风筝的传说

By+Jon+Lentz

It was the perfect day to fly a kite. The sun was warm. The breeze was right. In the back of a closet， looking haggard and thin， fretted one lonely kite that preferred to stay in. He was diamond in shape， half red and half white， with a bowtie rag tail， meant to steady his flight. But he didnt like flying.

You see， the higher the flight， the further the fall. It was that which scared the kite most of all. From the park nearby echoed laughter and joy. The kite knew it wouldnt be long till his boy would burst into the closet to cart him away for another embarrassing public display. At that very moment， as his thought was complete， the closet door opened. The kite shrunk in defeat.“Come on，”said the boy.“Its the perfect kite day.”Then the boy and the kite headed outside to play. As they came to the park， there were kids everywhere flying kites that sailed gracefully high in the air. The boy pointed up，“Look， flying is easy！”With dread the kite looked， it made him feel queasy， although the spring breezes were heartily blowing.

The boy started running to get the kite going. He ran all through the park while other kids gaped at his kite that dragged... and tumbled ... and scraped. He heard a boy laugh and another one joke，“That kite must either be stupid or broken.”The boy hung his head and went back to his kite. Kneeling， he thoughtfully asked，“Are you all right？”The kite seemed to be no worse for the wear， even though he had not so much as caught air.

“Why dont you fly？”The boys tone was staid.“Dont you know how？”he asked.“Are you afraid？”With all of his pride， the kite tried to contest it， but the look in his eyes told the boy he had guessed it.

They sat in silence for a moment， the boy and the kite. Then with a kind smile， the boy said，“Its alright. Everyone gets frightened. Dad says thats okay. And by facing fears boldly we can scare some away. Thats how it was with me and my bike. Maybe biking and flying are a little alike.”The glimmer of hope that shone in the boys eyes made the kite decide to give flying a try.

The boy started running to give the kite lift. The wind on the kite was at once brisk and swift. Instead of fighting the wind， he gave himself to it. As it carried him upward， he knew he could do it.

At first he was careful not to look down. Then he got up his nerve. He could see the whole town！ With exhilaration he felt his heart soar. So he yelled to the boy，“Give more string，please.More！”Musteringcourage，hisjaw tight and square， he made a great loop！the"loop in the air. Every child was squinting to watch that kite sail—now a glistening speck with a bowtie rag tail. With his head in the clouds， the kite felt quite grand until remembering he still didnt know how to land. But instead of locking in panic， he let his fear go. The kite took a deep breath， and said，“On with the show！”Then giving himself once again to the breeze， he lost elevation. Surfing the breeze eventually brought him back to the park where an elated boy caught him.

The kite felt peaceful and blissful and new， and he wanted his boy to feel all of it too. So without hesitation， he said，“Hold on tight！”And they took off together， the boy and the kite. They floated， they glided， they hung in the sky. They waved at startled birds flying by. When the boy and kite landed， they were met with wild cheers.

Their story became legend； it was told so many years. The legend ends with the lessons the kite learned that day that facing fears boldly can scare some away. To succeed at new things， you must be willing to grow. That means not holding back. It means letting go.

那是个放风筝的好日子。太阳暖烘烘的，风也刚刚好。在一个柜子的深处，一只孤零零的风筝看起来有点憔悴且瘦削，它无比烦躁，只愿留在柜子里。它的外形呈菱形，一半红色一半白色，下面有一个布做的蝴蝶结形状的尾巴，帮助它在飞行时保持平衡。但是，这只风筝不喜欢飞行。

你看，飞得越高，摔得就越远。这一点最让这只风筝感到害怕。附近的公园里回荡着大笑声和欢叫声。风筝知道用不了多久，它的男孩主人就会冲到柜子前，拽它出去，开始一场让人窘迫的公开表演。就在它刚刚想完这些的那一瞬间，柜门打开了。风筝毫无斗志，蜷缩起身体。“来吧，”男孩说，“今天是放风筝的好日子。”男孩带着风筝出去玩了。等他们到了公园，那里已经到处是放风筝的孩子，他们的风筝都在空中飞着，飞得优雅，飞得很高。男孩指着天空：“看，飞起来一点都不难！”风筝害怕地向上看去，它觉得很不舒服，尽管春风吹得很起劲儿。

男孩开始跑起来，好让风筝做好起飞的准备。他跑着穿越整个公园，其他孩子目瞪口呆地看着他的风筝被拖着在地上行进……翻滚……蹭来蹭去。他听到一个男孩大笑，另一个男孩开玩笑说：“那个风筝肯定不是傻的就是坏的。”男孩垂下头，走回他的风筝旁，跪在地上，关切地问道：“你还好吗？”风筝看起来没有受到什么损伤，虽然它还没缓过劲来。

“你为什么不飞起来呢？”男孩的语气很沉稳。“你不知道怎么飞吗？”他问，“你是害怕吗？”风筝带着自己所有的骄傲想要反驳男孩，但它的眼神告诉男孩，男孩猜对了。

男孩和风筝安静地坐了一會儿，然后男孩带着亲切的笑容说：“没关系，每个人都会害怕。爸爸说这没什么。勇敢面对恐惧可以吓跑一些恐惧，我和我的自行车就是这样。也许骑自行车和飞也有那么一点相像。”男孩眼睛里闪烁的一丝希望的光芒让风筝决定再试着飞一下。

男孩开始奔跑，好给风筝一些起飞的助力，吹到风筝身上的风立刻变得又快又猛。这次，风筝没有再同这风对抗，而是任凭自己随风飘起。随着风把它向上抬起，它知道自己一定能做到。

开始时，它刻意不向下看。接着，它鼓起了勇气，它可以看到整个城镇！它情绪高涨，觉得自己的心都在飞。于是，它冲男孩大喊：“再放点线，拜托，多放点线！”它鼓足勇气，绷紧下颌，在空中漂亮地翻了个筋斗。每个孩子都眯眼看着风筝在空中滑行———现在只能看到一个带着蝴蝶结布尾巴的发光小点。随着风筝的头升入云端，它感觉妙极了，直到它想起来自己还不知道怎么着陆。不过它没有陷入恐慌，而是努力忘记恐惧。它深吸了一口气，说：“好戏继续！”然后它再一次把自己全部交给风，降低飞行高度。它随风滑翔，最后回到了公园。在那里，那个男孩兴高采烈地接住了它。

风筝觉得平静、快乐、焕然一新，它想让男孩也来分享它的感受。所以，它毫不犹豫地大喊：“抓紧了！”男孩和风筝一起飞了起来。他们在空中悬停、滑翔、飘荡，向从他们身旁掠过的受到惊吓的鸟儿挥手。当男孩和风筝着陆后，迎接他们的是热烈的喝彩声。

他们的故事变成了传说，流传了很多年。这个传说的结尾是风筝在那天明白了一个道理———勇敢面对恐惧可以把我们的一些恐惧吓跑。要想让新的尝试成功，你就必须愿意成长。那就意味着不退缩，放手一搏。