Mila by the River Market- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Mila has carried a slim sketchbook to the lively river market. She hopes to finish one bright scene before her midday class begins. Wooden stalls crowd the path, and voices rise above the water. A basket of catfish flips water onto the stones near her shoes. She kneels beside a barrel that reflects blue sky. She rests the book on her knee and dips a soft brush into green. A folded napkin, already dotted with paint, waits on the bench for cleaning. Yet time slips; the sun climbs higher while a gust keeps turning her pages. Several strokes are lost whenever the paper bends.

A tiny stallholder has been lifting jars behind her when surprise arrives. His elbow bumps a bottle filled with pale vinegar, and liquid rushes forward. At the same moment, a restless catfish leaps again. Water meets vinegar, splashing across Mila’s open sketchbook. Bright colors run across the page in long rivers. She leaps back, then presses the napkin against the page and begins to scrub. Instead of a ruined scene, swirling marks create shining scales on the painted fish. She seizes a broader brush, following the new pattern with quick strokes. When the bell from the distant clock tower rings, the picture shows bright fish flashing under broken light. Mila closes the book, and wet spots glimmer on her fingers.

米拉帶著一本薄薄的素描本來到熱鬧的河邊市集。她希望在中午課程開始前完成一幅明亮的場景。木攤擠在小道上，水面上人聲交錯。一籃活蹦亂跳的鯰魚把水濺到她的鞋旁。她跪在反射藍天的木桶邊，把本子放在膝上，蘸起柔軟的畫筆。折好的餐巾紙已佈滿顏料，放在長凳上備用。然而時間流逝，太陽越升越高，一陣風不斷翻動頁面。每當紙張彎曲，好幾筆都被抹掉。

就在她身後，一位小販正提起罐子，意外突然降臨。他的手肘撞到一瓶淡色醋，液體衝了出來。此時，一條不安分的鯰魚再次躍起。水與醋交會，濺滿米拉攤開的素描本。亮麗的顏色在頁面上流成長河。她向後跳開，隨即用餐巾按住畫面並開始擦拭。畫面沒有毀掉，旋轉的痕跡反而形成了閃亮的魚鱗。她抓起較寬的畫筆，沿著新圖案迅速揮筆。遠方鐘塔的鐘聲響起時，畫中魚群在破碎的光影下閃閃發亮。米拉闔上畫本，濕漬在她手指上閃著光。