Flour Rising Too Fast- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

A line of fresh tie-off marks already covered the flour bags near the door, showing Gemma had been packing grain long before Lyle arrived at the windmill floor. The wooden shaft above hummed at a steady pace, and silvery dust spun through the blue-grey light from the small window. Lyle had placed three empty canvas bags on the packing table, picturing them filled before the midday break; he tried to visualize neat folds, a knot on each string, and space left for a scoop of flour to sprinkle over tonight’s berry ice cream. A fawn-coloured cat lounged on a cool sack in the grain store corner, blinking at the shifting shadows while the collecting bin under the chute still showed plenty of room.

Minutes later a gust caught the sails, the gears answered with a louder creak, and flour poured in a thicker stream. The bin was being filled faster than the siblings could tie off a single bag. Gemma hauled the first canvas sling away, but white powder already climbed close to the rim again. Lyle reached for the next bag, yet the scale’s pointer swung wildly when the cat jumped onto the bench, scattering chalky prints across the board. He had stacked a wooden scoop beside dried strips he meant to chop up for flavouring, but the sudden jump knocked the scoop into the chute, slowing nothing. The available space inside the bin kept shrinking, and flour mounded like drifted snow against the cloth wall.

Wind still pushed hard overhead, so Lyle slid the remaining two empty bags back under the table. One well-packed sack would be enough for the afternoon, and the rest of the grain could wait for a calmer turn of the sails. He tightened the twine around that single sack, brushed the cat’s back clean, and nudged the filled load onto the floorboards. A low vibration travelled through the planks, and fine dust continued to spiral around the steady beam.

靠近門口的麵粉袋上已經排了一串新的繩結痕跡，顯示 Gemma 早在 Lyle 抵達磨坊樓層前就開始分裝了。上方的木質軸心低鳴均勻運轉，銀灰色的粉霧在小窗透進的冷光裡旋轉。Lyle 把三個空帆布袋放在封袋桌上，腦中想像它們在午休前就被填滿；他試著把畫面視覺化：每袋收口整齊、繩結乾淨，還留點空間晚餐時能灑在今晚的莓果冰淇淋上。一隻淡褐色的小貓窩在儲穀角落的涼麻袋上，眨眼看著牆上來回搖動的陰影，而布槽下的收集桶那時還顯得寬裕。

幾分鐘後，突來的強風抓住風帆，齒輪的咯吱聲隨即加大，麵粉以更濃的流速傾瀉下來。收集桶填充的速度比兄妹封好一袋還快。Gemma 把第一個帆布袋拖走，但白色粉末又很快堆到邊緣。Lyle 伸手拿第二袋，這時小貓跳上桌讓秤盤指針劇烈搖晃，還在板面留下粉白腳印。他原本放在旁邊、準備稍後剁碎用來調味的乾果條被撞進布槽，卻無法延緩粉流。桶內可用的空間不斷縮小，麵粉像積雪一樣堆在布壁上。

風仍在上方強推轉軸，Lyle 於是把剩下兩個空袋收回桌下。午後只要一袋裝得紮實就夠了，剩餘的穀粒等風平再磨也行。他拉緊那唯一一袋的麻繩，替小貓拍掉背上的白粉，然後把裝滿的袋子輕推到木地板上。低沉的震動仍穿過地板，細微粉霧在穩定轉動的梁柱周圍持續旋起。