English Original
Once there was a widow who had a son called Peter. He was a strong, able boy, but he did not enjoy going to school and was forever daydreaming.
"Peter, what are you dreaming about this time?" his teacher would ask.
"I'm thinking about what I'll be when I grow up," Peter replied.
"Be patient. There's plenty of time for that. Being grown up isn't all fun, you know," his teacher said.
But Peter found it hard to enjoy the present. He was always longing for the next thing. In winter he longed for summer; in summer he looked forward to winter's sledging and warm fires. At school he wished for the day to end, and on Sunday nights he sighed, "If only the holidays would come." His greatest joy was playing with his friend Liese. She was a wonderful companion, and no matter how impatient Peter was, she never took offense. "When I grow up, I shall marry Liese," Peter thought.
One afternoon in the forest, as Peter lay daydreaming, an old woman appeared. Standing before him, she held a silver ball from which dangled a silken golden thread.
"See what I have here, Peter," she said, offering the ball.
"What is it?" he asked curiously, touching the thread.
"This is your life thread," she replied. "Leave it untouched, and time passes normally. Pull it, and time speeds forward—an hour passes in a second. But be warned: once pulled, the thread cannot be pushed back. It will vanish like a puff of smoke. The ball is yours if you want it, but you must tell no one, or you will die that very day."
Peter joyfully seized the gift. It was perfect. At home, he examined the ball. The thread crept out so slowly it was barely visible. He longed to give it a quick tug but held back. Not yet.
The next day at school, bored and scolded, Peter remembered the ball. If he pulled the thread a little, the day would end. Carefully, he tugged. Suddenly, the teacher was dismissing the class. Peter was overjoyed. From that day forth, he pulled the thread a little every day.
Soon, he thought it foolish to pull only a little. A harder tug could end school altogether. That night, he pulled hard. In the morning, he awoke apprenticed to a town carpenter. He loved the work but sometimes, when payday seemed distant, he gave the thread a small tug, and suddenly it was Friday.
Liese had moved to town too. Peter grew impatient to marry her. When she said they must wait a year, he fingered the silver ball. "Well, the time will pass quickly enough," he said knowingly. That night, his impatience overcame him. He tugged the thread. In the morning, the year had passed, and Liese agreed to marry him.
But before the wedding, Peter received an official letter with orders for two years of military service. He showed Liese in despair.
"We must wait," she said. "The time will pass quickly."
Peter smiled bravely, knowing two years felt like a lifetime. At the barracks, life wasn't so bad at first. He remembered the old woman's warning and refrained from pulling the thread. But army routine soon bored him. He began pulling to speed up weeks and bring leave days closer. The two years passed like a dream.
Back home, Peter determined not to pull the thread unnecessarily. This was the best time of his life. Still, he gave it one or two small tugs to hasten his wedding day. He longed to tell Liese his secret but knew it would mean his death.
中文翻译
从前，有个寡妇，她有个儿子叫彼得。彼得身强体壮，能力不错，但他不喜欢上学，总是做白日梦。
“彼得，这次又在梦想什么？”老师常这样问他。
“我在想长大后要做什么，”彼得回答。
“耐心点。时间多的是。要知道，长大成人并不全是乐趣，”老师说。
但彼得很难享受当下。他总是渴望下一件事。冬天他渴望夏天；夏天他又盼望着冬天的滑雪橇和温暖的炉火。在学校里，他盼着一天快点结束；周日晚上他会叹息：“要是假期来了就好了。”他最大的乐趣是和好友莉丝玩耍。她是个极好的伙伴，无论彼得多么急躁，她从不生气。“等我长大了，我要娶莉丝，”彼得心想。
一天下午，彼得在森林里躺着做梦时，一位老妇人出现了。她站在他面前，手里拿着一个银球，球上垂着一根丝质的金线。
“看看我有什么，彼得，”她说着，把球递过来。
“这是什么？”他好奇地问，摸了摸那根细线。
“这是你的生命线，”她回答。“不去碰它，时间就正常流逝。拉动它，时间就会加速——一小时眨眼就过。但警告你：线一旦拉出，就无法退回。它会像一缕烟一样消失。如果你想要，这个球就归你，但你必须不告诉任何人，否则你会在当天死去。”
彼得高兴地接过了这份礼物。这正合他意。回到家，他仔细查看这个球。金线缓缓伸出，慢得几乎看不见。他渴望快速拉一下，但还是忍住了。还不是时候。
第二天在学校，彼得感到无聊又被责备，他想起了那个球。如果他轻轻拉一下线，这一天就会结束。他小心翼翼地拉了一下。突然，老师宣布下课了。彼得欣喜若狂。从那天起，他开始每天轻轻拉一下线。
很快，他觉得每天只拉一点点太傻了。用力拉一下，就能彻底结束学业。那天晚上，他用力一拉。早上醒来，他发现自己已成了镇上一位木匠的学徒。他热爱这份工作，但有时发薪日似乎遥遥无期，他就轻轻拉一下线，突然就到周五了。
莉丝也搬到了镇上。彼得越来越迫不及待地想娶她。当她说必须再等一年时，他摸了摸口袋里的银球。“好吧，时间会过得很快的，”他意味深长地说。那天晚上，他的急躁占了上风。他拉了金线。早上醒来，一年过去了，莉丝终于同意嫁给他。
但婚礼前，彼得收到一封公函，命令他服两年兵役。他绝望地把信给莉丝看。
“我们只能等待，”她说。“时间会很快过去的。”
彼得勇敢地笑了笑，知道两年对他来说就像一辈子。在军营里，起初生活并不算太糟。他记得老妇人的警告，一度忍住没拉线。但军队的例行公事很快让他感到厌倦。他开始拉线来加速一周的时间，让休假的日子快点到来。两年如梦般过去了。
回到家，彼得决心不到万不得已不再拉线。毕竟，这是他一生中最美好的时光。不过，他还是轻轻拉了一两下，好让婚礼的日子快点到来。他渴望告诉莉丝这个秘密，但他知道，那样做他就会死。