Luca Before the Tide Turns- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Morning light painted the quiet beach in warm gold. Luca carried a string of colorful cloth that fluttered like tiny flags. He had promised to tie it to a yellow buoy beyond the coral reef. He has trained in the pool all year, yet salt water still felt different. The tide was climbing, so he started to swim before the rope path vanished. Just then a group of holiday swimmers splashed around him, kicking sand and spray. Their playful shouts broke his rhythm, and shoulders knocked against his arms. Edges of the ribbon touched the water, threatening to slip from his grip.

A sudden sideways current dragged his legs, turning straight strokes into a zigzag path. Luca rolled onto a floating boogie board that had been left nearby. Knees pressed tight, he paddled with one arm while the other protected the ribbon. Halfway out, a dolphin surfaced beside the board, spraying cool foam onto his face. The splash pushed the board forward, and the buoy rose suddenly within reach. He looped the ribbon around the metal ring; the cloth was lifted by the breeze like a signal. Turning quickly, he let the current carry the board back toward the shallows. Wet sand stopped the board, and Luca stepped off, breathing out cool drops. Waves rolled past while the colorful strip fluttered far behind him, steady against the sky.

晨光為寧靜的海灘披上溫暖金色。盧卡拿著一束彩色布條，像小旗一樣飄動。他答應要把它繫在珊瑚礁外的黃色浮標上。他雖然整年都在泳池訓練，但海水仍然顯得陌生。潮水正上升，他便趁繩索仍可見時下水游去。這時，一群度假客在他身邊嬉水，濺起沙子和浪花。他的節奏被打亂，肩膀還被撞了一下。布條的邊緣沾到水面，差點滑出手。

突如其來的橫向水流拉扯他的雙腿，使直線划水變成曲折路徑。盧卡翻上附近一塊漂浮的浪板。膝蓋緊貼，他用一隻手划水，另一隻手護著布條。游到一半時，一隻海豚在浪板旁冒出水面，冰涼泡沫濺到他臉上。這股浪推動浪板向前，浮標突然近在眼前。他把布條繞在金屬環上，風一掠，布條被舉起，像在示意。他迅速轉身，任水流把浪板帶回淺處。濕沙停住浪板，盧卡踏下，吐出帶涼意的水珠。身後浪波起伏，彩布高掛在遠處天空前，安穩飄揚。