The Ball That Escaped- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Warm air carried a faint smell of cut grass, and a distant whistle echoed once before fading. Leah stepped onto the baseball field, holding a thin stick she had found near the gate to push aside clumps of loose turf. Yesterday’s practice had made everyone play hard, sliding until the dirt turned smooth, and her wrist-watch had vanished somewhere between second base and the old pitching cage. She has walked across the diamond twice already; fresh clippings were sticking to her shoes. The outfield was covered with rising wind gusts that tossed paper cups back and forth, so the silver watch kept hiding under moving shadows.

She circled the metal pitching machine that rested beyond third base. Its wheel-and-rubber system was considered clever innovation when it arrived, and the frame still looked reliable after many seasons. A narrow gap near the chute caught a glint; her fingers reached in and closed around the missing watch. Metal scraped as she pulled free, and the machine hummed awake without warning. A baseball shot forward, flew past her elbow, and landed in the soft grass behind. Leah ducked, then laughed, pressing the rescued watch against her palm. The loose ball rolled until the wind stopped it beside the mound, while the machine stayed silent once more.

溫暖的空氣帶著割草後的氣味，遠處一聲短哨回盪後便安靜下來。莉雅走進棒球場，手裡拿著在入口撿到的細棍，準備撥開鬆散的草皮。昨天的練習讓大家拚命滑壘，土壤被磨得平滑，她的手錶就在二壘和老投球籠之間不見了。她已經走遍整個內野兩次，新割的草屑黏在鞋上。外野的陣風翻動紙杯，銀色手錶總在移動的影子裡閃爍又消失。

她繞到三壘外的金屬投球機旁。這台機器的輪與橡膠結構當年是頗具巧思的創新，多季以來依然顯得可靠。投出口旁的窄縫反射出亮光，她伸手進去，握住失而復得的手錶。金屬摩擦聲剛響，機器竟突然啟動；一顆棒球貼著她手肘飛出，落在後方柔軟的草地上。莉雅趕緊閃身，隨即笑了，將手錶緊貼掌心。那顆鬆動的球一路滾到投手丘旁，風停，機器也再度沉靜。