Bright Oval From a Bottle on the Stone Bridge - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

The metal buckle on Halle's bag gave a small clatter against the stone rail. Their steps rang softly on the footbridge as Cole walked beside her. At the middle, the railing top had a shallow dip from many hands. Sun warmth lay on the pale stone, while the water below threw bright stripes. Cole stood well back and set both palms on the high, safe edge. A faint echo rose from under the arch.

They kept a quiet vigil over the slow water. Glare from the sky hid the pebbles. Cole opened his lunch box. He held a lettuce leaf over his eyes like a green shade. Shapes under the bridge turned darker, and the whole view looked tinted. Below, two ducks scavenged along the bank and pecked at bits caught in roots. The rail cast dark bars across the ripples, and cloud shapes slid along them. Halle lifted her clear water bottle, and a bright oval jumped onto the stone. "Look," Cole said, "a silver fish." The oval slid to his sleeve and shone there. "It comes from the bottle," Halle said. The curve of the plastic bent the sun. At the edge, the patch showed faint color. The wide noon light empowered every sparkle on the water, yet the pebbles still hid. For a moment the bright oval skated over the dark water near the ducks. Both birds tilted their heads. The ducks went back to their pecking under the striped shadow. "I can see the bottom better now," Halle said. Cole and Halle pressed their palms side by side on the warm rail. They lifted their hands, and twin clean ovals glimmered.

哈利包包上的金屬扣子輕輕碰到石欄，發出一聲叮噹。科爾和她並肩走在步行橋上，他們的腳步聲在橋面上回響。走到橋中央，欄杆頂端因為許多手曾經放上去而形成一點淺淺的磨痕。陽光的暖意鋪在淡色的石面上，橋下的水面拋起一道道明亮的光帶。科爾站得離欄杆很穩，雙手平放在高而安全的邊緣。拱下傳來一絲輕微的回聲。

他們安靜地守著慢慢流動的水面。天空的反光遮住了鵝卵石。科爾打開午餐盒。他把一片生菜舉到眼前，像一片綠色的遮陽片。橋下的形狀變得較暗，整個視野帶著一層綠色。橋下，兩隻鴨子在岸邊四處翻找，啄著卡在樹根間的小碎屑。欄杆在水紋上投下深色的條紋，雲的形狀順著條紋滑動。哈利抬起透明的水瓶，一個明亮的橢圓跳到石面上。科爾說：「你看，一條銀色的魚。」那個光斑滑到他的袖子上，在那裡發亮。哈利說：「是水瓶映出來的。」瓶身的弧度把陽光折彎。光斑邊緣透出淡淡的顏色。正午寬闊的光線讓水面的每一點閃光更亮，但鵝卵石仍然看不清。那個明亮的橢圓在橋下的黑水上掠過了一下，靠近鴨子。兩隻鳥歪了歪頭。牠們又在條紋的陰影裡繼續啄食。哈利說：「我現在比較看得到底部了。」科爾和哈利把手掌並排按在溫熱的欄杆上。他們把手抬起來，兩個乾淨的手印微微發光。