Sugar on the Waiting Chair- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

A silver water dispenser, a leaning magazine rack, and a rounded blue-grey waiting chair lined the wall beside the reception counter. Over that quiet corner, ceiling fan blades sent cool spirals of air across the tiled floor while Vesper pinched a soft marshmallow from a crinkled pouch. She had opened a style magazine on her knees, aiming to keep one haircut photograph ready for the moment the stylist waved her over. The sweet glued itself to her thumb; when she tried to flick it away, the sticky lump pressed against the glossy page and clung there instead. Thin hair clippings drifted down and stuck to the sugar like iron filings on a magnet. Vesper tugged, yet the page refused to come free, and the magazine’s spine, weighted by many past bookings, swung half-closed again.

Jonas spun on an empty swivel chair nearby; the seat’s tendency to rotate knocked his sneaker against Vesper’s knee and tipped the magazine onto the floor. At that instant a kestrel drifted past the broad front window, its barred wings catching the fluorescent reflection; both children paused to watch the bird perch on the outer ledge. When the chair slowed, Vesper lifted the fallen magazine and noticed the marshmallow had lifted every loose clipping from the page. The same tackiness that had bothered her now formed a neat, glue-like pad. She pressed the sugary patch into the crease near the photograph, and the heavy spine stayed open without further protest. Jonas leaned over and nodded at the held page, and together they could overlook the faint mess of sugar grains around the picture.

A minute later the stylist called Vesper’s name. She carried the secured magazine toward the mirror stations, careful not to brush the product cables that lay across the styling floor. After handing the open spread to the stylist, she returned the pouch to its place by the reception counter. The silver water dispenser that had been spotless earlier now showed a pale smear where her marshmallow-coated thumb had briefly rested during the exchange.

一個銀色飲水機、一個傾斜的雜誌架，和一張圓弧藍灰色候位椅並排在接待櫃檯旁的牆邊。天花板的風扇葉片在瓷磚地面上送出涼涼的旋流，維絲珀從沙沙作響的小袋裡捏出一顆軟綿綿的棉花糖。她已經把一本造型雜誌攤在膝上，打算在設計師招手時隨時遞上心儀的髮型照片。甜點黏住她的拇指；她想甩掉時，那團黏糖卻壓在光滑頁面上不肯放手。細碎的頭髮屑像鐵屑找磁鐵般落下，貼滿糖面。維絲珀拉扯不開，而多次翻閱變沉重的書脊又把雜誌半闔。

約納斯在旁邊空著的旋轉椅上打轉；這張椅子愛轉的特性讓他的鞋尖撞到維絲珀的膝蓋，把雜誌踢到地上。就在此時，一隻紅隼掠過大玻璃窗，帶條紋的翅膀映著冷光，兩個孩子都停下動作，注視牠落到外側窗台。椅子停緩後，維絲珀撿起掉落的雜誌，發現棉花糖把所有散髮都一起黏了起來。本來惹她厭煩的黏性，如今成了整齊的小膠墊。她把黏糖壓進相片旁的書縫，厚重的書脊再也闔不上。約納斯湊過頭，兩人便不在意照片周圍細小的糖粒。

幾分鐘後，設計師喊到維絲珀名字。她小心端著固定好的雜誌走向鏡台，避免碰到造型區地上交錯的工具電線。把攤開的頁面遞給設計師後，她把小袋放回接待櫃檯旁。那個先前還毫無痕跡的銀色飲水機，現在多了一道淡淡的拇指糖痕。