Flash Behind the Gate- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Night settled behind a small city restaurant. Warm air from the kitchen mixed with cool brick dust in the alley, and distant traffic hummed like slow drums. A young giraffe stretched its spotted neck above the dumpster, drawn by a wooden crate of crisp leaves resting inside the back patio. The kitchen staff have gone; only a single bulb above the door glowed. A narrow gate had been left ajar, yet a folded telescope on a metal tripod blocked the opening, and a small camera lay on the crate beside it. From the canal that ran past the alley, a hippopotamus climbed onto the cobblestones, water rolling off its broad back and tapping the ground.

The giraffe guided one slender leg toward the gap, but the tripod legs slid, reducing space. The hippopotamus pressed its shoulder against the gate, and the metal creaked. The giraffe’s hoof nudged the telescope, which toppled softly onto the pavement. At that instant the camera, which still holds power, slipped from the crate; its flash exploded in white light. Both animals froze, muscles tight, then the sudden brightness made pigeons burst from the roof. Their wings shook the gate fully open. The crate rolled forward, scattering lettuce across the stones. The hippopotamus lowered its wide mouth to the pile while the giraffe bent its long neck through the cleared doorway. Leaves crackled between teeth, and the alley grew quiet again.

夜色降臨在一間城市小餐館的後方。廚房飄出的暖空氣混著磚牆的微涼粉塵，巷子裡遠方車聲像慢鼓般低沉。年輕的長頸鹿伸長斑點脖子越過垃圾桶，牽引牠的是後院裡一箱新鮮脆葉。廚房人員已離去，只剩門上的小燈亮著。窄門半掩，卻被一支收折的望遠鏡與金屬腳架擋住；一台小相機躺在箱子旁。沿著巷邊運河，一隻河馬踏上鵝卵石，水珠從牠寬背滾落，敲在地面。

長頸鹿將細長前腿探向門縫，腳架卻滑動，使空隙更窄。河馬把肩推向門板，金屬發出咯吱聲。長頸鹿的蹄子碰到望遠鏡，鏡筒輕輕倒在地面；就在此刻，那台仍有電力的相機從箱上滑落，閃光瞬間炸成白芒。兩隻動物僵住，肌肉繃緊，突來亮光驚起屋簷上的鴿群。拍翅聲震開窄門，箱子滾出，生菜散落在石塊上。河馬低頭咬向菜葉，長頸鹿也從完全打開的門口彎頸加入。葉片在牙間碎響，巷子再次安靜。