Nitko ne zna koliko ih je

Niže na stubištu je još netko. Lisica sa žutom zaštitnom kacigom dolazi odozdo sa sklopivim metrom i bilježnicom. Zastane na svakoj stubi, izmjeri koliko je visoka i zapiše broj. Polly se makne u stranu i propusti je. To traje jako dugo.

Further down there is somebody else on the staircase. A fox in a yellow hard hat is coming up from below with a folding ruler and a notebook. She stops at every step, measures how high it is, and writes the number down. Polly moves aside and lets her pass. It takes a very long time.

Lisica to ne radi bez razloga. Ove su stube usječene ručno i nema dviju jednakih. Neke su visoke kao debela knjiga. Neke su vrlo niske. Usjek u stijeni negdje je uzak, a negdje širok. Oni koji su ga napravili slijedili su oblik stijene.

The fox is not being silly. People cut these steps by hand, and no two steps are the same. Some are as high as a thick book. Some are very low. The cut in the rock is narrow in some places and wide in others. The people who made it followed the shape of the rock.

Ovo je dio koji se Polly najviše sviđa. Nitko ne zna točno koliko stuba ima. Nacionalni ured za kulturnu baštinu kaže sto osamdeset sedam. Gradski turistički ured kaže sto osamdeset devet. Oba su službena. Oba su tiskana. Godinama se ne slažu.

Here is the part Polly likes best. Nobody knows exactly how many steps there are. The national heritage office says one hundred and eighty seven. The town tourist office says one hundred and eighty nine. Both of them are official. Both of them are printed. They have disagreed for years.

Polly gleda kako lisica stiže na vrh i počinje pisati. Pogleda niz dugu crtu izlizanog kamena. Odluči vjerovati većem broju, jer se čini da ih je više kad se penješ.

Polly watches the fox get to the top and start writing. She looks down the long line of worn stone. She decides to believe the bigger number, because it feels like more when you climb it.