Rainbow Under the Steps- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Water dripped from a loose pipe and pattered on a tin lid. The small noise bounced between stone walls while Pearl stepped down the narrow steps. Weak daylight slid through a square window, then struck a cracked mirror; the mirror shot a sharp glare directly into her eyes. She blinked and raised a hand, wishing to read the faded label on a tall jar. Inside the dim shelf corner, a dried blossom lay pressed against the glass, perfect for the wreath she planned for her cousin’s wedding. Shadow drowned the words on the label, yet the glare stabbed from behind, so neither eye nor lantern helped. Pearl lifted the lantern anyway and inched closer, but bright spots floated across her sight and the letters stayed hidden.

She set the lantern aside and noticed the mirror’s frame hanging by one nail. Camera equipment, stored nearby, offered a clue: a shiny metal reflector curved like a spoon. She folded the reflector open, twisted its handle, and propped it under the dangling mirror. The reflector caught the fierce glare, bent it downward, and poured a silver ribbon of light straight onto the dark jar. The label gleamed; at last she read the simple word she needed. However, the redirected beam spilled beyond the shelf, brushed a glass prism left from an old science kit, and split into stripes of green, pink, and gold. Colors crawled over dusty barrels, over a stack of heartwarming winter cards, and even over a framed photo of a dense rainforest leaning against a beam. Pearl carried the blossom upstairs, leaving the cellar bright as a hidden chapel. Minutes later, the sunbeam shifted away from the window, the rainbow dimmed, and coarse gray shadow covered the prism again.

水從鬆動的管線滴落，啪嗒地敲在錫蓋上。這微弱的聲響在石牆間來回回響，珮兒一邊聽著，一邊踩下狹窄的階梯。微弱的日光透過方形小窗溜進來，打在破裂的鏡子上；鏡子又把刺眼的光線直射進她的眼睛。她眨眼擋手，想看清高罐上的褪色標籤。昏暗的層板角落裡，一朵乾燥的花朵被壓在玻璃裡，正好能做堂姊婚禮用的花環。陰影吞沒了標籤，而刺眼光芒又從背後刺來，眼睛和提燈都幫不上忙。珮兒還是提起提燈靠近，但亮斑在視野中漂浮，字跡依舊模糊。

她把提燈放下，注意到鏡框只靠一根釘子吊著。旁邊存放的攝影器材給了她靈感：一面像湯匙般彎曲的金屬反光板。她將反光板打開，扭動握把，把它支在快脫落的鏡子下。反光板接住強烈的眩光，折向下方，把銀亮的光帶倒灌到黑暗的罐子上。標籤亮起，她終於讀到自己要找的字。不過，被改道的光束又掃到一個玻璃稜鏡——那是舊科學組留下的——光線立刻分裂成綠、粉、金的條紋。彩色光帶爬過積灰的木桶，越過堆著的溫馨冬卡，甚至爬過靠梁斜放的一幅熱帶雨林照片。珮兒拿著花朵上樓，留下一間猶如隱蔽小禮堂般光耀的地窖。幾分鐘後，日光從小窗滑開，彩虹黯淡，粗重的灰影再度覆住那顆稜鏡。