The Ball Behind the Fence- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Cool shade lay across the forest trail, and damp earth carried a pine smell. Jess rolled a bright rubber ball along the planks of a small footbridge. His terrier, Milo, trotted beside his ankle. The ball began to bounce higher than Jess expected and leapt over the last plank. It hit a rock, changed direction, and rolled downhill. The path started to meander between low bushes. The runaway ball drew Milo straight toward a fence of wire panels. Jess had hoped to grab it first. The ball slipped under the lowest bar and stopped in a shallow puddle on the other side.

Jess crouched, spotting a narrow opening that had been left between two loose boards. That small opportunity lay just beyond his reach. Fingers brushed mud yet missed the prize; meanwhile Milo pulled backward, unbalancing him. A second hiker, Kayla, arrived with a walking stick that already carried flecks of dried clay. Without a word, she slid the stick through the gap and tapped the ball. The rubber skin showed a tiny painted kangaroo, something Jess had never noticed. One gentle push sent the toy rolling back through the mud; water rippled, but nothing blocked its return. Milo snapped the ball up, and it bounced once more on the wooden planks. Kayla waved and continued along the winding trail. Droplets flew as Milo shook his head, leaving dark spots along the pale boards.

森林小徑上覆著涼爽的陰影，潮濕的泥土帶著松木氣味。傑斯把一顆亮橘色的橡膠球沿著小木橋的木板滾動，牠的梗犬米洛貼著他的腳踝小跑。球開始彈得比傑斯想像還高，越過最後一塊木板。它撞到一塊石頭，改變方向，滾下坡。小徑在低矮的灌木間曲折前進，但失控的球把米洛直直帶向一排鐵絲網柵欄。傑斯原本想搶先抓住球。球卻滑進最下面那條鐵桿下方，在另一邊的淺水坑裡停住。

傑斯蹲下，看見兩塊鬆動木板間留下的窄縫，那是一個小機會，卻還在他手指之外。他的手掠過泥水，仍然撈不到球，同時米洛往後拉，令他重心不穩。第二位健行者凱拉帶著一根沾有乾土的手杖走來。她沒有開口，就把手杖伸進空隙，輕點那顆球。橡膠表面出現一隻迷你袋鼠的彩畫，傑斯之前完全沒發現。輕輕一推，玩具順著泥水滾回來，水面盪開細小漣漪，沒有東西再擋住它。米洛猛然咬住球，球又在木板上彈了一下。凱拉揮了揮手，沿著蜿蜒小徑繼續前行。米洛甩頭時水珠飛濺，在淡色木板上留下深色斑點。