Feather Beside the Departing Bus- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

"A duck under the rail!"

Reed gripped the chilly metal barrier and bent closer. Diesel hum pulsed through the platform floor, while a distant loudspeaker crackled about the incoming Route 12. Between the yellow safety line and a drain cover, a mottled mallard waddled in slow, deliberate loops. Each hollow tap of its webbed feet echoed under the roof, competing with the hiss of opening doors across the tracks. The bird gave an affectionate nip at Reed’s hanging shoelace, then paused as another rumble passed overhead. Heads turned at the tiny commotion, but most travelers hurried toward the ticket gate’s steady beep, boots clacking like metronomes against tile.

A fresh gust rolled through when the next bus braked, rattling the metal bench and shaking droplets from a roof joint. Reed took one careful step forward; the rail vibrated under his palm, so he waited for the shake to fade. The mallard slipped beneath the bench, its soft quacks muffled by engine noise. Reed crouched, and a shimmer beneath the bench caught what little fluorescent light escaped the shelter. The bird’s beak bumped a thin rectangle, nudging it onto open floor. A scratched photoframe slid across wet tile until Reed’s sneaker stopped it with a squeak. Inside the plastic window lay an old bus card pressed against a faded family picture. Another announcement was being swallowed by the engine’s drone, hinting that doors would close soon, yet Reed glanced between the bird and the departing queue without moving.

The engine pitch climbed, then thinned as Route 12 rolled away. Silence filled the gap it left, broken only by the faint drip of water returning to the drain. Reed stood, wiped the photoframe on his sleeve, and tucked it into his pocket for the lost-and-found desk. The mallard circled once, then vanished behind a pillar toward the riverbank path beyond the fence. Reed lifted a pale feather off the rail that had first hidden the duck.

「欄杆下有鴨子！」

瑞德抓住冰涼的金屬護欄，身子探了下去。柴油引擎的低沉嗡響透過月台地面傳來，遠處的擴音器沙啞地播報著12號路線的進站訊息。黃色安全線與排水孔之間，一隻斑駁的綠頭鴨慢吞吞地繞圈；它蹼足敲擊地面的空洞聲在屋頂下迴盪，與對面車門的氣嘶聲互相爭鋒。那隻鳥親暱地輕啄瑞德垂下的鞋帶，另一列列車轟過時又停住。小小的騷動吸引了幾顆好奇的目光，但大多數旅客還是踩著規律的步點，匆匆朝驗票閘門的嗶聲走去。

下一班公車剎車時帶來一陣新風，金屬長椅嘎啦響，屋頂接縫滴下的水珠被震落。瑞德小心向前跨一步；護欄在掌下顫動，他便等到抖動消退。綠頭鴨鑽到長椅下，柔和的呱叫被引擎聲吞沒。瑞德蹲低，長椅下的反光在昏白燈光裡閃了閃。那鳥喙輕觸一塊薄矩形，把它頂到開闊的地面。磨損的相框在濕滑瓷磚上滑行，直到被瑞德的球鞋「咯」地止住。塑膠窗內是一張舊公交卡，壓著一張褪色的全家福。另一則廣播被引擎噪音吞得七零八落，門即將關閉；瑞德卻沒有動，只在鳥與隊伍之間來回張望。

12號車發動機高聲拉升後漸漸遠去。留下的空檔只剩水滴回到排水孔的細碎聲。瑞德站起身，把相框在袖子上擦乾，放進口袋，準備轉交失物招領處。綠頭鴨繞了一圈後，從柱子後滑向柵欄外通往河岸的小徑。瑞德把欄杆上方那根淡色羽毛捏起來，正是最初藏住鴨子的那段欄杆。