The Line of Lava- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Lucas placed a wide sheet on the picnic table near the ridge. Pine scent mixed with warm dust while crickets buzzed under the boards. A silent volcano rose across the valley, its dark cone cutting the blue sky. Mira unpacked coloured pencils; tiny shavings drifted on the breeze. They planned to sketch the landscape together before class. The lunchtime bell would ring soon at the school below. Thin clouds moved overhead, creating an uncommon violet light around the distant peak.

Wind pushed at the paper, folding one corner over Lucas's hand. At the same time, a gradual curtain of fog climbed the slope, hiding half the volcano. Lucas pressed his elbow down, but the sheet fluttered again. A corner has already been creased by the wind. Mira slid a smooth stone onto one edge, yet the other side lifted. A small brown dog trotted near, its nose tapping the wobbling pencils. The dog, a friendly mammal from a nearby farm, bumped the table. Several coloured pencils scattered across the short dry grass.

Lucas chased the pencils while Mira turned the sheet and worked from the clearer side first. The sudden scribble from the dog's bump looked like a river of lava, so she kept it. As Lucas returned, the fog paused and sunlight flashed on the cone. They both added quick lines, filling gaps before the cloud swallowed the peak completely. When the bell rang below, the sheet lay flat under three stones. The calm dog rested beside it, tail moving like a slow fan.

盧卡斯把一大張紙攤在山脊旁的野餐桌上。松香混著溫熱泥土味，蟋蟀在桌板下面鳴叫。山谷對面的火山靜靜矗立，黝黑的錐形剪開藍天。米拉拿出彩色鉛筆，細小的削屑被微風捲走。他們打算在上課前一起描繪這片地景。山下的學校午餐鐘很快就會響起。稀薄的雲層掠過頭頂，為遠方山頂添上一抹罕見的紫光。

風把紙推得亂動，一角折在盧卡斯的手背上。同時，一道漸漸升起的霧簾爬上山坡，遮住了半個火山。盧卡斯用手肘壓住紙，但紙又抖起來。風已經把一個角弄出折痕。米拉把一塊光滑的石頭壓在紙邊，另一側卻仍然翹起。一隻棕色小狗跑來，用鼻子碰著搖晃的鉛筆。那隻來自附近農場、屬於哺乳動物的小狗撞到桌子。幾支彩色鉛筆滾落到短而乾的草地上。

盧卡斯去撿鉛筆，米拉則把紙轉了個方向，先畫較清晰的部分。狗撞出的突然塗痕像一條熔岩河，她便保留下來。盧卡斯回來時，霧暫停了，陽光閃現火山頂。兩人迅速補上線條，在雲完全吞沒山峰前完成。山下鐘聲響起時，紙張被三塊石頭壓得平整。小狗安靜地趴在旁邊，尾巴慢慢搖動。