戈蒂娜种植了一个花园

我是里亚。

This is Ria.

欢迎来到《给小家伙们的小故事》。

Welcome to Little Stories for Tiny People.

哦，这是我的讲故事提醒铃。

Oh, that's my tell a story alarm.

有时候我走进工作室，却忘了自己为什么要进来。

Sometimes I walk into my studio and forget why I came into it in the first place.

所以我设了这个提醒，好让自己别忘。

So I have this alarm to remind me.

这很正常。

That's normal.

对吧？

Right?

你没说话，我就当你同意了。

I'll take your silence as agreement.

咱们开始讲个故事吧。

Let's get to our story.

这个故事叫

It's called

《山羊妮娜种花园》。

Goatina Plants a Garden.

交给你了，基安。

Take it away, KIAAN.

记住，这里没有插图。

Remember, there are no pictures.

全靠你自己在脑子里想象。

Left to imagine them in your mind.

你怎么想都行。

You can imagine them however you want.

好。

Okay.

好了，开始吧。

Here we go.

Goatina 没有菜园，这让她在每周的拼布聚会中总是特别尴尬。

Goatina did not have a garden, which was proving to be a reliable source of embarrassment for her at Weekly Quilting Circle.

其他每只山羊都有菜园，只有胡夫顿奶奶年纪大了，早就不该指望她去给花坛除草了。

Every other goat had a garden except for granny Hoofton who was getting on in years and was well past an age where anyone would expect her to weed flower beds.

她可没错过任何一个机会来提醒大家这件事。

She took every opportunity to remind them of this.

我可是给好多菜园除过草的，年头都不短了。

I weeded plenty of garden beds for years.

别指望我为了种点可怜的黄瓜，再把蹄子磨破了。

Can't be expecting me to scuff my hoofs for another lousy crop of cucumbers.

但其他人都有菜园，而且不只是那种光看不吃的花圃。

But everyone else had a garden, and not just pretty flower gardens.

没错，边上确实种了些花，但那些都是正经的菜园，长满了能吃的东西。

Sure, they had some flowers around the borders, but these were real working gardens bursting with things to eat.

每次缝纫针法、图案或者如今布料价格太贵这些话题聊得没劲了，大家总会自然而然地转到种菜上。

Whenever discussion about quilting stitches or patterns or the high cost of fabric these days ran dry for too long, conversation invariably turned to gardening.

今年我打算第一次种点香蕉辣椒。

I'm thinking about planting banana peppers for the first time this year.

你一定要试试。

Oh, you have to.

我去年腌了一缸。

I pickled mine last year.

那味道简直绝了。

They were fabulous.

每到这时候，Goatina就会突然专心起来，手里的针线活也更认真了。

When this happened, Goatina would suddenly become a lot more focused on her stitches.

她会把绣品举到眼前，仔细端详。

She would bring her quilting project up to her face to inspect it.

她一直沉默，直到话题聊完，大家的注意力重新回到缝纫上。

She would remain quiet until the topic was exhausted and attention turned back to quilting.

戈特雷拉，你选的这个边框和线材真是太棒了。

Gotrella, I love that border you've chosen, and that thread.

简直完美。

Just marvelous.

每年秋天一过，寒冬来临，戈蒂娜就松了一口气，因为园艺这个话题也跟着歇菜了。

Each year, when fall gave way to the frost of winter, Goatina was relieved that the subject of gardening, likewise, went dormant.

现在是早春，正是种菜的好时节。

Now it was early spring, prime garden season.

以前春天来的时候，戈蒂娜都是靠适时点头微笑，应付她最讨厌的这个话题。

Goatina had coasted through previous springs by giving some well timed nods and smiles when her least favorite topic arose.

但就在昨晚， quilting 圈里来了个新成员，戈蒂娜甚至记不清她叫什么。

But just last night, a newer member of Quilting Circle, Goatina wasn't even sure of her name.

