The Spinning Quarter- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Lara pushed her small cart toward the factory courtyard gate. A warning bell had rung, and the heavy gate has been lowered by an old motor since noon. Only half of the opening remained, and she needed to pass before it closed. Between her and the gate, wooden crates leaned above a wide puddle from a leaking pipe. Bright weeds continued to flourish in the wet cracks. The air smelled of damp stone and engine grease. Near the crates lay a coiled yellow rope, once used as a lifeline for roof workers. A brown dog that followed the gardener trotted beside her. Its paws pressed dark circles into the wet dust.

The safer path curved around the crates, yet water kept spreading from the pipe. The gate groaned lower; now barely a quarter of its height stayed open. Every pulley concerned with the mechanism squeaked and threw tiny rust flakes. Lara faced two routes: the long dry bend or a narrow plank across the puddle. She stepped onto the plank. Halfway across, the board shifted and water splashed over her boots. She hoped the thin wood would survive the sudden load. A silver quarter popped from between the slats, spinning bright circles on the puddle. The dog barked and jumped after it, sending waves that soaked Lara’s socks. They squeezed through the shrinking gap and hurried down the road beyond the wall. Wind lifted loose leaves and sent them spinning through the empty courtyard. Dripping water spread over the stones around the silent plank.

拉拉推著小推車朝工廠院子的閘門前進。警鐘剛響過，而沉重的閘門自中午以來一直被舊馬達慢慢放下。開口只剩一半，她得在完全關閉前穿過。她與閘門之間，木箱斜靠在因漏水而形成的大水窪上方。濕裂縫中，亮綠雜草仍然茂盛生長。空氣帶著濕石頭與機油的氣味。木箱旁捲著一條黃色繩索，曾被屋頂工人當作救生繩。跟在園丁身後的棕狗小跑在她旁邊，爪印在濕灰塵上留下深圈。

較安全的小路繞過木箱，但水仍從管線不斷漫開。閘門再度下沉，現在僅剩四分之一的高度保持開啟。與機構相關的每個滑輪都發出吱聲，拋下細小鐵鏽。拉拉面前有兩條路：乾燥但漫長的彎道，或穿越水窪的狹窄木板。她踏上木板。走到一半，板子一晃，水濺上她的靴子。她希望薄木能撐過這突來的重量。木縫間躍出一枚銀色二十五分硬幣，在水面閃亮旋轉。狗叫著撲向硬幣，激起浪紋浸濕拉拉的襪子。他們擠過越來越窄的縫隙，沿牆外的道路匆匆離去。風捲起落葉，在空曠院子裡翻飛。滴水擴散，覆上靜止的木板周圍石地。