學校生活已開始一段時間，同學之間大致上都熟悉了。艾希莉有幾位要好的朋友，艾希莉與朋友們常在下課時聚在一起聊天。艾希莉也常看到一位同學在看書。這位同學名叫艾倫。艾倫平時也會跟其他同學聊天，但更多時候艾倫都在看書，下課時看書，有時候上課時也在看書。
有一次下課，艾希莉看到艾倫的書籤是幸運草。艾希莉指著書籤，問艾倫：「這個書籤是你做的嗎？」
艾倫的視線從書本移向書籤，答道：「對。我家附近的公園很容易找到幸運草，有找到的話就做成書籤。」
「好厲害！我很少找到幸運草，都是看到三葉的。」
「哪天有時間，我帶你去我家附近的公園找找看。我很常在那裡找到。」
「真的嗎？謝謝你！」
艾希莉笑著跟艾倫道謝後，便回去跟朋友們聊天。艾倫則繼續看書。
幾天後的放學時間，艾倫邀艾希莉去找幸運草。兩人一邊聊天一邊往公園走去。
「原來我們家的方向是相反的啊。」艾希莉說。
「是喔。」艾倫看著前方回答。
「嗯。我家的話，出校門之後要往右邊走。艾倫家往左邊。」
「我家離學校很近，走路大概五分鐘就到了。」
「真好！我每天都走將近二十分鐘。有時候不小心睡過頭，就會來不及。」
聊著聊著，到了艾倫家附近的公園。
「就是這裡。可以找到幸運草的草地是這裡。」
公園不大，有幾樣遊樂設施和幾張長椅；可以找到幸運草的草地是在公園圍欄旁邊的一塊地。
「雖然這塊草地不大，但是有很多幸運草。」艾倫說：「來找找看吧。」
「嗯！幸運草，我來了！」
看著艾希莉高興的樣子，艾倫微笑了。
「找到了嗎？」艾倫手裡握著五株幸運草，走向艾希莉。
「沒有。哇！你怎麼找到那麼多！」艾希莉很驚訝艾倫手裡有那麼多幸運草。
「找著找著，就這樣了。我常常找到這麼多。」
「那我怎麼都找不到……」艾希莉有些沮喪。
「要不要換個地方找找看？說不定就找到囉。」
艾希莉聽了艾倫的建議，到草地的其他地方繼續找幸運草。
「怎麼還是沒有。我的運氣也太差了吧，都想放棄了。」
「再堅持一下吧！要有耐心地找，要懷抱希望，想著『會找到的！』」艾倫鼓勵艾希莉。
艾希莉嘆了口氣後，繼續找幸運草。艾希莉一直往前方找，但仍舊沒有找到。艾倫也在一旁幫忙找。
「看來我注定找不到幸運草了。」艾希莉已經徹底放棄。「不過，今天還是很謝謝你，艾倫。」
「等一下，艾希莉！你看你的左腳邊！」艾倫突然大喊。
「什麼？」艾希莉往左腳邊一看，大叫了一聲：「啊！幸運草！」
艾希莉非常開心地看著手裡的幸運草，並對艾倫說：「太謝謝你了！還好你有跟我說看旁邊，不然就錯過幸運草了。」
「這沒什麼。有時候不一定要一直往前找，說不定幸運草就在旁邊。」
離開公園後，艾倫問艾希莉要不要幫忙把幸運草做成書籤，但艾希莉想自己試試看。
「好喔。如果需要幫忙再跟我說。」
「謝謝你！之後想再來找幸運草的話，可以跟你一起來嗎？」
「可以啊。」
艾希莉因為和艾倫一起找幸運草而與艾倫變熟，後來兩人常一起聊天，也常一起找幸運草。艾希莉一直記得艾倫說的「要有耐心、要懷抱希望；這裡找不到，就換個地方；除了找前面，也要找找旁邊。」
It had been for a while since the new semester began. Students almost knew each other. Ashley had a few friends. Ashley usually chatted with friends during break time. Ashley also usually saw a classmate who was reading. The classmate named Alan. Alan chatted with classmates too, but Alan read more often. Alan read during break time, and sometimes read in class.
One day, during break time, Ashley saw Alan’s bookmark was a four-leaf clover. Ashley pointed at the bookmark, and asked Alan, “Did you make this bookmark?”
Alan moved the sight from the book to the bookmark, and said, “Yes. It is easy to find four-leaf clovers in the park near my home. If I find four-leaf clovers, I use them to make bookmarks.”
“So amazing! I seldom find four-leaf clovers. I always see those with three leaves.”
“I can take you to the park near my home and look for four-leaf clovers when we have time someday. I usually find four-leaf clovers there.”
“Really? Thank you!”
Ashley said thank you to Alan with a smile, then back to chat with friends. Alan kept reading.
A few days later, while after school, Alan asked Ashley to find four-leaf clovers together. They chatted with each other and walked towards the park.
“The directions to our homes are opposite.” Ashley said.
“Oh.” Alan said, looking at the front.
“Yes. When we leave the school and turn right, it is the direction to my home. If we turn left, it is the direction to Alan’s home.”
“My home is close to school. It takes about five minutes to walk to school.”
“So nice! I need to walk almost twenty minutes every day. Sometimes I oversleep, then I will be late for school.”
They arrived at the park near Alan’s home while chatting with each other.
“Here we are. The meadow where can find four-leaf clovers is here.”
The park was not big. There were a few facilities and benches. The meadow where could find four-leaf clovers was a place next to a fence in the park.
“Though the meadow is not big, there are lots of four-leaf clovers,” Alan said. “Let’s look for them.”
“OK! I’m coming, four-leaf clovers!”
Looking at Ashley’s happy face, Alan smiled.
“Did you find it?” Alan walked towards Ashley, holding five four-leaf clovers.
“No. Wow! How did you find so many!” Ashley was surprised that Alan was holding many four-leaf clovers.
“I kept finding, then I found them. I usually find this many.”
“Why can’t I find one….” Ashley was a little upset.
“How about change a place? Maybe you will find one.”
Ashley took Alan’s advice. Ashley changed a place and kept looking for four-leaf clovers.
“I still can’t find one. I am so unlucky. I want to give up.”
“Be persistent! Find with patience and with hope and think that ‘I will find it!’” Alan encouraged Ashley.
Ashley sighed, then kept looking for four-leaf clovers. Ashley kept finding towards the front but did not find any. Alan was finding next to Ashley.
“It looks like I am destined not to find any four-leaf clovers,” Ashley had completely given up. “But Alan, still thank you for today.”
“Wait, Ashley! Look next to your left foot!” Alan suddenly shouted.
“What?” Ashley looked next to left foot and shouted: “Ah! A four-leaf clover!”
Ashley looked at the four-leaf clover very happily and said to Alan: “Thank you so much! Thank you for telling me to look next to my left foot, or I would miss this four-leaf clover.”
“You’re welcome. Sometimes we don’t need to keep finding towards the front, maybe there’s a four-leaf clover next to us.”
After leaving the park, Alan asked Ashley if Ashley needed help to make the four-leaf clover a bookmark. But Ashley wanted to give it a try.
“OK. Tell me if you need help.”
“Thank you! If I want to find four-leaf clovers again, may I come with you?”
“Of course.”
Ashley knew Alan well after they looked for four-leaf clovers together. They chatted with each other often and went to find four-leaf clovers together often. Ashley always remembered what Alan said: Be patience, and have hope; can’t find it here, then find it somewhere else; not only find towards the front, but also sides.
創作與翻譯：六答
