Luka Before Nightfall- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Luka dipped a wide brush into deep violet paint. A playground wall stretched beside the basketball court, already covered in stars. He has spent three afternoons painting a space scene for the school festival. Only the lower corner remained blank, and nightfall pushed closer every minute. A borrowed metal ladder rested on uneven gravel and rocked gently. Several small stars had been added by younger children who passed during recess.

As he climbed higher, the ladder tilted, and his elbow knocked the paint can. Dark liquid splashed across the blank corner in a wide spiral. Luka froze, expecting ruin, yet the spill looked like a swirling nebula. He shifted the brush, added pale blue rings, and tiny white sparks emerged. The accident had transformed into a feature that balanced the whole sky. Working faster, he painted a silver lander and an astronaut to mark the moon landing. Finally, a black stroke shaped the rim of a distant galaxy along the horizon. He stepped down, the ladder settled, and streetlights blinked on behind him. Fresh paint shimmered under the new glow, holding still in the evening air.

路卡將寬大的刷子浸入深紫色油漆中。籃球場旁的牆面延伸開來，上面已經點滿星星。為了學校慶典，他已經花了三個下午繪製這幅太空場景。只剩下牆角還空著，夜幕每分鐘都逼近。借來的金屬梯子立在不平的碎石上，微微晃動。課間經過的低年級孩子也曾在牆上點上幾顆小星星。

他爬得更高時，梯子一歪，手肘撞到油漆桶。深色油漆在空白的牆角甩出寬大的螺旋。路卡身子一僵，以為全毀了，卻發現那漩渦像極了一團星雲。他換個角度揮筆，加上淡藍色環帶，點出細小白光。意外反而成了畫面最平衡的一隅。他加快速度，描出銀色登陸器與太空人，向首次登月致意。最後，一筆黑線在地平線上勾出遙遠星系的邊緣。他退下梯子，梯腳安穩落地，身後的街燈亮起。新漆在光中輕閃，靜靜停留在夜色裡。