叫戈特尔？好像是这个名。

Goatel, was it?

其实叫什么也不重要。

Her name doesn't really matter.

重要的是这个。

What matters is this.

这个新来的成员转过身，直直盯着戈蒂娜的眼睛，仿佛看穿了她的灵魂，然后问：戈蒂娜，你的花园怎么样？

This new goat turned, looked directly into Goatina's eyes, seemed to look directly into her soul, and said, what's your garden like, Goatina?

这个问题太平常了，其他缝纫者连头都没抬一下。

It was such an unremarkable question that none of the other quilters even looked up from their stitching.

毕竟，缝被子需要全神贯注。

After all, quilting does require intense concentration.

戈蒂娜停顿了好久。

Goatina paused for a very long moment.

大家一个接一个地抬起头，看向她。

The heads began turning up, one by one, to look at her.

戈蒂娜突然咳了一声，声音很大，整个人都慌了。

Goatina coughed then, loudly, and she was so flustered.

她自己都不确定这声咳嗽是真咳嗽，还是只是在拖延时间。

She didn't even know herself whether it was a genuine cough or whether she was stalling for time.

她把所有山羊的注意力都吸引过来后，清了清嗓子说：这个周末我要种点新植物。

After she detracted every single goat's attention, she cleared her throat and said, I'm going to put in some new plantings this weekend.

它们盯着她，眨着那双奇怪的眼睛。

They stared at her, blinking their strange eyes.

所有山羊的眼睛都怪怪的。

All goats have strange eyes.

然后它们又转回去继续缝被子了。

Then they turned back to their quilting.

这严格来说不算撒谎。

It wasn't technically a lie.

那天晚上，Goatina 踩着步子回家时，心里对自己说：也没完全撒谎。

Not quite, Goatina told herself as she clomped home that evening.

她其实没直接回答那个新来的缝被子的人，但她的话确实没错。

She hadn't actually answered the new quilter's question, but what she had said was true.

就在那几秒尴尬的沉默里，Goatina 已经决定，这个周末就动手建个花园。

In those few awkward moments of silence, Goatina had decided to begin a garden that very weekend.

她站在那儿，蹄子上还沾着泥土，望着那片打算种菜的地。

Now she stood, spayed in hoof, looking at the stretch of ground where she planned to make her garden.

说‘计划’可能太重了，有点夸大其词。

Planned is probably too strong a word, too generous.

那儿是唯一合适的地方。

It was the only place that made any sense.

小屋周围其他地方都太阴了。

The rest of the area around Goatina's little cottage was too shaded.

于是她就站在这儿了。

So there she was.

她手里拿着铲子、种子，还提着一个浇水桶。

She had her spade, her seeds, and a watering pail.

天气倒是挺配合的。

The weather had cooperated.

其实Goatina并没多想种菜，但她也不是个不诚实的山羊。

Goatina didn't really care to have a garden, but she wasn't a dishonest goat.

她跟那些织布的朋友们说好，这个周末要开始种东西。

She'd told the quilters she'd be planting this weekend.

所以她就照着说了的去做。

So that's exactly what she would do.

在那次关键的织布聚会之后，她立刻去找了邻居——善良的猪小莉，讨教经验。

The day after the fateful quilting circle, she'd gone straight to her neighbor, a kindly pig named Lolly, to get advice.

Goatina干活时，一边用铲子翻土，一边努力回想小莉的话。

Goatina tried to remember Lolly's words as she went to work with her spade.

把土翻松。

Turn over the soil.

让阳光照进去。

Let it see the sun.

把土弄蓬松，好让空气透进去。

Fluff it up to give it air.

跟它打个招呼，让它熟悉你。

Say hello to it to warm it up to you.

戈蒂娜照做了，翻松了泥土，又把它弄松软。

Goatina went along, turning over the soil and fluffing it.

但到了该打招呼的时候，她却迟疑了。

But when it came time to say hello, she hesitated.

