When the Turtle Appeared- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Milo crouched at the edge of the old pier. The planks have been drying in the sun since noon. A pile of loose boards, left after morning repairs, waited for someone to clean up before the water covered them. The tide already lapped against the first painted notch on the piling, a visible clock that never paused. He pulled one plank toward him, but an overturned wheelbarrow blocked the direct path back to shore. Two routes remained: the long gravel lane behind the sheds, dry yet slow, or a narrow service beam that crossed the water in a straight line, slippery, cracked, and fast. The beam had been installed years ago and now showed deep splinters. Another wave struck; foam now touched the second notch. Milo wiped his palms on his shorts and studied the choices.

He stepped onto the beam. The wood flexed, and cold drops splashed his ankles. Halfway across, an extraordinary sight stopped him. A palm-sized turtle floated beside a clump of sea grass that clung to the beam, using the shaded space as a tiny haven. Thin waves slapped against the posts; salt spray drifted across his cheeks. Fascination slowed his feet, and the plank he held tilted, scraping his knee and tearing a thread from his pocket. Water already soaked his shoes, but he kept balancing until the beam joined the pier on the other side. He could only wonder how the little traveler had reached this serene corner under the busy pier. Milo let the plank slide back onto the beam and knelt to watch the turtle drift below. Small ripples crossed the bright circle of light around them.

米洛蹲在舊碼頭的邊緣。那些木板從中午開始一直在太陽下風乾。上午維修後留下的一堆鬆散木板，必須在海水淹沒前有人去清理。潮水已經拍打到樁柱上第一道上漆刻痕，像一個不停走動的時鐘。他拉了一塊木板向自己這邊移動，但一只翻倒的手推車擋住了回岸的直接路線。還剩兩條路：棚子後面乾燥卻緩慢的碎石小徑，或者一條筆直跨海的維修樑，濕滑、有裂縫，但速度快。那條樑多年前被安裝，如今已出現深深的裂紋。又一個浪打來，泡沫已經碰到第二道刻痕。米洛把手在短褲上擦了擦，觀察著選擇。

他踩上那條樑。木頭彎曲，冰冷的水滴濺到他的腳踝。走到一半，一幕非比尋常的景象讓他停下腳步。一隻巴掌大的烏龜漂在黏著樑邊的海草旁，將那片陰影當成小小避風港。細浪拍打柱子，鹹濺霧飄到他臉頰。好奇減慢了他的步伐，他手中的木板傾斜，擦到膝蓋，扯下一條口袋線頭。水已經浸透鞋子，但他仍保持平衡，直到樑接上另一端的碼頭。他只能納悶那位小旅者如何來到這片碼頭下方的寧靜角落。米洛讓木板滑回樑上，跪下觀看烏龜在下方漂移。小小的漣漪越過他們周圍亮光形成的圓圈。