Milo Between Stalls- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo entered the marketplace just after sunrise. Radiant bands of light slipped through striped awnings and glittered on the silver goblet he carried. He had promised to reach a glassworker who had already repaired its stem, and a final polish waited if he arrived before the tower bell rang twice. Thick smells of delicious stew drifted across his path, and a baker waved fresh rolls that drew a hungry crowd into one narrow lane. When a juggler’s ball bounced away, dozens of feet scattered after it. The path was blocked by a vegetable cart that tipped sideways, and the goblet trembled above Milo’s shaking knuckles while the minute hand in the square kept climbing.

Milo has crossed this square many times, yet today every shortcut vanished. A stack of crates, which belonged to a spice seller, pressed against the back of a linen stall and formed an uneven stair. He tucked the goblet under one arm, stepped onto the lowest crate, and climbed over the stall roof. From above, he noticed a round plate resting beside cooling pies; steam curled into the morning air. The roof shingles slid under his shoes, and a sudden shout warned of the cart finally righting itself below. Surprised, the crates shifted and opened a gap wide enough for him to drop safely behind the glassworker’s table. The goblet landed unharmed on the velvet cloth, and the bell above the tower struck once while the crowd noise settled around his boots.

日出後不久，米洛走進熱鬧市集。條紋遮陽布縫隙射入的明亮光帶映在他手中銀色高腳杯上閃閃發亮。他答應要把杯子帶到玻璃匠那裡，匠人已修好杯腳，只等他在鐘樓敲兩下前趕到做最後拋光。香氣四溢的燉鍋味飄過他的路線，麵包師端著剛出爐的麵包，吸引饑餓的人潮擠進狹窄巷道。雜耍者的球彈開，許多雙腳追了上去。一輛蔬菜車傾斜擋住去路，高腳杯在米洛顫抖的指關節上微微晃動，而廣場時鐘的分針繼續攀升。

米洛曾多次穿過這座廣場，但今天所有捷徑都消失了。屬於香料商的木箱堆在布料攤後，像不平的階梯。他把高腳杯夾在腋下，踏上最底箱子，翻過攤棚。從高處，他看到一只圓盤放在降溫中的派旁邊，蒸氣在晨空盤旋。屋瓦在他鞋底滑動，突然的喊聲預示下面那輛車終於被扶正。出乎意料，木箱移位，正好裂開一道縫，他順勢跳到玻璃匠桌後。高腳杯安然落在天鵝絨布上，鐘樓僅敲一下，人聲也在他靴子周圍逐漸平息。