Sunlight and a Jar Bend the Tissue Pattern - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

A glass pane rested across two low stools, one arm’s length from the window. Ruby set a sheet of tissue on the pane and smoothed it flat. She held a charcoal stick and traced a hood curve by habit. Near her elbow sat a tin of costumer’s chalk and a clear balloon. She inflated the balloon and set it as a head form beside the glass. Dry paper brushed her wrists, and a soapy smell rose from the rinse jar. She flicked a crumb of charcoal off the pane and kept her line steady.

Warmth slid off her wrist as a thin cloud crossed the sun. Light cooled on the glass, and the pane turned pale instead of bright. The break passed, and a narrow beam hit the water jar on the stool. A sharp caustic waved across the tissue and bent the faint traced edge. Reflection from the tin lid threw glare at her eyes and washed the pane. She narrowed her eyes and shifted her elbow, then slowed the stroke. She slid the jar half a hand to the side and tilted the pane a little. "There you are," Ruby said, as the bend in the light held still.

At that angle, the bright shape curled exactly along her hood’s curve. Her hand hovered for a breath and then set a clean line beside it. A second line showed up under the tissue, a ghost from the balloon’s edge. She rubbed the spot; the shadow slid away, and her drawn line stayed clear. She lifted the tissue and stacked it on the pane’s dry corner. A gray crescent of charcoal marked her forefinger where it rested on the pane. Clouds thickened over the window and covered the stripe of sun on the floor. The bright caustic broke apart, and the room darkened.

一片玻璃板橫放在兩張矮凳上，離窗戶一臂遠。Ruby把一張薄紙鋪在玻璃上，輕輕抹平。她拿著炭筆，順手描出帽兜的弧線。她的手肘旁放著一盒戲服師用的粉筆和一顆透明氣球。她把氣球充氣，放在玻璃旁當作頭形。乾燥的紙輕擦過她的手腕，沖洗罐裡飄出淡淡的肥皂味。她彈走玻璃上的一小屑炭粉，讓筆線維持穩定。

當一片薄雲掠過太陽，手腕上的暖意退開了。玻璃上的光變冷，面板不再發亮而顯得發白。空檔過去後，一束細光打在凳上的水罐。銳利的亮紋在薄紙上搖動，讓淡淡的描邊看起來彎曲。錫盒的蓋子反光，刺眼的亮光撲向她，也把面板一片刷白。她眯起眼，挪了挪手肘，然後放慢筆劃。她把水罐往旁邊推了半個手掌，並把玻璃微微傾斜。「就是這裡，」Ruby說，因為那道彎曲的光停住了。

在那個角度，亮形正好沿著帽兜的弧線蜷曲。她的手停了一下，接著在旁邊落下一道俐落的線。薄紙下又出現一道線，像是從氣球邊緣投出的影子。她揉了揉那個位置；影子滑開了，而她畫出的線依然清楚。她把薄紙掀起，疊到玻璃乾燥的一角。她食指靠在玻璃的地方，留下了一道灰色新月的炭粉印。窗外的雲層變厚，把地上的一條陽光帶遮住了。明亮的亮紋碎開，整個房間暗了下來。