The Tire That Rolled- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

A young raccoon dipped its paw into a shallow tin of pale paint. Beside the tin lay cedar boards gathered for a community project. The smell of fresh wood mixed with wet clay drifted through the yard. Along the fence, an open-air gallery of painted doors faced the morning light. Colored streaks shimmered across puddles near the raccoon’s feet. A folded canvas lay on the grass. The raccoon nudged it, and one corner started to unfold. Beetles hiding underneath scattered into the sunlight. Their sudden motion caught a sparrow perched on a tender vine above.

The bird swooped down and was soon joined by others in a noisy rally. Their fluttering wings shook the vine. The loosened vine slipped from a nail and snapped against the canvas. The canvas slid, bumped a narrow ladder, and the ladder tipped toward the cedar boards. Several planks that have been sanded smooth slid forward and tapped the raccoon’s back. The startled animal jumped aside with damp paint still shining on its paw. One sliding plank nudged a sleeping cat curled near the wheelbarrow. Claws flashed, and the cat sprang onto a tire balanced against the tray. The tire rolled across the yard until its rim jammed against a knotty root. The rocking tire kept moving slightly, while insects crawled back toward the quiet canvas.

一隻年輕的浣熊把爪子伸進一罐淡色油漆。油漆旁邊堆著為社區計畫收集的杉木板。新木頭與濕黏土的氣味漫過院子。籬笆邊，露天的彩繪門像畫廊一樣迎向晨光。彩色條紋在浣熊腳邊的水窪上閃閃發亮。草地上躺著一塊摺起的畫布。浣熊推了推畫布，一角開始展開。躲在下面的甲蟲衝向陽光。牠們突然的動作吸引了上方嫩藤上的麻雀。

那隻鳥俯衝而下，很快就有其他鳥群加入吵雜的集會。牠們拍動的翅膀搖晃藤蔓。鬆脫的藤蔓滑離釘子，彈向畫布。畫布滑動，撞到窄梯，梯子傾向杉木板。幾塊已被磨平的木板向前滑，拍到浣熊背上。浣熊帶著濕漆的爪子跳開。一塊滑動的木板頂到輪椅旁打盹的貓。爪子閃過，貓躍上托盤邊的輪胎。輪胎滾過院子，直到輪緣卡在多節樹根。輪胎仍微微搖晃，昆蟲又爬回安靜的畫布。