The Balloon's Sudden Hiss- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

"Watch the ribbon!" a girl called.

A grey sparrow swooped beneath the striped awning above the quiet queue near the ticket window. Ribbons and paper leaves from a morning ceremony still fluttered along the railing, lifting and dropping with each brisk draft that slipped under the roof. Warm afternoon light slid across polished tiles and glimmered on scattered confetti, showing tiny ridges in the colored paper. The sparrow landed beside a limp purple ribbon that billowed like a tiny sail whenever a gust slipped past the arriving bus. The strand merited the bird’s attention because it was narrow and soft, perfect for lining a nest tucked under an eave. While the bird picked at one frayed end, a line of bright balloons hung behind it, each slowly deflating with faint puffs that mixed with the distant whistle of brakes.

A fresh gust rolled along the platform and squeezed the lowest balloon; air shot through the loose knot, produced a sharp hiss, and sent a ripple through a shallow puddle by the bench. The sudden puff also blew the ribbon from the sparrow’s beak. It floated upward, spun, and smacked the sagging line of balloons. Latex surfaces trembled, then two balloons broke free and drifted toward the open track, bumping against each other like slow colorful birds. The sparrow tilted its head, claws tightening on the tile, then darted after the moving ribbon. Another draft met the escaping balloons in mid-air, turning them and pushing them across the square, while the bird rode the same wind, wings beating hard. Behind them, the queue shuffled forward without noticing the airborne chase. The loosened balloons keep bobbing above the rails. The ribbon still twists in the breeze and climbs higher toward the clock.

「小心那條緞帶！」一個女孩喊道。

一隻灰色麻雀在售票口上方的條紋遮棚下俯衝，掠過安靜的排隊人潮。早上儀式留下的彩帶和紙片仍貼著欄杆飄動，每當輕快氣流鑽進屋頂下方，就一起起伏。午後溫暖的陽光滑過拋光磁磚，映亮散落的五彩紙屑，細小凸紋清晰可見。麻雀落在一條鬆軟的紫色緞帶旁，當巴士駛近時，微風吹起它，像小船帆一樣鼓起。這條細緞帶柔軟又窄，正好當作屋簷巢穴的墊料，因此引起麻雀注意。鳥兒啄著磨損的末端，身後一排彩色氣球懸空而垂，每顆正慢慢洩氣，微弱噗聲混著遠處煞車口哨。

一陣新風掠過月台，擠壓最低的氣球；空氣從鬆結口射出，發出尖銳嘶聲，在長椅旁淺水窪上畫出波紋。突然的氣流也把緞帶從麻雀喙中吹走。緞帶向上漂，旋轉後撞上下垂的氣球串。乳膠表面顫動，接著兩顆氣球脫離束縛，朝開放軌道漂去，像慢吞吞的彩色鳥互相碰撞。麻雀歪頭，爪子抓緊瓷磚，隨即追向飄動緞帶。另一股氣流在半空遇見逃離的氣球，將它們轉向並推過小廣場，而鳥兒借同一陣風拍翼前行。身後排隊人潮微移，沒注意到空中的追逐。鬆綁的氣球持續在鐵軌上方起伏。緞帶依舊在微風中扭動，向站內時鐘越爬越高。