What the Hammer Stirred- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

The workshop behind the old school showed its age. Dust lay thick on benches, and paint had curled away from metal cupboards. Cool air smelled of machine oil, and a single fly traced circles under the hanging lamp. Leon stepped inside, rolling up his sleeves. A small steam engine, silent for ten years, rested on a cracked plank. The machine had been a graduation project by a young scientist who later moved abroad. Leon hoped to film its gears turning again for the school fair. He wiped the brass body, discovering nervous scratches left by hurried filing. Many of its screws have been lost, and the belt that joined the wheels had stiffened like dry rope.

He placed the motor on a cart, yet the path to the door proved narrow. Every push made the cart lean, and a shaky toolbox beside it rattled louder. Afternoon light was fading across flaking windows, so Leon removed the largest gear to reduce weight. The cart still locked against the frame until a hammer slipped from the bench and struck a wheel. The sudden clang sent a shock through the metal; the engine turned half a circle and released a puff of grey steam. Startled, Leon jumped back. The cart rolled over the threshold, and the heavy door stopped its swing. Outside, the mechanism ticked in an uneven rhythm while pale steam drifted upward.

老學校後方的工作間明顯陳舊。塵土厚厚覆在工作台上，油漆也從金屬櫃翹起。涼爽的空氣混著機油味，唯一的蒼蠅在吊燈下畫出圓圈。里昂捲起袖子走進來。一台沉睡十年的小型蒸汽引擎擱在裂木板上。這台機器原是年輕科學家的畢業專題，後來那人遠走他鄉。里昂希望為學校展覽拍下齒輪再次轉動的畫面。他擦拭黃銅外殼，看到急促銼痕留下的「顫抖」線條。許多螺絲已經遺失，連接輪子的皮帶硬得像乾繩。

他把引擎放上推車，但通往門口的通道過窄。每次用力，推車就傾斜，旁邊的搖晃工具箱也更響。午後的光線在剝落窗框上漸暗，里昂拆下最大齒輪減輕重量。推車仍卡在門檻，直到一把錘子從工作台滑下擊中輪子。驟然的金屬撞擊震動了整台機器，引擎轉了半圈並冒出灰蒸汽。里昂嚇得退後。推車越過門檻，厚重的門停止晃動。室外，機械發出不均勻的節拍，淡蒸汽向上散去。