Luca Beside the Stuck Drawer- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Luca carried a folded note between two careful fingers, planning to hide it before noon. The note, which he had painted with blue stars, was meant for his cousin’s birthday. A line of relatives filled the hallway, exchanging quick hugs that blocked his path toward her room. An elderly gentleman adjusted his hat and stepped aside, but a suitcase still narrowed the space. Luca has visited this house every weekend, yet the dresser that stood beside the window had never opened for him. He slipped past the gathering, nodded a silent smile toward the polite gentleman, and finally reached the quiet bedroom.

Dust drifted while Luca tugged at the top drawer; the wood refused to move. The small note was folded twice, ready for the secret nook he remembered behind the drawer. Time pressed: footsteps echoed closer. He tried again, using the blunt end of a paintbrush as leverage, and the drawer creaked without sliding free. A sudden thump sounded inside the dresser, followed by a louder scrape. The drawer jerked forward, pushed by the family cat that had been trapped among scarves. Startled, Luca laughed without a word, eased the drawer wider, and slipped the note into the narrow nook. The cat leapt out, landed on the gentleman’s polished shoes, and padded away. The drawer closed softly while the cat settled on the windowsill.

路卡用兩指夾著一張摺好的紙條，打算在中午前把它藏起來。那張紙條上，他畫了藍色星星，是要給表妹的生日驚喜。走廊裡親戚們排成一列，互相快速擁抱，擋住了他前往房間的路。年長的紳士扶了扶帽子讓出一小步，但行李箱仍把通道縮得更窄。路卡每週末都來這棟房子，可是窗邊那個五斗櫃從沒對他敞開過。他繞過人群，對那位有禮的紳士露出無聲微笑，終於抵達靜靜的臥室。

塵埃飄散時，路卡拉頂層抽屜，木頭卻不肯移動。那張小紙條已摺兩次，正等待放進他記得的抽屜後方祕密角落。時間緊迫，腳步聲越來越近。他又試一次，用畫筆鈍端作槓桿，抽屜只發出吱呀聲，仍卡在原位。這時五斗櫃裡突然砰地一聲，接著傳來更大的刮擦聲。原來是被圍巾困住的家貓頂開了抽屜。路卡嚇了一跳，無聲地笑了，輕輕拉大抽屜，把紙條塞進狹小角落。貓兒跳出來，落在紳士擦得發亮的鞋上，然後慢慢走開。抽屜輕輕闔上，貓則安坐在窗台上。