Story text / 故事文字
Whose Egg Is It?
Snow fell softly on Windup Valley. By the warm stove, Pip showed Tock her bird book. "This is a duck's egg. This is an owl's egg." Click, click went the beads. "Duck. Owl," said Tock. "Now you know ALL the eggs!" said Pip.
Out in the snowy lane, Pip saw something under the hedge. An egg! A speckled brown egg, all alone in the cold snow. The sun sat low on Pancake Hill. "Don't worry, little egg," said Pip. "I'll take you home to your mummy before dark!"
"Tock, whose egg is it?" Tock's lamp shone on it. Click. "Duck," said Tock. "Are you sure, Tock?" "Duck." Along the lane came Mr Fox, his tummy rumbling. "The machine says duck! Give it to me. I'll take it to the pond!"
"I'll carry it myself!" Pip ran to the frozen pond, with Mr Fox trotting behind. "Is this your egg?" The ducks peered at it. "Not ours! Quack!" One duck skidded across the ice and bumped into Tock. Bonk! Mr Fox licked his lips.
"Tock, whose egg is it?" Click. "Owl," said Tock. "Are you sure, Tock?" "Owl." "An owl!" said Mr Fox. "She lives up in the old willow. Give it to me, and I'll climb up!" Pip held the egg tighter. "I'll ask her myself."
The owl blinked out of the willow and turned her head right round and back. "Certainly not." The egg felt colder. Down swooped Chatter. "I'll keep it warm! I'm the cleverest bird in the valley!" She fluffed up over it, round as a snowball.
Pip nearly asked "Are you sure?" again. Instead she asked, "Tock, HOW do you know?" "Duck. Owl," said Tock. It only knew the two eggs in her book. "Tock just SOUNDS sure," said Pip. "Let's ask someone who really KNOWS!"
Pip ran home, with Mr Fox close behind. "Machines are never wrong!" he called. "Grandma! Who knows eggs best?" Grandma patted her pockets for her glasses. They were on her head. "Whoever laid it, of course," she said. "Where did you find it?"
Back at the hedge, the sun was nearly gone. This time Pip looked carefully. A brown speckled feather. Little three-toed footprints, going under the hedge. Mr Fox crept closer. "SHOO!" cried Chatter, flapping in his face, and off he ran. Pip peeped in.
Under the hedge sat a speckled hen on her nest. "My egg!" cried Speckle. "The fox scared me off, and it rolled out!" Pip tucked it in. "My nest is a secret," said Speckle. "I'll only tell Grandma," said Pip. "Not Tock. Tock repeats things!"
That evening, Grandma gave Tock a little bell, soft and low. Hmm! Pip showed Tock a pebble and a snowball. "Not sure. Ask Grandma," she said each time. Then she held up Grandma's wool. "Tock, whose egg is it?" Hmm! "Not sure. Ask Grandma."
At bedtime, Pip yawned. "Goodnight, Tock." Hmm, went the soft bell. "Not sure. Ask Grandma." Grandma laughed. "Goodnight, Tock!" And three weeks later, under the hedge, out popped a fluffy chick, and Chatter was the proudest auntie in the valley.
这是谁的蛋？
发条谷下起了小雪。皮皮坐在暖暖的炉子边，给嘀嗒看她的鸟儿书：“这是鸭蛋，这是猫头鹰的蛋。”小珠子咔嗒咔嗒地动。嘀嗒说：“鸭子。猫头鹰。”皮皮说：“现在所有的蛋，你都认识啦！”
下雪的小路上，皮皮看见树篱底下有个东西。是一个蛋！一个带斑点的棕色蛋，孤零零地躺在冷冰冰的雪里。太阳快落到烧饼山上了。皮皮说：“小蛋别怕，天黑以前，我送你回妈妈身边！”
“嘀嗒，这是谁的蛋？”嘀嗒的灯照了照，咔的一声。“鸭子。”“嘀嗒，你确定吗？”“鸭子。”狐狸先生沿着小路走过来，肚子咕咕叫。他笑着说：“机器说是鸭子的！给我吧，我送到池塘去。”
“我自己拿！”皮皮一口气跑到结冰的池塘边，狐狸先生在后面跟着。“这是你们的蛋吗？”鸭子们看了看：“不是我们的！嘎嘎！”一只鸭子在冰上哧溜一滑，咚的一声撞到了嘀嗒。狐狸先生舔了舔嘴巴。
“嘀嗒，这是谁的蛋？”咔。“猫头鹰。”“嘀嗒，你确定吗？”“猫头鹰。”狐狸先生说：“猫头鹰！她就住在老柳树上。给我吧，我爬上去送给她！”皮皮把蛋捂得更紧了：“我自己去问。”
猫头鹰从柳树洞里探出头，把脑袋转了一大圈，又转回来：“当然不是。”蛋越来越凉了。喳喳飞下来：“我来给它暖暖！我是山谷里最聪明的鸟！”她把羽毛蓬得鼓鼓的，盖住了蛋，圆得像个雪球。
皮皮刚想再问“你确定吗”，又改了口：“嘀嗒，你是怎么知道的？”嘀嗒说：“鸭子。猫头鹰。”原来它只认识书上那两种蛋。皮皮说：“嘀嗒只是说得很肯定！我们去问真正懂的！”
皮皮往家跑，狐狸先生紧紧跟在后面喊：“机器从来不会错！”“奶奶！谁最懂鸟蛋呀？”奶奶拍拍口袋找眼镜，眼镜就在她头顶上。奶奶说：“当然是下蛋的那位最懂啦。你是在哪儿捡到的？”
回到树篱边，天快黑了。这回皮皮看仔细了：雪里有根带斑点的棕色羽毛，还有一串三个脚趾的小脚印，钻进了树篱底下。狐狸先生凑过来，喳喳扑着翅膀喊：“走开！”他撒腿就跑。皮皮往里一瞧。
树篱底下有个窝，坐着一只带斑点的母鸡。芦花叫起来：“我的蛋！狐狸吓跑了我，蛋就滚出去了！”皮皮把蛋放回窝里。“我的窝可是个秘密。”皮皮说：“我只告诉奶奶，不告诉嘀嗒。它会学给别人听！”
那天晚上，奶奶给嘀嗒装了个小铃铛，又低又轻，嗡的一声。皮皮拿来一颗石头，又拿来一个雪球，每次都教它：“不确定。问奶奶。”然后她举起奶奶的毛线团：“嘀嗒，这是谁的蛋？”嗡的一声。“不确定。问奶奶。”
睡觉的时候，皮皮打了个哈欠：“晚安，嘀嗒。”嗡的一声，小铃铛轻轻响了。“不确定。问奶奶。”奶奶哈哈大笑：“晚安，嘀嗒！”三个星期后，树篱底下钻出一只毛茸茸的小鸡，喳喳成了山谷里最骄傲的阿姨。