The Hollow Chest- 適合初級的英語短篇故事

Morning light touched the sandy path near the small gorge. Blake carried a canvas bag and walked toward the water below. A short metal ladder fixed to the rock led down. An unusual wooden chest blocked its top rung. Green moss clung to the sides and made the wood look heavy. Blake pushed the chest with both arms. It refused to move and only scraped the stone a little.

Blake tapped the lid with a pebble. The sound echoed like a drum, light and hollow. He grinned and tilted the chest onto one edge. Air whooshed out from a crack, and the wood felt strangely light. He hugged the box, lifted it clear, and stepped aside. The sudden shift pulled the ladder forward. Metal feet slid over the moss. They dropped into place against the gorge wall. Pebbles rattled down the slope, then the area grew still. Blake tightened his grip on the bag and began his careful descent.

清晨的陽光照在靠近小峽谷的沙地小徑上。布雷克提著帆布袋，向下方的水面走去。岩石上固定著一段金屬短梯，通向下方。一只不尋常的木箱擋住最上面的橫桿。綠色苔蘚黏在箱側，使木頭看起來厚重。布雷克用雙臂推木箱，它只在石面上磨出聲響，並沒有移動太多。

布雷克用小石子敲箱蓋，聲音像鼓一樣迴盪，空心而清脆。他露出笑容，把木箱傾向一邊。裂縫中射出一股氣流，木頭顯得異常輕盈。他抱起箱子移到一旁。重心突然轉移，短梯向前滑動。金屬腳踏掠過苔蘚，最後穩靠在峽谷壁上。碎石沿斜坡哗啦落下，隨後四周安靜下來。布雷克抓緊袋子，小心地開始向下攀梯。