8点15分的狗

1.钥匙

1. The Key

每天早上8点15分，我咖啡馆的门就会打开。然后每天早上，一只小狗就会走进来。它是自己来的。它身边没有人。它的项圈里总是带着新东西。

Every morning at 8:15, the door of my café opens. And every morning a small dog walks in. Alone. Nobody is with him. And there is always something new tucked into his collar.

但我还是从头说起吧。我叫安娜。我今年34岁，在林登街有一家小咖啡馆。以前这里是一家面包店。房子很老，窗户很大，地下室里还放着旧烤箱。

But let me start at the beginning. My name is Anna. I’m 34, and I have a small café on Lindenstraße. It used to be a bakery. The building is old, the windows are big, and the old oven still stands in the cellar.

我是一年前开的这家店。我投了很多钱。但是客人不够多。十月，我把所有账单放在桌子上算了一下。结果很清楚：再过两个月，我就得关门了。

I opened the café a year ago. I put a lot of money into it. But not enough customers came. In October I laid all the bills out on the table and did the maths. The answer was clear: two more months, and then I would have to close.

十月的一个周一，那只狗第一次来了。当时正好是8点15分。我记得很清楚，因为柜台上面的旧钟敲得非常响。

On a Monday in October, the dog came for the first time. It was exactly 8:15. I know that for sure, because the old clock above the counter chimes very loudly.

那只狗又小又棕，只有一只耳朵是白的。它看着我。然后它在柜台前坐了下来。非常安静。就像一位客人。

The dog was small and brown, with just one white ear. He looked at me. Then he sat down in front of the counter. Perfectly calm. Like a customer.

“你好，”我说。“你的主人呢？”

“Hello,” I said. “Where’s your person, then?”

狗没有叫。它只是在等。然后我看到了东西。它的红色项圈里插着一把钥匙。一把金属做的旧钥匙，又小又重。

The dog didn’t bark. He just waited. Then I noticed something. There was a key tucked into his red collar. An old metal key, small and heavy.

我拿走了钥匙。狗摇了摇尾巴。然后它站起来，直接走出去了。

I took the key. The dog wagged his tail. Then he stood up and simply walked back out.

我赶紧跑到门口。但街上空无一人。只有对面有个老人站在窗边。是韦伯先生。他在那里住了很多年了。他从来没进过我的咖啡馆。一次都没有。

I ran to the door. But the street was empty. Only on the other side, an old man was standing at his window. Mr Weber. He has lived there for many years. He has never once come into my café. Not a single time.

他看着我。然后他拉上了窗帘。

He looked at me. Then he pulled the curtain shut.

我把钥匙放进兜里。一整天我都摸着它，又重又冷。这把钥匙能打开哪扇门？是谁派了一只狗给我？

I put the key in my pocket. All day long I could feel it there, heavy and cold. Which door does this key open? And who is sending me a dog?