Who's Taking the Good Pen?

Liam works at the front desk. He keeps one good pen in a cup. The pen writes very smoothly. Everyone in the office likes this pen.

利亚姆在前台工作。 他在笔筒里放着一支好笔。 这支笔写起字来特别流畅。 办公室里的每个人都喜欢这支笔。

Some mornings, the pen is not there. Liam checks his drawers first. Next, he checks the shelf by the printer. The pen always turns up somewhere strange.

有些早晨，那支笔不在笔筒里。 利亚姆先翻自己的抽屉。 接着，他去看打印机旁边的架子。 那支笔总是出现在某个奇怪的地方。

One week, it sits in a filing cabinet. Another week, it sits under some papers. Liam wants to solve this small mystery.

有一个星期，它在档案柜里。 另一个星期，它压在一些文件下面。 利亚姆想解开这个小小的谜团。

On Thursday, Liam watches the front desk. At two o'clock, Dean walks by. Dean picks up the pen and smiles. He carries it straight to his own desk. He opens the newspaper to the crossword.

星期四，利亚姆一直留意着前台。 两点钟，迪恩走了过来。 迪恩拿起那支笔，笑了笑。 他径直把它带回了自己的办公桌。 他把报纸翻到填字游戏那一版。

Liam walks over with a curious look. "Do you always borrow my pen?" he asks.

利亚姆带着好奇的神情走过去。 “你是不是总拿我的笔？”他问。

Dean looks up, a little surprised. "Is this your special pen?" he says. "I just grab any pen close by. I always mean to bring it back."

迪恩抬起头，有点意外。 “这是你的宝贝笔吗？”他说， “我只是随手拿身边的笔。 我每次都想着要还回去的。”

"You forget every time," Liam says kindly. "The whole office looks for this pen."

“可你每次都忘了，”利亚姆好声好气地说， “整个办公室都在找这支笔。”

Dean laughs and hands it back at once. "Sorry about that. I did not know."

迪恩笑了，立刻把笔还了回来。 “抱歉，我不知道。”

Liam finds a small bright sticker. He writes a short note on it. It says, "Front Desk Pen. Please Return Here." He sticks the note right on the cup.

利亚姆找到一张鲜艳的小贴纸。 他在上面写了一句简短的话。 上面写着：“前台用笔，请归还此处。” 他把纸条直接贴在笔筒上。

The next week, the pen stays put. Dean still borrows it for his crossword. But now he always brings it back.

下个星期，那支笔就一直待在原处。 迪恩还是会借它来做填字游戏。 但现在他总会把它拿回来。

Liam checks the cup every morning. The good pen sits right in its place.

利亚姆每天早上都会看一眼笔筒。 那支好笔就好好地待在它的位置上。