Maple Valley（山谷）/'væli/ lay beneath（在……下方）/bi'ni:θ/ a dam（水坝）/dæm/ where twin（双胞胎中一人）/twin/ streams joined a salty（有盐分的）/'sɒ:lti/ strait（海峡）/streit/. After an endless（不停的）/'endlis/ winter, the lower（降低）/'lәuә/ shore（海岸）/ʃɒ:/ flooded for the sixth（第六）/sɪksθ/ time. Smog（烟雾）/smәug/ from a secondary（次要的）/ˈsɛkənˌdɛri/ road depressed（使压抑）/di'pres/ the town, and pollution（污染）/pә'lu:ʃәn/ harmed every natural（自然的）/ˈnæʧərəl/ branch（支流）/brænʧ/ of the wetland. A conventional（传统的）/kәn'venʃәnl/ plan would comprise（包括）/kәm'praiz/ a concrete fence（围墙）/fens/, a wide sidewalk（人行道）/'saidwɒ:k/, and a channel through the plain（平坦的）/pleɪn/. It promised survival（生存）/sә'vaivәl/, but would surround（包围）/sә'raund/ the valley with hard walls and deep shade（荫）/ʃeid/.

Nora consulted（商讨）/kәn'sʌlt/ a Canadian（加拿大+的）/kəˈneɪdiən/ river scientist and Kenji, a foreigner（外国人）/ˈfɔrənər/ from Japan（漆器）/ʤəˈpæn/ who now called the valley his homeland（本国）/'hәumlænd/. They found a distinct（清楚的）/dis'tiŋkt/ cave（洞穴）/keiv/, an organic（器官的）/ɒ:'gænik/ farm, and a Catholic（天主教徒）/'kæθәlik/ monument（纪念碑）/'mɒnjumәnt/ inside the proposed construction domain（领域）/dәu'mein/. A parcel（包裹）/'pɑ:sl/ near the shore contained tobacco（烟草）/tә'bækәu/, alcohol（酒）/'ælkәhɒl/ bottles, and weeds（杂草）/wi:d/; chemical spray（水沫）/sprei/ from the roadside had damaged crops. Farmers could not simply sow（母猪）/sau. sәu/ again. The pollution was tough（艰难的）/təf/ on the lung（肺）/lʌŋ/ health of residents as well as on plants.

Kenji said, “As a stranger（陌生人）/ˈstreɪnʤər/, I do not want to block appropriate（合理的）/əˈproʊpriˌeɪt/ flood protection, but this valley is more than empty land.” Nora replied, “Your arrival（到达）/ә'raivl/ does not make your evidence secondary; we need assistance（援助）/ә'sistәns/ from everyone who knows the shore.” Their exchange broke a long silence（寂静）/ˈsaɪləns/, and neighbours began to share observations.

One resident had watched water roll（卷）/rәul/ beneath her balcony（阳台）/'bælkәni/. Another had seen children dive（潜水）/daiv/ near a damaged fence. A criminal（罪犯）/'kriminәl/ dumping case explained the bottles in an alley（小路）/'æli/, while a nail（钉子）/neil/ in a drainage gate had blocked its motion. The findings became a breakthrough（突破）/'breikθru:/. Engineers proposed a solar（太阳的）/'sәulә/ pump, a natural overflow plain, and a lower barrier beside the sidewalk. Workers would remove weeds by hand instead of using spray and protect the cave as a separate zone.

The revised plan balanced safety and place. The dam would release water in stages, the farm would receive organic assistance, and smoking and alcohol dumping would be controlled. Nora said the wetland was not an empty kingdom（王国）/'kiŋdәm/ for engineers to command; its personality（个性）/.pә:sә'næliti/ came from every resident, species, and setting（环境）/'setiŋ/. A worldwide（全世界的）/'wә:ldwaid/ network later studied the project because it treated old residents and each foreigner alike. The Canadian scientist called it appropriate rather than perfect. When rain returned, the twin streams spread across the protected plain without entering homes. Maple Valley kept its shore, monument, and sense of homeland while gaining a stronger chance of survival.