Runaway Reflections- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

"The mirror keeps sliding along the shaky workbench!"

Hugo slid a narrow brass frame onto a tripod beside the gangway. He tried to focus a slim bar of sunlight through a round lens fixed in the frame. The small device, once finished, would guide evening boats between the piers. The lens, borrowed from an old lighthouse store, already threw a small rainbow on the damp planks. At the same moment, ripples beyond the pier bounced bright flashes upward. Each rolling wave below worked like moving glass under the sun. It sent white stripes across the low ceiling of the repair shed. A vanilla scent drifted from a crate of pastries cooling inside the harbor kitchen barge. The sweet cloud floated slowly between tall masts and tightening ropes. Gulls screeched above, their shadows stretching and shrinking over the equipment.

Hugo leaned closer and turned two tiny bolts, yet excessive glare washed the target board in shifting silver. The benefit of his careful angles vanished whenever a brighter ripple struck the mirror. He slowly raised one hand for shade against the wandering glare. A fresh burst of light slipped past, bounced on the mirror, then struck a tin basin of suds. Foam shimmered and threw tiny reflections back onto his chart, drawing looping patterns he had not planned. A hospitable cook paused on the barge, waving a spoon. Its polished bowl threw yet another streak into the dancing light. Hugo let the screwdriver drop into his pouch and stepped back. He watched mixed beams crawl up a gull's white wing. Hugo turned from the half-aligned lamp and followed the gull’s slow arc above the mast. Water slapped against the hulls, and colored ripples kept sliding across the hanging sailcloth.

「鏡子一直在搖晃的工作台上滑動！」

雨果把一個狹長的黃銅框架固定到舷梯旁的腳架上。他試著讓一束細長的陽光穿過裝在框架中的圓形透鏡。這個小裝置完成後能在傍晚為船隻引路。那顆從舊燈塔倉庫借來的透鏡，已在潮濕的木板上投出一道小小的彩虹。同時，碼頭外的波紋把明亮的閃光反射上來。底下每一道滾動的浪在陽光下就像移動的玻璃，將白色條紋送到維修棚低矮的天花板上。一箱放在港邊廚房駁船上冷卻的糕點散出香草氣味，甜甜的雲霧慢慢飄過高高的桅杆和收緊的繩索。海鷗在上方尖叫，牠們的影子在器材上拉長又縮短。

雨果俯身轉動兩顆細螺絲，卻被過度的眩光沖掉了目標板上的銀色線條。他辛苦調好的角度只要更亮的波紋打到鏡子就瞬間失效。他慢慢抬起一隻手遮光，但遊走的光仍闖過，撞向鏡子後又射進一盆肥皂泡。泡沫閃動，把細碎的倒影丟回他的圖表，畫出意料之外的曲線。一位熱情的廚師在駁船上停下，揮著湯匙。湯匙拋出的新光痕加入跳舞的光帶。雨果把螺絲起子放回小袋，向後一步。他看著交錯的光束在一隻海鷗的白翼上爬行。雨果離開半對好的燈具，跟隨那鳥在桅杆上方緩慢的弧線。船殼下水聲拍擊，彩色波紋持續在垂掛的帆布上滑動。