Milo Before Curtain Rise- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo crouched behind the velvet curtain, checking boxes of paint and tape. The rehearsal starts in ten minutes, and the main flashlight is missing. The situation looks simple at first; perhaps it rolled beneath a chair. However, the backstage corridor narrows whenever extra scenery swings through, blocking his path. A drum crashes somewhere, and heads turn, slowing his search. He has already scanned every costume rack that lines the wall. Quick cognition sparks when he recalls a high shelf above the props table. He hopes to uncover the light before the director notices. The curved shelf near the ceiling holds old masks, wires, and a sealed wooden box. Dust rises while he drags a step stool toward it.

The box feels heavier than expected, and a latch snaps open with effort. Inside, instead of a flashlight, rests a tiny brass key shaped like a star. A quiet fascination clings to the metal as light bounces along its edges. A fresh mystery hangs in the air, yet the clock keeps moving and voices grow louder onstage. Instead of returning the key, he hurries toward the curtain pulley. A cluster of actors, who are practicing whispers, separates when the stool bumps a sword prop. A lock on the stand has been left closed, so the curtain cannot lift. The brass key slides in, and the lock clicks free. Stage lights ignite, revealing the missing flashlight wedged behind the stand. Milo grabs it, and soft light spreads across the empty stage.

米洛蹲在天鵝絨幕後，檢查著裝滿油漆與膠帶的箱子。排練十分鐘後開始，但主要的手電筒不見了。一開始情況看似單純，也許它只是滾到椅子底下。然而，每當大型佈景被搬動時，後台走道就變得狹窄，擋住他的路。某處鼓聲轟然響起，眾人轉頭，讓他的搜尋更慢。他已經找遍沿牆而立的每個戲服架。靈光一現，他想起道具桌上方的高層置物架。他希望在導演注意之前，把手電筒找出來。接近天花板的彎形架子放著舊面具、電線，以及一只封閉的木盒。當他拖著腳凳靠近時，細塵飄揚。

盒子比預期沉重，卡榫費力才彈開。裡面躺著一把星形黃銅鑰匙，並非手電筒。微弱光線在金屬邊緣跳躍，一種無聲的吸引力縈繞其上。新的謎團浮現，鐘聲卻繼續倒數，舞台上的聲浪愈加響亮。他沒有把鑰匙放回，而是衝向控制幕布的捲軸。正在練習低語的一群演員，被他和腳凳推開而分散。支架上的鎖頭一直鎖著，幕布因此升不起來。黃銅鑰匙滑入鎖孔，清脆一聲，鎖頭開啟。舞台燈瞬間亮起，遺失的手電筒正卡在支架後方。米洛抓起它，柔和的光線灑向空蕩的舞台。