Sladka voda na dnu

Zadnji del stopnišča je drugačen. Skala ni več suha. Pod njenimi nogami postaja temnejša in hladnejša. Diši po mokrem kamnu. Na dnu je nizka jama in svetloba z vode se premika po njenem stropu.

The last part of the staircase is different. The rock is not dry any more. It gets darker and colder under her feet. There is a smell of wet stone. At the bottom there is a low cave, and light from the water moves across its roof.

In tam, tik ob morju, iz skale teče sladka voda. Polly jo pokusi. Mrzla je in sladka. Tu ne bi smela biti. In prav ona je razlog za vse, kar je nad Polly.

And there, right next to the sea, fresh water is coming out of the rock. Polly tastes it. It is cold and sweet. It should not be there. And it is the reason for everything above her.

Takole deluje. Zemlja na vrhu pečine je apnenec. Dež z apnenca ne odteče. Ponikne vanj. Voda najde majhne razpoke in potuje navzdol po notranjosti kamna. Sladka voda je lažja od morske, zato lahko pride vse do dna pečine in je še vedno sladka, ko prispe.

This is how it works. The land on top of the cliff is limestone. Rain does not run off limestone. It sinks into it. The water finds small cracks and travels down inside the stone. Fresh water is lighter than sea water, so it can come all the way down to the bottom of the cliff and still be fresh when it arrives.

Zdaj ima stopnišče smisel. Ne vojaki in ne ena noč. Verjetno so bili menihi, ki so leta in leta počasi sekali navzdol do te vode. Mesto na pečini ima lahko visoko obzidje in čudovit razgled, pa vseeno nima kaj piti.

Now the staircase makes sense. Not soldiers, and not one night. It was probably monks, cutting down slowly for years to reach this water. A town on a cliff can have high walls and a great view and still have nothing to drink.