What Shot Out of the Well- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

The courtyard behind the closed library lay quiet. Midday light reflected on damp tiles, and a faint smell of moss rose upward. A young squirrel chased a rolling acorn across the warm stone, its claws tapping lightly. The nut bumped against an outstanding slab and jumped once more. It dropped through the crumbled rim of an old well. Loose blocks around the opening did not make sense. Some leaned outward, others pressed inward, creating narrow gaps. Whiskers twitching, the squirrel peered down. Far below, a small ledge caught the acorn, just beyond reach. A frayed rope hung beside a wooden bucket that had been lifted many times. Yet the courtyard air showed no recent footsteps.

The rope has been rubbing against stone for seasons and now felt dusty and weak. When the squirrel gripped it, the line swung greatly, knocking dust into the shaft. The bucket, which once carried cool water, tilted forward and knocked against something hard. A bilingual dictionary, swollen by past rain, slipped from the bucket. It crashed onto the ledge beside the acorn. The extra weight tugged suddenly; the rope snapped. As the bucket fell, a burst of trapped air pushed the acorn upward. It bounced off the loose blocks, rolled across the rim, and landed beside the squirrel. The courtyard grew still again. Sunlight rested on the closed pages of the swollen book while tiny paws collected the rescued nut.

封閉圖書館後方的庭院靜悄悄。正午的光映在濕滑的瓷磚上，淡淡的苔蘚味飄散。年輕松鼠追著滾動的橡實，爪子在溫暖石面上嗒嗒作響。橡實撞到突出的石板又彈了一下，接著落進破碎井口。井口鬆動的石塊排列雜亂，有的向外傾，有的向內壓，留下狹窄縫隙。松鼠鬍鬚顫動，探頭向下。遠處小平台接住橡實，卻仍超出牠的距離。一條磨損的繩子掛在木桶旁，木桶曾被多次提起，但庭院地面沒有新腳印。

那條繩子經年摩擦石壁，如今乾燥且脆弱。當松鼠抓住它，繩索大幅搖晃，塵土掉進井裡。曾裝清水的木桶前傾，撞到堅硬物體。一冊因雨水泡脹的雙語詞典從桶中滑落，砸在橡實旁的平台上。額外重量猛地拉扯，繩子斷裂。木桶墜落時，一股被困空氣將橡實向上推。橡實撞到鬆動石塊，越過井口，落在松鼠身旁。庭院再次寂靜。陽光停在鼓脹書頁上，小爪子抱起失而復得的堅果。