A Box Flap Lifts, and an Old Timetable Appears - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Ian walked with Grey into the small storeroom behind the hall kitchen door.

Grey carried folded tablecloths, and Ian balanced a light bag of paper labels.

A single bulb hung above, so far shelves lay in a slow shade.

Boxes rested on other boxes, and the lowest ones carried the heavier weight.

Dust felt soft on the top edges, and fingerprints cleared thin streaks near handles.

Cool air brushed their arms, and a dry paper smell sat near the floor.

Short cards on the shelves showed names that matched the tidy stacks.

Ian touched a cardboard box, and its flap lifted with a small rasp against tape.

He peered inside at tins, corks, and a sealed bottle of cooking oil.

He tilted the bottle and watched the oil move with slow viscosity.

Beside it, a folder stood so stiff that its corner pressed his palm.

He kept a loose clutch on the folder edge, then slid one sleeve forward.

The cardboard pressed back a little, and paper made a gentle rustle under his sleeve.

A thin page slipped free from behind the folder and dropped onto the floor.

Ian bent to lift it, and dry edges crackled between his fingers.

The page showed a bus timetable with faded lines and curled corners.

Grey set the tablecloth box down and watched Ian place the page on a stack of canvas bags.

Dust lifted where his sleeve moved, and a clean stripe ran along the bag tops.

Ian set the folder back, then smoothed one corner of the timetable and pressed its crease.

Ian 跟著 Grey 走進大廳廚房門後面的那間小儲物間。

Grey 抱著摺好的桌布，Ian 托著一袋輕的紙標籤。

天花板只掛著一盞燈，所以遠處的層架在比較暗的陰影裡。

箱子疊在箱子上，最底下的承受著比較重的重量。

上緣的灰塵摸起來很軟，靠近把手的地方被指紋抹出細長的痕跡。

清涼的空氣拂過他們的手臂，乾乾的紙味停在靠近地板的地方。

層架上的小卡片顯示著名稱，和整齊的堆疊一一對上。

Ian 碰了一個紙箱，它的蓋片摩著膠帶，沙沙地掀了起來。

他往裡看見錫罐、軟木塞，還有一瓶封好的食用油。

他把瓶子傾斜，看著油以緩慢的黏度流動。

旁邊有個資料夾很硬挺，夾角頂住了他的手掌。

他鬆鬆地抓著資料夾的邊緣，接著把一隻袖子往前滑過去。

紙板微微回壓，紙張在他袖子底下發出輕柔的沙沙聲。

一張薄紙從資料夾後面滑出來，落在地板上。

Ian 彎下身把它撿起來，乾乾的邊緣在他指間輕輕作響。

那頁是一張公車時刻表，線條褪色，邊角捲起。

Grey 放下裝桌布的箱子，看著 Ian 把那頁放在一疊帆布袋上。

他的袖子劃過的地方灰塵被帶起，乾淨的一道痕沿著袋子上緣延伸。

Ian 把資料夾歸回去，然後把時刻表的一角撫平，順著摺痕按了按。