The Bell Beneath the Pier - 適合進階的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Lewis rested his oars and let the skiff drift until the bow faced the granite wall that ringed Sandbar Point. The old lighthouse stood farther out, its lantern glass catching dawn like a suspended spark. A single vacant mooring post poked from the water beside the wall, just far enough for a careful reach. Lewis resumed rowing; each pull and pause let the tide assist while he steered around floating reeds. Wind came in crosswise, light but persistent, and he reckoned the hull would scrape stone if he misjudged distance. When he leaned forward to cast the line, a swirl tugged the stern, and the skiff began to diverge from the post, turning him toward open channel again.

He dug the oar hard, regained angle, and flung the rope. The loop slipped short, slapped water, then caught on the iron ring with a dull clink. Pulling hand-over-hand, he drew the skiff closer. The rope felt smooth from years of brine; halfway tightened, it jerked free. A submerged log, rolling under the keel, lifted the line and tipped it off the ring. Lewis snapped backward, almost losing balance. The skiff bumped the wall; flecks of mortar drifted down. He tried again, slower, and this time the loop seated firmly. As tension settled, the log nudged against a chain hidden below. Somewhere under the pier a brass bell, likely once fixed to a forgotten ladder, chimed once—clear, solitary, surprising. The sound echoed through the hollow base of the lighthouse, mixed with gull cries, and faded while ripples folded outward.

Moonlight rested on the calm water around the loosened log.

路易斯先讓小艇漂著，直到船首正對住環繞沙洲岬的花崗岩牆。他望見外側的燈塔，玻璃燈室在黎明裡像懸著的火花。牆邊只有一根空著的繫船樁，距離剛好得伸手可及。路易斯重新划槳，每一下配合潮流推力，小心地把船身調向樁邊。橫風持續輕吹，他估計若抓不準距離，船殼就會蹭到石面。他前傾準備拋繩時，渦流扯動船尾，船身開始偏離樁子，轉回向外水道。

他猛力划槳重新對正角度，將纜繩丟出。繩圈先落水，再「鏗」的一聲套住鐵環。他一寸寸收繩，把小艇拉近。長年浸鹽水的繩子摸來滑潤，收到一半卻被沖上來的沉木抬起，瞬間脫環。路易斯身子向後一晃，差點失去平衡。船殼撞上牆面，細細的灰漿片落入水中。他放慢動作再套一次，這回繩圈穩穩地卡住。拉緊時，沉木又推到一條隱在水下的鏈條。碼頭底下某處的黃銅鈴，可能原來接在廢梯上，只清脆敲響一聲——孤單而出乎意料。聲音在燈塔空腔裡回盪，與海鷗叫混在一起，漸漸散去，水面皺紋往外擴散。

月光靜靜地落在沉木周圍平穩的水面。