Leo Before Sunset- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Leo has planned this bright afternoon very carefully. He has hired a small carriage from a nearby farm. Its creaking wheels lift dust while a distant valley widens ahead. A pair of binoculars swings against his jacket, and paper fills his sketchbook. He expects to spot bright birds before the sun reaches the low ridge. Near a shallow ford, one wheel sinks deep into sticky mud. Hooves shuffle, but the carriage refuses to roll forward.

Leo jumps down, wipes his boots, and guides the horse to firm ground. He leaves the carriage beside the ford and starts along a narrow path. A wind moves through hanging bottles on a nearby fence, striking them like a xylophone. The interesting metallic notes bounce across the valley and scatter hidden wings. Birds shoot upward, flashing colors that vanish before he lifts the binoculars. He clenches the strap, then walks toward a rocky bend that muffles the sound. Beyond the bend, quiet air lets feathers settle again on a thorny bush. Daylight now glows lower, yet the page still leaves space for new lines. Pencil moves, and the final bird rests inside graphite curves as shadows lengthen. Sunlight stays on his sketch while the valley stands calm and wide.

Leo 仔細計畫了這個晴朗的午後。他從附近的農場租來一輛小馬車。吱呀作響的輪子揚起灰塵，而遠方的山谷逐漸展開。一副雙筒望遠鏡在外套邊晃動，素描本塞滿紙張。他打算在太陽碰到低矮山脊前，找到色彩鮮豔的鳥群。靠近淺灘時，一個車輪陷入黏稠的爛泥。馬蹄亂動，馬車卻不肯往前。

Leo 跳下車，拍掉靴子上的泥巴，將馬牽到較堅實的地面，然後把馬車留在淺灘旁，沿著狹窄小徑前進。風穿過附近柵欄上吊著的瓶子，敲擊出像木琴般的聲音。那有趣的金屬音在山谷間反彈，驚散藏著的翅膀。鳥群猛然衝上天空，色彩在他舉起望遠鏡前就消失了。他握緊背帶，走向能隔絕聲響的岩壁轉角。轉角外，寧靜的空氣讓羽毛再次停在帶刺的灌木上。他等待過，因此此刻日光雖低，紙頁仍留有線條的空間。鉛筆移動，最後一隻鳥隨石墨曲線安住，影子逐漸拉長。陽光停在他的素描上，山谷靜靜展開。