Nia found the car behind Grandfather's shed. It had no wheels, no doors, and a family of ants living in the back seat. 'It is junk,' said her brother. Nia climbed inside and put her hands on the empty steering wheel.
妮娅在爷爷的小屋后面发现了那辆车。它没有轮子，没有车门，后座上还住着一窝蚂蚁。“这是废铁，”哥哥说。妮娅爬进去，把双手放在空空的转盘上。
Grandfather came out with a broom and a bucket. 'Junk is just a thing waiting for a new idea,' he said. They swept the seats and washed the windows. Nia drew a road on the dusty hood with one finger. The road went to the sea.
爷爷拿着扫帚和水桶走出来。“废铁只是一件等着新点子的东西，”他说。他们扫净座椅，擦亮车窗。妮娅用手指在满是灰的引擎盖上画了一条路。那条路一直通到大海。
In the morning, Grandfather opened the engine box. 'No engine,' he said. 'Good. Engines are noisy.' Nia brought a pot of basil from the kitchen. They set it where the engine used to be. Green leaves leaned toward the sunlight.
第二天早上，爷爷打开发动机箱。“没有发动机，”他说，“很好。发动机太吵了。”妮娅从厨房端来一盆罗勒。他们把它放在原来发动机的位置。绿叶朝着阳光探过身去。
Neighbors stopped to look. Mrs. Oka put two cushions on the seats. The baker left a small shelf for books. A boy painted a yellow sun on the roof. By evening, the old car smelled of basil and warm bread.
邻居们停下来张望。奥卡奶奶在座位上放了两个垫子。面包师留下一个小书架。一个男孩在车顶上画了个黄色的太阳。到了傍晚，旧车闻起来有罗勒和热面包的香味。
On Saturday, Nia hung a sign on the car: STORY CAR. People came with blankets and apples. Grandfather told how the car once carried his mother to market. Mrs. Oka sang a song about rain. Nia read a book about a whale.
星期六，妮娅在车上挂了一块牌子：故事车。人们带着毯子和苹果来了。爷爷讲这辆车曾经怎样载着他的妈妈去集市。奥卡奶奶唱了一首关于雨的歌。妮娅读了一本关于鲸鱼的书。
The car did not move an inch, but no one minded. They traveled to the market, to the rainy street, and to the bottom of the sea. When the moon rose, Nia patted the empty wheel space. 'Good night, car,' she said. 'Tomorrow we go farther.'
车子一动不动，可谁都不在意。他们去了集市，去了下雨的街道，还去了海底。月亮升起时，妮娅拍了拍空空的轮子的位置。“晚安，汽车，”她说，“明天我们走得更远。”