The Wemmicks were small wooden people. These little wooden people were carved by a woodworker named Eli. Eli's workshop sat on a hill overlooking the Wemmick Village.
But all were made by the same carver and all lived in the same village.
每一个微美克人都不一样。
有的长着大鼻子，有的长着大眼睛。
有的个子高，有的个子矮。
有的戴着帽子，其他的穿着大衣。
但每个小人儿都是同一个木匠刻出来的，他们住在同一个村子里。
All day long, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing:
They gave each other stickers.
Each Wemmick had a box of golden star stickers and a box of gray dot stickers.
Up and down the streets all over the city, people spent their days sticking stars or dots on one another.
微美克人整天只做一件事：
他们给别人贴贴纸。
每个微美克人都有一盒金色星星贴纸和一盒灰点贴纸。
人们每天在城里的街道上跑来跑去，把时间花在给别人贴星星或者灰点上。
The pretty ones, those with smooth wood and fine paint, always got stars!
But if the wood was rough or the paint was chipped, the Wemmicks gave dots.
那些漂亮的微美克人，那些木头打磨的光滑和油漆完好的微美克人，总是可以得到星星。
但如果木质粗糙油漆斑驳的微美克人，就只能得到暗淡的灰点了。
The talented ones got stars, too.
Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes.
Still others knew big words or could sing very pretty songs.
Everyone gave them stars!
那些有才华的小木头人，能得到星星。
有的可以把大木棍举过头顶，或者跳过很高的箱子。
还有些人很有学问，或者唱歌非常好听。
每个人都给他们贴星星！
Some Wemmicks had stars all over them! Every time they got a star it made them feel so good!
That they did something else and got another star.
有的微美克人满身都是星星。每次得到一个星星都让他们开心。
于是他们就做更多好事，以便再拿一个星星。
Others, though, could do little.
They got dots.
但还有一些微美克人，事事都做不好。
人们给他们贴上灰点。
Punchinello was one of these. He tried to jump high like the others, but he always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather around and give him dots.
Sometimes when he fell, his wood got scratched, so the people would give him more dots.
有些时候跌倒，他的木头被划伤，人们就为他贴上更多的灰点。
He would try to explain why he fell and say something silly, and the Wemmicks would give him more dots.
他为了解释跌倒的原因就说了些傻话，微美克人给他更多的灰点。
After a while he had so many dots that he didn't want to go outside. He was afraid he would do something dumb such as forget his hat or step in the water, and then people would give him another dot.
In fact, he had so many gray dots that some people would come up and give him one for no reason at all.
It wasn't that people didn't try to give her stickers; it's just that the stickers didn't stick. Some admired Lucia for having no dots, so they would run up and give her a star. But it would fall off. Some would look down on her for having no stars, so they would give her a dot. But it wouldn't stay either.
"That's the way I want to be,'thought Punchinello. " I don't want anyone's marks.' So he asked the stickerless Wemmick how she did it.
“我也想这样！”小胖心想。“我不要任何标记。”所以他去问那个没有点点的微美克人她是怎么做到的。
"It's easy," Lucia replied. "every day I go see Eli."
"Eli?"
"Yes, Eli. The woodcarver. I sit in the workshop with him."
"Why?"
“这很容易啊。”露西娅回答说。“每天我都去找伊莱。”
“伊莱？”
“是的，伊莱。那个木匠。我每天在他的作坊里和他在一起。”
“为什么？”
"Why don't you find out for yourself? Go up the hill. He's there." And with that the Wemmick who had no stickers turned and skipped away.
“你为什么不自己找出答案？到山上去，他就在那儿。” 那个没有点点的小木头人说完，就转身跑掉了。
"But will he want to see me?" Punchinello cried out. Lucia didn't hear.
So Punchinello went home. He sat near a window and watched the wooden people as they scurried around giving each other stars and dots.
"It's not right," he muttered to himself. And he decided to go see Eli.
“但是他会想要见我吗？”小胖哭了起来。露西娅没有听到。
小胖回家了。他坐在窗前，看着那些急匆匆地跑着给彼此贴贴纸的人。
“这样是不对的。”他嘟嘟囔囔地说。然后决定去找伊莱。
He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and stepped into the big shop. His wooden eyes widened at the size of everything. The stool was as tall as he was. He had to stretch on his tiptoes to see the top of the workbench.
Eli smiled. "You will, but it will take time. You've got a lot of marks. For now, just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I care."
