Milo by the Pond- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Milo had spent three evenings after homework building a remote-controlled life raft from plastic bottles and wooden sticks. Each joint had been sealed with bright waterproof tape, and the tiny motor was powered by two recycled phone batteries. He had tested everything beforehand in the family bathtub, where the vessel turned circles without complaint. This morning, he carried the craft to the school pond. He hoped it would traverse the wide water and record the shy turtle that usually surfaced near the far reeds. Lila walked beside him, holding the tablet that handled steering. Sunlight speckled the surface, yet a playful breeze slapped small ripples toward the shore. Milo lowered the raft, pressed the switch, and the propeller buzzed. The craft set off, but the breeze kicked harder. A sudden splash rose like a pocket-sized tsunami, soaking the deck and tilting the camera lens upward.

Water dripped from the little deck while Milo crouched for repairs. The camera housing had been knocked sideways, so he tightened the screw with a coin. He wished he had packed extra cloth, yet his shirt corner served. On the second launch, the raft advanced three meters before the motor jerked and fell silent. A wire inside the hull had been shaken loose. If Milo had secured that wire earlier, the propeller would have spun smoothly from the start. Lila knelt, passed him a hairpin, and the makeshift tool nudged the connection back into place. The third run began calmly, and the vessel managed to traverse half the pond. Then, without warning, the shy turtle appeared nearer than expected, paddling toward them instead of the reeds. Its head bumped the bow, turning the raft gently back. Both friends laughed, recording every moment as the unexpected guide escorted the vessel to shore. Beside the pier, the little camera rested on the dry deck.

米洛完成功課後，用三個晚上打造出一艘遙控救生筏，材料只是寶特瓶和木條。每個接縫都被亮眼的防水膠帶封好，微型馬達則由兩顆回收手機電池供電。他事先在家裡的浴缸測試過，一切安靜地打轉。今天早晨，他把作品帶到學校的池塘。米洛希望它能橫越寬闊水面，拍到常在遠處蘆葦旁出現的害羞烏龜。莉拉拿著控制平板陪他前行。陽光在水面跳動，但調皮的微風把小波浪推向岸邊。米洛放下小船、按下開關，螺旋槳開始嗡嗡作響。船剛起航，風力卻增強；一陣袖珍版「海嘯」掀起水花，淋濕甲板並把鏡頭抬起。

水珠從小甲板滴落，米洛蹲下來維修。鏡頭外殼被撞歪，他用硬幣把螺絲擰緊。他真希望自己多帶一塊布，但只有衣角可用。第二次出航，小船才前進三公尺，馬達便抽動後停擺，船艙內一條電線被晃鬆了。若米洛先固定住那條線，螺旋槳一開始就能順利旋轉。莉拉跪下，把髮夾遞給他，臨時工具把接點推回原位。第三次嘗試較為平穩，船身已經橫越半個池塘。沒想到，那隻害羞的烏龜卻在近處冒出水面，朝他們游來。牠的頭輕撞船首，溫柔地把小船推回岸邊。兩人邊笑邊錄影，意外的「領航員」護送船隻靠岸。碼頭旁，小攝影機安靜地躺在乾燥的甲板上。