The Plank That Struck Stone- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

A narrow plank lay six steps below the mountain track, bridging a jagged crack. Tara crouched at the edge, toes digging into loose grit while water raced under the wood. A pale rock on the farther rim rose like a waiting lion, its stone mane ridged by years of wind. She aimed to lift the plank level with the trail, hoping her small supply cart could roll across later.

The board resisted. Its damp weight pulled downward while a sharp side wind pressed Tara backward. Courage showed in her squared shoulders as she gripped the splintered edge and dragged upward. The plank shifted a finger’s width, then slid back with a harsh scrape. Cold spray mixed with pine scent and brushed her cheeks. Dean, another hiker, arrived and offered assistance by bracing the far corner, yet the cross-push of wind and weight still held the wood. Tara believed a slower rhythm might work. She knelt, timed her breath with a lull in the gust, and heaved once more. Wood groaned, rising higher than before, but a hidden nail snapped, and the plank swung sideways, striking the lion-shaped rock and sending tiny chips across the stream.

The gap remained open. Tara released the plank, letting it tilt against the crack without closing it. Dean tapped one boot against the ground, then walked uphill. Tara turned from the stubborn bridge and studied a patch of purple alpine flowers clinging to moss near her knee. She brushed a petal between two fingertips and listened as a loose shingle scraped against the gutter above.

一塊狹長木板橫在山道下方六步處，架在鋸齒狀的裂縫上。塔拉蹲在邊緣，腳趾扣住鬆散碎石，木板下方溪水奔湧。一塊蒼白岩石矗立在對面邊緣，形似一頭伏獅，石質鬃毛經年風刻成脊。她打算把木板抬到與小徑同高，好讓自己稍後能推行補給小車。

木板頑固反抗。潮濕的重量向下拉，而尖利的側風吹得塔拉後仰。她雙肩挺直，動作中可見勇氣，雙手抓住粗糙邊緣向上拖。木板移開一指寬，隨即又帶著刺耳摩擦聲滑回。冷水霧混著松香拂過她臉頰。另一名健行者迪恩趕到，扶住遠端提供協助，可風力與重力的雙重推拉仍牢牢壓住木板。塔拉相信放慢節奏或許有效。她跪下，配合風勢稍歇的瞬間深吸一口氣，再度用力。木頭呻吟著抬得更高，但一顆暗藏的釘子折斷，木板側翻，撞上獅形岩石，碎屑四散落入溪流。

裂縫依舊敞開。塔拉鬆手，任木板斜靠在缺口旁。迪恩輕點腳尖後沿坡道上行。塔拉轉離那倔強的橋，望向膝旁一叢倖存於苔蘚間的紫色高山花。她指尖夾起一片花瓣，靜聽上方一片鬆動瓦片在簷溝邊刮出細碎聲。