Sunken Chair, Tilted Crossing - 適合中高級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

"Grab that branch, Blake." A plump frog, dark as midnight tar, popped from the bright moss on the fallen trunk and landed in a brown puddle beside Cruz's boot. Honey-gold light slipped through the canopy gap, glinting on the frog’s back and turning each rain bead into glowing sparks. The brothers paused; the trail ahead was blocked by the log, its top coated with slick moss that squelched under a thumb. A root plate rose like a rigid wall of tangled wood, ochre earth still crumbling from it. Raindrops pattered, raising fresh caramel circles around the creature. The frog climbed the green slope, stopping on a spot where the soft padding dipped like a shallow crater.

Blake unhooked the folded sturdy chair from his pack and planted it near the trunk, hoping it would work as a step. The aluminium legs held for a breath, yet soft mud soon swallowed one corner and tilted the seat. Cruz had already placed his pack—still zipped against drizzle—on the mossy top. Pressing the sun-bleached chair deeper balanced it enough for Blake to climb over, but the sudden weight squeezed water from the moss and sent amber droplets racing toward the pack. Cruz lunged, lifted the bag clear, and water splashed down, erasing the frog’s crater and leaving the creature blinking in muddy spray.

Saving the pack kept lunch dry, yet Blake’s boot slipped on the angled chair and pressed it farther into the mud; two legs vanished until only the backrest showed above the surface. The chair would never stand straight again, but it formed a slanted bridge sturdy enough for Cruz to cross. The brothers accepted the skewed device, nudging it so its frame braced against a fallen branch; in doing so, they trapped no more water on the trunk and the frog stayed in place, still choosing sure patches of moss. Happiness rose in the frog’s sharp croak as Cruz finally stepped down beside it. Cruz pressed his palm to the moss, and cool moisture crept between his fingers.

「抓住那根樹枝，Blake。」一隻像午夜瀝青般黝黑的青蛙從倒下樹幹鮮綠的苔蘚裡蹦出，落在Cruz靴子旁的棕色水窪中。樹冠缺口透進的金黃光線在牠背上閃動，也把每滴雨珠映成發光的火花。兩兄弟停下腳步；前方小徑被這段倒木擋住，樹幹頂部覆滿濕滑的苔蘚，手指壓上去會發出“噗吱”聲。翻起的根盤像一道僵硬的木牆，赭色的泥土仍在邊緣崩落。雨滴持續落下，在青蛙周圍打出新的焦糖色圈圈。青蛙沿著綠坡往上爬，在柔軟表面下陷處停住，那裡像淺淺的隕石坑。

Blake從背包解下折疊的堅固椅子，插在樹幹旁，打算當踏板用。鋁製椅腳撐了一下，但軟泥很快吞掉一角，座面傾斜。Cruz已把包包放在苔蘚頂上，拉鍊仍緊扣著擋雨。他把椅子再壓深些讓它穩定，Blake於是翻過去，不料重量擠出苔蘚中的水，琥珀色水珠直衝背包。Cruz急忙提起包包，水花四濺，把青蛙原來的坑沖平，留下牠在泥濺中眨眼。

包包乾了，但Blake的靴子在歪斜的椅面打滑，進一步把椅子壓進泥裡；兩隻椅腳消失，只剩靠背露在表面。椅子已無法再直立，卻成了足以讓Cruz通過的斜橋。他們接受這個變形的道具，把它推到靠在一根倒枝上，如此便不再將水堵在樹幹上，青蛙也依舊停在那裡，繼續挑選穩固的苔蘚點。當Cruz終於在牠旁邊落地時，青蛙突然發出尖銳的呱聲，像是一股幸福的爆裂。Cruz把手掌貼在苔蘚上，涼涼的水分滲進指縫。