Wings from the Pages- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Four wooden trunks stood one arm-length apart beneath the lowest beam of the attic. Wren knelt beside the first trunk, sorting loose sheet music that curled like dried leaves. Warm air pooled near the roof peak, and pale dust sparkled through a thin stripe of sun. The attic smelled of dry cedar and old ink, a mix that pricked her nose. Somewhere below the attic hatch, the wooden staircase creaked as servants crossed the upper landing of the mansion. She ignored the noises and slid another stack of pages into a shallow tin box. The ballroom rehearsal had begun earlier that morning, and a slow drumbeat made the floorboards hum. Each pulse nudged the box a finger's width forward, yet she kept arranging the papers.

When she lifted a yellowed folder, the next vibration arrived harder than before. The tin box slid, struck the trunk’s rounded edge, and began to spin toward the open hatch. She lunged, pressing one palm against the lid just as another beat rolled through the beams. The sudden stop startled a sleeping dragonfly hidden between two curled pages. It shot upward and circled the low lamp, wings buzzing like tiny gears. Its quick loops pushed a ribbon of dust into her face. She shifted her stance, planting both feet wider for balance. With steadier arms, she guided the box back to its place and set the folder aside. She lowered the trunk lid and turned toward the small window. Far beyond the roofline, a lonely stone tower, once a city landmark, caught the late light. The dragonfly traced restless paths across the glass.

四只木箱以一臂長的距離排在閣樓最低的橫梁下。溫瑞恩蹲在第一只箱旁，整理捲曲得像枯葉的樂譜。熱氣在屋脊附近聚集，細微的灰塵在窄窄的陽光帶裡閃光。閣樓裡飄著乾雪松與陳舊墨水混合的氣味，刺得她微微皺鼻。閣樓口下方，公館的木製樓梯在樓下僕人走動時嘎吱作響。她沒理會那些聲音，把另一疊紙放進淺錫盒。早上開始的舞廳彩排傳來緩慢的鼓點，使地板跟著發顫。每一下震動都把盒子推前小半寸，但她仍專心把樂譜排得整整齊齊。

她提起一份泛黃資料夾時，下一下震動比先前更猛烈。錫盒滑動，撞上箱子的弧形邊緣，開始朝敞開的閣樓口旋轉。她撲上前，一手按住盒蓋，梁木又迎來一下鼓聲。突然的停止驚醒了一隻睡在兩頁紙間的豆娘，它衝上燈罩，雙翅嗡嗡，像迷你齒輪。它快速盤旋，捲起一縷灰塵撲到她臉上。她把雙腳分得更開，好讓身體站穩。手臂不再抖動後，她把盒子推回原位，並把資料夾放到一旁。她合上箱蓋，轉向那扇小窗。屋脊外，一座曾是城市地標的孤獨石塔沐在餘暉中；豆娘仍在玻璃前畫出不停的軌跡。