What the Dog Unearthed- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Thin mist hovered above the allotment as Lukas pushed the gate. Tiny changes in the light across the shed roof announced a new season. Nearby sparrows greet the morning with rapid chirps. A shovel rested against the fence, already speckled with dry mud. Some enthusiast from last spring had left a small rake beside it. The handle lay silver where paint had worn away. Lukas, wearing faded jeans, aimed to plant lettuce before clouds gathered. He pressed the blade into the plot, yet the soil stayed dense after many cold nights. He had loosened ground before, but today each clump bounced against the blade and rolled aside. At his heel, Milo the brown dog sniffed, tail sweeping side to side.

Milo shoved a forepaw into the nearest trench, scattering soil over Lukas's boots. The first force had been hard earth; now a second arrived on four lively legs. Lukas adjusted his plan without raising his voice. He fetched a watering can that had been catching drip water beside the shed. Warm beads slipped through the spout and soaked the surface, turning lumps into dark paste. While the moisture seeped, he laid two narrow planks along the row. Milo sniffed the wood, then shifted toward a corner where ground sounded hollow. His claws scraped, and a buried board lifted, revealing crumbly black compost hidden by the previous tenant. The softened mix tumbled from the board like loose cake crumbs. Lukas scooped it into the trench, pressed seeds, and nudged Milo back gently. Raindrops began tapping the planks, and the dog settled under the bench as Lukas covered the seeds.

薄霧懸在分配園地上，盧卡斯推開小門。棚屋屋頂上的光線出現細微變化，宣告新季節來臨。附近麻雀用急促啁啾迎接清晨。一把鏟子靠在柵欄上，已被乾泥斑點覆蓋。去年春天的一位愛好者留下了一把小耙子。耙柄上的漆已經脫落，只剩銀色木紋。盧卡斯穿著褪色牛仔褲，希望在烏雲聚集前種下萵苣。他把鏟刃壓進菜畦，但經過多個寒夜，泥土依舊緊結。他曾經鬆過土，可今天每一團土都撞在鏟面上又滾開。腳邊，棕色狗米洛嗅聞著，尾巴左右掃動。

米洛把前爪伸進最近的溝裡，泥土濺到盧卡斯的靴子上。第一個阻力來自堅硬土壤，第二個阻力則踩著四條活潑的腿到來。盧卡斯悄悄調整計畫，沒有提高嗓音。他拿起棚旁用來接滴水的澆水壺。溫暖水珠從壺嘴滑出，將表層變成深色泥漿。水分滲透時，他沿著行列放下兩塊窄木板。米洛聞了聞木頭，然後走向角落，地面在那裡發出空洞聲。他的爪子扒動，掀起一塊埋著的板子，黑色疏鬆堆肥隨即露出。軟土像蛋糕屑般散落。盧卡斯把它鏟進溝裡，放下種子，輕輕把米洛推到一旁。雨點開始敲打木板，狗躲到長凳下，而盧卡斯覆上最後一把種子。