Kai Before the Potluck- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Kai balanced a rolled cloth under one arm as he stepped into the community hall. The tables had been arranged in two long rows, each surface waiting for the evening potluck dinner. A bright window lit the western sidewall, exactly where he planned to hang his grandmother’s cloth. When he unrolled it, fine embroidery shimmered across the fabric, reminiscent of maple leaves drifting over river stones. He pressed a tack into the plaster, yet the weight pulled the corner free at once. The cloth sagged, brushing his hair and scattering chalk dust over his shoes. A faint echo answered as the tack bounced across the wooden floorboards.

Next he tried stronger pins. The first had snapped in half, so a short nail replaced it, but the nail bent against hidden brick. If he had measured earlier, the tacks would have held, and his knees would not have begun to quiver on the narrow ladder. A breeze drifted through the gap the cloth kept uncovering, blowing papers along the floor. Kai stepped down, rubbed his palms, and lifted the iron punch provided by the caretaker. The hole widened, and at last the nail slid inward. Still, the lower edge swung loose and slapped softly against the wall.

He folded a strip of spare ribbon, slid it behind the cloth, and stitched it to the fabric with quick, careful motions; the solution had been improvised on the spot, yet the green ribbon blended with the leafy pattern. Once the ribbon caught the final corner, the cloth stayed in place and covered the drafty crack completely. Later, when neighboring cooks arrived, warm air lingered near the tables and visitors paused under the cloth to give thanks for the comfort. Their voices rose around rising steam from soup pots, and Kai’s shoulders straightened without a word. Soft light rested on the finished cloth.

凱把一卷布料夾在腋下走進社區大廳。長桌已經排成兩道，每張桌面都在等待今晚的百樂餐。西側牆面被明亮的窗光照亮，正是他打算懸掛祖母布藝的位置。當他攤開布料，細緻的刺繡在布上閃爍，讓人聯想到楓葉飄過河石。他將圖釘壓進灰泥，可重量立刻扯下布角。布料下墜，擦過他的頭髮，石灰塵落在鞋面。一顆圖釘彈過木地板，清脆回響在空曠的空間裡。

接著他換上更硬的別針。第一枚別針斷成兩截，他用短釘替換，可釘子在暗藏的磚頭上彎曲。如果他先量過尺寸，圖釘本來會固定住，雙膝也不會在窄梯上發抖。一股微風透過布料老是掀開的縫隙，吹動地上的紙張。凱下了梯子，搓搓手掌，抬起管理員提供的鐵錘衝子。牆洞拓寬後，釘子終於滑入。不過下緣仍晃動，輕輕拍打牆面。

他折起一條備用緞帶，塞入布後，以迅速而細心的動作縫在布上；這臨時想到的辦法竟與葉形圖案相融。緞帶固定最後一角後，布料終於平服，完全遮住漏風的裂縫。稍晚鄰近的廚師們陸續抵達，暖空氣滯留在桌邊，來客在布下短暫停步，為舒適而默默致謝。蒸氣從湯鍋升起，人聲此起彼伏，凱的肩膀不由自主挺直。柔和的光線停在已完成的布面上。