Owen found the map in a drawer of the school library. It showed every street in town except his own. The paper was warm, as if someone had folded it only minutes before. In the corner, tiny letters read: “Walk kindly, and the blank places will grow.” Owen laughed. Maps did not grow. Still, he tucked it into his backpack and took the long way home.
欧文在学校图书馆的一个抽屉里发现了这张地图。图上画着镇上的每一条街，唯独没有他家那条。纸张暖暖的，像是刚有人把它折好。角落里有一行小字：“善意地行走，空白的地方就会生长。”欧文笑了。地图才不会生长。可他还是把它塞进书包，绕远路回家。
Near the bakery, he met a student named Salma, who was trying to find the garden. Owen knew a shortcut, so he walked with her. When they reached the gate, he opened the map to show her the way back. A thin green path had appeared beside his street. It led to a place labeled “Seed Library.” Owen blinked. The ink was still wet.
在面包店附近，他遇见一个叫萨尔玛的同学，她正在找花园。欧文知道一条近路，便陪她一起走。到了门口，他打开地图，想告诉她怎么回去。他家街道旁边竟然出现了一条细细的绿线，通向一个标着“种子图书馆”的地方。欧文眨了眨眼。那墨水还是湿的。
Owen and Salma followed the green path to a shed behind the community center. Inside were packets of tomato, bean, and marigold seeds, free for anyone who promised to share the harvest. They planted a small plot near the fence. Each afternoon, they watered it and invited classmates to help. With every new helper, another line appeared on the map.
欧文和萨尔玛沿着绿线，来到社区中心后面的小棚屋。里面放着一包包西红柿、豆子和万寿菊的种子，免费提供给任何答应分享收成的人。他们在栅栏旁开了一小块地。每天下午，他们来浇水，还邀请同学帮忙。每多一个帮手，地图上就会多出一条线。
By Friday, the map showed a bridge where none existed and a trail through the vacant lot. The children crossed the bridge and found an old man feeding pigeons. He said the lot had once been a playground. That evening, Owen wrote a letter to the town office asking to clean it. Salma collected twelve signatures. The map shimmered, and a new word appeared: “Together.”
到了星期五，地图上出现了一座现实中并不存在的桥，还有一条穿过空地的路。孩子们走过桥，发现一位老人正在喂鸽子。他说那片空地以前是游乐场。那天晚上，欧文给镇办公室写信，请求清理空地。萨尔玛收集了十二个签名。地图微微发光，浮现出一个新词：“一起”。
On Saturday, thirty neighbors arrived with rakes and paint. They cleared the vacant lot, repaired the swings, and planted sunflowers around the fence. Owen brought the map in his pocket. As people worked, streets and gardens spread across the paper until only one corner remained blank. Salma pointed to it. “That’s the school,” she said. “Why hasn’t it grown?”
星期六，三十位邻居带着耙子和油漆来了。他们清理空地，修好秋千，还在栅栏周围种下向日葵。欧文把地图装在口袋里带来。随着大家忙碌，街道和花园在纸上不断延伸，最后只剩一个角落还是空白。萨尔玛指着那里。“那是学校，”她说，“它为什么没有长出来？”
Owen understood. The map grew where people helped one another, and at school, he had kept to himself. On Monday, he invited Salma to eat lunch with his friends. He offered to tutor a boy who struggled with fractions. Slowly, a path appeared across the blank corner, leading from the school to the park. It was not the biggest street on the map, but it was the one Owen had drawn.
欧文明白了。地图会在人们互相帮助的地方生长，而他在学校里总是独来独往。星期一，他邀请萨尔玛和他的朋友们一起吃午饭。他还主动辅导一个害怕分数的男孩。渐渐地，一条小路出现在空白角落，从学校通向公园。它不是地图上最宽的路，却是欧文亲手画出来的那一条。