Water Spill and the Leaning Gate- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Water filled only the top band of the rabbit bottle; the lower strip of clear plastic stayed dusty and dry. Fern pressed her thumb against the cool cylinder, felt grit along the surface, and unhooked it from the wire door. Lyle waited with a metal feed scoop; the rabbits shifted on straw that scratched softly against their paws. Fern shook the bottle but nothing moved, so she blew through the nozzle. A brief sizzle escaped, yet no stream followed. The nozzle had been clogged by a curl of wilted leaf, probably carried there when the orchard trees beyond the path stood in full bloom. Fern had already pressed hay into the racks of two cages, and the delay upset the morning rhythm. They headed for the pump station, boots sinking into damp soil. On the way they passed a patio barbecue leaning beside the grain shed, its grill bars tacky with last night’s glaze and cold to the touch.

At the pump, Fern worked the iron handle; each downward push sent a rough shudder through her palms, and water burst against the trough’s metal lip. She slid the bottle beneath the flow, but the first gush bounced off the angled plastic and spilled onto the path, forming a shining ribbon that hurried downhill. The ribbon slipped under the wheel of an idle barrow and licked across the mud that braced the goat gate. Softened earth gave way; the post leaned, and the rusty bolt rattled loose. Two goats pressed their coarse shoulders against the timber, widening the gap by grain-sized steps. Fern swung the flat-tyred barrow sideways, wedged its heavy basin against the sagging post, and the movement pinched the water’s route. What remained of the stream curved around the wheel instead of driving straight at the fence. Behind the commotion, a low canvas tent flapped near the orchard where an adult repaired netting. A thin trickle kept weaving past crushed thistles, disappearing toward the compost corner.

兔子水瓶只有上半段裝了水，下半段依然乾燥透明。芙恩把拇指按在冰涼的瓶身上，摸到外層的砂粒，然後把瓶子從鐵絲門上解下。萊爾拿著金屬餵食勺等在一旁；兔子在稻草上移動，稻草輕輕摩擦牠們的爪子。芙恩搖了搖瓶子，但裡面沒有動靜，她對著噴嘴吹氣，短促的噝聲溢出，水流仍舊不通。那個噴嘴早已被一片枯葉堵住，可能是在小徑彼端果樹盛開時飄進去的。芙恩已經把乾草塞進了兩個籠子的架子，延誤打亂了晨間節奏。他們走向打水泵，靴子陷入濕軟泥土。途中，他們經過倚在糧倉旁的露台烤肉架，烤網上仍黏著昨夜的醬汁，摸上去冰冷。

到達水泵後，芙恩操作鐵把手；每次向下壓都讓掌心一陣粗糙顫動，水花撞擊飲槽的金屬邊。她把瓶子伸進水流下方，但第一股水沖在斜面的塑膠上，濺到小徑，閃亮的水帶順坡急速滑下。那條水帶鑽過閒置手推車的輪下，又舔過支撐山羊柵門的泥地。被浸軟的土壤塌陷，木柱傾斜，鏽蝕的門栓晃動。兩隻山羊用粗糙的肩膀推向木欄，縫隙一點點擴大。芙恩將胎扁的手推車橫擺，沉重的槽口抵住下沉的柱子，動作把水流夾了起來。剩餘的細流繞過車輪，而不是直衝欄杆。騷動的後方，果園邊一頂低矮的帆布帳篷拍擊作響，大人正在那裡修補防鳥網。細長水絲仍在壓扁的刺草間蜿蜒，最後沒入堆肥角落。