Leo Before Noon- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Leo balanced a bright paper plane on one palm while walking toward the community hall. The town has hosted a small flight contest every spring, and the final round would start at noon. Fresh paint already glimmered on new stalls, yet metal panels blocked his usual shortcut. A developer repairing the fountain had raised the fence so high that even the clock tower vanished behind it. Wind pressed dust against his shoes, stealing part of his motivation and bending one fragile wing. In his opinion, turning back would waste more minutes, so he searched for another route. An elder gardener, who was trimming roses nearby, pointed silently toward a narrow service gate left half-open by accident.

The gate was heavy, but it swung after Leo set his shoulder against the wood. Once inside the park, he moved beneath broad trees whose shade protected the plane. A small crowd that had waited near the main entrance was still delayed because the front lock had jammed. That delay, caused by an old hinge, produced a surprise. Leo, who had expected to arrive last, now reached the registration desk first. The staff list, written earlier that morning, was being corrected when his name appeared at the top. Knowledge of side paths had saved him minutes, and the paper plane rested flat and safe on the table. The hall’s wide doors clicked open, light spread across the floor, and Leo stepped forward with the plane held high above his head.

里奧一手掌著亮彩紙飛機，沿著楓樹街往社區禮堂走去。這座鎮每年春天都舉辦小型飛行比賽，決賽將在正午開始。新攤位的油漆閃著光，但金屬圍板擋住了他平常的捷徑。修復噴泉的建商把圍籬設得極高，連鐘塔都被遮住。風把灰塵推到他的鞋面，也折彎了紙翼，削弱了幾分衝勁。在他看來，原路折返會浪費更多時間，所以他找尋其他通道。一位正在修剪玫瑰的老園丁默默指向一扇半開的維修側門。

那扇門很重，里奧用肩膀頂著才推開。進入公園後，寬大的樹蔭保護了紙飛機。主入口前等待的小群人仍被壞掉的鎖耽擱，這個延誤帶來了驚喜。原以為最後抵達的里奧，反而最先到報到桌。早上就寫好的名單正在被改動，他的名字排到了最上方。熟悉小徑的經驗替他省下了幾分鐘，紙飛機平整地放在桌上。禮堂寬闊的門扣發出喀噠聲，光線鋪滿地面，里奧高舉著紙飛機邁步向前。