这事儿挺怪的。

It was odd.

戈蒂娜想，这会不会只是洛莉个人的习惯，对植物其实没什么影响？

Goatina wondered if it was just something Lolly liked to do, something that wouldn't really make a difference to the plants.

可她又担心，如果不打招呼，可能从一开始就把花园给毁了。

But then she wondered if saying hello to the soil was in fact very important, and she'd doom her garden to failure from the start if she didn't do it.

戈蒂娜紧张地四下张望，看有没有人盯着她。

Goatina looked around nervously to see if anyone was watching her.

附近树上停着一只乌鸦。

There was a crow in a nearby tree.

就她一个。

That was all.

她弯下腰，贴近泥土，轻声说：你好。

She leaned down close to the soil and whispered, hello.

你好。

Hello.

地下传来一个声音。

Came a voice from below.

Goatina感觉心跳猛地一乱。

Goatina felt her heart trip over itself.

她低头一看，发现是一条蚯蚓。

She looked down and saw a worm.

蚯蚓朝她点了点身子，然后扭动着游开了。

It nodded to her and squirmed away.

Goatina的心跳这才慢慢平复下来。

Goatina's heart slowed to a normal pace.

一股暖意缓缓漫上心头。

She felt warmth spread over her.

她的花园里有一条蚯蚓。

There was a worm in her garden.

Goatina对园艺知之甚少，但她知道蚯蚓是有益的。

Goatina knew very little about gardening, but she knew worms were good.

翻完所有的土花了很长时间。

It took a very long time to turn over all the soil.

到中午时分，阳光暖暖地照在Goatina的背上。

By then, it was midday, and the sun was warm on Goatina's back.

她趁机回小屋找了一顶宽边帽。

She took a moment to duck inside her cottage to find a wide brimmed hat.

住在池塘边的一位年长河狸慢悠悠地走过。

An elderly muskrat who lived by the pond ambled by.

Goatina向他挥手打招呼。

Goatina waved hello.

她擦掉额头的汗，突然意识到，自己满是灰尘的蹄子、沾满泥土的铁锹，还有这顶宽边帽，活脱脱就是个园丁的样子。

As she wiped away a bit of perspiration on her brow, it struck her that with her dusty hoofs, her dirt covered spade, and her wide brimmed hat, she looked every bit the gardener.

她继续干活，不一会儿就种下了一整排番茄种子。

She got back to work, and soon she'd planted a whole row of tomato seeds.

居然这么简单。

It was so easy.

她简直不敢相信，自己居然拖了这么久才开始种菜。

She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to plant a garden.

她已经是个园丁了。

Already, she was a gardener.

心里头涌起一股希望。

She felt hope brim in her chest.

在下一次拼布聚会时，Goatina被现实泼了盆冷水。

Goatina got a reality check at the next quilting circle.

以前她听别人聊园艺，总是心不在焉，觉得跟自己没关系，可现在她也成了园丁。

She'd only ever listened to the gardening talk with half an ear since it never seemed relevant to her, But now she was a gardener too.

说不定能学到点东西。

She might learn something.

她身子往前倾了倾。

She leaned forward in her seat.

她听得入神，手里的刺绣都搁在腿上没动。

She listened so eagerly that her quilting project sat neglected in her lap.

她听的内容，吓得她心惊肉跳。

And what she heard absolutely terrified her.

我总算明白为什么我的飞燕草长不好了。

Well, I found out why my delphiniums have been struggling so.

是吗？

Did you?

我的土壤酸性太强了。

My soil pH is much too low.

没这回事。

It isn't.

真的有。

It is.

戈蒂娜感觉脸颊发烫。

Goatina felt her cheeks grow hot.

她对pH值一无所知。

She didn't know anything about pH.

她也不懂天竺葵这东西。

She didn't know anything about delphiniums.

之前把几颗番茄种子埋进土里时那份满足感，瞬间就没了。

All the satisfaction she'd felt after dropping a few tomato seeds in the ground seemed to vanish in an instant.

