Sketches by the River Bank- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Leo zipped his jacket and stepped from the tiny stone cottage. A starlit sky spread above the garden like a calm silver roof. He had packed his old camera because he hoped to capture quiet wildlife. He has practiced night photography for six cold weeks already. Now he walked toward the grassy bank beside the slow river. The tripod, which he carried carefully, bumped against his knee each step. Cold air pressed around him, yet the water remained smooth. At the edge, he placed the camera and waited without moving.

Minutes passed; a small hare hopped from tall reeds and sniffed the air. Just as Leo adjusted the focus, a sudden breeze rocked the tripod. The lens shook wildly, and the picture immediately blurred. While he steadied the frame, a fox slipped between bushes toward the hare. Startled, the hare darted away, and the fox splashed water onto Leo’s shoes. The camera, which had been balanced loosely, toppled and landed in soft mud. Leo exhaled, wiped the lens, and chuckled at the playful chaos. Instead of leaving, he pulled a small sketchbook from his pocket. He has often carried it, although he rarely uses it outside. Moonlight reflected on blank pages, and a clean surface appeared. With steady breaths, his pencil traced the fleeing hare and curious fox. Pencil lines grew across the page while river reflected the starlit sky.

Leo拉上外套拉鍊，走出石頭小屋。星光像銀色屋頂般覆蓋著花園。為了捕捉夜間野生動物，他已整理好舊相機。他已經練習夜間攝影整整六個寒冷星期。現在，他朝著緩緩河水旁的草地河岸走去。腳邊的三腳架撞擊膝蓋，發出輕輕聲響。冷空氣包圍他的同時，水面仍舊平靜。他站在水邊，把相機放好，靜靜等待。

幾分鐘過去，一隻小野兔從高高蘆葦間跳出，嗅聞著空氣。就在Leo調整焦距時，突來的微風晃動了三腳架。鏡頭猛烈搖晃，畫面立即模糊。當他穩住機架時，一隻狐狸穿過灌木，衝向野兔。野兔受驚逃跑，狐狸濺起的水花弄濕了Leo的鞋。原本放得不太穩的相機翻倒，落在軟泥裡。Leo吐氣，擦拭鏡頭，並對這場調皮混亂輕聲笑了。沒有離開，他從口袋抽出一本小素描本。他常常帶著它，卻很少在戶外使用。月光映在空白頁面上，一個乾淨的畫面浮現。他呼吸平穩，鉛筆描出逃跑的野兔與好奇的狐狸。鉛筆線條在紙上延伸，河面倒映著星光滿天。