Carrot Brings the Number Back- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Pia pushed the glass door open and slipped into the clinic waiting room. The plastic number ticket grazed her fingertips, thin and slightly curled at one corner. A jar rested inside her canvas bag; thick relish, the condiment her aunt liked to whip up into sandwiches, had been taken from the home pantry that morning as a cheerful gift. Now Pia only needed a stamped form so the pharmacy window would release a matching bottle of vitamin drops.

Linoleum pressed firm beneath her shoes while she waited, yet the screen above the reception desk jumped from twelve to fourteen, leaving her untouched with number thirteen. She rose and walked to the form-filling stand; the rough surface dragged against her pen and left smudges. An assistant checked the sheet, then slid it back because one birthdate box remained blank. Pia had already rubbed the paper so often that its edges felt almost brittle.

A soft thud interrupted the quiet hum of announcements. A tawny rabbit slipped in from the parking lot edge, hind paws tapping the cool floor. Theo, a teenager balancing crutches, paused near the doorway; his free hand formed a gentle barrier, but the herbivore darted under the row of chairs. The animal’s fur brushed Pia’s ankle, warm and surprisingly dense. She knelt, reached into her bag, and pulled out a carrot stick kept as an offering for lunchtime. The scent drew the rabbit closer until its whiskers tickled her palm. Theo steadied himself and cupped the rabbit carefully; its heartbeat tremored against his skin. Together they guided the visitor back through the door, where a breeze ruffled their sleeves. When they returned, the clerk had been watching; the stamped form lay ready on the counter despite the missing number call. Pia stepped forward, the paper held between slightly ink-stained fingers, and was reaching for the vitamin bottle still standing on the polished shelf.

皮雅推開玻璃門，溜進診所的等候室。塑膠號碼牌掠過她的指尖，邊角微微翹起。她的帆布包裡放著一罐醬料——姑姑做三明治時最愛用的調味佐料——早上才從家裡的食品櫃拿出來，現在只差拿到蓋章表格才能在藥局窗口領到配套的維生素滴劑。

亞麻地板在她鞋底下顯得堅實，螢幕卻從 12 跳到 14，讓拿著 13 號的她被跳過。她起身走向填表台；粗糙的桌面拉扯著筆尖，留下暈開的墨跡。助理檢查過後把表格推回來，因為有一格生日仍是空白。她已經反覆摩擦這張紙，紙邊幾乎變得脆弱。

一聲輕悶響打斷廣播的嗡鳴。一隻灰褐色兔子從停車場邊溜進來，後腳在涼地板上輕敲。拄著拐杖的提奧停在門邊，用空出的手擋了一下，草食動物卻鑽到椅排下。兔毛掃過皮雅腳踝，溫熱而蓬鬆。她蹲下，從包裡拿出午餐留下的胡蘿蔔條當誘餌。氣味把兔子吸引過來，鬍鬚碰著她掌心。提奧穩住身體，小心托住兔子；動物的心跳在他手裡微微震動。兩人一起把訪客送回門外，微風掀動衣袖。他們返身時，櫃台人員早已注意到一切；蓋好章的表格靜靜放在櫃檯上，沒有依序叫號。皮雅向前踏出一步，指尖還沾著墨跡的紙張在手中輕抖，伸手要拿那瓶仍立在光滑架上的維生素。