Milo at the Park Gate- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo has chosen local birds as the topic for his school scrapbook. The winter holiday has given him extra mornings to explore the park near the river, and this season has already filled most pages with sparrows and ducks. Today, he wants one final picture, and a glossy crow hopping near the gate seems perfect. However, two problems appear suddenly at once right away. Thick clouds darken the sky, reducing light, while excited children spill from a bus and crowd the path. The noise sends the bird fluttering onto a high branch. A wooden owl statue, called a guardian by the park workers, leans beside the bench. Yet it offers no help to Milo at all.

Milo steps back, noticing a shallow puddle that reflects the branch clearly. He has learned that reflections can double an image. He crouches beside the water and aims his camera at the mirror surface instead of the branch. A sharp whistle from the bus draws the children away toward a nearby picnic table. At the same moment, the clouds shift, and late sunlight slips onto the puddle. His eyebrows rise; the water now holds the crow and a patch of blue together. He presses the button before the bird flaps away. When the screen lights with the sharp picture, the branch rustles and the crow glides over the gate. The camera clicks while the bird balances calmly on the railing.

米洛已經選定「當地鳥類」作為學校剪貼簿的主題。冬季假期讓他多了幾個早晨在河邊公園閒晃；這個季節已經替大多數頁面填上麻雀和鴨子的照片。今天，他想補上一張最後的照片，而一隻在大門邊跳躍的烏鴉看起來再合適不過。然而，兩個難題立刻冒出。厚厚的雲層讓天空變暗，光線變少；同時，興奮的孩子們從巴士湧下，擠滿小徑。喧鬧聲把那鳥趕到高枝上。長椅旁有一座木雕貓頭鷹，園丁稱它為守衛，但它絲毫幫不上忙。

米洛後退一步，注意到一灘淺水正清楚地映出枝條。他學過倒影能把影像加倍，於是蹲在水邊，把相機對準鏡面而非枝頭。一聲尖銳的汽笛把孩子們吸引到附近的野餐桌，這時雲層移動，遲來的陽光滑向水面。他的眉毛一下抬起；水中同時留下烏鴉與一塊藍天。他在鳥振翅前按下快門。螢幕亮起清晰的照片時，枝條沙沙作響，烏鴉滑過大門。相機再度喀嚓，鳥兒穩穩停在欄杆上。