The Bottle Under the Greenhouse Floor- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo pushed open the rusty door of the old greenhouse behind the library. Paint had peeled from the frames, and thin cracks crossed the glass like spiderwebs that have been there for years. The greenhouse has stood empty since spring. He had come with a single purpose: find a fresh daisy for tomorrow’s art class. Warm air wrapped around him; sunlight slipped through dusty panes, and the smell of saffron from soil bags still lingered even though the bags had been stored long ago. Bees moved among forgotten pots, lifting golden pollen that hovered in slow clouds. Each step set dry leaves moving in a gentle waltz along the floor. A wide bloom stood near a broken shelf, but a loose plank blocked his reach.

He knelt, pressed his weight onto the board, and it tipped forward with a sharp groan. Underneath, a dusty bottle rolled out. Someone had used it at a party long forgotten; a faint clink sounded as its cork rattled free. Milo lifted the bottle, planning to make a toast later with apple juice, yet the glass was cracked, and liquid had long escaped. His shoulders dropped, yet he slid the plank aside instead of forcing it. That change cleared the path to the flower. As he reached in with small scissors, wind rushed through a broken pane and scattered more pollen across the room. A sneeze burst from him, and the tool jumped beneath a clay pot. He twisted the stem with his fingers instead. The yellow cloud settled quickly, covering the daisy and his shoes. He stepped back, flower in hand, while loose leaves drifted to stillness around his feet.

米洛推開圖書館後方那間舊溫室生鏽的門。窗框的油漆已經剝落，玻璃上布滿多年來形成的細裂痕。這座溫室自春天以來一直空著。他此行只有一個目標：為明天的美術課找一朵新鮮的雛菊。溫暖的空氣包住他；陽光穿過蒙塵的玻璃片，來自土袋的蕃紅花味道仍殘留在空氣中，儘管那些袋子早已被收起。蜜蜂在被遺忘的盆栽間飛舞，揚起一層金色花粉，懸在空中慢慢飄浮。每踏一步，乾葉就在地板上輕輕起舞。靠近破架子處，一朵大花盛開，然而一塊鬆動的木板擋住去路。

他跪下，將身體壓在那塊木板上，木板發出尖銳的呻吟向前傾倒。下面一個蒙塵的瓶子滾了出來。曾有人在早已被遺忘的聚會上用過它；瓶塞顫動時傳出輕響。米洛撿起瓶子，打算之後用蘋果汁舉杯，但玻璃已裂，液體早就漏光。他的肩膀垂了下來，但他沒有硬推，而是把木板滑到一旁。路因此被騰出，他伸手拿起小剪刀時，風從破碎的窗格灌入，把更多花粉吹滿房間。突如其來的噴嚏震得剪刀滑到陶盆下，他只好用手指扭下花莖。黃色的雲霧很快落定，覆上雛菊和鞋面。他退後站定，手握花朵，鬆散的葉片在腳邊慢慢靜止。