The Pages Left Empty- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Leo pedaled his old bicycle along the sandy track that circled the atoll. The small settlement's houses already shrank behind him; only rusted tin roofs marked the outskirt of town. A one-eyed cat trotted beside the wheels, its striped tail held high. Salt carried by wind settled on Leo’s lips, and distant waves splashed against coral with muted thumps. Ahead, an abandoned watch hut leaned toward the lagoon, and a tantalizing glimmer flashed inside its broken window. Leo had spotted that flash yesterday at dusk and believed a forgotten telescope might be waiting. Foresight had been scarce then, so he returned today with a canvas bag, rope, and patience.

Near the hut, the cat halted when a loose plank clattered under Leo’s boot. The door hung crooked; its hinges had been coated in orange rust. Leo pressed against the door; the wood groaned once, then refused to move further. He looped the rope around a handle, planted both feet, and pulled. The hinge shifted under the strain, yet the swollen wood still stayed firm. A gull cut across the horizon, distracting the cat, while Leo examined a narrow side window. Jagged shards framed an opening that looked just wide enough for his left shoulder. After rolling a sleeve over his palm, he cleared the edges and slid through. His trainers scraped the sill, and he tumbled onto damp sand that had blown inside.

Inside, beams lay scattered, and a thin column of dust spiraled in sunlight. The rumored telescope turned out to be a brass tube without lenses, its body dented. A battered journal balanced on a crossbeam, its pages stubbornly stuck together by salt. Leo pried it open with care, yet spreading water stains had already erased every written line. His shoulders sagged, yet the cat, now perched on the sill, twitched its whiskers at a sudden rustle. Under a fallen beam, the corner of a metal box peeked out from a drift of sand. Leo lifted the beam, splinters biting his palms, and dragged the box free. The latch resisted at first, but one determined twist finally released its narrow tongue. A faint smell of old paper drifted out, curling around his ankles like invisible smoke. Inside lay nothing but blank sheets, their edges crisp and their squared corners surprisingly sharp. Morning light from the lagoon doorway rested quietly upon the untouched pages.

里歐踩著舊腳踏車，在環繞環礁的沙道上前進。小聚落的屋頂已經縮成一排生鏽的鐵皮，只剩郊外的感覺。獨眼貓跟在車輪旁，小小條紋尾巴高舉。帶著鹹味的風貼上里歐的嘴唇，遠方浪花拍在珊瑚上發出悶響。前方，一座廢棄瞭望小屋朝潟湖傾斜，破窗內閃過誘人的亮光。昨晚黃昏里歐看見那道光，以為裡面遺留一支望遠鏡。那時他準備不足，因此今天帶著帆布袋、繩子與耐心再來。

靠近小屋時，木板在里歐靴子下啪地一響，貓停住步子。門歪斜懸著，鉸鏈覆滿橙鏽。里歐用肩頂門，木頭發出呻吟，卻堵住不動。他把繩子套在把手上，雙腳扎地猛拉。鉸鏈在拉力下移動，可腫脹的木頭仍卡得緊。海鷗劃過地平線，貓轉頭追視，里歐則檢查側窗。鋸齒狀碎玻璃圍出一個勉強容納肩膀的口。捲袖護掌後，他清掉邊緣並爬進去。球鞋磨到窗臺，他整個人跌在吹進屋內的濕沙上。

屋內橫梁散落，一束灰塵在陽光中旋轉。傳聞中的望遠鏡只是凹陷的黃銅管，鏡片早失。橫梁上擺著一本破舊日誌，紙頁被鹽巴黏牢。里歐小心撬開，可擴散的水跡已抹去所有字跡。他肩膀微沉，貓此時蹲在窗臺，鬍鬚因突如其來的沙沙聲抽動。倒下的梁下露出金屬盒一角，埋在沙堆裡。里歐抬起梁木，刺痛手心的木刺提醒他用力，然後把盒子拖出。卡扣一開始抗拒，但堅定一扭終於鬆開。微弱舊紙味飄出，像無形煙霧繞住腳踝。盒內只剩白紙，紙邊硬挺，四角出奇尖利。潟湖門口透進的晨光靜靜照在未曾觸碰的紙頁上。