Coins Sliding Across the Fountain Rim - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

"What keeps shining under the water?" Declan leaned over the fountain rim.

Tiny ripples bent the late light, and a cool mist brushed his cheeks while the square waited at dusk.

He slid a finger along the slick stone. The surface let his skin move only after a small scrape against a rough grain. A copper coin came free, then skidded a hand-span before catching on a groove. Declan laughed softly. "Still slippery," he said to no one, and he tried again on the next section of rim. Here the stone felt smoother; the coin glided farther and rested near a little jungle of other coins, pebbles, and two fallen leaves. He took out his phone. The camera first showed a blur, so he tapped until the picture reached sharper resolution. The clearer view offered an insight: faint parallel tracks crossed the edge where bags and shoes had pressed season after season.

At that moment a high jet arched, dropped, and splashed his sleeve. Water ran down the fabric, and the wet cotton gripped the rim when he steadied himself. He shifted, then pushed another coin; it dragged, then slid, leaving a brighter streak on the dark stone. Declan set three coins in a short line, each resting where the surface changed from polished to grainy. The line of small discs now marked the tiny tracks he had noticed. A pigeon flapped, the air shook, and the nearest coin rolled, stopping at the row’s end as though joining the game. Declan framed the scene once more. He pressed the save icon and the image froze on the screen. He slid the phone into his back pocket.

「水裡那個閃光是什麼？」迪克蘭俯身到噴泉邊。

細小的水紋折射著晚霞的光，涼涼的水霧拂過他的臉頰，廣場在黃昏中靜靜地等待。

他把手指滑過濕滑的石緣。石面先因粗顆粒刮了一下才允許他的皮膚移動。一枚銅幣被撬起，滑出一小段後又在凹槽裡停住。迪克蘭輕聲笑了笑，「還是滑呀。」沒有人回應，他又換到下一段邊緣。那裡的石面更光，銅幣滑得更遠，最後靠在由硬幣、卵石和兩片落葉組成的小「叢林」旁。他拿出手機，鏡頭一開始模糊不清，他點了幾下直到畫面解析度變高。更清晰的畫面帶來一個領悟：邊緣上有幾道平行細痕，是多年來背包和鞋底摩擦留下的。

就在此時，一股高水柱拱起又落下，濺濕了他的袖子。水順著布料流下，他穩住身體時，濕棉布緊貼在石邊上。他移動位置，又推了一枚硬幣；那硬幣先拖行再滑動，留下一道更亮的痕跡。迪克蘭把三枚硬幣排成短短一列，每枚都停在石面由光滑轉為粗糙的交界處。這排小圓片標出了他剛才發現的細痕。一隻鴿子拍翅飛起，空氣顫動，最近的硬幣滾到隊尾，像是加入了遊戲。迪克蘭再次對準畫面，按下儲存圖示，影像定格在螢幕上。他把手機塞進後口袋。