The Crab's Question Mark- 適合初級的英語短篇故事

Soft morning light touched the quiet shore.

Milo placed his striped beach towel on dry sand. He planned a shell picture for tomorrow's classroom show. He wanted the shells to form a giant number. He walked along the water and picked smooth pieces. Each shell showed a small detail of color or line. Soon a playful puppy sprinted across the sand ridge. Its paws kicked the towel and scattered every shell pile. Some shells rolled into a shallow pool near his feet.

Water covered them quickly and bubbled around a tiny crab. The crab grabbed one bright shell and hurried under wet sand. Milo's eyebrows lifted; he kneeled and slid his towel forward. The cloth pressed against the pool; water slid away. He gathered loose shells with one sweep and counted again. The crab darted back and dropped its shell on the sand. It landed on top, changing the shape into a question mark. Milo left the shape as it stood and laughed softly. He folded the towel.

柔和的晨光落在安靜的海岸。

米洛把條紋海灘巾放在乾沙上。他打算為明天的教室展示做一幅貝殼畫。他想讓貝殼排成一個巨大的數字。他沿著海水走動，撿起光滑的貝殼。每一片貝殼都有細緻的顏色或線條。不久，一隻愛玩的幼狗衝過沙脊。牠的爪子踢到海灘巾，打亂所有貝殼堆。有些貝殼滾進他腳邊的淺水池。

海水迅速淹過貝殼，並在一隻小螃蟹周圍冒泡。螃蟹抓住一片亮貝，鑽進濕沙。米洛的眉毛抬起，他跪下並把海灘巾推向前。布料擋住水池，水向旁滑走。他用一個動作收回散落的貝殼，再次數起來。螃蟹又衝回來，把牠的貝殼掉在沙面上。那片貝殼落在最上頭，圖形變成問號。米洛讓圖形保持原狀，輕輕笑了。然後他摺起海灘巾。