Sketches in the Wind- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Mara wandered through the outdoor market at noon, a slim sketchbook tucked under one elbow. The wind has chased her all morning, and every stall seemed filled with restless energy that bounced between bright fabrics and clinking jars. A swirl knocked tulips sideways in their buckets and flipped the cover of her book, which contained half-finished lines that she had drawn earlier. When a rolling basket tapped her heel, she stepped back, and the perfect view of the flowers slipped behind moving shoulders.

A stall run by passionate artisans stood a little farther on; rows of scented candles warmed the air with cinnamon and orange. Another sudden gust struck, the shelf was rattled, and one candle tumbled toward the edge. Mara slid her sketchbook under the wavering jar, so it stopped before hitting the ground. Now the low shelf shielded her pages, and waxy light painted thick shadows across the tulips that remained upright. She captured those fresh shapes quickly; when the final curve met the paper, the charcoal tip rested against the page.

瑪拉夾著素描本，在正午的露天市集間穿來走去。風整個早上都追著她跑，每個攤位都像充滿在空中跳動的活力，鮮豔布料與碰撞的玻璃罐互相回響。旋風把水桶裡的鬱金香吹得東倒西歪，也掀開了她的畫冊封面，露出早先畫到一半的線條。當一個滾動的籃子撞到她的腳後跟，她退後一步，原本完美的花朵角度便被人潮遮住了。

不遠處有個由熱情工匠經營的攤位；一排排香味蠟燭散出肉桂與橙皮的氣息。又一陣突風襲來，架子被搖得嗚嗡作響，一只蠟燭朝邊緣翻倒。瑪拉把素描本滑到晃動的瓶子下方，蠟燭因此停住，沒有落地。此刻，低矮的木架成了她畫紙的擋風牆，燭光在仍直立的鬱金香上投出濃重陰影。她迅速捕捉這些新鮮線條，最後一道弧線落下時，炭筆尖靜靜貼在紙面上。