Petals, Ants, and the Second Rainbow- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

“The square frame is ready.”

Esme lowered it into the honey-gold solution inside the bright tin container, lifting slowly until a glassy sheet appeared. Rosa, seated by the small garden cabin with a magazine, turned a page while sunlight slid across the wood grain like flowing caramel. Halfway to the wind-shadow wall, a warm puff bowed the fragile sheet; it flashed amber, then burst with a soft snap. Milky beads embarrassed the lenses of Esme’s glasses, fogging them for a moment. Several drops splattered a marigold: a tawny butterfly jerked upward, its wings acting like a startled tactician signalling retreat. The sudden flutter shook a petal loose; it drifted onto a marching column of ants, and the insects scattered, carrying crumbs in hurried lines that crossed Esme’s path.

She cleaned her glasses on her sleeve, then dipped the same frame again, adding a fraction more speed so the film came up thicker. This inventive tweak steadied the top edge, and she held the square close to her chest, using her body as a copper-lined shield while walking. At the open lawn’s centre, the escaped ants still milled, bumping into one another like tiny soldiers regrouping, yet Esme’s slower steps kept the frame calm. A curious honey bee, drawn by the rainbow surface, veered close; its buzz vibrated the soap skin, threatening another collapse. Esme angled the frame toward the fence, the motion guiding reflected sunlight away from the insect, and the bee darted aside to a rosemary twig. Near the sheltered wall, green and magenta bands slid downward in silent waves, and thick droplets gathered at the bottom rail before falling to the grass. The bee zigzagged toward a patch of thyme, weaving through warm air over Esme’s damp footprints.

「方形框好了。」

艾絲梅把它放進亮閃閃的鐵桶，桶裡金黃色的肥皂水包住框邊，她慢慢抬起，透明薄膜在光線下成形。坐在小木屋旁看雜誌的羅莎翻了一頁，陽光像焦糖般在木紋上流動。艾絲梅走向擋風的牆時，一陣暖風把薄膜折彎；薄膜先閃出琥珀色，接著輕聲破裂。細小泡點濺到她的眼鏡，模糊了鏡片。幾滴肥皂水落在金盞花上，一隻茶色蝶被噴中，猛地撲扇翅膀，像受驚的戰術家發出撤退信號。花瓣被震落，飄到螞蟻隊伍上，螞蟻驚慌四散，拖著碎屑穿過艾絲梅的路徑。

她用袖子擦乾眼鏡，再次把同一框浸入水中，速度稍快，使薄膜更厚。這個小小改動讓上邊緣更穩，她把框貼近胸口，利用身體作銅色盾牌慢慢前行。草坪中央，剛才逃竄的螞蟻還在亂撞，但她放緩腳步，薄膜保持平靜。一隻好奇的蜜蜂被彩虹膜吸引，靠近時嗡聲震動薄膜，險些再度破裂。艾絲梅把框朝籬笆一側傾斜，反射光移開，蜜蜂轉向後方迷迭香枝。到達避風牆邊時，綠與洋紅色條紋悄悄向下滑動，厚重水珠從框底緣落到草上。蜜蜂曲折飛向百里香叢，在暖空氣中穿過艾絲梅腳印的上方。