Dock Lantern Opens, Then a Moth Flies Out - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

We walked along the harbor rail while small boats rose and fell. Cool damp air touched Ella’s cheeks, and light taps from metal rings on masts mixed with the soft wash of water. A seaweed smell sat under the rail, and the rail felt cool and a little wet to our hands. She carried a glass-and-tin lantern that had sat under a canvas cover on the dock. We reached a low hook by a bench, and Jasper stood beside her with one palm on the rail and one on the lantern’s base.

Ella set the lantern on a cork ring so it would not wobble. The tin latch resisted her first pull, so she pressed her thumb harder and kept her other hand steady on the side. Her will showed in her steady grip and slow breath. Jasper did not speak; he only held the base in place as the dock moved under us. The latch gave a dry click. When the door opened, a thin puddle inside spilled over the rim and ran across her knuckles. She laughed once and wiped it with a cloth, and the water spread in a clear sheet over the glass panel before it ran off. A small shape shot out from the dark space inside. A moth beat its pale wings against the bright day and landed on Jasper’s sleeve. He lifted his arm a little, and the moth rose again and settled on the top rail, still. Ella lifted the lantern, and Jasper raised the hook with two fingers. She hung the lantern so the glass faced the water. A fresh ripple reached the dock, and the lantern swayed a small arc. The puddle on the board thinned and spread into a long trail that pointed toward the moored boats. The moth opened and closed its wings once, then slid off the rail and drifted past the bench as the lantern’s clean glass threw a brief patch of light across Jasper’s sleeve.

我們沿著港邊的欄杆走，小船一起一落。清涼的濕氣碰到 Ella 的臉，桅杆上金屬環的輕輕敲擊聲和水面柔和的拍打聲交織在一起。欄杆下帶著海藻的氣味，欄杆摸起來冰涼，手上也帶點濕意。她抱著一個玻璃和錫做的燈籠，先前一直放在碼頭上的帆布罩下。我們走到長椅旁的一個低掛鉤前，Jasper 站在她身邊，一手扶著欄杆，一手按著燈籠的底部。

Ella 把燈籠放在一個軟木環上，這樣它就不會晃動。錫扣在她第一次用力時頂住不動，所以她拇指更用力，另一隻手穩穩地扶住側面。她的穩定握力和慢慢的呼吸，把她的意志表現了出來。Jasper 沒說話，只是在碼頭微微起伏時按住底座。扣子發出乾脆的一聲。門一打開，裡面薄薄的一灘水就越過邊緣，灑到她的指節上。她輕笑了一下，用布擦拭，水先在玻璃片上鋪成一層清清的薄膜，然後滑落。一個小影子從暗處竄出，一隻蛾子撲打著淡色的翅膀，落在 Jasper 的袖子上。他把手臂微微抬起，蛾子又飛起來，停在上方的欄杆上，一動不動。Ella 把燈籠提起來，Jasper 用兩根手指把掛鉤抬高。她把燈籠掛好，讓玻璃朝著水面。新的小波紋拍到碼頭，燈籠畫出一小段弧。板面上的水漬變薄，攤開成一條長長的痕跡，方向對著系泊的小船。蛾子開合了一次翅膀，然後從欄杆上滑下，越過長椅飄走，同時，燈籠乾淨的玻璃在 Jasper 的袖子上掠過一塊短暫的亮斑。