Eleventeen

Eleventeen. Written by Annette Carruthers. Illustrated by Michelle Dorenkamp.

十一龄。 安妮特·卡拉瑟斯 撰文 米歇尔·多伦坎普 绘图

Sarah turned 11 -teen yesterday, which made it a very special day. A person can turn 11 -teen only once. And most people never turn 11 -teen at all. In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret. Sarah is the only person who has ever turned 11 -teen, ever. Not a single other living soul has done it. Not a single other dead soul has done it either. You're probably wondering how Sarah accomplished this rare and extraordinary feat. This, of course, is that story.

萨拉昨天满十一龄啦，这可是个特别的日子。 人一辈子只能过一次十一龄哦。 大多数人呀，从来都没过过十一龄。 其实呀，我要告诉你一个小秘密。 从古到今，只有萨拉一个人过过十一龄。 所有活着的人里，没有第二个过过。 哪怕是去世的人里，也没有第二个过过。 你肯定好奇，萨拉是怎么做到这件稀罕又厉害的事的。 接下来呀，就是这个故事啦。

I'm bored, said Sarah, as she walked into the kitchen for breakfast one Saturday morning. Would you like to invite a friend over? asked her mother. No, said Sarah, that's not the problem. I'm bored being ten. Well, your birthday is only a few weeks away, said her mother. So you won't have to be ten much longer.

一个周六的早晨，萨拉走进厨房吃早饭，她说：我好无聊呀。 你要不要邀请好朋友来家里玩呀？ 妈妈问道。 才不要，萨拉说，问题不在这儿。 当十岁小孩太无聊啦。 哎呀，你的生日再过几个礼拜就到啦，妈妈说。 你不用当多久十岁小孩啦。

I'm bored being 11, Sarah said. You've never even been 11, interjected her big sister Kate, entering the room. I guess you want to be a teenager just like me. I want to be like you about as much as I want to be a snail, Sarah retorted, proud that she could think of a comeback so quickly. Well, that's funny, because you are as slow as one, said Kate.

就算当十一岁，也很无聊呀，萨拉说。 你都还没当过十一岁呢，姐姐凯特走进房间，插了一句嘴。 我猜你是想变成像我一样的青少年对不对。 我想变成你，还不如我想当蜗牛呢，萨拉反驳道，还为自己这么快想到回嘴的话沾沾自喜。 哼，真好笑，你本来就跟蜗牛一样慢呀，凯特说。

Uh -oh. Sarah needed another comeback. Quick. And she didn't have one on the tip of her tongue. Her eight -year -old brother Noah, as usual at the breakfast table before anyone else, saved her.

哦糟了。 萨拉得再想一句话回怼她。 得快想。 可她一时半会儿就是想不出来。 她八岁的弟弟诺亚，今天跟往常一样第一个坐到餐桌旁，帮她解了围。

because then they'd both go away to college and I'd have Mommy all to myself. What about Daddy? Asked Sarah. What about me? Dad said as he walked into the kitchen, opening the newspaper and not looking where he was going. Noah smirked and humphed as if to say that everyone knows dads are not nearly the problem that big sisters are.

这样他俩就能一起去上大学，妈妈就全归我一个人啦。 那爸爸怎么办呀？ 萨拉问道。 我怎么啦？ 爸爸一边走进厨房一边问道，他正看着报纸，连路都没看。 诺亚坏笑一声哼了一下，好像在说：所有人都知道，爸爸才不像姐姐那样麻烦呢。