Leaving the City 离开城市

The car ride was long and silent. Leo did not want to leave the city, but his father wanted him to meet his new girlfriend, Lucinda. The boy wished his parents were still together—that they hadn't divorced—but he felt resigned that there was nothing he could do about it. When he asked why his parents separated, his father would often say, "It wasn't in the stars."

旅程又长又安静。里欧不想要离开城市，但是，他的父亲想要去见他的新女朋友，露辛达。男孩希望他们的父母仍旧在一起，没有离婚，但是他感到无可奈何，他什么都做不了。他问他的父母为什么分开，他父亲总说，没有缘分。

As they pulled off the highway, Leo noticed how different the scenery looked. Farmhouses and silos dotted the vast plains and lush fields. Herds of cows relaxed with their calves in the cool green grass.

当汽车驶离公路，里欧注意到他看到的景色有多么不同。 农舍和筒仓点缀着广阔的平原和郁郁葱葱的田野着农舍和仓库。成群的奶牛和他们的小牛在清凉的草丛里。

As they ascended the hills, a canopy of trees covered them. It was so different from the concrete pathways, garbage—filled alleyways, and traffic—strained byways to which he was so accustomed.

当他们上山时，树冠遮住了他们。它与混凝土道路大不相同，垃圾，填满小巷子，交通，拥挤的小路，他已经习惯了。

"You know, Lucinda has a son in the fifth grade, too. His name is Dontrelle. I'm sure the two of you will get along just fine."

“你知道吗，露辛达有一个儿子，现在五年级。他叫唐特雷尔（唐）。你们两个肯定会相处的特别开心。”

"I'm sure," Leo muttered standoffish.

“肯定会的，”里欧冷淡的嘀咕着。

Lucinda's house was quaint, tucked back from the road, bordering a forest. She sat on the porch, sipping iced tea from a glass with a slice of lemon clinging to the rim.

露辛达的房子很古色古香，远离道路，在森林的接壤处。她坐在门廊上小口喝着一杯冰茶，一片柠檬贴在玻璃杯上。

"Thomas, you made it." She smiled, skipping down the steps to greet them. Sweeping her arms to take in the view, she laughed, "Not quite like going to the office, huh?"

“托马斯，你终于来啦。”她笑着，跳下台阶迎接他们。她挥舞着手臂，看着眼前的景色，笑着说:"不太喜欢去办公室吧？“

"It's amazing how different it is out here," Thomas agreed, greeting Lucinda with a grin. Then he put his arm around Leo's shoulder. "Lucinda, this is my son, Leo."

“这里真的太不一样了，”托马斯赞同，和露辛达咧嘴一笑。然后，搂着里欧的肩膀。“露辛达，这是我的儿子，里欧。”

Lucinda extended her hand, but Leo didn't budge, keeping his eyes glued to the ground.

露辛达伸出了手，但是里欧一动不动，只是盯着地板。

"Sometimes he's a little shy," Thomas tried to explain.

“他有时候有点害羞，”托马斯试着解释。

Lucinda crouched down to Leo's' height, which didn't' require much effort because Leo was quite a bit taller than the average fifth grader.

露辛达下蹲到和里欧一样高，不需要多费力，因为里欧比一般五年级学生要高。

"My son, Dontrelle, is around back. Why don‘t you go hang out with him? I think he‘s about to go fishing. Do you like fishing?"

“我的儿子，唐特，就在后面。为什么不和她一起出去玩下呢？我觉得他要去钓鱼了，你喜欢钓鱼么？”

Leo didn't' answer but begrudgingly dragged himself off the porch and toward the backyard.

里欧没有回答，但是很不情愿的离开门廊，朝着后院走去。

Leo found Dontrelle pushing on a large tree trunk, barely managing to lift it off the ground. Dontrelle was much smaller and shorter than Leo.

里欧发现唐特在用力推一个大的树干，好不容易把树干从地上抬起来。唐特比里欧要瘦小些。

"What are you doing?" asked Leo.

