Every morning this week, Tessa has noticed a strange set of footprints crossing her backyard. They are small and evenly spaced. They lead from the fence straight to the old garden shed and back again. The grass has been frosty since Monday, so the tracks show up clearly in the pale morning light.
这个星期，每天早上，特莎都发现有一串奇怪的脚印穿过她家的后院。脚印很小，间隔均匀。它们从围栏一直通到那间旧花园棚屋，然后又折回去。从星期一起草地上就结了霜，所以在苍白的晨光里，那些足迹看得很清楚。
At first, she assumes it's an animal, maybe a fox or a large cat. The footprints look too regular, though, almost like they belong to someone walking the same path on purpose. She mentions it to her mother, who laughs and suggests it's probably just the neighbor's dog.
起初，她以为是动物，也许是狐狸或者一只大猫。可是这些脚印看起来太规整了，几乎像是有人故意一遍遍走同一条路。她跟妈妈提起这件事，妈妈笑着说，多半只是邻居家的狗。
Tessa isn't convinced. On Thursday, she wakes up earlier than usual and pulls a coat over her pajamas. She watches the shed from her bedroom window instead of going straight downstairs. At exactly 6:40, a boy climbs quietly over the fence from the house next door. He lets himself into the shed.
特莎并不相信。星期四，她比平时起得更早，在睡衣外面套了件外套。她没有直接下楼，而是从卧室的窗户盯着那间棚屋。正好六点四十分，一个男孩悄悄地从隔壁房子翻过围栏。他自己开门走进了棚屋。
She recognizes him immediately: Kerem, from her math class. He moved in three weeks ago and has barely spoken to anyone at school. Curious rather than annoyed, Tessa pulls on her boots and walks out to the shed herself. She knocks gently on the wooden door.
她立刻认出了他：是她数学课上的凯雷姆。他三周前搬来，在学校里几乎没跟谁说过话。比起恼火，特莎更多的是好奇，她穿上靴子，亲自走到棚屋前。她轻轻地敲了敲那扇木门。
Kerem opens it looking startled, a trumpet held awkwardly against his chest. "I practice here before school," he admits, clearly embarrassed. "My dad works night shifts and sleeps during the day, so I can't play without waking him."
凯雷姆打开门，一脸吃惊，胸前别扭地抱着一把小号。“我上学前在这里练习，”他承认道，显然很尴尬，“我爸爸上夜班，白天要睡觉，所以我没法在家吹，不然会吵醒他。”
Tessa realizes he has been using her family's old, mostly forgotten shed as a quiet practice space. He assumed nobody would notice this early. Rather than telling him to stop, she offers something better: a spare key. That way, he doesn't have to keep climbing the fence in the frost.
特莎明白了，他一直把她家这间旧的、几乎被遗忘的棚屋当作安静的练习场所。他以为这么早不会有人发现。她没有叫他别再来，而是提出了一个更好的办法：给他一把备用钥匙。这样，他就不用在霜冻的天气里一直翻围栏了。
"Just don't tell my mom it was you," she says, smiling. "She's convinced it's the neighbor's dog, and honestly, that theory is more fun."
“只是别告诉我妈妈是你，”她笑着说，“她一口咬定是邻居家的狗，说实话，那个说法更有意思。”
