Inflated Balloon Bumps the Lighthouse Bell - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Gemma visited the lighthouse at dusk with Hector, who tended the lamp.

Cool brass met her palm, and salt air mixed with the clean smell of wax.

Above them, light made the great glass glisten, but she stayed back near the rail.

The stone floor felt cool through her shoes, and a distant wave thudded below.

On a shelf, a flat rubber balloon waited beside a cloth tape.

She picked it up and began to inflate the thin skin with short breaths.

The rubber stretched and squeaked, and the small folds smoothed under her fingers.

She pressed the round balloon to her cheek, where cool latex warmed against skin.

She looped a soft hair tie around its neck, which grew taut and glossy.

She set the loop on a chair back; the tie slipped and sprang away.

She used the cloth tape to measure its middle, then let the tape curl.

A folded invitation lay on the side table beside a clay mug.

She hung the balloon from a small hook by the door and watched it sag.

Beside the hook, a thin brass bell shared a springy wire with a cork float.

The hair tie stretched longer, slipped free, and snapped back against the little bell.

The bell rang once and bounced lightly on its wire, then hung almost still.

A loose spring in the latch flexed quietly when the wire quivered.

The balloon dropped, rebounded off a canvas bag, and rolled under the wooden table.

Hector wiped the lens ring, and the quiet room kept its soft salt smell.

The balloon rolled once more, then gently touched the wooden table leg.

傍晚時，Gemma 和負責照看燈火的 Hector 一起到燈塔。

冰涼的黃銅貼著她的手掌，鹹鹹的空氣混著乾淨的蠟香。

在他們上方，光線讓巨大的玻璃閃著微亮，不過她待在欄杆旁。

石地透過她的鞋底傳來涼意，遠處的浪在下方悶悶地拍了一下。

架子上，一個扁扁的橡膠氣球放在布尺旁邊。

她把它拿起來，用短短的呼氣開始把那層薄薄的外皮充起來。

橡膠被拉開又發出吱聲，小小的皺摺在她指下慢慢攤平。

她把圓圓的氣球貼在臉頰上，冰涼的乳膠靠著皮膚漸漸變暖。

她把一條柔軟的髮圈繞在氣球的頸部，那裡變得繃緊又發亮。

她把圈套在椅背上；髮圈滑落，又彈開了。

她用布尺量了氣球的中間一圈，接著讓布尺自己捲回去。

邊桌上放著一張對摺的邀請卡，旁邊是一只陶製馬克杯。

她把氣球掛在門邊的小掛鉤上，然後看著它微微下垂。

掛鉤旁邊，一個細薄的黃銅鈴和一段有彈性的金屬線連著一顆軟木浮球。

髮圈被拉得更長，滑脫後又彈回去，正好碰到那只小鈴。

鈴響了一下，在金屬線上輕輕跳動，然後幾乎停住不動。

門閂裡的一枚鬆彈簧在金屬線微微顫動時，悄悄地彎了一下。

氣球掉下來，從一個帆布袋上彈回，滾到木桌底下。

Hector 擦拭著鏡座的環圈，房間保持安靜，也留著淡淡的鹽味。

氣球又滾了一下，然後輕輕碰到木桌的桌腳。