Wind Chimes Change Note When a Knot Slips - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

I worked with Wade under a low branch in our backyard that afternoon. We had hand-made chimes, and the pieces waited on a bench nearby. I lifted the small wooden hatch of the bench and took a tin circle and a smooth shell. A canvas bag from the garden club rested by Wade’s foot on the grass. The dog lay in the shade with his nose on his paws. Beyond the fence, the lane stayed quiet and straight in the heat.

The bark felt warm and rough under my fingers, and cool shade sat on my forearms. I dipped the pieces in a metal bowl and kept rinsing them until the dust was gone. Drops slid off the shell and ticked on the grass beside us. Wade held the short string steady while I tied a knot close to the tin. The pieces hung low, light enough to move, but not long enough to tangle.

A light gust reached the leaves and bent the small strings slightly. The shell swung and touched the tin circle, and a soft note rose and faded. Another gust came from the side, so a wire star and a shell rang together for a heartbeat. I wanted to hear the next one, so I carried one more shell to the tap. I tried to hasten back across the grass before the wind changed. For a moment the air stayed still, and the pieces hung quiet. Then a stronger gust reached the branch and tilted three pieces at once. As they rang, the damp knot I had tied slid a little. The shell dropped lower, and the note changed in the middle of its sound. The dog lifted his head, ears up, and watched the moving pieces. I pinched the wet string after the gust passed and made the knot tighter. Another quick gust tapped the chimes, and their brief touches sounded brighter. When the wind passed, the last shell made one small turn and clicked.

那天下午，我和 Wade 在後院一根低枝下動手做事。我們做了手工風鈴，零件就放在旁邊的長椅上。我掀起長椅上的小木蓋，拿出一片錫圈和一枚光滑的貝殼。園藝社的帆布袋放在草地上，靠著 Wade 的腳。狗躺在陰影裡，鼻子抵在前爪上。籬笆外那條巷道在暖熱的空氣裡又直又安靜。

我指下的樹皮溫熱而粗糙，涼涼的陰影落在我的前臂上。我把零件放進金屬盆裡，不斷沖洗，直到灰塵都退掉。水珠從貝殼上滑下，在身旁的草上滴答作響。Wade 把短線拉穩，我把結打在靠近錫片的地方。零件掛得很低，夠輕會被帶動，但長度不至於打結。

一陣輕風掠過樹葉，把細細的線輕輕壓彎。貝殼擺過去碰到錫圈，一個柔和的聲音升起又慢慢退去。另一陣風從側面來，鐵線做的星形和貝殼短短同時響了一下。我還想聽下一聲，就拿著另一枚貝殼走到水龍頭邊。我想趕緊穿過草地回來，趁風向還沒變。有那麼一會兒，空氣靜著，零件也安安穩穩地垂著。接著一陣更強的風抵到樹枝上，三個零件同時歪過去。它們響著時，我打的那個潮濕的結微微滑下。貝殼降得更低，聲音在發出的中間就變了。狗抬起頭，豎著耳朵，看著那些晃動的零件。等風過去，我捏住濕線，把結拉緊一些。又一陣快速的風碰了風鈴，它們短短相碰的聲音更清脆。風一過去，最後那枚貝殼輕輕轉了一下，發出一聲清脆的小響。