Leah Before the Bus Arrived- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Morning sunlight stretched over the small community garden behind the last row of houses. Leah adjusted a loose shoe lace. She wanted to start the sprinkler system and give the lettuce a drink before school. Water had grown scarce during the dry month, so every drop mattered. The tap clicked, yet only a thin stream came out. Aunt Marta, who has worked as a geologist for many seasons, crossed the path. She carried a box of dusty rocks. She set the box down, tapped the empty bucket, and shook her head. "The old aquifer under town is settling," she said, "pressure is lower than yesterday." A distant engine rumbled; the school bus usually appeared after that sound.

Leah twisted the nozzle again, gained nothing, and then crouched beside the sprinkler system. A pebble had been lodged inside the narrow pipe. Time pressed; the bus often left quickly. The speed limit near the corner kept traffic slow, creating an unpredictable schedule. She grabbed a rain barrel that had collected last night's drizzle. She began filling a metal watering can. When she tipped the can toward the pipe, a trace of grit washed away. Without warning, the sprinkler sprang to life and sent a cool arc straight over her head. The lettuce received a gentle shower while drops rolled down Leah's nose. The bus door squeaked beside the garden, and Leah stepped aboard with damp sleeves and a wide grin.

清晨的陽光照向最後一排房屋後方的小型社區花園。莉亞整理鬆掉的鞋帶。她想在上學前開啟灑水系統，好讓萵苣喝點水。這個乾燥的月份讓水源變得稀少，因此每一滴都很珍貴。水龍頭發出喀噠聲，卻只流出細細水絲。已當地質學家多年的瑪塔姑姑跨過小徑，手上提著一箱沾滿灰塵的石頭。她放下箱子，輕敲空水桶，然後搖頭說：「鎮下方的含水層正在下沉，壓力比昨天還低。」遠處傳來引擎聲，校車通常在那聲音後出現。

莉亞再次扭動噴嘴，仍然沒水，於是蹲在灑水系統旁。一顆小石子卡在狹窄的管內。時間緊迫，校車常很快開走；轉角處的限速讓車流變慢，行車時間難以預測。她端起昨夜收集雨水的桶子，開始把水倒進金屬澆水罐。當她將罐口朝向管子時，一小撮砂礫被沖走。毫無預警，灑水器突然運轉，涼爽水弧越過她的頭頂。萵苣接受柔和的水澆，而水珠沿著莉亞的鼻尖滑落。校車的車門在花園旁吱呀一響，莉亞帶著濕袖子和燦爛笑容踏上車。