Lake Baikal

Polly woke on the fifth morning. The world had become water.

Polly sa prebudila na piaty deň ráno. Svet sa premenil na vodu.

The train was running along Lake Baikal. The lake filled the whole window. The water was a deep, perfect blue.

Vlak išiel pozdĺž jazera Bajkal. Jazero zapĺňalo celé okno. Voda mala hlbokú, dokonalú modrú farbu.

Igor, the fisherman, was at the window with a notebook.

Igor, rybár, stál pri okne s poznámkovým blokom.

"Baikal," he said. "It is the deepest lake in the world. 1,642 metres deep. It is also the oldest lake. 25 million years old."

"Bajkal," povedal. "Je to najhlbšie jazero na svete. Má hĺbku 1 642 metrov. Je to aj najstaršie jazero. Má 25 miliónov rokov."

The water was so clear that Polly could see rocks on the lake floor in the shallow places.

Voda bola taká čistá, že Polly mohla vidieť kamene na dne jazera v plytkých miestach.

"It holds 23 percent of all the fresh water on Earth that is not frozen," Igor said. "More than all the Great Lakes in North America together."

"Obsahuje 23 percent všetkej sladkej vody na Zemi, ktorá nie je zamrznutá," povedal Igor. "Viac ako všetky Veľké jazerá v Severnej Amerike spolu."

The train stopped at Slyudyanka station. Igor got off. He shook Polly's wing tip with two fingers. "Three days fishing. Then home." He waved and was gone.

Vlak zastavil na stanici Sľudjanka. Igor vystúpil. Potriasol Polly končekom krídla dvoma prstami. "Tri dni rybolovu. Potom domov." Zamával a bol preč.

The train ran along the lake for three more hours. A group of Baikal seals came up to the surface. They are the only freshwater seals in the world.

Vlak išiel pozdĺž jazera ešte tri hodiny. Skupina bajkalských tuleňov vyšla na povrch. Sú to jediné sladkovodné tulene na svete.

Polly thought about how much water was below her. A tiny pink shrimp lives in Baikal. It keeps the water clean. It has been doing this job for 20 million years.

Polly premýšľala o tom, koľko vody je pod ňou. V Bajkale žije maličký ružový kreveta. Udržiava vodu čistú. Robí túto prácu už 20 miliónov rokov.