Shift in the Hay Stack- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo stepped onto the farm yard with a metal bucket. A thin stream from a hose that leaked near the pump slid across the bricks and crept toward the feed bins. He aimed to scoop corn for the goose and the rooster before the water reached the red chalk line halfway across the yard. The wheelbarrow that had been overturned since dawn blocked the direct path. Warm sunlight mixed with the faint smell of engine oil around the tractor, doing nothing to slow the spreading shine on the bricks. By the time Milo dragged the empty wheelbarrow aside, the stream had already touched the chalk.

The water widened, covering the mark and moving toward the wooden wall behind the bins. Milo judged two routes: a safe walk around the wide gravel loop or a faster climb over stacked hay bales beside the barn. Extra grain stored for thanksgiving markets rested on top of those bales, so the climb risked a spill. He chose speed. Straw pricked his palms; the stack shifted under his weight, and a hidden nail tore his sleeve. From the higher view he noticed an old tin lantern wedged between two rafters, its glass still clear. He landed on the far side just as the water lapped against his boots. The bucket lay on its side, still empty. Hay crumbs dotted the wet floor beneath the shifted stack. Water still pushed toward the feed bins.

米洛提著金屬桶踏進農場的院子。一條自水泵旁滲水的水流沿著磚面滑動，正朝飼料桶前進。他想在水到達院中央的紅色粉筆線前，舀玉米餵鵝和公雞。自清晨就翻倒的獨輪車擋住了直路。溫暖的陽光與拖拉機周圍微微的機油味交織，但無法減慢水面在磚上擴張的速度。當米洛費力拖開空獨輪車時，水已經碰到粉筆線。

水面變寬，淹過記號並朝桶後的木牆推去。米洛衡量兩條路：繞過寬闊碎石道較安全卻更慢，或翻越倚在穀倉邊的乾草堆更快。為感恩節市集準備的額外穀物就放在草堆頂端，因此攀爬可能弄翻穀物。他選了速度。稻草刺痛掌心，草堆在他腳下晃動，一根隱藏的釘子割破了衣袖。從較高的位置，他看見兩根椽子間卡著一盞錫製燈籠，玻璃依然清透。他跳到另一側，水已拍上他的靴子。桶翻倒在地，仍舊空空如也。被移動的草堆下方，細碎稻草散落在濕地面。水仍推向飼料桶。