Tight Knots and Thin Air- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Cool latex stuck lightly to Otto's thumbs, the stretch of each neck leaving a very thin tacky film. He perched on the tying chair and counted six balloons bobbing beside him. The hand pump on the nearby table squeaked; eight strokes filled the current balloon, and a hollow clang rang out when he forced the plunger. Otto pinched, twisted, then looped string around the neck, but the roll dangled toward the floor and refused to feed. A tenacious knot inside the coil blocked the line, so the next length jerked back and shrank the loop, letting air hiss away. Earlier, he had pumped three balloons without delay, yet now he lifted the roll, aiming to clarify the snarl, and the string crossed itself again, as if it tried to communicate nothing but confusion. A refreshing trace of frosting drifted from the kitchen where Jarvis trimmed ribbon lengths with quiet scissors.

Otto steadied his breath, then tried again with a slight shift. He had seen the string loosen whenever the roll turned counter-clockwise, so he tilted it and allowed gravity to help. Instead of pulling, he smoothed each loop toward the knot, giving the fibres room to relax. The same resistance appeared—tight and silent—yet his rhythm coaxed a hidden thread free, then another. After a minute the gap widened, enough for one neat length. He cut it against the chair edge, tied the balloon, and added it to the growing cluster. While he reached for the next balloon, the pump spat a weaker puff; the gasket leak finally spoke. A red sphere nearby dulled and sagged, a tremor that clarified time was running short. Otto rose, cradled the finished bunch, and walked toward the ceiling corner. At the table, the nozzle kept hissing while the plunger inched upward on its spring.

涼涼的乳膠輕黏在奧托的拇指上，每一次拉伸都在皮膚上留下一層極薄的黏膜。他坐在綁線的椅子上，數著六顆在身旁晃動的氣球。旁邊桌上的手動打氣筒發出吱嘎聲；連續八下把眼前這顆充滿，當他用力推活塞時還響起空洞的叮噹。奧托掐住氣嘴、扭轉，再繞上細繩，可是線捲垂向地面，怎麼也不肯放線。一個頑強的結卡在線圈深處擋住出口，下一段繩子被彈回來，縮緊了剛才的圈，氣嘶地漏掉。先前他已經順利打了三顆，可現在他舉起線捲想看清纏繞，結果線又交錯起來，好像只會傳遞混亂。廚房飄來一股清新的糖霜香，賈維斯正安靜地剪緞帶。

奧托調勻呼吸，微調姿勢再試。他早就看出，只要線捲向左轉就會鬆動，於是他斜握線捲，借重力幫忙。不再猛拉，他把每一圈往結處順，給纖維留出空隙。相同的阻力依舊緊繃無聲，但他的節奏終於放出一條隱藏線頭，接著又一條。一分鐘後縫隙擴大，足夠剪下一段整齊的長度。他靠著椅緣剪斷、綁好，將氣球加到漸漸成形的束群。正要拿下一顆時，打氣筒噗地吐出較弱的氣；墊圈漏氣終於現形。一顆紅球表面黯淡下垂，提醒時間已不多。奧托起身，抱著完成的束群走向天花板角落。桌上，噴嘴仍在嘶嘶吐氣，活塞靠彈簧慢慢向上爬。