What the Wind Caught- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Luis steadied a ladder beside the garden swing. He wanted to connect the loose chain so the wooden seat would finally hang level. One iron link, showing a gradual bend after many seasons, no longer slipped into its partner. Gravity pulled the heavy seat toward the ground. A sharp hill wind kept pushing it sideways, and the two forces blocked Luis at every reach. Warm sunlight touched the rough plank, and the faint smell of cut grass drifted above the flagstones. He climbed two steps and grabbed the cool chain. The wind jerked the seat away, tugging the link from his fingers. A small notebook lay open on a crate. The top page showed a bright doodle of a smiling sun he had sketched earlier. A stray kitten, which has visited the yard for a few days, crouched near the crate. It tracked the moving board with wide, curious eyes.

After three failed grabs, Luis finally paused, thinking. He noticed how each stronger gust lifted the seat a little, easing the weight on the bent link. A simple idea slowly formed in his mind. He stepped aside and pushed the board forward, turning it toward the next oncoming gust. The wind filled the seat like a small sail and raised it higher. Pressure against the chain briefly straightened the link. The heavy pin was already almost in place. Before he could lock it, the same wind kept blowing. The freed swing rushed backward, struck the crate, and knocked the notebook to the ground. Its pages flipped across the patio, and the bright doodle disappeared beneath fluttering paper. Startled, the kitten leaped after the flying sheets, scattering them farther. Luis let the half-fixed chain dangle and jumped from the ladder. He turned away from the swing and knelt beside the scattered pages. The kitten pounced on a rolling sheet, sending it under the lavender bush.

路易斯把一架梯子穩穩靠在花園的秋千旁。他想把鬆掉的鐵鍊重新扣好，讓木製座椅能再次保持水平。多年來形成的緩慢彎曲，讓其中一個鐵環再也套不進另一個環裡。重力把厚重的座椅往下拉，而山坡吹來的尖銳陣風又不停把它推向一旁，兩股力量在他每次伸手時都互相牽制。溫暖的陽光落在粗糙的木板上，割草後的微弱青草味在石板上方漂浮。他踩上兩階，抓住冰涼的鐵鍊。風把座椅猛地扯走，鐵環被從他手中拉開。旁邊一個小筆記本攤開在木箱上，最上面的頁面有他早上畫的微笑太陽塗鴉。這幾天常來的流浪小貓蹲在木箱旁，用又大又好奇的眼睛盯著晃動的座椅。

連抓三次都失敗後，路易斯終於停下來思考。他注意到每一陣更強的風都會稍微托起座椅，減輕彎曲鐵環上的重量。一個簡單的念頭慢慢成形。他側身把座椅向前推，讓它迎向下一股陣風。風像給小帆充氣般撐起座椅並抬得更高。衝擊在鐵鍊上短暫地拉直了鐵環。沉重的插銷幾乎已經就位。還沒來得及完全插緊，風又繼續吹。脫開的秋千猛然向後衝，撞上木箱，把筆記本打落在地。紙頁在院子裡翻飛，亮眼的塗鴉被飄動的紙張掩住。受驚的小貓撲向飛舞的紙頁，越撥越遠。路易斯讓半修好的鐵鍊晃著，跳下梯子。他轉離秋千，跪到散落的紙頁旁。小貓撲向一張翻滾的紙，把它送進薰衣草叢裡。