Cat Shadow and Rainbow Light at the Pottery Wheel - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

The hand wheel sat a long step from the attic window, with a slip bucket on its right. A low drying shelf ran under the window, just within arm’s reach. Flora stood at the wheel, and Forrest crouched beside her with one hand on the rim. Wet clay cooled her palms, and an earthy, green scent came from a small herb on the sill. On the shelf, a flat tile held leaf prints from two species, their veins pressed into pale grey. A cat lay along the warm patch of wood, nose pointed toward the wheel.

Forrest set the clay in the center, and Flora tried steady pressure with both thumbs. He turned the wooden rim, and the bowl shape rose slowly under her hands. A pale strip of light fell through the window and struck the slip bucket. Its reflection slid over the wet clay and flashed across her knuckles like a quick fish. She narrowed her eyes and missed the ring she planned to carve. "That glare moves across everything," Forrest said, lifting his chin toward the bucket. The cat’s eyes followed the bright patch on the wall; its tail rose like a flag. For a breath, the tail crossed the beam, and a clean shadow wrapped the spinning bowl. A rainbow film then spread on the bucket’s surface as the water rested for a moment. Bands moved from blue to red, then broke when a small ripple touched the side. "It draws a belt on the clay," Flora said, keeping her fingers near the rim.

She eased her hands back, and the bowl kept turning without her touch. She leaned over the bucket to see the colors, and her hair brushed the cool rim. "Look at that," she said, tapping the surface with one fingertip. A bright spot jumped to the beam again when her finger broke the film.

手動陶輪與閣樓的窗戶相隔一大步，右側放著一桶泥漿水。窗下沿著牆是一排矮曬架，伸手就夠得到。Flora 站在陶輪前，Forrest 蹲在她身旁，一隻手扶著輪緣。濕黏的陶土帶著涼意貼住她的手心，窗台上一盆小香草散出帶土味的清綠氣味。架上有一塊平瓷板，壓著兩種植物的葉子印痕，葉脈刻進淡灰色。一隻貓攤在那塊被曬暖的木板上，鼻尖朝向陶輪。

Forrest 把陶土放在正中，Flora 用兩個拇指保持勻穩的按壓。他推轉木質輪緣，碗的形狀在她手下慢慢長高。一道淡淡的光帶穿過窗戶，打在泥漿水的桶面。它的反光掠過濕陶，像一尾快魚一樣在她指節上一閃而過。她眯起眼，錯過了原本要刻出的圓圈。「那道眩光到處移動。」Forrest 說著，抬了抬下巴，指向那只桶。貓的眼睛跟著牆上的亮斑移動；它的尾巴豎起來，像一面小旗。有那麼一瞬，尾巴掠過那束光，一道乾淨的影子包住正在轉的碗身。接著，水面稍微靜住，一層虹彩薄膜在桶口鋪開。色帶由藍轉到紅，碰到細小的漣漪就裂開。「它在陶上畫了一條腰帶。」Flora 說著，手指仍靠近輪緣。

她慢慢收回雙手，碗在沒有觸碰時仍繼續轉著。她探身到桶邊看那顏色，頭髮擦過冰涼的桶沿。「你看那個。」她用一根指尖輕點水面。她的指尖破開薄膜時，那個亮點又跳到橫樑上。