Three in the Morning

For a long time nothing happened. Ana stood on the step in the cold with her hand still raised, and she thought that perhaps Walter had not heard, or had heard and decided to ignore it. Then the bolt slid back with a heavy sound, and the door opened a few centimetres. Warm air and the smell of flour came out into the night.

凌晨三点

Walter looked out through the gap. He was in his white apron, with flour on his hands and on the front of his shirt. His face was grey and older than it had been a week ago. When he saw who it was, something closed in it at once, like a shop shutter coming down.

过了很久，门内没有任何动静。Ana举着手，在寒风中站在台阶上。她心想，也许Walter没听见，或者听见了却决定不理会。这时，门栓沉重地滑开了，门打开了几厘米。温热的空气和面粉的气味飘入了夜色中。

“I told you to go,” he said. “I meant it. Go back to wherever you’re sleeping.”

Walter从门缝里往外看。他系着白围裙，手上和衬衫前襟都沾着面粉。他的脸色发灰，看起来比一周前苍老了许多。当他看清来人是谁时，脸上的表情立刻收紧了，就像店铺拉下了卷帘门一样。