Wet Prints Beside the Stream- 適合初學者的英語短篇故事

Cool mud presses around Lyra's bare toes. She stands beside the narrow stream. Light flickers on moving water. Water slips. A forked stick rests near her heel. She walks forward. Birds hush. A deep boot print shows on the bank. Wet sides shine dark brown. The print looks tall and narrow. She leans close but does not touch. Beckett on the far bank spots her. He lifts a leaf. “Mark here!” he shouts. Lyra answers with a quick smile. A soft splash follows her reply.

Lyra steps toward a flat rock. A shining ring of droplets circles its center. The wet ring matches the boot print: same damp gleam. A rough fallen log blocks her next view. She lowers her body and peers through a gap. Loose bark scratches her knee. The bark holds a third sign. Moss lies pressed and darker than the rest. One patch already turns pale. The damp area starts to change under sunlight. Beckett tilts his head. “Question shape?” he laughs. The pale edge widens on the moss.

涼涼的泥巴包住萊拉的赤腳趾頭。她站在窄窄的溪邊。閃動的光落在流動的水面。水流輕滑。叉形小棍靠在她的腳跟旁。她向前走。鳥聲停住。深深的靴印留在河岸。濕潤的邊緣閃著深棕色。印痕看起來又高又窄。她俯身觀察，但不碰觸。對岸的貝克特注意到她。他舉起一片葉子，喊：「這裡有痕！」萊拉回以淺笑。柔軟的水花跟著響起。

萊拉走向一塊平石。亮晶晶的水滴圈住石心。這圈水痕和靴印一樣，帶著同樣潮濕的光。粗糙的倒木擋住她下一個視線。她彎下身，透過縫隙張望。鬆散的樹皮刮到她的膝蓋。樹皮上留有第三個標記。苔蘚被壓得比周圍更暗。一塊區域已經轉淡。這片潮濕開始在陽光下改變。貝克特歪著頭笑道：「形狀的問題？」苔蘚的蒼白邊緣漸漸擴大。