Spilled Bucket and the Hidden Den - 適合初級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Clara rolled a red ball across the patio stones. It bounced, turned at the shed corner, and slipped under. Morning light fell across the warm stones.

She bent down and reached under a low wooden crate. Her fingers brushed a blue pot with a fish design. The pot knocked a small tin bucket near the wall. The bucket tipped, and water ran onto dry dirt. The dirt turned dark and moist beside the crate.

Emmet walked over and stopped by her shoulder. "I saw your ball jump inside there," he said. Clara held still and listened to the damp ground. A soft scratch came from a round hole under boards. She drew her hand back and changed her angle. Clara realized it was a small animal den.

She slid a stick along the side and caught it. The ball rolled out, slow, then stopped near Emmet. Emmet nodded and smiled toward the hole. We placed the pot back and left the gap clear. A faint rustle came from the den and paused.

克拉拉把一顆紅球在院子的石板上滾動。它彈了一下，轉向棚屋的角落，滑進下面。晨光落在溫暖的石板上。

她彎下身，伸手到一個矮木箱下面。她的手指碰到一個藍色花盆，盆身有魚的圖案。花盆撞到牆邊的一個小鐵桶。鐵桶傾倒，水流到乾土上。土色變深，靠著木箱變得濕潤。

埃米特走過來，停在她肩旁。「我看到你的球跳進去了。」他說。克拉拉停住不動，傾聽潮濕的地面。板子下方一個圓洞傳來細小的抓抓聲。她把手收回，換了一個角度。克拉拉發現那是小動物的巢穴。

她沿著一側推動一根細棍，把球勾住。球慢慢滾出來，在埃米特旁邊停下。埃米特點點頭，朝著洞口笑了笑。我們把花盆放回去，讓縫隙保持暢通。巢穴裡又傳來一陣細響，隨即停住。