Green Marble Found in the Rooftop Sand Pot - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

"Lift that bag of soil," Tatiana said.

Winston dragged the plastic bag across the warm tar, pebbles crunching under each step. A square of roof near the parapet waited, empty except for one cracked clay pot. Neither child carried a timetable; leisure simply spread across the afternoon like slow sunlight. Sunlight glared against the white walls, and a faint tar smell hovered in the still air.

Tatiana sliced the soil bag, and dark grains poured out, forming a low irregular mound. Winston scooped fistfuls, sifted them into the pot, then pressed the surface until it settled flat. He tried to keep in mind the thin line that marked yesterday's water level. More soil slid, and tiny pebbles rolled aside, clicking like busy insects over the tar. When Tatiana added a just-opened bag of pale sand, the darker mound collapsed without warning. Sand trickled through the soil, and a smooth green marble sparkled inside the sudden gap. Winston brushed loose dust from the marble, feeling its chill against the warmth of his fingers. A tiny ridge of soil built up beside his knuckle, then crumbled in a quiet trickle. Tatiana uttered a low whistle, then lifted the marble and rested it on Winston's palm. Together they nudged fresh sand around the pot, creating two neat ridges that framed the rim. Their two ridges touched beside the cracked pot, pale sand hugging dark soil in a clear line. Tatiana set a small watering can beside the marble and tipped one drop between the ridges.

「把那袋壤土抬過來。」塔提亞娜說。

溫斯頓拖著塑膠袋走過溫熱的瀝青面，碎石在腳下喀喀作響。女兒牆旁的屋頂角落空著，只放著一只裂縫明顯的陶盆。兩個孩子沒有行程表；悠閒像慢慢鋪開的陽光般瀰漫整個午後。陽光映在白牆上，很刺眼，微微的瀝青味靜靜漂浮在空氣裡。

塔提亞娜劃開壤土袋，深色細粒傾瀉而下，堆成不規則的小丘。溫斯頓一把把抓起壤土，篩進陶盆，然後把表面壓平。為了記住昨天的水線，他在心裡標記那條細痕。更多壤土滑動，細小礫石滾到一旁，像忙碌的昆蟲在瀝青上喀答作響。塔提亞娜倒入一袋淺色沙後，那座深色小丘毫無預警地塌陷。沙子在壤土間涓涓流動，一顆光滑的綠色玻璃彈珠在突然形成的縫隙裡閃亮。溫斯頓拂去彈珠上的細塵，冰涼從指尖透來。靠在他指節旁的小小土脊又靜靜碎落。塔提亞娜發出低低的驚嘆聲，拾起彈珠放到溫斯頓手心。他們一起將新沙推到陶盆周圍，圍出兩道整齊的沙脊。兩條沙脊在裂盆旁相接，淺沙緊貼深土，線條清晰。塔提亞娜把小水壺放在彈珠旁，傾斜壺嘴，慢慢滴下一滴水落在沙脊之間。