The sun hung low, brushing gold over the empty area. The air buzzed— not with insects, with voices, cameras, and the weight of something about to begin.
太阳低垂，空旷的地方洒下金色。空气嗡嗡作响——不是昆虫，而是声音、相机和即将开始的东西的重量。
Roy's heart beat like a drum. He looked out at the people gathering for the pancake house ground-breaking ceremony. Behind him stood the company men and the reporters. And under his feet—hidden underground-were the tiny burrows of the owls.
罗伊的心跳得咚咚响。他望向前来参加煎饼屋奠基仪式的人们，身后站着公司员工和记者。在他的脚下，隐藏着猫头鹰的小洞穴。
No sign marked them. No fence protected them. They asked nothing, made no sound, yet now heavy machines waited, ready to destroy their living area.
没有标识，没有栅栏。他们什么也没问，也没有发出任何声音，但现在重型机器在等着，准备摧毁它们的家园。
He thought of Mullet Fingers, the wild boy who cared about animals more than himself. He thought of brave Beatrice who helped even when it was hard. Roy had tried to stay out of trouble. He liked quiet. But now, staying quiet didn't feel right.
他想起了Mullet Fingers，一个比自己更关心动物的野孩子。他想起了勇敢的比阿特丽斯，即使在困难的时候也能提供帮助。罗伊尽量不惹麻烦。他喜欢安静。但现在，保持沉默感觉不对。
He stepped up to the microphone.
他走到麦克风前。
“Excuse me,” he said, voice shaking. “Before you dig ... you should know the truth.”
“对不起，”他声音颤抖地说，“在你挖掘之前……你应该知道真相。”
The crowd grew quiet.
人群渐渐安静下来。
“There are owls living here,” Roy said. “They're small. They're scared. And if you build here, you'll destroy their homes.”
罗伊说：“这里生活着猫头鹰。它们很小，很害怕。如果你在这里建造，会摧毁它们的家园。”
Someone in the crowd laughed. A reporter asked, “How do you know that?”
人群中有人笑了。一位记者问：“你怎么知道的？”
“Because I saw them. I stood right there and watched them. They live here. They belong here. And they matter.”
“因为我看到了它们。我站在那里观察它们。它们住在这，它们属于这，它们很重要。”
The manager stepped forward, “This is not your business, kid.”
经理走上前去，“孩子，这不关你的事。”
Roy turned to face him. His fear turned into something else - strength.
罗伊转过身来面对他。他的恐惧变成了另一种东西——力量。
“It's my business. It's everyone's business. We can't just destroy what we don't see. Progress should mot come at the cost of wonder,” he said.
他说：“这是我的事。这是每个人的事。我们不能只是摧毁我们看不到的东西。进步不应该以奇迹为代价。”
His hands stopped shaking. People in the crowd began whispering. One mother held her child's hand. A teacher nodded. Even the manager looked uncertain.
他的手停止了颤抖。人群中的人们开始窃窃私语。一位母亲握着孩子的手。一位老师点了点头。甚至经理看起来也不确定。
Roy didn't know what would happen next. But he did what he could. He spoke the truth.
罗伊不知道接下来会发生什么。但他做了他能做的。他说的是实话。
Roy used to be scared. But doing the right thing made him stronger.
罗伊曾经很害怕。但做正确的事让他变得更强大。
Sometimes, doing what you can is enough to shift the wind.
有时候，尽你所能就足以改变风向。
