Declan had skied this frozen lake crossing every winter for the past four years, and it had always held without complaint. This year, though, the ice had been forming late, and he knew that mattered more than he wanted to admit.
德克兰过去四年每个冬天都会滑雪穿越这片冰封的湖面，冰层一直很稳，从没出过问题。可今年冰结得晚，他知道这比他愿意承认的更要紧。
"It sounded different that time," Saoirse said, stopping mid-stride. A low groan had rolled out from somewhere beneath them, more felt than heard.
“这次听起来不一样，”西尔莎说着，停在半步之中。一声低沉的呻吟从他们脚下某处传来，与其说是听到的，不如说是感觉到的。
"Probably just the ice settling," Declan said, though he slowed his pace anyway. "It does that when the temperature drops fast."
“大概只是冰在沉降，”德克兰说，不过他还是放慢了速度，“气温骤降的时候它就会这样。”
They skied on, spaced ten meters apart the way they always did on lake ice, in case one of them broke through. It was a rule Declan had never needed before.
他们继续滑行，彼此相隔十米，就像在湖冰上一向的做法，以防其中一个人掉下去。这条规矩，德克兰以前从没真正用上过。
The second crack came louder, and this time a thin dark line appeared, spreading from a point just behind Saoirse's skis.
第二声裂响更响了，这一次，一条细细的黑线出现了，从西尔莎滑雪板后面的一点向外蔓延。
"Declan!"
“德克兰！”
"Don't stop — glide, don't push off hard!" he called, remembering that sudden weight on one spot was worse than steady motion. "Head for the shore, straight line, go!"
“别停——滑行，别用力蹬！”他喊道，想起一个点上突然受力比平稳移动更糟，“朝岸边去，走直线，快！”
Saoirse skied faster, though every instinct told her to run, which would have been the worst thing she could do on cracking ice. The line kept pace with her, branching once, then twice.
西尔莎滑得更快了，尽管每一种本能都告诉她要跑，而在开裂的冰面上，那恰恰是最糟糕的做法。那条线跟着她，分叉一次，又分叉一次。
Declan angled toward the same shore from a slightly different line, watching the ice ahead of his own skis rather than behind him. If he had watched Saoirse instead, he might have skied straight into a weak spot himself.
德克兰从略有不同的路线斜着朝同一片岸边滑去，眼睛盯着自己滑雪板前方的冰面，而不是身后。如果他去看西尔莎，也许自己就会一头滑进某个薄弱的地方。
They reached the rocky shoreline within seconds of each other, scrambling up onto solid ground and collapsing against a boulder, breathing hard.
他们几乎同时到达多石的岸边，手脚并用爬上坚实的地面，瘫靠在一块大石头上，大口喘着气。
"That crack was following me," Saoirse said, still shaking.
“那道裂缝一直在追我，”西尔莎说，仍在发抖。
"It wasn't following you. We're just heavier than the ice wanted to carry today," Declan said. "We should've turned back the moment we heard the first sound."
“它不是在追你。只是今天我们比冰愿意承受的更重，”德克兰说，“听到第一声响的时候，我们就该掉头的。”
"Next time we will," Saoirse said. "Assuming there's a next time."
“下次我们会的，”西尔莎说，“如果还有下次的话。”
"There will be," Declan said. "Just not on this lake, not until it's had another month of real cold."
“会有的，”德克兰说，“只是不在这片湖上，除非它再经历一个月真正的严寒。”
They shouldered their packs and walked the long way home, along the shoreline instead of across it.
他们背起背包，走了很长的一段路回家，沿着湖岸走，而不是穿过湖面。
