Trowel Near the Escalator- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Milo stepped into the department store with a folded paper packet in his pocket. His grandmother had entrusted those heirloom tomato seeds to him last week, and he had promised to plant them on the flat roof above his apartment. Only one object remained missing: a sturdy trowel. He followed a green banner toward the gardening floor, yet half of the space was being renovated. Dust sheets hung where shelves had been, and a worker blocked the aisle with paint buckets. Milo’s shoulders dropped; he turned away and rode the escalator to the kitchen area, hoping a metal scoop could replace the absent tool.

The second floor offered bright pans and glassware, but nothing for cultivation. He spotted a wide serving spoon, tested its bend against his thumb, and the handle wobbled. A gentle shake of his head sent the spoon back onto the hook. At that moment the escalator shuddered and stopped, trapping a handful of shoppers between levels. If it had kept moving, Milo would have stepped off without noticing the small clearance beneath. Light flickered on a forgotten shelf there, revealing a narrow iron object covered with cardboard tags. He crouched, tugged it free, and brushed away a film of plaster dust. The weight, the pointed blade, and the wooden grip told him it was an authentic trowel, although someone had labeled it as a paperweight.

A sales clerk examined the tag and raised an eyebrow; the tool had been left from an old window display and priced almost nothing. Milo paid, climbed the stairs to the open roof, and pressed the iron tip into fresh soil. The blade broke the surface easily, leaving neat trenches for each seed. He had feared a plastic scoop would snap, yet this weathered piece cut through the damp earth without effort. Soil rested inside the tiny wooden frame beside the iron trowel.

米洛走進百貨公司，口袋裡放著一個摺好的紙包。上週祖母把那些傳家番茄種子交給他，他已經答應要把它們種在自己公寓樓上的平屋頂。現在只缺最後一樣東西：一把結實的小鏟子。他跟著綠色指示牌往園藝樓層走去，卻發現半個區域正在整修。防塵布掛在原本的貨架位置，一名工人用油漆桶擋住走道。米洛的肩膀微微垂下，他掉頭搭手扶梯到廚房用品區，希望能用金屬勺子替代缺少的工具。

二樓擺滿亮晶晶的平底鍋和玻璃器皿，卻沒有與栽培有關的東西。他挑起一支大號調羹，用拇指輕壓柄身，柄處竟然搖晃。他輕輕搖頭，將調羹掛回。就在此時，手扶梯震動並停下，把幾名顧客困在兩層之間。如果它沒有停，米洛就會走過而錯過底下那個狹小空隙。燈光在那裡閃爍，映出一排被遺忘的架子，上面放著一件覆著紙標的小鐵器。他蹲下，拉出那件物品，撣去一層石膏粉。從重量、尖銳刀片和木柄判斷，這是一把真正的鏟子，雖然有人把它標成了鎮紙。

店員檢視標籤後挑了挑眉；原來這工具是舊櫥窗展示留下的，價格幾乎可忽略。米洛付了款，爬上樓梯到開放式屋頂，將鐵尖壓入新土。鏟刃輕鬆劃開表面，留下一條條整齊溝槽，好放進每顆種子。他之前擔心塑膠勺會折斷，而這支老鏟子卻毫不費力地切開濕土。泥土安靜地躺在那個小木框裡，鐵鏟就擺在旁邊。