Snow Wall Marked by Green Leaf- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

“Is that the neighbor’s cat peeking through the wall?” Kent paused mid-stack, staring at two shining eyes inside the half-built circle of snow. The creature’s whiskered muzzle jutted just beyond the crumbly edge, fresh flakes lodging on short fur while white kept drifting around it. Faye, kneeling on the flat interior floor, brushed loose snow away with one glove, and the sound shifted from a squeak to a hushed thud under her knees. Outside the wall, the brick-moulding zone already held three neat blocks; inside, only a single row protected the entrance gap, so the animal stood almost nose-to-knee with her. A faint puff of cloudy breath left its mouth, but no meow followed. Both children stayed still, shoulders lifting against the cold, as the unexpected spectator kept staring.

Faye scooped heavy, wet snow from the fence drift and packed it tight inside the rectangular mould. The first brick landed on the gap’s left edge; the opening still measured a hand-span wider than planned. If the snowfall stayed this steady, the sides would lean even more. She trekked back, filled the container again, and tipped a second block into place. The wall rose higher, yet the loose upper corner wobbled, and tiny prints dotted the interior floor. She had assumed a feline left them; when the creature squeezed farther through the gap, its ears showed a rounded shape, not pointed. Clamped between its teeth hung a torn banana leaf, bright green against the blank yard, like luggage blown from a distant jungle.

One more brick might hold the doorway firm. The mould had been buried under fresh powder since breakfast, and freeing it numbed her wrists, yet a third block soon thudded onto the wall top. As she slid it across the row, the animal hopped completely inside. Sun-warm brown fur, a stubby tail, and that round nose revealed the truth—this visitor was a quokka, a long way from any sandy island. The new brick wedged between its neighbours; the three together pressed the doorway edges upright in a single quiet shift. Snowflakes clung to the quokka’s whiskers while it sniffed the icy floor. Faye ran one gloved finger along each tiny trace the paws had left on the fresh brick.

「那是鄰居家的貓躲在牆裡嗎？」肯特正把雪磚往牆上擺，聽到費伊的聲音後停了下來，盯著半圈雪牆縫隙裡那雙閃亮的眼睛。那動物的鬍鬚鼻尖剛好伸出碎雪邊緣，短短的毛上落滿新雪，白片仍在空中飄。費伊跪在壘好的平整地面，用手套撥掉鬆雪，聲音從尖細的吱呀變成低沉悶響。牆外，製磚區已堆好三塊方磚；牆內只有一圈底磚支撐入口，所以那動物幾乎與她膝蓋同高。牠吐出一口霧氣，卻沒有發出喵聲。兩個孩子僵在原地，肩膀微抬擋著冷風，意外的訪客依舊盯著他們。

費伊從靠籬笆的深雪鏟起濕重的雪，緊壓進長方模具裡。第一塊磚放在缺口左側，開口仍比預計寬一個手掌。如果雪一直這麼黏，牆邊會更加內斜。她再走回去，裝滿模具，倒出第二塊磚。牆面升高了，可最上角仍晃動，牆內地面多了細小腳印。她原以為是貓留下的；當那動物再擠進一些，露出的耳朵圓而不尖。牠嘴裡夾著撕破的香蕉葉，鮮綠色在一片雪白中像是從遙遠叢林吹來的行李。

也許再添一塊磚就能固定入口。那個模具早餐後被新雪埋住，費伊刨開它時手腕被凍得發麻，但第三塊磚很快砰地落到牆頂。她把磚推到定位，那動物整個跳進牆內。暖褐色的短毛、粗短尾巴和圓鼻子揭開真相——這名訪客是一隻短尾矮袋鼠，離它的島嶼老家非常遙遠。新磚夾在左右磚之間，三塊一起讓入口邊緣在一瞬間挺直。雪花黏在短尾矮袋鼠的鬍鬚上，牠低頭嗅著冰地。費伊伸出戴手套的手指，沿著那動物在新磚上留下的細細足跡輕輕劃過。