接下来的对话越来越专业了。

The conversation went deeper into the weeds, so to speak.

我朋友达莉亚特别推崇白云石粉。

My friend Dahlia swears by dolomite lime.

你必须……

You must Goatina leaned back in her seat.

她后面的话基本没听进去。

She barely heard the rest of the conversation.

她觉得自己完全插不上话，一点都跟不上。

She felt completely, utterly out of her depth.

等她回过神来，大家已经转到聊刺绣转印了，她总算松了口气。

When she did tune back in, the group had mercifully moved on to discussing embroidery transfers.

接下来几天，Goatina什么事都没做，就只是盯着窗外的菜地发呆。

For a few days, Goatina did little except stare out the window at her garden bed.

她开始琢磨自己地里的土壤pH值，可又不知道该怎么去测。

She wondered about the pH of her soil and wondered how she would even figure out what it was.

她想象着那些女裁缝们在背后笑话她。

She imagined the other quilters laughing at her.

我听说她还真跟自己的土壤打过招呼。

I heard she actually said hello to her soil.

你敢信吗？

Could you believe it?

但几天后，当Goatina再次望向那扇窗时，她看见嫩绿的芽儿正从土里冒出来。

But a few days after that, when Goatina looked out the same window, she saw green shoots climbing up from the ground.

她冲到外面，想看得更清楚些。

She dashed outside to get a better look.

果然，她的番茄苗长出来了。

Sure enough, her tomato plants were growing.

她蹲下来，仔细端详那些嫩绿的藤蔓。

She got down close to the soil and eyed the little tendrils of green.

她打招呼说：‘你好啊。’这次，她根本不在乎有没有人听见。

Hello, she said, this time not bothering to check to see if she had any witnesses.

她受到鼓舞，又种下了更多种子：一排豆角，一排卷心菜。

She was so inspired that she planted more seeds, a row of green beans and one of cabbage.

到日落时分，Goatina累坏了，但心里充满希望。

By sundown, Goatina was exhausted and hopeful.

接下来的几周里，Goatina的植物越长越好。

Over the next few weeks, Goatina's plants grew.

它们长得又壮又美，甚至引来了其他生物的注意。

They grew so well and so beautifully, in fact, that they attracted the attention of other creatures.

有一天她出门，发现好几只鹿正在吃她的生菜。

She came outside one day to find several deer munching away at her lettuce.

另一个早晨，有两只兔子鬼鬼祟祟地靠近她的青豆。

Another morning, there were two rabbits standing suspiciously close to her green beans.

她走近一看，青豆正往它们嘴里送，跟木头进碎木机一样。

When she drew near, she saw green beans disappearing into their mouths like logs into a wood chipper.

第二天，她发现小虫子在番茄藤上爬来爬去。

The next day, she discovered tiny little insects running up and down her tomato vines.

洛莉一眼就认出了它们。

Lolly identified them straight away.

是蚜虫，没错。

Aphids, those are.

去弄点饿肚子的瓢虫来。

Get yourself some hungry ladybugs.

在下一次拼布聚会时，和以往不同，戈蒂娜一点不紧张，不怕大家聊到园艺。

At the next quilting circle, unlike many times in the past, Goatina didn't feel any nerves about the discussion turning to gardening.

事实上，她反而开始期待这件事发生。

In fact, she started to want it to happen.

当大家开始讨论Goatelepe被子上的蜜蜂图案时，她确信话题终于要转向园艺了。

She felt sure it would when the group began discussing the honeybee print on Goatelepe's quilt.

Goatelepe。

Goatelepe.

我超爱这个图案。

I love that print.

只要是上面有蜜蜂的，我都喜欢。

I love anything with honeybees on it.

蜜蜂可是园丁最好的朋友。

They are a gardener's best friend, of course.

