Rainbow From a Jar Crosses the Loom Threads - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Warm lanolin and dry dust mixed in the air. A faint plant smell rose from the basket of raw fiber.

Adele worked the loom with steady feet, and the shuttle tapped between the warp. A glassy jar of water on the window ledge bent the sun into a thin rainbow. The high window threw a pale rectangle on the floor, and fine fiber dust drifted through it. The warp cast a ladder of shadows across the beater, while the shuttle’s nose flashed a small glare when it turned. Tatum wound a bobbin by hand on the bench and watched the light move. The wood under Tatum’s palm felt smooth, and the pedal gave a low creak. On the far wall, a faded banner of plain cloth hung from a peg, its top edge paler than the rest where light had reached it for many days.

As Adele beat a new row, the rainbow slid across the cloth. Tatum lifted a finger to track the bright line along the edge and watched it approach the center of the pattern. The green weft under the line shifted toward blue for a breath, and Adele’s hands paused above the threads. “The color changed in that strip,” she said, leaning closer. The shuttle lost momentum in her grip, and its polished tip reflected a thin bar of white. Tatum stepped to the wall, lifted the faded banner, and raised it between the jar and the loom. The shade softened the glare, and the rainbow broke into tiny spots on the floorboards like crumbs of color. The warp’s shadows settled into even stripes again, and the shuttle moved cleanly through the shed. “Here is the bobbin,” Tatum said, setting the wound one by Adele’s elbow.

Adele beat the row tight and checked the straight edge by sight alone. Tatum slid the banner back onto its peg and smoothed the hanging cloth.

溫熱的羊毛脂和乾燥的灰塵味混在空氣裡。淡淡的草本味從一籃原始纖維裡散出。

阿黛兒用穩定的腳步操作織機，梭子在經線間輕輕敲過。窗台上的一個玻璃感的水罐把陽光折成一條細彩虹。高處的窗把一塊淡淡的長方形光打在地上，細小的纖維塵在光束裡慢慢下落。經線在打緯器上投出像梯子的影子，而梭子的前端轉身時閃出一點眩光。泰坦把梭芯放在長凳上用手慢慢繞線，並看著光線移動。泰坦手下的木頭摸起來很滑，踏板發出低低的嘎吱聲。遠處牆上掛著一條褪色的布旗，吊在木釘上，頂邊比其他地方更淺，顯出長時間被光照過的痕跡。

阿黛兒打下一列時，彩虹滑過布面。泰坦抬起手指沿著邊緣追著那道亮線，看著它靠近圖案中心。亮線下的綠色緯線短暫偏向藍色，阿黛兒的手在經線上方停住。「那一條的顏色變了，」她說，並把臉湊近。梭子的動能在她手中停了下來，拋光的尖端反出一條細白。泰坦走到牆邊，取下那條褪色的布旗，舉在水罐和織機之間。陰影柔化了眩光，彩虹碎成幾點小色塊落在木地板上。經線的影子又回到整齊的條紋，梭子乾淨地穿過經口。「這裡有梭芯，」泰坦說，把繞好的那個放在阿黛兒的手肘旁。

阿黛兒把這一列打緊，並用眼睛檢查了筆直的邊。泰坦把布旗滑回木釘上，並把垂掛的布面撫平。