Marco on the Hilltop Morning - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Marco has dreamed of capturing the first balloon of summer with his new camera. This morning he pedals toward Cedar Hill, where the sky opens wide. He has chosen his usual route along River Street, yet cones have been placed overnight. Traffic presses close, and a van that carries fresh bread inches beside him; its side mirror flashes a distorted sunrise. A sudden blast from a horn startles him, and the bicycle wobbles on loose gravel. He brakes near the curb, counting multiple cars rolling past, each one stealing seconds while the balloon drifts farther into the blue.

He wheels the bike into a narrow alley and revises his plan. Stone steps climb behind the bakery; they are steep but free of wheels and engines. He leaves the bicycle locked against a railing and starts upward on foot. The climb burns his legs, yet the open hilltop rises ahead. Halfway, a cat darts across and knocks a tin bucket that clatters down the steps, adding fresh resistance. He reaches the grass just as the balloon hovers above the treetops. Without pausing, he lifts the camera, steadies his breath, and presses the shutter. The click echoes once, then quiet surrounds the hill while the bright balloon floats silently beyond the rooftops.

馬可一直想用新相機捕捉夏天第一顆熱氣球的身影。清晨，他踩著腳踏車前往絲達山丘，那裡的天空開闊。他已選好沿著河街的慣常路線，但一夜之間擋桿與錐體封住了車道。車流逼近，一輛載著麵包的廂型車緊貼他前行，車側後視鏡映出扭曲的日出。喇叭突然巨響，腳踏車在碎石上晃動。他靠向路邊煞車，數著一台又一台慢慢經過的車，每輛車都奪走幾秒，而熱氣球則飄得更遠。

他把車推進狹巷，重新構思計畫。麵包店後方的石梯向上攀升，雖陡卻沒有輪胎與引擎的干擾。他把腳踏車鎖在欄杆旁，改用雙腳往上。爬升刺痛了他的腿，但頂端的開闊草地逐漸逼近。半途，一隻貓衝過，撞倒鐵桶，叮噹滾落階梯，再添阻力。他抵達草地時，熱氣球正懸於樹梢上方。他沒有停頓，舉起相機，調勻呼吸，按下快門。卡嗒聲迴響一次，山丘恢復寧靜，鮮亮的熱氣球無聲滑向屋簷外的天空。