“你在干嘛？”里欧问。

" A little help here," Dontrelle said, still straining to move the tree trunk.

“来搭把手，”唐特说，一边用力移动着树干。

Leo joined in, and with their combined strength, the two overturned the tree trunk. Worms and bugs, now exposed, slithered around. Dontrelle reached for an old soup can nearby and began scooping in fresh worms and dirt. Leo watched, narrowing his brow.

里欧过来一起，他们合力一起把树干翻了过来。蚯蚓和虫子都露出来了，爬来爬去。唐特伸手去拿一个旧的汤罐头，开始挖新鲜的蚯蚓和泥土。里欧看着，皱紧了眉头。

"Haven'‘t you ever been fishing before?" Dontrelle asked.

“你之前钓过鱼么？”唐特问。

"With worms? That's disgusting."

”用蚯蚓？“太恶心了。

"What do you use?"

“那你用什么？”

"Nothing. I've never been fishing. I live in the city. There's nothing but concrete there."

“不用。我没钓过鱼。我住在城市里。那里只有混凝土。”

"Oh."

“哦！”

Leo cracked a faint smile. He decided that Dontrelle was all right. The two exchanged names and handshakes, even though Dontrelle's hands were still covered with worm slime.

里欧挤出了一个微笑。他觉得唐特还不错。两个人交换了名字，握了手，尽管唐特的手上都是蚯蚓粘液。

"My mom wanted me to take you fishing before dinner, but it‘s getting late, so we‘ll have to fish quickly. The sun is about to set. Grab those poles and let‘s get going."

“我妈让我晚饭前带你去钓鱼，但是现在挺晚了，所以我们得赶紧。太阳就要落山了。拿着鱼竿，出发吧。

Leo grabbed two long, skinny tree branches that each had a fishing line and a hook tied onto it. When he looked over, he saw Dontrelle already on the trail, headed into the woods.

里欧拿着两根又长，有细的树枝，上面挂着鱼线和钩子。当他看过去的时候，唐特已经上路了，朝着森林。

Into the woods 进入森林

The woods were dense and scented with musty dark pine, the kind of smell that clings to a sweater. Leo coughed as the cloudy scent overwhelmed his senses. He had a difficult time adjusting his eyes to the shadows in the diminishing light, and he tripped over a few protruding birch roots. Dontrelle paid little attention to Leo as he maintained a steady pace toward the creek.

茂密的森林里散发着发霉黑松树的味道，在你的毛衣上挥之不去。里欧咳嗽着，浑浊的气味淹没了他的嗅觉。他的眼睛很难适应光线逐渐变暗的阴影，被伸出在外面的树根绊倒。唐特保持着稳定的步伐朝着小溪前进，几乎没有注意到里欧。

A sudden rustling in the nearby trees made Leo jump. "What was that?" he yelped.

附件树林里的沙沙声让里欧跳了起来。“那是什么？”他叫道。

"Nothing to worry about—probably just a squirrel," Dontrelle called back in an attempt to calm Leo's nerves.

“别担心，可能是只松鼠，”唐特试图安抚里欧的紧张情绪。

It didn't work—Leo's breath became heavier and shorter with  nervousness. Another noise only exacerbated his anxiety.

好像没用，里欧的呼吸变得承重而急促，伴随着紧张。另外一个声音加剧了他的焦虑。

Leo darted, to the left, to the right, circling wide—eyed. "Is it a bear? Is it a bear?" he huffed.

里欧开始跑来跑去，到左边，到右边，大范围转动眼睛。“是熊么？是熊么？”他气喘吁吁的说。

Dontrelle stopped to look back. "There are no bears here." Just then a fox peered from around a tree, its eyes shining. "But there are foxes," Dontrelle added with a chuckle, pointing for Leo to see.

唐特停下来往后看。“这里没有熊！”就在这个时候一直狐狸在树的旁边偷偷地看，它的眼睛在发光。“但是，那只有狐狸，”唐特笑着补充道，指给里欧看。

Leo screamed, dropped the fishing poles, and bolted farther into the woods.

