Mina and the Lost Ticket- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Mina had waited all week for the science seminar that filled the old auditorium every spring. She reached the campus hall just after lunch. She clutched a paper ticket and wove between groups of chatting students. Rain had been falling earlier, so the marble floor glistened, and footsteps slid now and then. At the entrance, a thick rope formed a shaky line. Heads kept leaning sideways, trying to pay attention to the presenter testing the microphone on stage. The doors had been propped wide, but the narrow passage in front of the rope slowed everyone. Mina tapped her pocket, felt the ticket resting there, and her shoulders dropped for a moment.

A sudden bump from behind tipped her balance, and the ticket flew out, tumbling toward the wet floor. Mina lunged and caught only a rectangle the same size. She noticed the soft green paper that campus cafés use as a smoothie voucher. The crowd pressed forward; time shortened while her pulse beat in her throat. She has practiced calm breathing before exams, so she repeated it. Then she stepped aside to search the ground. Nothing showed under the busy shoes. She straightened and showed the voucher anyway. The usher glanced at the stage, where lights were already dimming, then lifted the rope without a word. The surprise warmed her cheeks; the lost ticket no longer mattered. She slipped into a middle row as the first slide brightened the screen.

每到春天，科學研討會總是擠滿舊禮堂。米娜已經等了整整一週。午餐後她抵達學生活動大樓，手裡緊握紙本入場券，穿梭在交談的學生之間。先前下過雨，大理石地板閃著水光，鞋底不時打滑。入口處，一條粗繩排出搖晃的隊伍。大家側著頭，努力專注台上測試麥克風的講者。大門雖敞開，但繩前狹窄的通道仍拖慢人潮。米娜拍了拍口袋，確認票還在，肩膀稍微放鬆。

突然，有人從後面撞到她，票飛出手，朝濕滑地面翻滾。她撲身撈回同樣大小的紙片，才發現那是校園咖啡店贈送果昔的綠色優惠券。人群持續向前擠，她喉頭脈搏急促跳動。她過去考試前練過深呼吸，便再用一次。接著側身尋找票據，忙亂鞋影下什麼也沒有。她還是把優惠券舉起。工作人員看了看舞台上逐漸變暗的燈光，默默抬起繩子。意外的結果讓她臉頰發熱，遺失的票已變得無關緊要。第一張投影片亮起時，她已坐進中排座位。