10 The Potato Puppy

土豆小狗

My four-year-old son, Shane, had been asking for a puppy for over a month, but his daddy kept saying, "No dogs!"

一个多月以来，我四岁的儿子沙恩一直要求养一只小狗，但他爸爸总是说：“不许养狗！”

One day I was peeling potatoes for dinner, and Shane was sitting on the floor at my feet asking for the thousands time, "Why won't Daddy let me have a puppy?" "Because they'll bring us trouble. Don't cry. Maybe Daddy will change his mind someday," I encouraged him. "No, he won't, and I won't have a puppy in a million years," Shane cried. I looked at his dirty, tearful face and said, "I know a way to make Daddy change his mind." "Really?" Shane wiped away his tears.

一天，我在削土豆准备做饭，沙恩坐在我脚边的地板上，他第一千次问我：“为什么爸爸不让我养小狗呢？”“因为小狗会给我们带来麻烦。不要哭了，说不定爸爸哪天就会改变主意呢。”我鼓励他道。“不，他不会的，再过一百万年我也不会有一只小狗。”沙恩哭着说。我望着他脏兮兮、泪汪汪的小脸说道：“我知道一个方法，可以让爸爸改变主意。”“真的？”沙恩这才抹掉眼泪。

I handed him a potato. "Take this and carry it with you until it turns into a puppy," I whispered . "Keep it with you all the time, and on the third day, tie a string around it and take it around the yard and see what happens!"

我递给他一个土豆。“拿着这个土豆，随身带着，直到它变成一只小狗，”我低声说道，“不论什么时候都带在身上，等到第三天，往上面拴一根细绳，然后带着它在院子转圈，看看会怎样！”

Shane took the potato with both hands. "Mama, how do you turn a potato into a puppy?" He turned it over and over in his little hands.

沙恩双手接过土豆。“妈妈，你怎么把土豆变成小狗啊？”他的小手拿着土豆，翻来覆去地看。

Shh! It's a secret! I whispered and sent him on his way. I knew what I must do to keep peace in my home.

“嘘！这是秘密！”我低声说道，然后让他拿着土豆走了。为了维护家里的安宁，我知道我必须要做的事情。

Shane carried his potato around everywhere for two days. He slept with it, bathed with it and talked to it.

随后的两天里，沙恩不论到哪里都带着他的土豆。他跟土豆一起睡觉，一起洗澡，还跟它说话。

On the third day I said to my husband, "We really should get a pet for Shane." "What makes you think he needs a pet?" my husband asked. "Well, he's been carrying a potato around with him for days. He calls it Wally and says it is his pet. He sleeps with it on his pillow and right now he has a string tied to it and he's dragging it around the yard," I said. "A potato?" My husband asked and looked out of the window and watched Shane taking his potato for a walk." It will break his heart when the potato goes bad," I said and started getting lunch ready. "Besides, every time I try to peel potatoes for dinner, Shane cries because he says I'm killing Wally's family." My husband asked, "My son has a pet potato? That's crazy!" "Maybe you're right, but explain to me why he is taking that potato around the yard on a string," I said. My husband watched our son for a few more minutes. "I'll bring home a puppy tonight. It's better than a potato."

第三天，我对丈夫说：“我们真的该给沙恩买只小狗了。”“你为什么认为他需要一只小狗呢？”我丈夫问道。“呃，他和一颗土豆形影不离，都好几天了。他管土豆叫沃利，还说它是自己的宠物。他睡觉时把土豆放在枕头上，现在他还给土豆拴了根绳，正拉着它在院子里遛弯呢。”我说。“一颗土豆？”我丈夫问道，并向窗外望了望，看到沙恩正牵着他的土豆散步。“等到土豆烂了，他会伤透心的，”我说着便开始准备午饭，“还有，