Goatina环顾四周，等着有人——随便谁——又把话题扯到园艺上。

Goatina glanced around, expecting someone, anyone to launch yet another conversation about gardening.

但突然有人喊了一声：‘哎哟！’

But there was an Ouch.

奶奶缝针时不小心扎到了脚。

When granny hoofed and pricked herself with her needle.

其他人担心了她一会儿。

The rest of the group worried over her for a minute.

我没事。

I'm fine.

我的蹄子没以前那么稳了。

My hoofs are just not as steady as they used to be.

这事儿就这么过去了。

And the moment passed.

有人有好的塔兹酱食谱吗？

Does anyone have a good recipe for tzatziki?

Goatina 没能插上话分享她对付蚜虫的经验，心里有点失落，但回到家一看，番茄全红了，那感觉就淡了。

Goatina felt a strange sense of disappointment at not having the opportunity to chime in and share her aphid experience, the feeling faded when she returned home to find that her tomatoes had turned bright red.

趁着最熟的时候摘下来，真是件开心的事。

It was a delight to pluck them off the vine at the height of ripeness.

它们从里到外都是红的，她切开一个放进沙拉时，果肉的质地完美极了。

They were red through and through and had a perfect texture on the inside when she sliced one open to put on her salad.

她种的番茄太多了，干脆提了一整篮子给洛莉，洛莉看得直惊叹。

She had so many perfect tomatoes that she brought a whole basket over to Lolly who was most impressed.

你真是跟土地打成一片了。

You really connected to the soil.

我一眼就能看出来。

I can tell.

接下来的缝纫聚会，Goatina走路都带着轻快的步子。

Goatina showed up at the next quilting circle with a spring in her step.

她收获了太多青豆，带了些来分享，其他山羊尝了都点头称赞，说脆得正好。

She had such a big yield of green beans that she brought some to share, and the other goats nodded approvingly at their crunchiness.

不过，Goatina一直没做她从开始种菜那天起就盼着做的事。

Still, Goatina hadn't yet done what she'd been looking forward to doing ever since she began her garden.

她想加入大家的聊天，真正融入这个小团体。

She wanted to join in on the conversation and feel part of the group.

所以你能想象，当 quilting 的话题突然冷场时，Goatina 多开心。

So you can imagine Goatina's delight when conversation about quilting hit a lull.

她们刚才还在争论哪种被芯材料最好。

They'd all been debating the best type of quilt batting.

竹纤维才是最好的，别想说服我换别的。

Bamboo is the best, and don't try to convince me otherwise.

羊毛明显才是最优的选择。

Wool is obviously the best.

不过那样就得专门对付羊了。

Although, then you have to deal with sheep precisely.

你这话说得正好替我论证了。

You're making my argument for me.

但几分钟后，就好像一壶满满的被芯评论全倒光了，一点剩的都没了。

But after a few minutes, it was as if there had been a pitcher full of quilt batting commentary that had been poured out until not even a drop was left.

现场一下子安静下来，每只山羊都专注地看着她的针线。

Silence fell, and every goat seemed to focus in on her stitches.

Goatina心里暗自一笑，心想接下来该聊园艺了，果不其然。

Goatina smiled to herself, thinking that gardening must be the next topic, and it was.

Goatzilla打破了沉默，说：你绝对猜不到这周谁来我花园了。

Goatzilla broke the silence, saying, well, you won't believe who visited my garden this week.

就是那只老乌鸦，Harold。

That old crow, Harold.

他跑来偷吃我的甜滴辣椒。

He came by to eat my sweetie drop peppers.

又来了？

Not again.

又是他。

Again.

我真不敢相信他这么厚脸皮。

I couldn't believe his nerve.

Goatina对甜滴辣椒挺了解的，因为她自己那周刚种了一茬。

Goatina knew something about sweetie drop peppers, having planted some just that week.