里欧尖叫，扔掉了钓鱼竿，远远地跑进了森林里。

"Wait!" Dontrelle shouted, dropping the container of worms as he chased after Leo.

“等等！”唐特叫道，当他去追里欧的伤害，丢掉了装鱼饵的盒子。

After a while, Leo's adrenaline rush had subsided, and he doubled over in exhaustion. A fatigued Dontrelle finally caught up to him, and both of the boys tried to catch their breath.

不一会儿，里欧的兴奋奔跑减弱了，他精疲力尽。劳累的唐特终于追到他了，两个男孩都停下来喘气。

"What's the matter with you?"

“你在干什么啊！？”

"I thought that fox was going to attack me," Leo gasped.

“我以为那个狐狸会攻击我，”里欧

"Why would it want to do that? It's more afraid of you—especially now—and besides, it was, like, 20 feet away, just passing through, just like we were just ."

"它为什么会想要这么做？它更害怕你—尤其是现在—还有之后，这大概有20英尺，而且只是经过，就像我们刚刚穿过小溪。“

After a pause, Leo asked Dontrelle what had happened to the fishing equipment.

一会儿后，里欧问唐特钓鱼的装备怎么样？

"Good question—I think you ditched it about a mile back, along with your bravery."

“好问题—我认为你在一英里外就抛弃它了，还有你的勇气。”

"Where are we?" Leo asked, trying to change the topic.

“我们在哪里？”里欧问，他想要换个话题。

"Another outstanding question."

“另一个明显的问题。”

"Would you knock it off? How was I supposed to know that the fox wouldn‘t attack me? I’ve never seen a fox before—except for one time on TV; this hunter was hunting, and . . . and . . . and he got mauled by a bear."

“你能停一会儿么？我怎么知道狐狸不会攻击我？我之前从未见过

"A fox is not a bear."

”一只狐狸不是一头熊。“

"I know that!" Leo shouted, kicking some dirt in front of him.

“我知道！”里欧大叫，踢着他前面的泥土。

"Okay, okay. Chill out."

“好了，好了，冷静一下。”

"So, where are we now?"

“所以，我们现在哪儿？”

"I don‘t know."

“我不知道。”

"What do you mean you ‘don't know ‘?"

“你不知道是什么意思？"

"I mean I haven't been this far out before, and with all of your zigzags, I lost track of where we were."

"我的意思是，我从前从未到过这么远的地方，你走得曲曲折折，我忘记了我们现在在哪里。"

"Great. And it‘ll be pitch black out here any minute."

“太好了。这儿随时会黑下来。

"That actually works in our favor. We'll be able to find our way back more easily in the dark."

"这实际上对我们有利。我们可以在黑暗中更方便的找到回去的路。"

"What are you talking about? How can we get back when we can‘t see?"

“你在说什么？我们看不见的时候怎么回去？”

"It's in the stars. Walk over to this clearing, look up, and you‘ll see."

“这是上天的安排。走到这边空地，向上看，你就会看到。”

The stars 星星

Leo looked up and saw a brilliant array of stars. His jaw slackened. It was quite a sight. He had never seen such a dazzling sky in the city. With the buildings and the streetlights and smog, that kind of view was impossible.

里欧向上看到一排灿烂的星星。他下巴都松开了。景色十分的漂亮。他从来没在城市里看到过如此耀眼的天空。到处是建筑物、路灯和烟雾，那样的景色已经消失了。

"Are the skies like this every night?" Leo asked.

“天空每天晚上都是这样的么？”里欧问。

"Not on cloudy nights, but otherwise, yeah, it‘s like this."

“多云的夜晚不这样，其他都是这样的。”

The two boys gazed a little while longer, in awe, forgetting for a moment that they were lost. Finally, Leo asked, "So how are these stars supposed to help us?"

两个男孩又再敬畏地看了一会儿，一时忘了他们迷路的事情。最后，里欧问：“那么这些星星要如何帮助我们呢？”

“Simple-by reading them. By reading the constellations," Dontrelle answered.

