The Pause in the Fountain- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Wet limestone mixed with leafy green notes drifted from the fountain rim and brushed Ian’s face as he leaned closer. He aimed to draw the odd oval coin glinting in the lower pool for his plaza landmark compilation. First he waited; the pump soon fell quiet, thinning the cascade, and the surface smoothed like clear glass. Ian traced the upper curve of the coin, yet ripples returned before his pencil reached the tiny crest stamp. Spray hid the pool again; Ian’s shoulders lifted in a tight shrug while Faye, his older sister, photographed the falling water. A double horn from the nearby overpass rolled across the plaza, blending with the fresh roar of the fountain. At that moment a maintenance worker whisked a bright cloth duster along a bench, stirring crumbs into a mild yeasty smell. Warm bakery aromas drifted from the street entrance, mixing with the fountain’s rich mineral mist.

Most of the fountain rim had been shaded in his notebook, yet the coin’s lower edge still escaped precise lines. Five minutes elapsed; the pump eased again, but a brisk gust misted his glasses, fogging the view. He wiped the lenses quickly, but the lull ended, and only the coin’s middle curve reached his waiting page. If the next quiet spell arrived soon, his pencil would still be sharp enough to capture the final arc. The quarter-hour chime echoed; exactly then, the pump paused a third time and water sank. In that still instant, Ian carefully joined the two half sketches and one middle curve into one precise sweeping outline. His notebook now securely carried the full strange shape at the exact moment the cascades thickened once more. A pigeon hopped onto the damp rim, tilted its head toward the drawing, and then pecked a glimmering droplet from the stone.

當伊恩靠近噴泉邊緣時，濕潤的石灰石味混著綠葉清香撲向他的鼻尖。他想把下池中那枚閃著光的橢圓硬幣畫下，為自己的地標素描集增添一頁。首先他等待；水泵忽然轉弱，瀑流變細，水面就像玻璃般平靜。伊恩勾出了硬幣的上半弧，但水紋很快回來，鉛筆還沒描到那個小徽記。水花再次遮住視線；伊恩聳了聳肩，而姊姊費伊正拍攝落水。鄰近高架橋傳來一聲雙鳴，與噴泉新起的轟響交織。這時，一位清潔工揮動亮色除塵撢掠過長椅，麵包屑被掃起，帶出淡淡酵香。街口的麵包氣味漂來，和礦物水霧混在一起。

噴泉邊的大部分輪廓已被他在筆記本上上色，但硬幣的下邊仍缺少清晰線條。五分鐘後水泵再度放緩，卻有一陣勁風把水霧吹到他的眼鏡上，視線變模糊。他迅速擦拭鏡片，水泵已恢復，頁面只添到硬幣的中段弧線。若下一次寧靜快點到來，他的鉛筆還足夠銳利可以完成最後的弧度。鐘塔的刻鐘聲回蕩；就在那刻，水泵第三次停歇，水面下降。那短暫的靜止裡，伊恩把兩段半弧與一段中弧精確合併成完整輪廓。水再度湧強時，他的筆記本已收下那個奇異形狀。此時一隻鴿子跳上濕冷的石檻，歪頭看了看畫紙，接著啄走石面上一滴閃亮的水珠。