The Drop That Jumped- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Green glass in the roof vent cast a wavering stripe across the workbench. Cora heated a shallow tin cup of beeswax over a small water bath; this quiet task had become her morning ritual. Near the window, bunches of dried sage and another herb, mint, hung beside a brick archway that opened onto the yard. Outside the archway, a distant boulevard sent muted wheel-rumble into the room. The terrier, Jasper, watched from under a stool, waiting until she would feed him.

Steam curled above the bath as the wax thinned. At the same moment, the sunbeam slid lower, warming the glass jar that held the mint. Moisture inside the jar liquefied, formed a bead, and finally dripped into the cup with a sharp hiss. The mix popped; a bright drop jumped out, spotted Jasper’s flank, and startled him upright. His sudden shake sent the tiny droplet onto a wooden frame lying nearby; the hot speck softened glue along one corner, and the joint gaped open. Cora set the cup aside, pressed the corner together, and propped a cool brass weight against it so the gap stayed narrow. Heat still shimmered above the bath, yet a faint draft drifted through the yard archway and thinned the vapor. She wiped the bench and glanced at the tilted jar, but left the repair for later. Instead, she turned toward a glint in the dust on the floorboards, where a line of tiny ants marched between sun patches. A delivery cart rattled along the boulevard outside.

天窗上的綠色玻璃把搖曳的光帶投在工作桌上。科拉把一只淺錫杯的蜂蠟放在小水浴上加熱；這安靜的動作已成為她晨間的小小例行。窗邊，乾燥的鼠尾草和另一種香草薄荷掛在通往院子的磚拱門旁。拱門外，遠處的大道傳來低沉的車輪聲。小獵犬賈斯帕伏在凳子底下，等待她稍後餵牠。

蒸氣在水浴上方盤旋，蜂蠟慢慢變稀。就在同時，陽光的光束下移，溫熱了裝薄荷的玻璃罐。罐內的水氣凝成水珠，最後滴入錫杯，發出尖銳嘶聲。混合物噼啪一響，亮晶晶的小滴飛出，濺到賈斯帕的背毛，把牠驚得跳起。牠猛然抖動，又把熱滴甩到旁邊的木框上；那一點高溫軟化了角落的膠，接縫張開。科拉把杯子放到一旁，按住角落，再用涼銅塊抵住，好讓縫隙保持窄小。水浴上方仍帶有波動的熱氣，院子拱門透進的微風把蒸氣拉得更薄。她擦拭桌面，瞥向微微傾斜的玻璃罐，但修補工作先暫放。她反而轉身注意到地板灰塵中的一道閃光，幾隻細小螞蟻正穿過陽光斑駁的木板。遠處的大道傳來貨車輾過的喀喳聲。