“简单，阅读他们，通过阅读星座，”唐特回答。

"The what?" Leo asked, incredulous.

“什么？”里欧怀疑地问道。

"The constellations—the figures and symbols in the sky that have helped people find their way for 6,000 years."

“星座，天空中的人物和符号来帮助人们来找到方向已经有6000年之久了。”

"Are you crazy? All I see are white dots." "Dots?" Dontrelle was about to shake his head with disgust but then smiled with an insight. "Yes, dots—exactly. All you need to do is connect the dots and you‘ll be able to see a constellation. Want to try?"

“你疯了么？那些我看到的白点？”“点点？“唐特无奈的摇了摇头，然后会意的一笑。”对，点，对的。你要做的就是把这些点连接起来然后你就能看到星座了。想试试么？“

Dontrelle pointed to a row of three stars in a diagonal row. He explained to Leo that by connecting the dots, he would see Orion's belt.

唐特指了指对角线上的一排三颗星星。他和里欧解释连接星星，他可以看到猎户座的腰带。

Dontrelle added, "The stars above the belt make up his chest, and the stars below it create his legs."

唐补充：”腰带上方的星星构成了他的胸部，腰带下方的星星形成了他的双腿。“

"No way."

“不可能！“

"Orion was a great warrior. If you really use your imagination, you‘ll be able to see that above his head, he‘s holding a sword as if poised to attack a beast."

“猎户座是一个伟大的战士。如果你运用你的想象力，你会看到在他的头顶，他正拿着一把剑准备攻击一只野兽。”

"Wow, I never learned any of this in school. I only learned that stars are far—away masses of burning gas, like the sun."

“哇，我从来没在学校学到过这些。我只知道恒星是遥远的燃烧气体团，像太阳一样。”

"Seriously?"

“真的么？”

"Yeah, constellations are really cool, except I don‘t see how they‘ll help us get home," Leo muttered as he crossed his arms.

“是啊，星座真的很酷，除了我不知道他们会怎么帮我们回家，”里欧交叉双臂喃喃自语。

"As I was saying before, people have been using star patterns for thousands of years. Fishermen, that is, real fishermen, those who ride out to sea on a ship, not those who drop their fishing poles when they see a tiny fox—"

“正如我之前所说，人们使用星图已经有数千年历史。渔民，就是真正的渔民，那些乘着船出海，而不是看到一直小狐狸就把鱼竿丢了的人—”

"Hey!"

“喂！”

Dontrelle bit his lip to restrain his laughter. "Anyway, when fishermen were out to sea, they‘d look to Polaris—the North Star—to navigate their ships because it was always in the north. Some farmers, even today, use Polaris’s relationship to the horizon to determine when to plant their crops and when to harvest them. But if you can find the North Star, you‘ll pretty much never be lost. The North Star is always in the handle of theLittle Dipper."

唐咬着嘴唇憋着笑。“无论如何，当渔民出海，他们会参考北极星来导航，因为北极星总是在北方。即使在今天，有些农民仍使用北极星和地平线的关系来决定什么时候种植玉米，什么时候收割。但是如果你能找到北斗星，你机会不会迷路。北极星永远在小北斗七星的柄上。

"The what?" asked Leo.

“什么？“里欧问。

"Look." Dontrelle pointed up to the sky. "See the four stars that make a cup and then a ladle attached to it? That‘s the Big Dipper."

“看。”唐特指着天空。“看四颗星组成了杯子，然后是一个勺子？那是北斗七星。”

Once Leo spotted it, Dontrelle explained that the two stars on the end of the cup were aligned with a bright star. That star, which begins the ladle of the Little Dipper, is Polaris, the North Star.

当里欧发现了它。唐特解释说，杯子尾部的两颗星星和一颗明亮的星星对齐。从小北斗七星开始的那颗星就是北极星。

"So if we face that star," Leo wondered aloud, "we’ll be facing north?"

