Wings Touched the Water- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Leo reached the narrow pier after afternoon classes. The wooden boards had grown gray. A pale line on each post showed where last spring’s water once rested. Warm sunlight lay on the cracked boards while a sweet smell of lake plants drifted under his nose. Near the far end, a small glass jar bobbed between reeds. He had promised his own sketchbook a bright new object, so he wanted that jar’s strange green shine. A fishing net, found earlier beside a forgotten canoe, now lay in his hands. It had been left behind by campers during summer. He lowered it, but the handle stopped against a beam. The jar, which caught tiny sparks of light, floated just beyond reach.

A sudden splash broke the calm; an otter surfaced, rolled once, and vanished. Slow surface movement sent the jar drifting even wider. Leo knelt, extending the net sideways, yet wind pushed against the mesh. His arms shook under the uneven pressure of the water. At that moment a quick flutter of wings brushed past his ear. A bird skimmed the water, creating ripples that nudged the jar toward the pier instead of away. He shifted position, braced one foot against a support, and dipped the net from a lower angle. Water poured through the weave, but the rim scooped under the glass. With one steady pull he lifted the jar onto sunlit wood. Drops trickled from its smooth sides while wind quieted over the lake.

放學後，Leo 走到狹長的舊碼頭。木板已經褪成灰色，每根柱子上都有一道淡淡的水痕，記下去年春天的水位。暖暖的陽光攤在裂開的木頭上，湖邊植物的清甜氣味隨風飄來。最遠處的蘆葦間，一只小玻璃罐隨水點頭。他答應過自己的素描本要找些新奇的亮點，所以特別想要那抹綠色光澤。他手裡握著一張早前在被遺忘的獨木舟旁撿到的捕魚網，那網是夏天露營的人留下的。他把網伸下去，柄卻卡在橫樑上；那只閃著細微光點的罐子停在可望而不可及的地方。

忽然一聲水響打破寧靜，一隻水獺竄上水面，翻身後又消失。水面的細流把罐子推得更遠。Leo 跪下，將網側向伸出，可風推著網面，使力道難以集中。水的阻力讓他的手臂微微發抖。就在這時，一陣翅膀掠過耳邊的震動貼近，他看到一隻鳥貼水掠過，水紋把罐子推回碼頭方向。他換了姿勢，一腳抵住支架，從更低角度把網插進水中。水從網孔奔洩而下，邊框卻剛好托住玻璃罐。他穩穩一拉，把罐子放到陽光照著的木板上。水珠沿著光滑的罐壁往下流，湖面上的風聲也跟著平靜下來。