Water Jar Sends Ripples Across the Cellar Wall - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Bea and Janet walked down the sturdy steps into the small cellar.

Cool air touched Bea's arms, and a soft apple smell hung near the shelves. A single bulb shone above, and a tiny moth hovered in its circle. Dust specks turned slowly where the light crossed a row of clean jars. Bea pressed her palm to the stone wall; it held a deep, even chill. The wood on the nearest shelf felt smooth from many touches. Some jars showed pale rings from old labels.

Bea held a retractable tape measure and pulled the metal strip out. The strip bent around a jar, then zipped back with a bright click. A speck floated up and landed on her nose; her laugh pushed it off. The jar near the tape rocked, and Janet’s hand steadied the glass. On the lower shelf, a clear jar held water and loose paper labels. Bea tapped the jar, and its surface sent rippling light onto the wall. She lifted a metal lid and caught her face in its bright underside. Her eye looked huge; the brown ring of her iris showed sharp and round. Ripples crossed the reflection, and the rings trembled like lines on a pond. She hooked the end over a small nail and walked the tape along the shelf. By her basket, the case warmed her hand, and the strip made a soft hum. She let it return slowly, but near the end it rushed and clicked again. A tiny ring spread in the water and touched the glass sides. Light from the bulb broke into small waves on the ceiling stones. The waves slid across Janet's sleeve and climbed over Bea's fingers. Janet smiled, and her shoulders eased while the pattern traveled. Bea set the lid beside the jar, and the last ring slid.

Bea 和 Janet 走下結實的階梯，進到小小的地窖。

涼涼的空氣貼在 Bea 的手臂上，淡淡的蘋果氣味停在架子附近。頭上一盞燈亮著，一隻小飛蛾在光圈裡懸停。光線穿過一排乾淨的玻璃罐時，細小的灰塵慢慢轉動。Bea 把手掌貼在石牆上；牆面帶著深而均勻的冷意。最近的木架摸起來很滑，是被許多手磨出的平順。幾個玻璃罐上還留著舊標籤淡淡的環痕。

Bea 拿著一把伸縮捲尺，把金屬尺帶拉了出來。尺帶繞過一個罐子，接著嗖地一聲縮回去，發出清脆一響。一點微塵飄起落在她鼻尖上；她笑出聲，輕輕把它吹走。靠近尺帶的那個罐子晃了一下，Janet 伸手穩住了玻璃。下層的架子上，有一個清澈的玻璃罐，裡面裝著水和鬆開的紙標籤。Bea 輕點罐身，水面便把起伏的光送到牆上。她拿起一個金屬蓋子，用亮晶晶的內側接住自己的臉。她的眼睛顯得很大；虹膜的棕色圓圈清楚又圓潤。漣漪越過倒影，一圈圈抖動，像池面上的紋路。她把尺頭勾在小釘子上，沿著架子慢慢走。走到籃子旁，捲尺外殼溫熱了她的手，尺帶發出輕柔的嗡聲。她慢慢放回去，可是在快到底時又急速收回，再次一響。細小的圓圈在水中擴散，碰到玻璃的內側。燈光在天花板的石面上裂成一道道小波。那些波紋滑過 Janet 的衣袖，又爬上 Bea 的手指。Janet 微笑著，肩膀在圖案移動時放鬆了些。Bea 把蓋子放回罐旁，最後一圈便滑走了。