Juno found the notebook in a tin box under Grandpa’s bed. Its cover was stiff with salt, and its pages smelled of rope and rain. Grandpa had been a sailor before she was born, though he rarely spoke about the sea. The first entry was dated forty years earlier: “Left harbor at dawn. The green light was still on.” Juno turned the page carefully.
朱诺在爷爷床下的铁盒里发现了这本笔记本。封皮被盐渍得发硬，书页闻起来有绳索和雨水的味道。爷爷在她出生前当过水手，却很少谈起大海。第一篇日记的日期是四十年前：“黎明离港。绿灯还亮着。”朱诺小心地翻到下一页。
Most entries described weather, cargo, and meals. But one page had been torn out. In its place, Grandpa had drawn a small lighthouse and written: “I promised to return.” Juno asked him about it at dinner. He looked out the window for a long moment. “Some voyages are not finished,” he said, “even when the ship comes home.”
大多数日记记的是天气、货物和饭菜。但有一页被撕掉了。在原处，爷爷画了一座小灯塔，写着：“我答应过要回去。”晚饭时，朱诺问起这件事。他望着窗外，沉默了很久。“有些航行并没有结束，”他说，“即使船已经回家了。”
The next Saturday, Juno bicycled to the old harbor with the notebook. Most of the fishing boats were gone, replaced by pleasure craft. She found a man repairing nets outside a chandlery. His name was Mr. Pike, and he recognized Grandpa’s handwriting at once. “Your grandfather sailed with my brother on the Sea Star,” he said. “That green light saved them.”
星期六，朱诺带着笔记本骑车去了旧港口。大部分渔船都不见了，取而代之的是游船。她在一家船具店外找到一位补渔网的老人。他叫派克先生，一眼就认出了爷爷的字迹。“你爷爷和我哥哥一起在‘海星号’上航行，”他说，“那盏绿灯救了他们。”
Mr. Pike explained that a storm had knocked out the harbor light. Grandpa climbed the lighthouse in the dark and kept the green lamp burning until the Sea Star reached shore. The missing page, he guessed, held Grandpa’s promise to return and thank the lighthouse keeper. “But the keeper died that winter,” Mr. Pike said. Juno held the notebook against her chest. The unfinished promise felt heavy.
派克先生解释说，一场风暴打坏了港口灯。爷爷摸黑爬上灯塔，让绿灯一直亮着，直到“海星号”靠岸。他猜，那页丢失的日记上，写着爷爷要回来感谢灯塔看守人的承诺。“可那位看守人在那年冬天去世了。”派克先生说。朱诺把笔记本抱在胸前。这个未完成的承诺变得沉甸甸的。
That evening, Juno showed Grandpa what she had learned. For a long time, he said nothing. Then he opened a drawer and took out a brass key. “The keeper’s daughter still lives near the point,” he said. “I wrote to her every year but never visited.” The next morning, they drove to a white cottage above the water. An elderly woman opened the door.
那天晚上，朱诺把打听到的事告诉了爷爷。他沉默了很久，然后打开抽屉，取出一把黄铜钥匙。“看守人的女儿还住在海角附近，”他说，“我每年都给她写信，却从没去看过她。”第二天早上，他们开车来到水边一座白色小屋前。一位年老的女士打开了门。
Her name was Ellen. When she saw the notebook, she invited them inside. Grandpa gave her the key and said thank you. Ellen smiled. “My father always said the green light was not his,” she replied. “It belonged to everyone who came home.” Before they left, Juno wrote one last line in the diary: “Promise kept.” Grandpa added a date beneath it in his shaky handwriting.
她叫埃伦。看到笔记本后，她请他们进屋。爷爷把钥匙交给她，并说了声谢谢。埃伦笑了。“我父亲总说，那盏绿灯不属于他，”她回答，“它属于每一个回家的人。”离开前，朱诺在日记里写下最后一行：“承诺已兑现。”爷爷用颤抖的笔迹在下面添上了日期。