Marcos Before Noon Rain- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Marcos had carried the same project box since dawn. Inside, a cracked beaker tapped the lid, and a single grain of rice slid between wires each time he turned. The box protected a palm-sized car that held a square solar panel on its roof. Water-resistant tape covered every joint he had soldered the night before. In the corridor, lockers hung open, and students streamed past like a river. One door was blocked by sports bags, so Marcos turned, hurried down a side stair, and arrived in the empty courtyard just as grey clouds gathered above the gym roof.

Weak light settled over the bricks; the panel produced only a faint hum. Marcos pulled an old bulb from his pocket. Its mirror-coated glass, which has reflected light in many earlier experiments, caught the pale sky and redirected a narrow beam onto the panel. The hum grew into a crisp whirr, and the toy car rolled forward. A gust lifted the grain of rice, dropped it under the front wheel, and the wheel bounced, spinning the car in a sudden circle. Marcos crouched, flicked the rice away, and the wheels gripped the wet brick. The car crossed a shallow puddle, left two clear tracks, and stopped beside his shoe.

馬可斯從黎明開始就提著同一個專案盒。盒子裡，一個裂縫燒杯敲著蓋子，每當他轉身，一粒米就沿著電線滑動。盒子保護著一輛掌心大小的車，車頂裝著方形太陽能板。耐水膠帶包住昨晚焊接的每個接點。走廊裡，置物櫃敞開，學生像河水般湧過。一扇門被運動袋堵住，他便轉向，快步下側樓梯，抵達空曠的中庭，這時體育館屋頂上方正聚起灰雲。

微弱的光落在磚面，面板只發出輕輕的嗡聲。馬可斯從口袋拿出一顆舊燈泡。那顆玻璃內壁鍍銀的燈泡，在多次實驗中反射過光，現在將慘淡的天空集中成一道細束，照在面板上。嗡聲變成清脆的呼呼聲，小車便滑了出去。一陣風捲起那粒米，丟到前輪下，車輪彈跳，在地上畫出突如其來的圓圈。馬可斯蹲下，彈走米粒，車輪抓住潮濕磚面。小車穿過一個淺水窪，留下兩條清晰的軌跡，最後停在他鞋旁。