Morgan in the Dim Hall- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Morgan paused at the entrance of the old school hall, his breath hovering in the cool air. The science fair would start in an hour, and the hologram projector on the stage still refused to turn on. He had already connected every cable, yet the tiny indicator stayed dark. A faint nano-pulse signal flickered on his handheld scanner, hinting at hidden life inside the machine. The broken scanner had been ignored for months, but he trusted its reading. He lifted the metal cover; dust slipped down like gray rain. Light from ceiling panels revealed a spectrum of tiny wires, twisted and dull; a faint outline began to emerge between the layers.

He clipped a fresh battery into the power bay, hoping the surge would kick-start the circuits. Instead, a low pop echoed, and the fragile board tilted, loosening a ribbon cable. His wrists tightened around the screwdriver; momentum slowed when the tool missed the slot and scraped the frame. If he had arrived earlier, he would have tested everything in calm silence. Determined not to leave empty-handed, he removed the warped board and replaced it with one taken from a retired microscope. Once the screws settled, the indicator blinked twice, then faded again, as if the machine played hide-and-seek.

While frustration ticked in his neck muscles, an incredible thought crossed his mind. The scanner might be right, but the source could sit elsewhere. He swept the hall; colorful posters leaned against stacked chairs, and his backpack lay open near the door. The handheld scanner pointed at the bag, its bar rising with every step he took. He unzipped the pocket, and a pocket-sized music cube rolled out, still broadcasting its bright rhythm. The cube’s test mode produced the nano-pulse signal, fooling both boy and projector. He powered it down; at once the hologram projector hummed. Lenses rotated, and a shimmering model of the solar system rose above the stage. A single green diode stayed lit beside the silent projector.

摩根停在老舊學校大廳的入口，呼出的白霧在涼空氣中懸浮。科展還有一小時開始，舞台上的全息投影機仍然沒有反應。他已經接好所有電纜，但小小的指示燈依舊黑暗。手持掃描器上出現微弱的奈秒脈衝訊號，似乎暗示機器裡仍有生命。這台故障的掃描器已被擱置數月，然而他依舊相信它的讀值。他掀起金屬護蓋，灰塵像灰色細雨落下。天花板燈光照出色彩光譜般的細線，扭曲而黯淡，線層間隱約開始浮現一道輪廓。

他插入新的電池，希望電流能喚醒電路。結果傳來一聲輕爆，脆弱的板子歪斜，扁平排線也鬆脫。他握緊螺絲起子，當工具滑出槽口擦到機架時，動作的動量變慢。假如他早點到，就能在寧靜中測試所有東西。為免空手而回，他拆下變形的板子，換上從退役顯微鏡取下的一塊。螺絲固定後，指示燈閃了兩下，又再度熄滅，彷彿機器在玩躲貓貓。

頸部肌肉緊繃時，一個難以置信的念頭掠過：掃描器或許正確，但訊號源可能在別處。他掃視大廳，彩色海報靠在堆疊的椅子旁，他的背包敞開放在門邊。手持掃描器對準背包，每走一步，橫條就升高。他拉開口袋，一顆袖珍音樂方塊滾了出來，仍在播放明亮節奏。方塊的測試模式產生奈秒脈衝訊號，欺騙了男孩與投影機。他將方塊關閉，全息投影機立即發出嗡嗡聲，鏡頭旋轉，舞台上升起閃亮的太陽系模型。單顆綠色二極體在安靜的投影機旁持續亮著。