The Tipped Rose- 適合初級的英語短篇故事

Warm evening air carried faint orange scent above the quiet street. Olive crouched on the terrace after school. Her small music gadget slipped under a wide metal grate. Bright stripes of sun moved across the grate every few seconds. The stripes came from a revolving mirror inside the glass greenhouse below. Light flashed, faded, then returned, forming a slow rhythm. Olive grew frustrated because the glare hid the gadget each time. She watched the pattern until she knew the calm interval.

A thin questionnaire from her backpack became a makeshift paper shovel. She slid the pages through the grate during the next dark pause. One smooth push nudged the gadget toward her waiting fingers. The papers also struck a clay pot that stood nearby. The pot tipped over as the mirror sent light again. Soil spilled, and a young rose bent over the terrace stones. At that moment, a passing helicopter rattled the air above. Its wind flicked dry leaves across the fresh soil. Olive lifted the gadget, but the pot stayed sideways. Loose leaves spun in a small circle beside the fallen stem.

溫暖的晚風帶著淡淡的橘子香飄過安靜的街道。放學後，Olive 蹲在陽台上。她的小型音樂裝置滑進一個寬大的金屬格柵下方。幾秒鐘一次，陽光亮條掠過格柵。那些亮條來自下方玻璃溫室裡旋轉的鏡面。光線閃現、消失，再次回來，形成緩慢節奏。每次耀光遮住裝置時，Olive 的動作便受阻。她觀察這節奏，直到抓到安靜間隔。

背包裡一份薄薄的問卷變成臨時紙鏟。下一次暗段到來時，她把紙頁推進格柵。輕推一下，裝置被撥到她張開的手指旁。紙張同時撞到一旁的陶盆。鏡面再次送來光線時，陶盆翻倒。土壤灑出，一枝幼玫瑰橫倒在陽台石面上。就在這時，一架飛過的直升機震動了上方空氣。旋翼風把乾葉吹過新灑的土。Olive 拿起裝置，而花盆仍躺側邊。鬆散葉片在倒下的枝旁打著小小旋圈。