The Dare to Swim Across the Pond

Iker and Nils stood at the edge of a pond. It was a warm Saturday in early summer. The water looked cold and a little dark. A narrow path circled the whole pond too. Tall grass grew along both sides of the path.

伊克尔和尼尔斯站在池塘边。那是初夏一个温暖的星期六。池水看起来冰凉，还有点发暗。一条窄窄的小路也环绕着整个池塘。小路两边都长着高高的草。

"I dare you to swim across," Nils said. Iker looked at the water and hesitated.

“我打赌你不敢游过去。”尼尔斯说。伊克尔看着池水，犹豫了。

"The path around feels safe," Iker said. "The swim looks fun," Nils said.

“绕着走的小路感觉很安全。”伊克尔说。“游过去看起来更好玩。”尼尔斯说。

Iker thought about both choices carefully. The path took twenty slow minutes to walk. The swim took only five fast minutes.

伊克尔仔细考虑了两个选择。走小路要慢悠悠地走二十分钟。游泳只要快快的五分钟。

"I choose the swim," Iker finally said. Nils grinned and pulled off his shoes.

“我选游泳。”伊克尔终于说。尼尔斯咧嘴一笑，脱下了鞋子。

They both waded into the cool water. Iker kicked his legs and moved forward. Nils swam right beside him the whole way.

他们一起涉进清凉的水里。伊克尔蹬着腿向前游去。尼尔斯一路都紧挨着他游。

Halfway across, Iker's legs started to feel tired. "Keep going," Nils called. "You swim well."

游到一半，伊克尔的腿开始觉得累了。“继续游！”尼尔斯喊道。“你游得很好。”

Iker pushed forward with new energy. A few minutes later, his feet touched the other shore.

伊克尔重新鼓起力气向前游。几分钟后，他的脚碰到了对岸。

Both boys climbed out, dripping and proud. "We did it," Iker said, catching his breath.

两个男孩爬上岸，浑身滴着水，满心自豪。“我们做到了。”伊克尔喘着气说。

Nils laughed and slapped Iker's back kindly. "That was a great choice," he said.

尼尔斯笑了，友好地拍了拍伊克尔的背。“这个选择太棒了。”他说。

They sat on the grass and dried off. The sun warmed their wet shoulders slowly. The pond looked calm behind them. A small fish jumped near the shore. Nils pointed at it and laughed out loud.

他们坐在草地上晾干身子。阳光慢慢地温暖着他们湿漉漉的肩膀。身后的池塘平静无波。一条小鱼在岸边跳了起来。尼尔斯指着它，大笑起来。