Lena Before the Rain- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Lena balanced on the back step, holding a wooden birdhouse that still smelled of fresh paint. She had found it at a weekend market, and the creator had carved tiny stars along its walls. All morning the roof has been fixed, two loose nails have been replaced, and the walls have received a bright yellow coat. Now her single goal was simple: hang the house on the tall apple tree before dark clouds crossed the fields. A low branch appeared within reach, as if to offer steady support. Her imagination pictured a small bird waking inside the new room.

As she placed one foot on an old crate, the wood groaned and dropped a splinter, warning that time was short. Wind tugged at her sleeves, pushing the crate away while the branch stayed stubbornly high. She stepped down, tied a thin rope through the birdhouse roof, and threw the loose end over the branch. The first attempt missed; the second swing caught. At that moment a bright canary flashed across the garden and landed on the rope, its weight helping the line settle. Lena pulled, the crate slid back to offer firmer support, and the house rose like a small lantern. Rain started, tapping the leaves, while the canary slipped through the round doorway and the rope fell quiet.

莉娜站在後門台階上，小心抱著一座仍散發新漆味的木製鳥屋。這個鳥屋是她在週末市集找到的，製作者在牆面刻下細小星星。整個早晨，屋頂已被修好，兩根鬆動的釘子也已換新，牆面重新刷上亮黃色。她唯一的目標很簡單：在烏雲越過田野前，把鳥屋掛上高高的蘋果樹枝。一根低枝伸在可及處，似乎提供穩固的支點。她的想像浮現一隻小鳥在新房裡甦醒的畫面。

當她把一隻腳踩上舊木箱時，木頭發出呻吟，掉下一片木屑，提醒時間不多了。風扯動袖子，把木箱推離，而枝條依舊高懸。她退下來，把細繩穿過屋頂，將另一端拋過枝條。第一次嘗試落空，第二次拋繩卻勾住了。就在此刻，一隻鮮黃金絲雀掠過花園，停在繩上，牠的重量讓繩子穩定。莉娜拉繩，木箱滑回來提供更穩固的支點，鳥屋像提燈般升起。雨點開始敲葉，金絲雀鑽進圓形入口，繩子便安靜垂下。