“那么，如果我们面对那颗星，”里欧大声说，“我们将面向北方？”

Dontrelle nodded, and the two boys high—fived each other, jubilant that they had some hope of finding their way back in the dark. The celebration didn‘t last long, however.

唐特点点头，两个男孩相互击掌，庆幸的是，他们有希望在黑暗中找到回去的路。庆祝并没有持续多久。

Dontrelle‘s face grew sour as he realized that knowing where north was didn‘t help. He confessed that he didn‘t know which direction they came from.

唐特的脸变得有点难堪，当他意识到知道北方在哪里并没有帮助。他承认他不知道他们从哪个方向来的。

"Don‘t worry," Leo said. "When we started out on our expedition, I noticed that the sun was setting in front of us. I don‘t see many sunsets back home, so it made an impression on me. My science teacher told us once that the sun always ‘sets in the west,‘ which sort of rhymes, so I remembered it. When we left your house, we must have been walking west, toward the setting sun. To get back, we need to face north and walk east—to the right."

“别担心，”里欧说。“当我们开始探险的时候，我注意到太阳正落在我们的面前。回家后我看不到多少日落，所以这给我留下了深刻的印象。我们的科学老师曾告诉我们，太阳总是”在西方落下“，这是一种规律，所以我记得它。当我们离开你的家的时候，我们肯定向西走，朝着夕阳走去。要回去，我们需要面对北方，向东，也就是向右走。

Relief washed over Dontrelle‘s face.

唐特脸上泛起了了宽慰。

Leo continued, "I suspect that at some point we‘ll hit that creek of yours. If we follow it back, still heading east, we should come to your house, right?"

里欧继续说，“我怀疑在某个时候我们会碰到你的小溪。如果我们沿着小溪一直往东，我们应该能到你家，对吗？”

"You‘re a genius!"

“你真是个天才！”

Dontrelle and Leo were in high spirits. The two had helped each other with their respective knowledge. Both were excited to get back and, since it was long past dinnertime, they were both hungry. But their excitement was short—lived.

唐特和里欧情绪高涨。俩人运用各自的知识相互帮助。两人都很兴奋能回来，因为已经过了晚饭时间，他们都饿了。但是他们的兴奋是短暂的。

More noises 更多噪音

After just a few minutes, the boys heard noises again. Leo panicked. Dontrelle tried to calm him down, but Leo was far too frightened. He began to breathe faster and dart around again. Knowing that Leo could bolt at any moment, delaying their arrival time even further, Dontrelle distracted him with the stars.

几分钟后，男孩们又听到了噪音。里欧惊慌失措。唐特试图让他冷静下来，但是里欧太害怕了。他开始快速呼吸，再次到处奔跑。唐知道里欧随时可能逃跑，这样会进一步推迟他们达到的时间，唐特用星星来分散他的注意力。

"Did you know that there‘s a constellation named after you?"

“你知道有一个星座是以你的名字命名的吗？”

"Stop it—I‘m terrified that the fox is after me again."

“停。我怕那只狐狸又在追我。”

"Seriously. ‘Leo the Lion‘ is a constellation."

“我认真的。狮子座是一个星座。”

The anxious fifth grader began to listen.

焦虑的五年级学生开始听了。

"Really?"

“真的？”

Dontrelle pointed toward the Big Dipper.

唐指着北斗七星。

"Remember that star on the tip of the cup that pointed to the North Star? Find that same one, but instead look south. See that bright white star, the one that looks almost blue? That‘s right in the middle of Leo‘s chest. Some say it‘s his heart."

还记得杯尖上指向北极星的那颗星吗？找到同一个，但是要向南看。看到那颗明亮的白色星星了么，那颗看起来几乎是蓝色的。就在狮子座的胸口中间。有人说是他的心脏。

Leo followed Dontrelle‘s gaze into the heavens.

里欧跟着唐的目光望向天空。

"Legend has it that Leo the Lion had the toughest skin of all the great animals. It was impenetrable, so he feared nothing."

