Candlelight in the Attic - 適合中高級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Luca balanced a narrow easel in the attic, determined to paint the wooden horse that stood on a crate under pale candlelight. The canvas had been prepared by early afternoon, and the first thin lines were already visible, yet the image leaned; the perspective slipped whenever the flame quivered. He steadied the holder, but soft wax curved and shadows shifted considerably across the horse’s legs, bending angles he had counted on. His fingers, touching the frame, tensed when the pencil tip snapped. If he had balanced the easel earlier, the sheet would have stayed still, but now the warped sketch mocked him while dust drifted through the single roof pane.

Undeterred, Luca found a replacement pencil, pushed the crate toward the wall, and wedged two books beneath one easel leg. The horse settled, yet the attic floor creaked; with each shallow breath, the books slid and the creature seemed to climb a tiny hill. Footsteps below rattled the boards, and the jolt sent hot grease across the table. While wiping the spill, Luca noticed an old mirror propped behind a trunk. The glass revealed not only the model but also Mira, his younger sister, watching from the stairs. Her eyebrows lifted at the chaotic scene, yet no word passed between them. Instead of fighting the restless light, he angled the mirror, letting the doubled image ripple over the canvas. New, broader strokes followed—rough, yet heartfelt—and the confusion of earlier marks merged into a lively duet of horse and silent observer. Soft candlelight rested on the finished canvas beside the quiet window.

盧卡在閣樓裡架好細窄的畫架，想畫放在木箱上的木馬，淡淡的燭光照在模型上。畫布在下午早些時候就備好了，初步的線條已經浮現，然而圖像仍然傾斜；只要火焰顫抖，透視就會跑掉。他握緊畫架，但軟化的蠟向一邊倒，影子大大地改變了木馬腿部的角度，弄亂了他計算好的線條。他的手指碰到畫框時緊了一下，鉛筆尖斷裂。如果他早些時候就把畫架固定好，紙張就不會晃動；現在變形的草圖像在取笑他，塵埃從天窗斜射的光束中漂浮。

盧卡沒有退縮，換了一支鉛筆，把木箱推到牆邊，再把兩本書塞在畫架腳下。木馬暫時穩住了，但閣樓地板嘎吱作響；他每一次淺淺的呼吸，都讓書本滑動，木馬像在爬小坡。樓下傳來腳步聲，震動讓熱燭油濺到桌面。他擦拭時，看見箱子後面立著一面舊鏡子。鏡子裡不只映出模型，還映出站在樓梯口的妹妹米拉。她挑起眉毛看著混亂的場面，卻沒開口。盧卡改變策略，將鏡子轉向畫布，讓雙重影像在畫面上跳動。他揮出更寬的筆觸，粗礪卻真摯，先前混亂的線條融合成木馬與靜靜觀察者的生動二重奏。柔和的燭光停在完成的畫布與寧靜的窗邊。