Lena and the Shifting Pond- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

On a clear afternoon, Lena carried her sketchbook toward the ancient sequoia. The tree towers in the park’s quiet corner. She has visited the park many times, yet the tree still surprises her. She hoped to draw the entire trunk today. However, the low sun bounced off the small pond nearby. The shifting brightness turned the water into a moving mirror that dazzled her eyes. At the same time, a youth group practiced a slow waltz on the grass. They occupied the perfect spot where she usually sits. Her usual bench had been covered by bright blankets. Their rotating steps sent shoes brushing against fallen needles. Their light laughter drifted through the trunks around her. Lena stepped back to avoid bumping into them. Time slid on; shadows stretched, and the reddish coral glow of evening started to color the bark.

She turned toward the pond, wondering if a different view could solve both problems. The surface, still interrupted only by a drifting leaf, held a complete upside-down image of the sequoia. The glare softened when she stood beneath the trees behind her. She sketched the reflection instead of the trunk itself. This way she avoided the dancers and used the mirror water as a guide. A leaf with a coral tint drifted down. It touched the spot where the crown met the sky in the reflection. The accidental mark suggested birds among the branches, so she kept it. When her pencil rested at last, the music paused, and ripples smoothed around the floating leaf.

在晴朗的午後，莉娜拿著她的素描本走向那棵古老的紅杉樹。樹木矗立在公園安靜的角落，她已經多次造訪這座公園，這棵樹依舊帶來驚喜。她今天想畫下整個樹幹。然而，低掛的太陽反射在旁邊的小池塘上。變幻的亮光把水面變成移動的鏡子，刺得她睜不開眼。同時，一群年輕人在草地上練習慢步華爾滋，正好佔了她平常坐的最佳位置。她的長椅已被鮮豔的毯子覆蓋。旋轉的舞步掃過落針，輕快的笑聲在樹間飄散。莉娜後退一步，免得撞到他們。時間流逝，影子拉長，傍晚帶著珊瑚色的光澤開始染上樹皮。

她轉向池塘，想著是否能用不同的角度解決兩個問題。水面幾乎靜止，只被一片漂葉打斷，完整地倒映出那棵紅杉。當她站到後方的樹蔭下，刺眼的反光減弱了。她改畫倒影而不是樹幹，本影避開了舞者，並把鏡子般的水面當作參考。帶著珊瑚色的一片葉子飄落，正好碰到倒影中樹冠與天空交接的地方。意外的痕跡像是枝頭藏著鳥群，她便保留下來。最後鉛筆停住，音樂暫歇，漣漪在浮葉周圍慢慢平靜。