Story text / 故事文字
Here, Dumpling!
Pip was teaching Tock a new word. She pointed at her puppy, asleep on his red cushion. "Dumpling!" Next day, he was asleep on his red cushion again. "Dumpling!" Every single day, Dumpling slept on that red cushion. Click, click went Tock's beads.
That afternoon, the sky went dark. BOOM went the thunder. Dumpling shot out of the back gate like a little white cloud. "I want Dumpling home before the storm!" said Pip. "Take Tock," said Grandma. "And stay inside the meadow wall."
"Tock, find Dumpling!" said Pip. Tock's lamp went round the kitchen. Squeak, squeak, it rolled to the red cushion and held it up. "Dumpling," said Tock. Ding! "That's his cushion, silly!" said Pip. "No time! Come ON!" She grabbed Tock and ran.
In the Back Meadow stood Mrs Woolly, with her lambs tucked close. "Three lambs," she sighed. "I always wanted four." "Dumpling! Here, boy!" called Pip. "Baa!" said Mrs Woolly. "Baa! Baa! Baa!" said the lambs. But where was Dumpling?
Tock rolled off across the grass, and Pip ran after it. It stopped at the scarecrow and tugged his red scarf. "Dumpling," said Tock. Ding! The scarecrow's hat fell over his eyes. "Dumpling! Here, boy!" called Pip. Far away, the thunder grumbled.
"Tock, find him NOW!" shouted Pip. Tock rolled straight to Mrs Woolly and pulled her red bell collar. Clang! "Dumpling," said Tock. Ding! "I am NOT a puppy!" said Mrs Woolly. Pip stopped. A cushion, a scarf, a collar. Why was everything red?
Pip thought of Dumpling on his cushion, every single day. "Oh, Tock! You didn't learn Dumpling. You learned his red cushion!" A raindrop landed on her nose. "Show Tock Dumpling in lots of different places!" She ran for the back gate.
At home, Pip tipped out Grandma's tin of photos. Dumpling in the wheelbarrow. Dumpling in Grandma's slipper. "Dumpling!" Then the empty red cushion. "NOT Dumpling!" Then baby Pip in the bath. "Not that one," said Pip. "That one is just for our family."
The rain came pitter-patter. In the meadow, Tock's lamp went over the woolly backs. One, two, three, four. It stopped on the littlest lamb. One black ear. One curly tail. "Dumpling," said Tock. Ding! "That's my littlest lamb!" said Mrs Woolly.
Pip took a big breath. "Dumpling! Here, boy!" The littlest lamb jumped up. "WOOF!" Out of the wool he tumbled, straight into Pip's arms. Mrs Woolly blinked. "Oh dear," she said. "He was so white and so woolly. I did want four."
Pip hugged Dumpling tight. Then she looked at Mrs Woolly's sad face. "You can cuddle him on sunny days," she said. Mrs Woolly smiled a woolly smile. Pip, Dumpling and Tock ran home through the rain. Grandma was waiting at the door with a towel.
That night, Pip put the red cushion by her bed. It stayed empty. "Where's Dumpling, Tock?" Tock's lamp went past the cushion. It stopped on a lump in the quilt, one black ear poking out. "Dumpling," said Tock. Ding! Pip giggled. "Goodnight, Tock." "Dumpling." Ding!
汤圆，快回来！
皮皮在教嘀嗒认一个新词。她指着红垫子上的小狗说：“汤圆！”第二天，汤圆又睡在红垫子上。“汤圆！”第三天，还是在红垫子上。汤圆天天都睡在红垫子上。嘀嗒肚子里的小珠子咔嗒咔嗒地动。
那天下午，天一下子黑了，轰隆隆地打起雷来。汤圆吓坏了，像一朵小白云一样，冲出了后门。皮皮急得叫：“我要在下大雨以前，把汤圆找回来！”奶奶说：“带上嘀嗒去吧，可别走出草地的石墙。”
“嘀嗒，快找汤圆！”嘀嗒的灯在厨房里转了一圈，小轮子吱吱地滚到红垫子跟前，把垫子举了起来。“汤圆。”嘀嗒说完就叮地响了一声。“那是他的垫子呀！”皮皮说，“来不及了，快走！”她抱起嘀嗒就跑。
后面的草地上，绵羊太太把小羊们紧紧护在身边。她叹了口气：“三只小羊，可我一直想要四只。”皮皮大声喊：“汤圆！快回来！”绵羊太太和小羊们一起咩咩地叫。汤圆到底在哪儿呢？
嘀嗒在草地上滚走了，皮皮在后面追。它停在稻草人跟前，拉了拉稻草人的红围巾。“汤圆。”叮的一声。稻草人的帽子一歪，盖住了眼睛。皮皮又喊：“汤圆！快回来！”远处，雷声轰隆隆地响个不停。
“嘀嗒，马上把他找出来！”皮皮大喊。嘀嗒滚到绵羊太太跟前，拉住了她的红项圈，铃铛响个不停。“汤圆。”叮的一声。“我可不是小狗！”绵羊太太说。皮皮愣住了。垫子，围巾，项圈，怎么全是红的？
皮皮想起来了，汤圆天天都睡在红垫子上。“哎呀，嘀嗒！你没学会汤圆，你学会的是红垫子！”一滴雨落在她的鼻尖上。“要给嘀嗒看，汤圆在好多不一样的地方！”她转身就朝后门跑。
回到家，皮皮倒出奶奶的照片盒。坐在小推车里的汤圆，钻进奶奶拖鞋的汤圆。“这是汤圆！”再指指空红垫子：“这不是汤圆！”还有一张，是皮皮小时候洗澡。皮皮说：“这张不行，只给家里人看。”
雨噼里啪啦地下起来。草地上，嘀嗒的灯照过一个个毛茸茸的后背，一只，两只，三只，四只。灯停在最小的一只身上，一只黑耳朵，一条卷尾巴。“汤圆。”叮的一声。“那是我最小的小羊！”绵羊太太说。
皮皮深深吸了一口气：“汤圆！快回来！”最小的那只“小羊”一下子蹦起来，汪汪地叫着，滚出羊毛堆，扑进了皮皮怀里。绵羊太太眨眨眼睛：“哎呀，他那么白，那么毛茸茸的，我真想要四只呀。”
皮皮紧紧抱着汤圆，又看看难过的绵羊太太。她说：“天晴的时候，你可以来抱抱他。”绵羊太太笑得眼睛都弯了。皮皮抱着汤圆，带着嘀嗒，冒着雨跑回家。奶奶拿着大毛巾，等在门口了。
那天晚上，皮皮把垫子搬到床边，可它空着。“嘀嗒，汤圆在哪儿？”嘀嗒的灯照过垫子，照到了被子上。被子鼓起一个包，露出一只黑耳朵。“汤圆。”叮的一声。皮皮笑出了声：“晚安，嘀嗒。”“汤圆。”又叮了一声。