After the Skeleton Tipped- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo breathed fast as he crossed the empty science room. He had promised himself he would finish the math homework before the evening bus, yet one page had vanished during lunch. The page, he thought, lay near the tall cupboard that carried paint jars and a plastic skeleton for biology lessons. The side door was locked, and, at the same time, a cleaning cart blocked the main aisle. Voices from the corridor warned that the final bell sat only minutes away. Milo has searched three classrooms already, and dusty footprints on the tiles showed his route. A generous spill of sunlight slid through the blinds, but it reached only halfway to the cupboard.

He pushed a stool toward the cupboard, climbed, and slipped through the narrow gap on top. Inside the storage corner, rows of models leaned together. The skeleton wobbled and tipped forward; its bony arm hooked a box of art paper. Both landed with a soft crash, and Milo's eyes widened. Sheets scattered everywhere, cartoon clouds with zigzag mouths represented mixed feelings from an earlier art exercise. Under the last sheet, he spotted his homework, crumpled but safe. A small clay figure, shaped like a believer kneeling beside a lantern, rolled out of the same box and stopped at his shoe. Milo set the skeleton upright, stacked the generous pile of pages, and slid the homework into his backpack. The cupboard door closed with a gentle click.

米洛急促地穿過空蕩的科學教室。他答應自己在傍晚校車前完成數學作業，但午餐時有一頁不見了。他想那張紙可能躺在高大的櫥櫃附近，櫥櫃裡放著顏料罐和生物課用的塑膠骷髏。側門被鎖上，同時清潔推車擋住主要通道。走廊的聲音提醒最後的鐘聲只剩幾分鐘。米洛已經找過三間教室，地板上的灰腳印留下他的路線。一束豐沛的陽光穿過百葉窗灑進來，但只照到櫥櫃的一半。

他把凳子推到櫥櫃前，爬上去，從頂部狹縫滑進儲藏角。裡面一排模型緊靠在一起。骷髏搖晃後向前傾倒，骨臂勾住一盒美術紙，兩樣東西輕聲墜地，米洛的眼睛睜大。紙張四散，上面畫著鋸齒嘴的雲朵，表現早先美術課討論的複雜情感。在最後一張下面，他看見被揉皺但完好的作業。盒子裡還滾出一個黏土小雕像，塑成跪在燈籠旁的信徒，停在他的鞋邊。米洛把骷髏重新立好，疊起那堆豐沛的紙張，將作業塞進背包。櫥櫃門輕聲闔上。