How the Mirror Cracked- 適合初級的英語短篇故事

Soft morning light filled the attic.

Cora wanted to fix a small wooden shelf. The clock showed ten, and the deadline came soon. A scarf lay across the work table near her tools. A pink quartz stone kept some papers flat beside it. She lifted her drill and touched the bit to the wall. The motor whirred, but dust blocked the first hole quickly.

She pulled back, shaking the drill to clear the dust. The spinning bit caught the loose scarf and twisted it. Cloth slid, knocking the quartz stone from the edge. The stone rolled, hit a table leg, and jumped away. It bounced against a tall mirror beside the doorway. A thin crack spread across the glass in seconds. Cora froze, then changed her plan quickly. She drilled the lower hole first and cleared dust early. The shelf sat on a peg, so weight stayed balanced. She drilled the upper hole after the board already hung. Nothing else moved, but the cracked mirror stayed uneven. Cora wiped dust away and lowered the drill into a box. A faint drip echoed outside the attic window.

柔和的晨光灑進閣樓。

柯拉想修好一個小木架。鐘指向十點，完成的時間快到了。圍巾攤在工作桌上，靠近她的工具。粉紅色石英鎮紙壓著幾張紙。她拿起電鑽，把鑽頭抵在牆上。馬達運轉，但灰塵很快堵住第一個洞。

她往後拉，晃動電鑽清掉灰塵。旋轉的鑽頭勾住鬆散的圍巾並扭轉它。布滑動，把石英鎮紙撞下桌緣。石頭滾動，撞到桌腳後跳開。它彈到門邊的高鏡子上。幾秒內，鏡面出現一道細長裂痕。柯拉愣住，然後迅速改變計畫。她先鑽下方的洞，並提前清掉灰塵。木架先卡在樁上，重量因此保持平衡。木板已掛好後，她再鑽上方的洞。其他東西沒有再移動，但裂開的鏡子仍然歪斜。柯拉擦去灰塵，把電鑽放進箱子。閣樓窗外傳來輕微的滴水聲。