Purple Drip Spreads Across the Cellar Steps - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

A thin purple line crossed the bottom step at the cellar door. "Is the light still on down there?" Yves called from the doorway. A small mouse skittered along the wall, its body close to the stone. Cool air brushed its whiskers, and the bulb spread a pale circle across the floor. Dry seed crumbs lay near a sack, and the mouse moved toward them.

A steady drip fell from a pipe and struck an open jar of dye. Each drop raised a tiny swirl, then a thread spilled over the glass lip. The floor sloped, and the seam between stones harbored a slow purple stream. The trickle carried small debris, husks and dust, past the mouse’s route. One paw touched the edge of dye and stuck for a short moment. The mouse lifted it, leaving a faint print that marked the cold step. It shortened its steps and chose the dry edges, hugging the stones. A crumb rolled, met the stream, and drifted along the shallow current.

"I can see the floor now," Yves said, his voice easy and low. The crumb slid into the pooled dye and slipped under a dark leaf. The mouse paused and turned away from the crumbs near the sack. It climbed onto the first step and touched the dry wall near the outlet. Then its nose traced the paint beside the plate and sniffed.

一道細長的紫色痕跡橫過地窖門邊的最下階梯。門口傳來伊夫的聲音：「下面的燈還亮著嗎？」一隻小老鼠沿著牆邊疾行，身子貼近石面。涼意掠過牠的鬚鬚，燈泡在地上鋪開一圈淡淡的光。乾燥的穀粒碎屑散在麻袋旁，老鼠朝那裡移動。

管子滴下穩定的水珠，正好打在一罐打開的染料上。每一滴都激起微小的漩渦，接著一縷細線越過玻璃邊緣。地面略微傾斜，石縫裡匯住一條緩慢的紫色小流。這股細流帶走些微碎屑、殼與灰塵，從老鼠的路旁滑過。有一隻爪子碰到染料邊緣，短短地黏住了一下。老鼠抬起爪子，在冰涼的階梯上留下淡淡的印記。牠把步伐縮短，沿著乾燥的邊緣前行，緊貼著石面。一粒碎屑滾動起來，碰上細流，沿著淺淺的水勢漂去。

「我現在看得到地板了，」伊夫說，聲音平和而低。那粒碎屑滑進匯成的小灘紫色染料，鑽進一片暗葉底下。老鼠停了一下，轉身離開麻袋邊還剩下的碎屑。牠踏上第一階，碰了碰插座旁那片乾燥的牆。接著牠的鼻尖沿著面板旁的漆面滑過，輕輕嗅了嗅。