Lily was looking for her blue scarf when she found a dusty box. Inside lay a photo of a girl with short hair and a red backpack. The girl stood before Lily's school.
莉莉正在找她的蓝围巾，却发现了一个落满灰尘的盒子。里面放着一张照片，照片上是一个留着短发、背着红色书包的女孩。那个女孩站在莉莉的学校前。
Lily ran to the kitchen. 'Mom, is this you?' she asked. Her mother studied the photo for a long time. 'Yes,' she said. 'I was very shy in third grade.'
莉莉跑到厨房。“妈妈，这是你吗？”她问。妈妈端详了那张照片很久。“是的，”她说，“我三年级时非常害羞。”
Lily had never imagined her mother as shy. She turned the photo over. On the back, small letters said: 'The tree by the gate knows my wish.'
莉莉从没想过妈妈也会害羞。她把照片翻过来。照片背面有一行小字：“校门旁的那棵树知道我的愿望。”
On Saturday, Lily and her mother walked to the school gate. The old tree was still there, tall and wide. A metal sign now said 'Please keep off the grass.'
星期六，莉莉和妈妈走到了学校门口。那棵老树还在，又高又茂密。现在有一块金属牌子写着“请勿践踏草坪”。
Mom touched the bark. 'I ate lunch here alone,' she said. 'My wish was to have one friend to share it with.' Lily took her hand. 'Did it come true?'
妈妈摸了摸树皮。“我以前一个人在这里吃午饭，”她说，“我的愿望是有一个朋友能和我一起分享。”莉莉握住她的手。“愿望实现了吗？”
Her mother pointed across the yard. An old woman waved from the school office. 'That's Ms. Chen,' Mom said. 'She sat with me the next day. We are still friends.'
妈妈指向操场对面。一位老奶奶正在学校办公室前挥手。“那是陈老师，”妈妈说，“第二天她就来陪我坐。我们现在还是朋友。”
Ms. Chen came out with a camera. 'Stand by the tree,' she said. 'I took the first photo, too.' Lily stood between her mother and Ms. Chen.
陈老师拿着一台相机走了出来。“站到树旁边吧，”她说，“第一张照片也是我拍的。”莉莉站在妈妈和陈老师之间。
Before the picture, Lily wrote a wish on a card. She did not wish for a toy or a trip. She wished to be brave enough to make a new friend.
拍照前，莉莉在一张卡片上写下一个愿望。她没有希望得到玩具或去旅行。她希望自己能有勇气交一个新朋友。
The camera clicked. Later, Mom put the new photo beside the old one. In both, the tree looked the same. In both, someone stood a little taller.
相机咔嚓一响。后来，妈妈把新照片放在旧照片旁边。两张照片里，那棵树看起来一模一样。两张照片里，都有一个人站得更高了一点。