Frog Along the Draining Water- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Tamsin eased the glass-panelled door inward, and the hinges gave a drawn-out creak that rolled along the tiled corridor. Rhythmic dripping struck the teak floor, setting a soft musical pulse beneath the lingering hiss of the mist nozzles overhead. Pooled water shimmered beneath a loose slat, and Tamsin aimed to raise it so the puddle could drain. She had noticed the boards sagging earlier when an entire array of orchids along the bench began receiving uneven mist. If the puddle grew any wider, delicate orchid roots would stay soaked too long and invite rot. Tamsin knelt on the damp teak walkway and patiently waited for the hiss to pause. She slid a single terracotta shard under the slat; a dull splash followed, yet only a thin trickle escaped.

The nozzle motors hummed again; mist burst out, and the hanging chains began to oscillate against the iron frame. In the next quiet gap, Tamsin pressed the board and tucked a second shard beside the first. Water whispered through the new opening yet still refused to form the steady stream she needed. Nearby, an array of orchids continued to flourish in the light, their leaves rattling faintly in the air. She timed the cycle: exactly ten seconds of hiss followed by ten seconds of hush. At the following hush she pushed both shards deeper into the narrow gap. She then slid a third shard, letting its corner connect with the others and lifting the slat a finger’s breadth. Water burst through the seam and rang against gutter tiles in a bright stream. A tiny tree frog rode the flow, landed near her boot with a croak, then sprang toward a palm leaf.

The chamber filled again with the regular hiss–silence rhythm, yet the new stream kept drumming against the gutter in quick metallic notes. Tamsin lifted the remaining pot pieces with both hands and walked back along the corridor in thoughtful silence toward the potting bench. Through the misted glass she saw the slat she had raised standing higher, while water continued to glide beneath it. The door that had groaned at dawn closed behind her, and its hinges released only a quick, subdued sigh.

塔姆辛把玻璃門輕輕推回室內，門鉸發出一聲長長的金屬摩擦聲，在瓷磚走廊裡回蕩。細碎的水滴節奏般敲在柚木地板上，與噴霧噴頭持續的嘶嘶聲交織成柔和的節拍。一塊鬆動的地板條下方水光閃爍，塔姆辛想抬高它，好讓積水排走。她早先已注意到木板下陷，導致長椅上一整排蘭花受霧不均。如果水窪再擴大，嬌嫩的氣根就會長時間浸水而腐爛。塔姆辛跪在潮濕的柚木步道上，耐心等到嘶聲停歇，然後把一片陶盆碎片塞進縫隙；輕微的濺水聲響起，但只滲出細細一股水流。

噴頭馬達再次低鳴，霧氣迸出，懸鏈隨之在鐵架上微微擺動。下一段靜默時，塔姆辛按住木板，又塞入第二片碎片。水聲雖然更清晰，仍不足以形成穩定水流。附近一排蘭花在日光中依舊茂盛，葉片在空氣裡輕輕作響。她計時：嘶嘶聲整整十秒，接著安靜十秒。隨後的靜默裡，她把兩片碎片推得更深，再滑入第三片，使碎角與前兩片咬合，將木板抬高約一指寬。縫隙中水勢驟增，清脆地沖擊排水溝。一路乘水而來的小樹蛙在她鞋旁落地，呱地一叫，隨即跳向一片棕櫚葉。

室內再次響起交替的嘶聲與靜默，但新的水流仍持續在排水溝上奏出金屬般的快節拍。塔姆辛雙手捧起剩餘的陶片，在靜思中沿走廊返回盆栽工作台。透過帶霧的玻璃，她看見被抬高的地板條依舊翹起，水鏡一般的細流在下面滑行。清晨曾吱嘎作響的那扇門在她身後闔上，鉸鏈只吐出短短一聲壓抑的嘆息。