Pigeon and the Slipping Crumb at the Fountain - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

"That leaf spins there."

A pigeon dropped to the stone rim. A child sat with an older sibling on the bench by the basin. A small juice carton rested in one hand, and a charcoal stick marked paper. Cool mist touched their hands, and the soft scratch of charcoal moved on paper. Across the square, the post office faced the fountain with broad steps and stone walls. The pigeon walked the rim, pecked at tiny crumbs, and dipped its beak to sip. It braced its toes on the wet stone and bobbed its head between splashes.

Then the arc of water softened and dropped for a moment, and the rhythm changed. A cool sheet slid over the bird’s chest, and its wings lifted a little. A crumb near its beak began to slide along the slick edge of stone. It struck the lip, skidded onward, and tipped into the basin with a plip. One light splash dotted its breast, and the pigeon shook water from its neck. A hand gave the carton a small squeeze, and a bubble jumped through the straw. A cold drop tapped the stone and joined the sliding lines that ran toward the basin. "The arc dropped a little," someone said, and the words mixed with the water’s murmur. The pigeon stepped again and pecked at a dry seed that held its place. The stream held steady again. The leaf stopped spinning and pressed flat against the rim.

「那片葉子在那邊轉。」

一隻鴿子落在石製池緣上。一個孩子和年長的手足坐在池邊的長椅上。一隻手拿著小果汁紙盒，另一隻手用炭筆在紙上劃過。涼涼的水霧碰到他們的手，炭筆輕輕的刮擦聲在紙上移動。廣場對面，郵局面向噴泉，前方有寬闊台階和石牆。鴿子沿著池緣走動，啄著細小的碎屑，還把喙伸下去啜飲。它把腳趾撐在濕滑的石頭上，在水花間上下點頭。

接著水弧變得柔弱，短暫地降低，節奏也跟著改變。一片涼意掠過牠的胸口，牠的翅膀微微抬起。牠喙邊的一粒碎屑開始沿著濕滑的石緣滑動。它撞到池口又繼續滑行，最後一翻，撲通落進水盆。一小點水花點在牠胸前，鴿子抖了抖脖子上的水珠。有隻手輕輕擠了一下紙盒，吸管裡竄出一個氣泡。一滴冷水點在石面上，和往池內滑去的細水線合在一起。「水弧降了一點，」有人說，聲音和落水的低鳴混在一起。鴿子又踏出一步，啄向一粒仍待在原處的乾種子。水流又穩住了。那片葉子也不再旋轉，平貼在池緣上。