Leo Near the Evening Fire- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Late afternoon light rested on a small campsite beside a calm stream. Leo stacked thin branches that he had gathered along a path. The path curved through tall spruce trees that evening. He has already arranged flat stones in a circle. A gentle campfire flickered brightly in the center. Warm smoke drifted upward, mixing with pine smell while distant crickets filled the air. A small pot containing water has been placed beside the embers. It waited for cocoa before the outdoor gathering begins.

A sudden gust pushed through the clearing, scattering sparks and making the flames bend sideways. Leo stepped back, covering his eyes with an arm as glowing ash skipped over the stones. When he reached for more wood, a yearling deer appeared between the tents and the supply pile. Its thin legs paused, and the animal nosed the very branches he needed. Two obstacles now blocked the plan; smoke swirled toward his face while the deer guarded the wood. Instead of waving or shouting, Leo crouched low beside the stones.

He gathered dried grass nearby and set it on the far side of the fire. Smoke changed direction, drifting toward the grass and away from the pile. The yearling sniffed the new scent, turned, and trotted after the curling ribbon of smoke. Space cleared, Leo hurried to claim the free branches and fed them into the campfire. Soon bubbles tapped the rim of the pot, and orange light steadied over the tidy circle of stones. Leo lifted two mugs, and soft steam rose into the dusk.

傍晚的光線停在溪邊的小營地。里奧把沿著雲杉林間小徑撿來的細樹枝堆好。那條小徑在那晚穿過高高的雲杉樹。他已經把平坦的石頭排成一圈。溫和的營火在中央明亮地跳動。暖煙向上飄散，混著松木氣味，遠處蟋蟀在空氣中鳴唱。一只裝著水的小鍋已被放在餘燼旁，等著在戶外聚會前煮可可。

忽然一陣強風掃過空地，火星飛散，火焰側向彎伏。里奧後退一步，用手臂擋住眼睛，明亮的灰燼跳過石圈。當他伸手想拿更多木頭時，一隻幼年鹿出現在帳篷與木料堆之間。細瘦的腿停住，牠低頭嗅著他急需的那些樹枝。兩個阻礙現在擋住計劃：煙霧朝他臉上打旋，而小鹿守著木料。他沒有揮手或叫喊，而是蹲低在石圈旁。

他就近抓起乾草，放在火的另一側。煙向乾草改變方向，離開木料堆。幼鹿嗅到新氣味，轉身追著盤旋的煙帶小步跑開。空間清出後，里奧趕緊拿起空出的樹枝，把它們送進營火。很快，鍋邊開始冒泡，橘光在整齊的石圈上穩定閃耀。里奧端起兩個杯子，柔軟的蒸氣升向暮色。