The Gap in the Greenhouse Screen- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Leah carried a clear jar against her chest while her terrier padded beside her. Inside the jar, a green caterpillar clung to a twig that she had gathered earlier. She planned to place the jar on a high shelf in the old greenhouse, believing the warm glass house offered a steady habitat. Afternoon air smelled of damp earth, and faint buzz from distant hives mixed with rustling leaves. The narrow greenhouse door has been painted many times; pale flakes lay on the floor like dry petals. A honeycomb pattern covered the wire screen that shielded each window, and yellow light dotted the stone path in uneven shapes.

When Leah set the jar down, a small brown moth burst from the leaves and collided with the glass. Rusty’s ears pointed forward, yet his paws stayed still, as if he served only as quiet observer. The sudden visitor fluttered wildly, so Leah pushed the screen outward with a fallen stick that lay nearby. The wire bent just enough. She loosened the lid, turned the jar sideways, and the moth slid toward the gap before disappearing into bright air. The caterpillar remained on its twig, unmoved. Leah then lifted the jar to the cleared shelf that faced morning sun. Rusty settled on cool stones, and light rolled across his back while greenhouse shadows settled again.

利亞把透明玻璃罐貼在胸前，腳邊的小獵犬輕步跟隨。罐中，一條綠色毛毛蟲抓住先前採來的細枝。她打算把罐子放到舊溫室的高層架上，認為那裡穩定的暖氣候最適合牠的棲地。午後空氣帶著潮土氣味，遠處蜂巢的輕嗡聲與沙沙樹葉交錯。窄窄的溫室門已被重新粉刷多次；褪色細片像乾花瓣落在地上。蜂巢狀鐵絲網覆著每扇窗，金黃光點在石徑上斑駁閃動。

利亞剛把罐子放穩，一隻褐色小蛾子忽然自葉間竄出，猛撞玻璃。拉斯提豎起耳，但爪子沒動，像靜靜旁觀的見證者。來客焦躁撲騰，利亞用旁邊落枝撐開防護網，鐵絲向外微彎。她鬆開瓶蓋，將罐子橫轉，那隻蛾子順勢滑到縫隙，衝進亮光。毛毛蟲依舊掛在細枝上，一動不動。利亞把罐子舉到朝陽的層架上。拉斯提靜臥在涼石上，光線掠過牠背，溫室的影子再次安定。