Starch Powder Falls in the Little Print Shop - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

The air smelled of ink and damp paper, warm and slightly woody. At sunrise, that scent sat close to the press and the wooden trays. Garner pulled the heavy lever; a dull clunk spread through the table. Fresh sheets peeled from the type with a soft lift and a hush. Along the handle, a shine showed where many hands had rubbed it smooth. The shop kept a mild climate; the walls held cool air under their paint. "This one is dry," Garner said, and he lifted it toward the rack.

Ines stood near a tin shaker of starch powder beside a stack of scraps. No quest marked the morning; her hands wandered by habit. She tipped the shaker once over a small corner. Fine grains sifted down and settled in a light dust, cool on her fingers. She brushed a loose fiber, and a pale line showed where the dust caught. She tried again on a different scrap and heard a soft hiss as it fell. The humid climate had clumped the holes, so she tapped the tin. A small mound slid out, scattering at the edge like a tiny sunrise. A dried ink crumb rolled under her thumb and broke into specks. She nudged a shallow tray, and a trickle of sawdust moved across the lip. "Good space there," Garner said, peering through a small glass.

Ines lifted one dusted scrap and saw where powder met the rough edge. The paper’s grain held some dots; other dots slid off and made a pale arc. She set the scrap down and brushed the table with the side of her hand. Dust rose, hung for a breath, and then settled across the wood. The small heaps stayed where they landed, a new scatter under the rack. On the beam above, a moth drifted in from the doorway and dropped to the rack. It touched the starch with its feet, lifted, and fluttered.

空氣帶著油墨和潮濕紙張的味道，溫暖又略帶木香。日出時，那股氣味貼在印刷機與木質字盤旁。Garner拉下沉重的拉桿，沉悶的一聲咔噠傳過整張桌子。新紙從活字上被輕輕掀起，帶出一聲細靜的摩擦。把手的一側泛著亮光，許多手掌長年摩擦把它磨得平滑。這間店維持著溫和的氣候，牆面下包著一層涼涼的空氣。「這張乾了。」Garner說，然後把它抬向晾架。

Ines站在一罐錫製撒粉器旁，裡面裝著澱粉粉，旁邊疊著一摞邊角紙。這個早晨沒有任何探尋，她的雙手只是依著習慣遊走。她在一個小角落上輕輕一傾撒粉器。細小顆粒篩落，化成一層輕粉，落在指尖帶著微涼。她拂過一根鬆散的纖維，淡淡一道線便顯出粉末停住的地方。她換到另一張邊紙再試一次，粉落下時帶出輕輕的嘶聲。潮濕的氣候讓小孔結成小塊，所以她輕敲了錫罐。一小堆粉滑出來，在邊緣四散，像一個迷你的日出。一粒乾墨屑在拇指下滾動，碎成點點細末。她推了推淺淺的托盤，一縷鋸木屑沿著邊緣慢慢流過。「這裡的空隙不錯。」Garner說，一邊透過小放大鏡看。

Ines提起一張沾粉的邊紙，看見粉末貼上粗糙邊緣的地方。紙張的紋理留住了幾個小點；其餘的滑落，勾出一抹淡淡弧線。她放下那張紙，用手側掃過桌面。粉塵升起，停在半空一息，然後落回木面。小小的粉堆就那樣停著，成了晾架下新添的一片散點。上方的橫樑邊，一隻蛾子從門口飄進來，落在晾架上。牠用足尖碰了碰那層澱粉，又飛起，穿過昏暗的走道。