“传说狮子座的皮肤是所有大型动物中最坚韧的。它是无法穿透的，所以它什么都不怕。”

Leo and Dontrelle stood in silence for a moment, regarding the lion in the sky. Finally, Leo felt he could be brave like the lion and nodded to Dontrelle that he was ready to continue.

里欧和唐沉默地站了一会儿，看着天空中的狮子。最后，里欧觉得自己可以像狮子一样勇敢，并向唐点点头，他准备继续前进。

The boys heard the creek before they saw it, but once they caught sight of it they ran to it, overjoyed. The two kicked water at each other and laughed. They had almost made it—now all they needed to do was to follow the creek home.

两个男孩在看到小溪之前就听到了声音，但是一看到它，他们就欣喜若狂地跑向小溪。两人相互踢水，大笑。他们几乎快要成功了，现在他们要做的就是沿着小溪回家。

The boys reoriented themselves one last time before starting to hike again. But their eager steps were suspended in midair when they heard a noise up ahead.

两个男孩在再次开始远足之前最后一次调整了方向。但当他们听到前面有声音时，他们急切的脚步在半空中停住了。

The two froze and strained their ears. Sweat began to bead on Leo‘s forehead. Dontrelle held his breath. Then it came from behind the bushes—a fox, a mere five feet away.

两人僵住了，竖起耳朵。里欧的额头开始冒出了汗珠。唐屏住呼吸。然后它从灌木丛后面来了一只狐狸，在五英尺远。

Its long, bushy tail flicked back and forth. The fox furtively crept onto a rock in front of them and slowly craned its neck down toward the creek. Just before its tongue touched the crisp water, Leo shifted his weight onto his other foot, inadvertently snapping a twig.

它又长又浓密的尾巴来回摆动。狐狸悄悄地爬到他们面前的一块岩石上，慢慢地伸长脖子，朝着小溪走去。就在它的舌头接触到清爽的溪水前，里欧把重心转移到另一只脚上，不经意间折断了一根树枝。

The fox twisted its neck over in Leo‘s direction and locked eyes with him. No one moved— neither boy nor beast. Then Leo started walking toward the wild animal.

狐狸向里欧的方向扭动脖子，和他对视。没有人动——无论是男孩还是野兽。然后，里欧开始走向野兽。

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Dontrelle whispered through his teeth.

“你在干吗？你疯了么？”唐咬着牙齿轻轻的说。

"I‘m just passing through," Leo whispered back.

“我只是路过，”里欧小声回答。

"What? Why?" stammered Dontrelle.

“什么？为什么？“唐结结巴巴说。

"It's in the stars."

“这是上天的安排”

Leo slowly walked toward the fox. After just a few steps, the rust—colored animal bounded away, across the creek and into the woods.

里欧慢慢地向狐狸走去。只走了几步，那只铁锈色的动物就跳开了，穿过小溪钻进森林。

Dontrelle exhaled.

唐松了口气。

"You are the fearless lion."

“你是无所畏惧的狮子。”

"I suppose I am," chuckled Leo.

“我想是的，”里欧笑着说。

Back home 回家

When Dontrelle and Leo finally reached the house, their parents scolded them for their lateness but were relieved that they were safe. After a late dinner, Leo and his father prepared for their drive back to the city. Lucinda invited Leo to stay for the weekend, but instead he asked whether she and Dontrelle could visit them in the city. Lucinda promised they would. Leo extended his hand, and he and Dontrelle shook, knowing they would have many more adventures together.

当唐和里欧终于到达了房子后，他们的父母责备了他们迟到，但他们安全到达。这让他们松了一口气。在晚餐后，里欧和他的父亲准备开车回城市里去。露辛达邀请里欧留下来过周末，但是里欧问她和唐是否可以来城里看他们。露辛达保证他们会去。里欧伸出手来，他和唐握了手，知道他们会有更多的冒险会一起经历。

英语常用到宇宙，天象来描述缘分：

It was in the stars/ It was written in the stars: 有缘，上天的安排。

When the stars are lined up/ When the stars align: 同上

The universe in trying to tell you something: 宇宙在给你释放欣喜。