼梯还在，但抬东西小心。”
“Not the west route. A section’s gone. The front exterior stairs remain. Be careful carrying things.”
Clay 收好图。图边沾着今天的汤，伊沃用手指擦了一下，反而擦得更宽。
Clay put it away. Today’s soup stained its edge; Ivo wiped it with a finger and spread it wider.
走前，鸭嘴兽先生问他，是否在对外乘船的那张纸上留位置。
Before he left, Mr. Platypus asked whether to reserve him a place on the outgoing passenger list.
Clay 看见纸上有几行熟悉的名字，也有刚认识的人。他们需要的不是他的赞成或反对，只是船来时确实有位置。
Clay saw familiar names and new acquaintances. They needed neither his approval nor opposition, only actual space when the boat arrived.
“先给其他人。”他说，“我得等切换结束。”
“Others first,” he said. “I have to wait until the switch is over.”
“结束以后呢？”
“And afterward?”
Clay 想了想。
Clay considered.
“到时候我再写。”
“I’ll write it then.”
鸭嘴兽先生把笔收回去，没有替他填一个永久留守。
Mr. Platypus took back the pen without entering him as a permanent resident.
出门时雨停了，学校门前那辆推车空下来一会儿。奥伦从车底摸出一截木头，用刀慢慢削去毛刺。旁边孩子问是不是木马，他说只能先做条船，马有四条腿，太费工夫。
Outside, the rain had stopped. The cart stood empty briefly. Oren retrieved a piece of wood from beneath it and slowly whittled away splinters. The child asked whether it was a rocking horse. Oren said it would have to be a boat first. Horses had four legs and took too much work.
孩子想了想，接受了这个安排。
The child considered and accepted the arrangement.