A Bird Drops an Apple into the Orchard Basket - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Sam walked the grassy path between the trees with Grandpa and the farm dog.

A wooden ladder leaned on a low branch while Grandpa stood nearby and steadied it. The top rung carried a faded color stripe that the weather thinned each season. Their basket sat at the row end; its willow rim held a gentle warp. Cool shade touched Sam's arms, and the damp soil gave a sweet, earthy smell.

He crouched and lifted a windfall apple; the skin felt cool and firm. He turned it in his hands and rubbed off grass seeds with his sleeve. A soft clack came from the basket when he set the apple inside. A second apple hung low, so he reached up and pinched the stem. The twig slid from his fingers with a small backlash and tapped his knuckles. He grinned and shifted the weight of both apples in the basket. He tried another way, tapping two apples together to hear their hollow note. Grandpa picked from a low step while the dog watched and wagged near Sam's knees. A flash of yellow wings landed above, and a lean bird pecked at a stem. The ripe apple let go, dropped straight down, and plopped into the basket. The dog jerked its head, sniffed the rim, and sneezed at the sudden tickle. Grandpa uncapped his tea, and warm steam carried a faint spice of cinnamon. Sam checked the deep red color on top, then placed the new apple gently. Beside the row, the basket's warped rim pressed a round mark into the grass.

Sam 和 Grandpa 帶著家裡的狗，走在樹與樹之間的草徑上。

一把木梯靠在低樹枝上，Grandpa 站在旁邊把它扶穩。最上面一格有一道褪色的條紋，天氣一季一季把那條色帶磨淡了。他們的籃子放在行尾；柳條邊微微翹曲。涼爽的樹蔭碰在 Sam 的手臂上，潮濕的土壤冒出甜甜的土味。

他蹲下捧起一顆落地的蘋果；果皮摸起來涼而結實。他把它在手心轉了轉，用衣袖擦掉草籽。當他把蘋果放進籃子時，籃子裡傳來一聲輕輕的喀嗒。第二顆蘋果掛得很低，他便伸手捏住果梗。細枝從他指間滑開，帶著一點小小的回彈，還輕敲了他的指節。他笑了一下，把兩顆蘋果的重量在籃子裡挪了挪。他又換個方式，把兩顆蘋果碰在一起，聽那空空的聲音。Grandpa 在低階上摘果，狗在 Sam 膝邊看著，尾巴搖個不停。上面落下一抹黃色的翅影，一隻瘦小的鳥啄了一下果梗。那顆熟蘋果鬆開，直直落下，噗通一聲掉進籃子。狗猛地抬頭，去聞籃沿，又被突然的癢意噴了個噴嚏。Grandpa 打開茶杯蓋，熱氣裡帶著淡淡的肉桂香料味。Sam 看了看上面深紅的顏色，接著把新來的那顆輕輕放好。在樹列旁，那個稍微翹曲的籃沿在草地上壓出一個圓痕。