Wax Animals Soften in Market Sun - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Two long tables stood side by side, leaving a hand-wide gap between their edges.

Bright cloth covered the nearer table and carried small wax animals that glistened under noon light. Orion placed his palm on the cloth and noticed gentle warmth traveling through the thin fabric. He picked a wax zebra, its stripes pressed as shallow relief against the softening surface. The animal bent slightly, so he set it down and tried the round wax whale beside it. The whale felt heavier, yet a shine of melted beads clung to its belly and dampened his fingertips. A puff of steam drifted from a kettle on the farther table, carrying a smell of sweet tea. Ben, standing near the kettle, tapped a small clay drum with two loose fingers. The tap sent a quick hollow tone across the lane, cutting through the layered voices from other stalls. Light flashed across glass jars behind the stalls, and a smell of ginger drifted upward. Shoppers paused; thin threads of steam curled between them and faded.

Orion edged toward Ben and offered a silent nod, ready to assist with the busy kettle. Ben lifted the lid; hotter air rose, misting the metal ladle hanging above the pot. Condensation gathered, dripped along the ladle’s handle, and spotted the cloth near Orion’s wrist. He stepped sideways, placed another wax animal in the shade, and felt cooler stone under his sandals. A sudden cloud drifted across the sun, and the warmth on the tables eased within seconds. The zebra regained a firmer shape, while the whale kept small dents from the earlier heat. Ben said, "They look safer now." Ben let the ladle rest and wiped his palms on his apron. A cart rattled past, its load of ice blocks throwing cold air over the lane. Orion slid the drum aside, then reached toward the drifting chill and caught a thin crystal of frost. Water snapped off the ice as the cart rolled on, sparkling against his fingertips.

兩張長桌並排放置，桌緣之間留著一個手掌寬的縫隙。

靠近的那張桌子鋪著亮色布料，上面擺著小蠟製動物，在正午的光線下閃閃發亮。奧里恩把手掌放在布上，感到溫和熱度透過薄布傳來。他拿起一隻蠟製斑馬，斑紋以淺浮雕壓在正逐漸變軟的表面。動物稍微彎曲，他便放下它，改拿旁邊圓圓的蠟製鯨魚。鯨魚感覺較重，然而一些融化的小珠停在腹部，弄濕了他的指尖。遠桌上的水壺冒出一縷蒸氣，帶著甜茶香氣飄散。班站在水壺旁，用兩根鬆鬆的手指輕敲小陶鼓。鼓聲短促而空洞，穿過走道，切入其他攤位交疊的聲音。玻璃罐在攤後反射出閃光，一股薑味隨之飄上空中。顧客停下腳步；細細的蒸汽線在他們之間盤旋後消散。

奧里恩靠向班，微微點頭，準備幫忙那只忙碌的水壺。班掀開蓋子；更熱的空氣升起，讓掛在鍋上方的金屬勺被霧氣覆蓋。凝結的水珠沿著勺柄滴落，在奧里恩手腕旁的布面留下斑點。他側身一步，把另一隻蠟動物放到陰影中，腳下涼石透過涼鞋傳來。一片雲飄過太陽，桌上的熱度幾秒內減弱。斑馬重新變得硬挺，而鯨魚仍留著先前熱度造成的小凹痕。班說：「它們現在看起來安全多了。」班放下湯勺，用圍裙擦了擦手掌。一輛載著冰塊的推車喀啦喀啦地經過，冷空氣灑遍走道。奧里恩把鼓推到一旁，伸手迎向那股流動的寒意，捉住一片細薄的霜晶。冰塊上的水珠啪地落下，手指上閃著光。