The Goldfish That Shook- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Coarse burlap scratched Cora’s knuckles as she squeezed between stacked cartons. Cold concrete pressed through the soles of her shoes. Dust lay thick on the storeroom floor, and a single bulb showed a great heap of forgotten things. Glen eased a faded globe from a shelf; the ocean paint on its surface peeled like dry skin. Beside it, a small glass goldfish caught the yellow light. An armchair with one torn cushion leaned against a wall while boxes blocked every aisle. Cora nudged a round tin lid with her toe. It rolled, hit a bump, and tipped onto its edge before sliding flat again. The strange motion made both children grin without a word. She squatted, set the lid upright, and spun it across the floor. It slowed and stopped before reaching the chair. Glen copied the move, but his lid curved left, its rim scraping faint grooves in the boards.

Glen tipped the armchair forward, wedging a thin book under one leg to create a gentle ramp. The cushion slid, releasing a tiny puff of stale air. Now each lid shot down the fabric slope, gained speed, and skimmed along the floor. The metal rang against the wood with a quick, bright note. Some lids lost momentum early because of thick dust; others glided farther, leaving fresher trails. Cora slipped a wrapped chocolate treat near the far wall as a distant target and pressed her palms over fresh dust to steady herself. She launched a lid with extra force, quickly. It skipped off the ramp, clipped the glass goldfish, and made the figure wobble in tiny circles. Both children froze; the figurine rocked but stayed upright. They breathed again, shifted the ramp a little lower, and tried slower pushes. More lids followed, each track looping around the previous one like rings in water. Curved dust lines and bright lids zig-zagged from the armchair to the wall. Two sets of palm prints marked the seat cushion, powdery and fresh.

粗麻布刮過珂拉的指節，她擠過成排紙箱。冰冷的水泥地透過鞋底，滲入腳心。庫房地面覆著厚厚灰塵，唯一的燈泡照亮一大堆被遺忘的物品。葛倫從架上輕輕取下一顆褪色地球儀；其表面的海洋藍漆像乾裂的皮屑般脫落。旁邊，一條小玻璃金魚在黃光下閃閃發亮。靠牆放著一張破損扶手椅，箱子擋住每條通道。珂拉用腳尖推動一只鐵蓋，它先滾動，再撞到凸點，立起沿邊繞圈，最後又平躺滑行。奇特的動作讓兩人默默咧嘴。她蹲下，把鐵蓋豎好，再度旋轉送出；蓋子在到達椅前減速停住。葛倫模仿，她的蓋子卻向左彎，邊緣在木板上刮出淡淡痕跡。

葛倫把扶手椅往前傾，用薄書墊住一條椅腳，做出柔緩斜坡。坐墊滑動，冒出一縷陳舊氣味。蓋子沿著布坡俯衝，加速後掠過地板，金屬和木頭撞擊，發出短促清脆聲。有些因厚灰過早失速；另一些滑得更遠，留下一道更新的痕跡。珂拉把一顆包裝巧克力放到遠牆當作目標，雙掌壓在新起的灰層上穩住身體。她加力發射蓋子。蓋子衝出斜坡，擦到玻璃金魚，使小魚原地搖晃成細小圓圈。兩人僵住；金魚晃了幾下仍保持直立。他們再吐氣，將斜坡壓低些，改用較慢推力。更多蓋子跟上，每條軌跡像水面漣漪般繞著舊痕。弧形灰線與亮蓋從扶手椅之間蜿蜒到牆邊。兩雙掌印留在椅墊上，粉粉新新。