Lena Before the Rain Starts- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Lena balanced a cardboard submarine on her shoulder while crossing the school courtyard. She had spent a considerable part of the morning painting silver stripes along its curved sides. Now she hoped to place it in the exhibition hall before the afternoon bell rang. Two problems appeared at once. A gust pressed against the cardboard skin. A stream of students marched toward lunch, filling the narrow path. The wind shook the nose of the model, and elbows brushed its tail. She slowed her steps and searched for open space.

A low wooden shelter that stored sports cones stood near the grass. She guided the submarine behind it, where the air stayed calm. Mia, who had finished hanging posters, noticed the struggle and stepped closer. Without a word, an unofficial alliance formed; four hands steadied the rolling waves and lifted the weight together. A garden trolley hidden behind the shelter waited like a secret helper. They slid the model onto the metal tray and pressed the handle forward. The ride turned smooth, and the crowd opened naturally around squeaking wheels. At the hall, the side door was already ajar. The event coordinator had propped it with a paint bucket. The trolley rolled over the threshold. The submarine rested on a long table as the first raindrops spotted the window.

莉娜把一艘紙板潛水艇扛在肩上，穿過學校的中庭。她花了相當多的早晨時間，在彎曲的船身上刷上銀色條紋。現在她希望在下午鐘聲響起前，將作品放進展覽廳。麻煩同時出現。一陣強風推著紙板外殼，一隊學生朝餐廳移動，擠滿狹窄的路。風搖動模型的船頭，手肘擦過船尾。她放慢腳步，尋找空位。

草地旁有座放體育用品的低木棚。她把潛水艇引到棚後，那裡空氣平靜。掛完海報的米亞注意到這場掙扎，走了過來。兩人默契地結成臨時同盟，四隻手穩住翻滾的浪紋，一起抬起重量。木棚後面藏著一輛園藝推車，像秘密幫手般等待著。他們把模型推上鐵板，壓下把手前行。路面變得平穩，人群自然在吱呀聲中讓開。到達展廳時，側門已半開，活動協調員用油漆桶卡住了門。推車越過門檻，潛水艇安放在長桌上，第一滴雨點打在窗面。