Mint Through a Kitchen Crack- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Sticky tile cooled the kitten's paw pads. The pot on the stove trembled, and cinnamon soup foamed higher each second. Liquid already dripped slowly over the rim. It began to flood the floor in a slow, amber sheet. A blue whale-shaped sponge lay beside the back door, still dry for now. The kitten wanted that sponge before the immense puddle reached it.

Between the kitten and the sponge, a metal lid skittered across the wet tiles. It spun once and halted, blocking the straight path. A plastic measuring cup rolled off the counter. It bumped the lid and sent both pieces clattering apart. Behind the kitten, steam slipped upward, making the air balmy and sweet. Soup climbed the pot again; the amber sheet now touched the first floor tile by the rack. The kitten paused briefly beside the cupboard corner. One route curved across a wool mat, dry but longer. The other cut straight over smooth tile, quicker yet slick.

The kitten sprang toward the sleek tiles, claws splayed for grip. Paws slid anyway, and momentum carried the small body into the warm soup edge. Small spices stuck to the fur like freckles. The price for speed arrived with a sharp hiss from the stove. The kitten rolled sideways, bumped the cupboard toe-kick, and uncovered a thin crack. A faint zephyr slipped through that crack, fluttering a strip of dried mint hidden inside. The whale sponge drifted beyond reach as soup advanced. The kitten sniffed the unexpected mint, while the curtain above billowed against the frame.

黏滑的瓷磚帶著微涼，貼在小貓的腳掌。爐上的鍋子顫動，肉桂湯的泡沫每秒都往上鼓起。湯汁已經慢慢溢出邊緣，接著像琥珀色薄膜般淹向地板。後門旁一塊藍色的鯨魚形海綿仍保持乾燥；小貓想在那片巨大水漬靠近前拿到它。

小貓與海綿之間，一只金屬鍋蓋在濕滑瓷磚上滑行，旋轉一圈停下來，擋住筆直的路。塑膠量杯從檯面滾落，撞到鍋蓋，兩樣東西一起響動分開。小貓後方，蒸氣向上竄，使空氣溫暖甘甜。湯汁再度攀升；琥珀色薄膜已碰到架子前的第一塊地磚。小貓在櫥櫃角落短暫停步；一條路繞過乾燥羊毛墊但較長，另一條直穿光滑瓷磚較快卻滑。

小貓躍向光亮瓷磚，張開爪子想抓地。腳掌仍然打滑，衝力把牠帶進溫熱湯邊。細小香料像斑點黏在毛上。爐子的尖銳嘶聲提醒這次搶快的代價。小貓側翻，撞到櫥櫃底板，意外掀出一道細縫。一陣微風穿過縫隙，吹起裡面一條乾薄荷。海綿被湯水推遠，小貓抓不到了；牠聞著那意外的薄荷味，抬頭看著窗簾在框邊鼓動。