Ladja pripluje

Jutranja ladja je pristala v Stromnessu. Hiše stojijo s hrbtom proti vodi. Polly je stopila na mokre kamnite plošče in razumela veter. Ni šlo za sunek. Šlo je za stanje. Na koncu pomola je sedel ovčar. Polly je stopila k njemu."Mi lahko pokažete pot?"

The morning boat tied up at Stromness. The houses stand with their backs to the water. Polly stepped onto wet flagstones and understood the wind. It was not a gust. It was a condition. A collie sat at the end of the pier. Polly went over to him. "Can you show me the way?"

Vprašal jo je, kam želi iti. Še ni vedela. Otokov je blizu sedemdeset in na kakih dvajsetih živijo ljudje. Ni gozda in daleč naokoli ni ničesar visokega."Mi lahko poveste, kje dobim avtobus?"je vprašala. Nagnil je glavo proti nadstrešnici na klancu.

He asked where she wanted to go. She did not know yet. There are close to seventy islands, and about twenty have people on them. There is no forest and nothing tall for miles. "Could you tell me where I can catch a bus?" she asked. He tipped his head toward a shelter up the slope.

Potem je vprašala mestno vprašanje."Koliko časa traja peš do centra mesta?"Ovčar je pogledal po edini ulici, ki teče čez vso dolžino mesta. Enajst minut, je rekel, če se ustavite pri izložbah.

Then she asked a city question. "How long does it take to walk to the city center?" The collie looked along the one street that runs the length of the town. Eleven minutes, he said, if you stop at the windows.

"Mi lahko poveste, ali je danes kakšen zanimiv dogodek?"Vozni red trajekta je lokalna novica, je rekel. Bila je vožnja do skal s tjulnji. Bila je kapela, ki so jo zgradili ujetniki. Bila je vas, ki je štiri tisoč let ležala pod peskom.

"Can you tell me if there are any interesting events today?" The ferry timetable is the local news, he said. There was a boat to the seal rocks. There was a chapel built by prisoners. There was a village that lay under sand for four thousand years.