一個真實的鴨家庭的故事
來自德克薩斯州聖‧安托尼奧
（英譯中︰CYN）
Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.
本周在聖‧安托尼奧商業區發生了很有趣的一件事。麥克是弗洛斯特銀行的會計，他的辦公室在二樓。數周前，他看到一只母鴨挑選了他窗外的混凝土雨棚，在行人穿越道的上方築了一個窠，這顯然不是個合適的地方。這只綠頭鴨在空中10英尺的花盆一個角落的窠裡下了10個蛋。幾個星期它盡忠職守地孵化著這些蛋，星期一的下午，全部10只小鴨都孵出來了。
Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off. Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.
麥克整整擔心了一晚上︰這只母鴨怎樣才能把它的小鴨子從棲息的地方安全地弄下來，再透過繁忙的商業區環境到達水邊，而這通常是要在鴨子孵出以後的48個小時以內完成的。星期二早上麥克注視著母鴨鼓勵它的小鴨走到它們棲息處的邊緣，向它們示範怎樣跳下來。辦公室的工作停止了，因為大家都跑過來看。
The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn’t stand to watch this risky effort nine more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to thesidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.
母鴨飛了下去，開始朝它上面的寶寶們呱呱叫著。麥克難以置信地看著第一只毛絨絨的新生小鴨很有信心地蹣跚到邊緣，令人吃驚地跳進空氣中，重重地摔在下面的水泥地面上。麥克可受不了這樣的冒險舉動再重複九次﹗他沖出辦公室，跑下樓梯，來到行人穿越道上，看見那第一只聽從它母親的小鴨在這次幾乎致命的墜落之後昏迷著躺在它母親的附近。麥克躲在花盆遮雨棚的下面，準備好出手援助。
As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete.. Safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)
就在第二只小鴨跳下來的時候，麥克沖向前去，在小鴨撞向地面之前徒手接住了它…他將它安全完好地放在它的媽媽和那只仍然昏迷、仍然在從痛苦一跳狀態下復原的小鴨旁邊。（母鴨此刻一定已經感覺到麥克是在試圖幫助它的孩子。）
One by one the babies continued to jump.. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.
小鴨們一個接一個地往下跳…每一次麥克都躲在遮雨棚下面，就在小鴨跳下來的關鍵時刻伸手一接。在繁忙商業區的行人穿越道上，來往行人站住了。麥克一次又一次地接住其餘八只小鴨，將它們放在讚許的母鴨旁邊。
At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River, site of the famed “River Walk." The onlooking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother’s approval, and loaded them in the container.. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River. The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.
此時麥克領會到這個鴨家庭的危險旅程才只完成了一部分。要抵達最接近的水域──聖‧安托尼奧河──著名的“河邊走道”現場，它們還有整整兩個街區的路要走，要通過來往車輛、人行橫道、街沿石、來往行人才能到達。旁觀的幾位辦公室秘書和幾位聖‧安托尼奧警官也加入了幫忙。拿來了一只複印紙空盒來裝運小鴨。他們很小心地在母鴨讚許之下把小鴨收集起來，把它們放進盒子裡…麥克低低地拎著盒子，為的是讓母鴨能看得見它的雛鴨。他慢慢地走過商業區的街道，向聖‧安托尼奧河走去。一路上母鴨都搖搖擺擺地跟著，始終盯著自己的雛鴨。
As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water’s edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting mother after their adventurous ride.
當他們抵達河流時，母鴨趕過了麥克，跳進河裡，響亮地呱呱叫著。在河邊上，麥克傾側了盒子，幫小鴨們進了水裡，讓它們在這次冒險旅程之後去找它們等待著的媽媽。
All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.
所有十只小鴨都安全地下了水，舒適地偎依著它們的媽媽劃水。麥克說，母鴨在河裡游了一圈，回顧著滿臉微笑的會計，驕傲地大聲呱呱叫。
At last, all present and accounted for: “We’re all together again. We’re here! We’re here!"
最終，一個也不少，全都有了交代︰“我們又在一起了。我們在這裡﹗我們
在這裡﹗”
And here’s a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures….
這裡是一張它們又一次出發冒險前的家庭照…
Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San Antonio’s famous “River Walk" a whole new meaning! Maybe you will want to share this story with others. Doctor York told me she had forwarded it to 20 people. It’s too good to lose!
像生活於我們這個大時代裡的我們大家一樣，如果沒有很多人出手相助，這個鴨家庭自己是不可能成功的。我認為這件事給了聖‧安托尼奧著名的“河邊走道”一個嶄新的意義﹗也許您想要和別人分享這個故事。約克醫生說她轉發給了20個人。讓它丟失太可惜了﹗
Live honestly, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly & Leave the rest to God.
誠實生活，慷慨施愛，深切關心，和善說話，其餘就交給上帝吧。
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
– Hilary Cooper
希拉瑞莉‧庫伯︰生命不由我們呼吸的次數來衡量，而是由讓我們激動不已的時刻來衡量的。
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