Sam Before the Bus Arrived- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Morning light filtered through the garage window, turning dust into tiny sparks. Sam checked the timeline taped on the wall yesterday, knowing only two hours remained. His science project, a palm-sized steam engine, waited on the bench. He has worked on it for three weeks, drawing each bolt in a notebook that an engineer uncle had given him. A recycled can served as boiler, because greater sustainability of the design mattered to the judges. Water started warming on an old camping stove beside his chair.

Steam whispered through the tube; the flywheel turned once, then stopped. A single piston sat crooked inside the cylinder, throwing the rhythm. Sam turned the rod, yet metal resisted. While he searched for a thinner wrench, the clock continued and oil dripped on the floor. The narrow gap between finishing and missing the bus grew wider. A loose spring, which had been hidden beneath paper shavings, rolled away and vanished under a toolbox, adding clutter to the race.

A sudden puff from the stove lifted a drop of hot water that splashed onto the jammed joint. The brittle oil softened, and the piston slid without complaint. Surprise widened Sam’s eyes; he had expected a new failure. He reassembled the cover, flipped the switch, and the wheel spun freely. Outside, the school bus horn sounded. He slid the shining model into a padded box, snapped the lid, and ran. The small engine hummed inside its box while the bus door closed.

清晨的陽光穿過車庫窗戶，灰塵像細小火花漂浮。Sam查看前一天貼在牆上的進度表，知道只剩兩個小時。那個手掌大小的蒸汽引擎科學作品正靜靜躺在工作台上。他已經花了三周製作，還把每顆螺栓畫進工程師舅舅送來的筆記本。為了提高這個設計的永續性，他用回收罐當鍋爐。水在旁邊的露營爐上開始加熱。

蒸氣沿著管線低吟，飛輪轉了一下便停住。一支活塞歪在汽缸裡，打亂節奏。Sam轉動連桿，但金屬仍然卡住。當他尋找更薄的扳手時，時鐘繼續走，油滴落到地面。完成與錯過公車之間的窄縫漸漸拉大。一條鬆脫的彈簧從紙屑下滾出，消失在工具箱底下，讓檯面更亂。

爐子突然冒出一股蒸氣，把一滴熱水抬起，濺到卡住的接頭上。脆硬的油被軟化，活塞順暢滑動。Sam的眼睛睜大，他本以為會再失敗一次。他裝回護蓋，按下開關，輪子自在旋轉。外面傳來校車喇叭聲。他把閃亮模型放進軟墊盒，扣上蓋子，快步跑出。盒中的小引擎持續低鳴，車門同時關上。