Milo Before Lunch Break- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo arrived at the science club room just before the first lunch bell. Sunlight fell across cracked tiles, showing dust that had gathered on benches where glass jars had stood for years. Posters once bright had faded, while a fresh calendar already showed curled corners. He lifted a small notebook, then crossed the narrow space towards the sink inside the little laboratory. His goal was clear: finish the experiment that mixed blue dye and yellow starch until a bright green solution settled, perfect for tomorrow’s fair. A moderate clatter behind him announced the old wall clock; its hands swept forward, warning that only fifteen minutes remained.

Milo turned the tap. Brown water splashed, tinting the beaker. The first obstacle stood in the murky stream. While the cloud slowly cleared, minutes slipped away. He wiped his forehead, eyes narrowing, then spotted a clear jar of rainwater that had been collected during last week’s storm and forgotten on a shelf. The second force arrived as the jar’s lid was rusted shut; his fingers slipped on the smooth metal. He grabbed a rubber glove for grip, twisted hard, and the seal broke. He swapped the liquids, set the beaker on a small burner, and kept the flame at a moderate height. The mixture surprised him: instead of green, an intriguing gold swirled through the flask, sparkling under the light just as the lunch bell rang.

米洛在午餐鈴響前一刻走進科學社的教室。陽光斜照在碎裂的磁磚上，顯出多年來落在工作桌上的灰塵。曾經鮮豔的海報已經褪色，而新的月曆邊角也捲起來了。他拿起一本小筆記本，穿過狹窄的空間，走向這間小型實驗室裡的水槽。他的目標很簡單：完成把藍色染料和黃色澱粉混合，直到明亮的綠色溶液沉澱的實驗，好讓明天的校慶展示。身後傳來適中的咔噠聲，老掛鐘的指針向前跳動，提醒他只剩十五分鐘。

米洛打開水龍頭，棕色的水濺起，染暗了燒杯。第一個阻礙就是這股混濁的水流。雲霧般的顏色慢慢淡去時，分秒也在流逝。他擦了額頭，眼睛微眯，注意到架子上有一罐上週暴風雨時收集卻被遺忘的雨水。第二個阻力出現在生鏽的瓶蓋上；他的手指在光滑的金屬上打滑。他套上橡膠手套，加強握力，用力一扭，封口鬆開了。他換掉液體，把燒杯放在小酒精燈上，並把火焰保持在適中的高度。混合物帶來意外：本該變綠的液體竟呈現迷人的金色，在光線下閃耀，正好與午餐鈴聲同時響起。