When the Flour Flew- 適合初級的英語短篇故事

Warm air filled the small bakery kitchen. Sweet steam rose around shining steel bowls. Blake, a short apprentice, wanted a loaf now. A large dough mixer stood between him and the oven. Its metal arms turned, stopped, then turned again in slow rhythm. The pause lasted three heartbeats before the blades moved. Flour fell each time the arms lifted out.

Blake watched one full cycle and counted the pause again. A bright idea jumped inside him during the quiet gap. He bent low, waited, and slipped under the mixer. His foot brushed a spoon filled with fine saffron threads. The spoon tipped; the orange strands flew into the whirling bowl. The mixer started, tossed flour, water, and saffron together. Color spread through the dough and turned it pale gold. Flour dust covered Blake's hair and coat. He brushed the white dust away. Fine quality grain already sat beside the mixer. The bowl now held a new recipe Blake never planned. Saffron cost more than any spice; its tiny weight signaled wealth. Golden dough slowly turned while the mixer kept its beat.

溫暖的空氣充滿小小的烘焙廚房。甜甜的蒸氣繞著亮亮的不鏽鋼碗上升。身材矮小的學徒布雷克現在想要烤一條麵包。一台大的麵糰攪拌機擋在他和烤箱之間。金屬手臂轉動、停下，又慢慢轉動。刀片移動前，空檔有三次心跳那麼長。每次手臂抬起時，麵粉都落下來。

布雷克再看一個完整循環，又數了一次空檔。安靜的間隙裡，他突然冒出一個點子。他彎腰，等著，然後溜到攪拌機下方。他的腳碰到一支裝滿細番紅花絲的湯匙。湯匙傾倒，橘色細絲飛進旋轉的碗裡。攪拌機開始把麵粉、水和番紅花一起拋動。顏色散開，麵糰變成淡金色。麵粉灰覆滿布雷克的頭髮和外衣。他把白灰拍掉。高品質的穀粒早已放在攪拌機旁。碗裡多了一個布雷克從未計畫的新配方。番紅花比任何香料都貴；微小的重量象徵財富。金色的麵糰緩緩轉動，而攪拌機繼續維持節奏。