Slatka voda na dnu

Posljednji dio stubišta je drukčiji. Stijena više nije suha. Pod njezinim nogama postaje tamnija i hladnija. Miriše na mokri kamen. Na dnu je niska špilja, a svjetlo s vode pomiče se po njezinu 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.

I ondje, tik uz more, iz stijene izlazi slatka voda. Polly je kuša. Hladna je i slatka. Ne bi smjela biti tu. A upravo je ona razlog za sve što je iznad 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.

Evo kako to ide. Tlo na vrhu litice je vapnenac. Kiša s vapnenca ne otječe. Ona ponire u njega. Voda pronalazi male pukotine i putuje dolje kroz kamen. Slatka voda je lakša od morske, pa može stići sve do dna litice i još uvijek biti slatka kad stigne.

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.

Sada stubište ima smisla. Ne vojnici i ne jedna noć. Vjerojatno su to bili redovnici, koji su godinama polako klesali prema dolje da dođu do ove vode. Grad na litici može imati visoke zidine i prekrasan pogled, a ipak nemati što 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.