Quail and Cloth under the Spring Gale - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

A pale feather rested across the tight warp threads. "Where did that come from?" Kellan brushed it aside, and the shuttle scraped forward through the narrow shed.

Outside, a spring gale rattled the high window and tossed light over the colored skeins. Kellan pressed the wooden pedal; the cords underfoot groaned, and the warp threads hummed. The shuttle slid back, its smooth nose rubbing the yarn with a dry whisper. Each pass left a neat stripe, and the cloth grew heavier across the beam.

A second scrape, softer than the first, rose from the floor. A small quail stepped from behind a basket, claws ticking on the planks. It pecked at loose husks of grain left by spinners, then scuttled under the bench. The gale slapped the shutters again. Air swirled through the room, lifting a free skein. The wool coil swung, dragged across a peg, and dropped beside the bird. Startled, the quail darted forward. Its wing brushed the fresh cloth, and the delicate weft skewed, snagging on a raised splinter.

Kellan lowered the shuttle and ran his thumb along the caught thread. Friction between yarn and splinter held fast. He fetched a scrap of sandpaper and rubbed until the wood lost its bite. A firm tug straightened the row; a tiny click of satisfaction sounded when the loose peg found its hole. "Easy, little one," he said, stepping back as the quail slipped through the open door.

The warp tightened again, steady under the loom’s weight. Outside, the gale eased. The hanging yarn swayed once, then fell still.

一根淡色羽毛橫躺在緊繃的經線上。「這根從哪裡來？」凱倫把它拂到一旁，梭子在窄小的經紗口中發出摩擦聲滑了出去。

屋外，春季的強風搖晃高窗，光線在彩色紗束上跳動。凱倫踩下木踏板；腳下的繩索呻吟，經線隨之震動。梭子滑回來，光滑的前端與毛線摩擦，發出乾澀耳語般的聲響。每一次穿梭都留下整齊的條紋，布料在捲梁上逐漸變重。

另一聲更輕的摩擦從地板傳來。一隻小鵪鶉從籃子後走出，爪子在木板上滴答作響。牠啄食紡線師遺落的穀殼，接著鑽到長凳底下。強風再度拍擊百葉窗，氣流捲進房間，帶起一束鬆開的羊毛紗。紗團被拖過掛釘後落到鳥旁。受驚的鵪鶉猛衝，翅膀擦過新織的布，細緯線被翹起的木刺勾住。

凱倫放下梭子，用拇指沿著卡住的線輕觸。毛線與木刺的摩擦緊緊拉扯。他取來砂紙打磨，直到木頭失去棱角。一次穩固的拉直後，鬆脫的木釘「喀」地定位，發出滿足般的聲響。「別怕，小傢伙。」他說，同時向後站開，讓鵪鶉穿過開著的門。

經線再次緊繃，穩穩承受織機重量。屋外的強風漸歇，懸掛的紗束先晃一下，隨後靜止。