Story text / 故事文字
The Moon Melon
It was the moon feast tonight. Grandma tapped Pip's head. "Tap, tap! Sweet or not?" Thunk! "Sweet!" she laughed. She gave Pip a penny. "You choose our moon melon this year." "I'll find the SWEETEST melon in the valley!" said Pip.
At the market, Mr Fox's melons shone like mirrors. "Shiniest is sweetest!" he sang. "A penny a melon, till the moon comes up over Pancake Hill. Then I'm off home." There were heaps and heaps. "Tock can choose!" said Pip. "Tock, SHINY means SWEET!"
Click! A bead slid right out to the end of Tock's balance. Tock's arm stretched up to the shiniest melon of all. "Sweet," said Tock. Mr Fox cut a little slice to taste. Pip took a big bite. "Yuck!" she said. "Bath water!"
"Just unlucky!" said Mr Fox, and polished another melon. Then he looked at Tock. "What a helper! Lend me that key, and it can sell my melons all night." Pip held the key tight. "No. Tock's key is just for me and Grandma."
Pip remembered Grandma's tap. "Tock, thunk means sweet too, I think." Click. Another bead moved only a little. Tap, tap! Sweet or not? The shiniest melon went tink. "Sweet," said Tock. Pip tasted it. So sour! Both her hair puffs stood straight up.
Pip looked into Tock's tummy window. The shiny bead sat far out at the end of the balance. The thunk bead had hardly moved. "Shiny still counts the most!" The sky went pink behind Pancake Hill. "Hurry!" said Mr Fox. "Shiniest is sweetest!"
Pip thought hard. Tock had no tongue. It could not taste. And Pip had only TOLD it what counts, just as Mr Fox had told her. "Don't TELL Tock what counts," said Pip. "Taste, and SHOW it!"
Mr Fox sighed and cut more slices. Pip tasted, and Tock tapped. A dull one that went tink? "Not sweet!" A shiny one that went THUNK? "Sweet!" Click, click. The shiny bead slid back to the middle. The thunk bead slid out to the end.
The moon peeped over Pancake Hill. Mr Fox began to pack up. Tap, tap! Sweet or not? Tink. "Not sweet," said Tock. Every melon went tink. Then Tock's arm reached down, down, under the cart, to the dusty melon by the wheel.
THUNK! The deepest thunk of all. "Sweet," said Tock. "That dusty old thing?" laughed Mr Fox. "It just stops my cart rolling away!" He pushed a stone under the wheel instead. Pip paid her penny and hugged the moon melon tight.
Under the full moon, Grandma cut the melon. Red, juicy and so sweet! Pip gave Mr Fox a slice. "The best melon in the valley," he said. Pip giggled. "Tap, tap, Tock! Sweet or not?" Tock tapped his full tummy. THUNK!
At bedtime, a moon as round as a melon looked in at the window. Pip's tummy was full, and her chin was still sticky. "Goodnight, Tock." "Sweet," said Tock. "Sweet dreams," said Grandma, and kissed her.
月亮西瓜
今晚过中秋，要在月亮底下吃西瓜。奶奶在皮皮的脑袋上拍了拍：“拍拍，甜不甜？”嘭嘭两声。“甜！”奶奶哈哈大笑。她给了皮皮一个铜板：“今年的月亮西瓜，你来挑。”皮皮说：“我要挑全谷最甜的西瓜！”
集市上，狐狸先生的西瓜一个个亮得像镜子。他唱着吆喝：“越亮越甜！一个铜板一个瓜，月亮爬上烧饼山，我就收摊回家。”西瓜堆得像座小山。皮皮说：“让嘀嗒来挑！”她大声喊：“嘀嗒，亮的就是甜的！”
咔的一声，一颗珠子一下子滑到了小秤杆的最那头。嘀嗒的手臂伸得长长的，够到了最亮的那个瓜。“甜。”嘀嗒说。狐狸先生切了一小块给皮皮尝。皮皮咬了一大口：“呸呸！跟洗澡水一个味儿！”
“运气不好而已！”狐狸先生说着，又擦亮了一个瓜。他盯着嘀嗒看：“好一个小帮手！把钥匙借给我，让它帮我卖一晚上的瓜。”皮皮紧紧攥住钥匙：“不行！嘀嗒的钥匙，只给我和奶奶拿。”
皮皮想起了奶奶拍脑袋。她对嘀嗒说：“嘭嘭响的也是甜的，大概吧。”咔，又一颗珠子动了，只动了一点点。拍拍，甜不甜？最亮的那个瓜，梆梆响。“甜。”嘀嗒说。皮皮尝了一口，好酸啊！两个小揪揪都竖了起来！
皮皮凑到嘀嗒肚子上的小窗前看。管“亮”的那颗珠子，远远地待在小秤杆的最那头。管“嘭嘭”的那颗，几乎没动。“它还是最听‘亮’的！”烧饼山后面的天变红了。狐狸先生催着说：“快点儿！越亮越甜！”
皮皮想啊想。嘀嗒没有舌头，尝不出甜不甜。她只是把狐狸先生说的话，告诉了嘀嗒。皮皮说：“不能光告诉嘀嗒什么要紧。我们尝一尝，做给它看！”
狐狸先生叹了口气，又切了几块。皮皮尝一尝，嘀嗒敲一敲。灰灰的，梆梆响的？“不甜！”亮亮的，嘭嘭响的？“甜！”咔，咔。管“亮”的珠子滑回了中间，管“嘭嘭”的珠子一直滑到了最那头。
月亮从烧饼山后面探出了头，狐狸先生开始收摊了。拍拍，甜不甜？梆梆。“不甜。”嘀嗒说。满车的瓜都梆梆响。嘀嗒的手臂往下伸，往下伸，伸到车底下，伸向轮子旁边那个灰扑扑的旧瓜。
嘭的一声，又低又沉，是最好听的一声。嘀嗒说：“这个甜。”狐狸先生笑了：“那个灰扑扑的旧瓜？它只是垫轮子的，免得车子溜走！”他换了块石头垫在轮子底下。皮皮付了铜板，紧紧抱住了月亮西瓜。
圆圆的月亮底下，奶奶切开了西瓜。红红的，水水的，真甜啊！皮皮递给狐狸先生一块。他说：“这是谷里最好的瓜！”皮皮嘻嘻笑：“嘀嗒，拍拍，甜不甜？”嘀嗒拍了拍狐狸先生吃饱的肚子，嘭嘭！
睡觉的时候，圆得像大西瓜的月亮，从窗口望了进来。皮皮的肚子饱饱的，下巴还黏黏的。“晚安，嘀嗒。”嘀嗒说：“甜。”奶奶亲了亲皮皮：“做个甜甜的梦吧。”