Morning Near the Cottage Window- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Cold sunlight touched wet leaves; a faint pine smell drifted across the yard.

A red squirrel with alert tail scrambled along a low stone wall beside a small cottage.

His nose twitched, curious about the single acorn resting on the cottage window sill.

The acorn, which had rolled from an overfilled bowl inside, caught tiny reflections like coins.

A small dish had been placed behind the glass.

It was filled with more nuts that glittered in the light.

He had crossed this yard before, yet the sill stood higher than any branch nearby.

He leapt onto the rain gutter.

A crisp breeze pushed his body sideways against the slick metal.

As his claws searched for grip, a black crow landed above and blocked the narrow ledge.

The squirrel halted mid cling, whiskers flat against the pane.

The glass showed his reflection beside the crow, an illusion of two red intruders.

Branches behind him shook in the wind, tapping wooden posts.

He dropped, bounced over flowerpots, and reached the fence rail under the sill.

From that lower perch, the acorn hung almost within paw length.

He stretched sideways; at the same moment the crow hopped away to inspect a shiny wrapper.

Without the extra weight above, the gutter stopped wobbling, and the acorn rolled off the sill.

It landed on soft soil near his claws, ending the scramble with a quiet patter.

He gripped the prize and vanished into ivy, leaves closing still behind his tail.

冷冽的陽光照在濕葉上，微弱的松木氣味飄過院子。

一隻紅松鼠尾巴直立，沿著小石牆爬向一間小木屋。

牠的鼻子抽動，對木屋窗台上一顆孤零零的橡實產生好奇。

那顆橡實從屋內一只裝滿堅果的碗裡滾出，像硬幣般反射細碎亮光。

窗後放著一個小盤子，裡面還堆著更多閃著光的堅果。

牠以前跨過這片院子，然而窗台依然高過附近任何樹枝。

牠跳上排水槽。

清脆的涼風把牠的身體推向光滑的金屬。

當爪子忙著抓握時，一隻黑鴉落在上方，擋住狹窄的邊緣。

松鼠在玻璃前停住，鬍鬚貼著窗口。

玻璃映出牠與烏鴉並列的倒影，形成兩隻紅色入侵者的錯覺。

身後的樹枝在風中搖晃，輕敲木柱。

牠墜下，躍過花盆，停在窗台下方的籬笆橫桿。

從較低的位置，橡實幾乎就在爪尖可及處。

牠側身伸展，同時烏鴉跳走去查看一片閃亮的包裝紙。

沒有了上方的重量，排水槽不再搖晃，橡實從窗台滾落。

它落在牠爪旁柔軟的泥土上，發出輕輕的沙聲結束了這場騷動。

牠抓住戰利品，鑽入常春藤中，葉片在尾巴後安靜合攏。