她挺直身子，正想着要不要插句话，突然‘哎哟’一声，原来是胡夫顿奶奶又让针扎到了。

She straightened herself, thinking perhaps she might add something to the conversation when all of a sudden, ouch, it was granny Hoofton pricking herself with a needle again.

又来？

Again?

山羊们一时都替她担心，聊起 quilting 多年，蹄子不稳真是难办。

The goats worried over her for a minute, chatting about how it can be difficult to have steady hoofs after so many years of quilting.

我这手就是停不下来抖，”胡夫顿奶奶嘀咕着。

I can't seem to get rid of these shakes, Granny Hoofden muttered.

Goatina 和大家一样，默默点头。

Goatina nodded along with everyone else.

沉默了一会儿，Goatina 心里有数——他们准又要绕回园艺上。

There was a pause, and Goatina just knew they'd circle back to gardening.

没想到，Goatrella 却说：‘太开心了，终于又到独轮车季了！’

Instead, Goatrella said, I am so thrilled to be back in unicycling season.

我早就盼着上山骑行了。

I can't wait to hit the trails.

Goatina差点笑出声来。

Goatina nearly laughed out loud.

单轮车？

Unicycling?

这肯定是在开玩笑吧。

It must be a joke.

这可不是玩笑。

It wasn't a joke.

我刚从棚子里把单轮车推出来。

I just pulled my unicycle out of the shed.

我把它打理得焕然一新。

I spiffed it up.

看上去跟新的一样。

It looks nearly new again.

哦，我的那辆得大修一番了。

Oh, mine needs a major work done.

我一不在，就有一只老鼠在车轮里睡觉。

And there's a mouse that keeps napping in the wheel when I'm not there.

我得想办法把它赶走。

I have to get rid of him.

有人试过蓝莓山口那条小路吗？

Has anyone tried the trail up on Blueberry Pass?

Goatina突然专心起来，手里的针线活更紧了。

Goatina suddenly became much more focused on her stitches.

她把作品拉到眼前，仔细检查根本不存在的毛病。

She drew her project up to her face, inspecting nonexistent errors.

她等着话题重新转回园艺，或者至少是缝被子。

She waited for the conversation to drift back to gardening or at least quilting.

对话有了一瞬间的停顿，Goatina这才松了口气。

There was the briefest lull in conversation, and Goatina breathed a sigh of relief.

接着，缝被子小组新来的成员，叫Gotessa的是吧？

Then the newest member of quilting circle, Gotessa, was it?

她叫什么其实根本不重要。

It doesn't really matter what her name is.

她转向 Goatina，眨了眨眼睛，温柔地问：你骑的是哪种独轮车？

She turned to Goatina and, blinking sweetly, said What kind of unicycle do you ride?

Goatina 慢慢从手里的活计上移开视线，抬眼看向问话的人。

Goatina slowly pulled her eyes from her work and faced her interrogator.

她感觉脸颊发烫，四周的沉默像一床被子一样裹住了她。

She felt heat rise in her cheeks, silence gathered around her like a quilt.

渐渐地，其他山羊一个接一个地抬起头，朝她看过来。

Gradually, the heads of the other goats began turning up one by one to look at her.

希望你们喜欢这个故事。

I hope you enjoyed this story.

《给小人物的小故事》由我，里亚·赫克托，负责写作、朗读和制作。

Little Stories for Tiny People is written, performed, and produced by me, Rhea Hector.

我的内部技术总监彼得·K 负责维护网站，把我的故事上传到网上，供大家收听。

My in house tech director, Peter K, runs my website and puts my stories in the Internet for all of you to enjoy.

感谢所有Little Stories的高级订阅用户。

Little Storiespremium subscribers, thank you so much.

正是因为你们，我才能继续为世界各地的孩子们分享故事。

You are truly making it possible for me to keep sharing stories with children around the world.

特别感谢KIAAN在片头提供的非常重要的提醒，也感谢你们，

Thank you to KIAAN for the super important reminder message at the beginning, and thank you,

一如既往地收听。

as always, for listening in.