Dust and Feathers in the Stacks- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

"Easy, big atlas."

Tatum slid the weighty volume onto the chair seat, watching the chair dip a millimetre under the load. The oversize shelf above the reading table stood fifteen centimetres beyond his reach, and closing-time announcements had already echoed once through the blue-grey aisles. A faint aroma of kettle corn drifted from his half-open backpack, reminding him of the crowded market stall earlier that afternoon. Several travel atlases had been stacked by someone earlier on the nearest return shelf, their silver jackets catching the fluorescent cast from above. He balanced on tiptoe and tried to lift the illustrated book full of life sketches of a market stall display, yet the gap remained. He had already placed one dictionary under the chair leg, gaining three centimetres, but the shelf lips still shadowed the book’s top edge. With a short breath, he dragged a second atlas from the return cart and eased it onto the growing stack.

As he shifted the second atlas, its cloth spine brushed the shelf edge, raising a pale nimbus of dust that floated into the light above. The drifting specks tickled the nose of a small sparrow perched on the window frame; the bird sprang into flight, wings thrumming past Tatum’s ear. The sudden flutter startled the grey library cat dozing near the checkout counter, and the cat’s leap nudged a return cart wheel. A loose stack of event pamphlets slid from the cart, fanning across the carpet until one sheet slipped between the security gate sensors, causing the gate to pulse a red glow. If the third atlas reached the right spot, he would be just tall enough. He placed the final volume on the chair, and the extra five centimetres lifted him high; the illustrated book slid into the oversize slot with a soft scrape. He stepped down, bent, and lifted the stray pamphlet free of the sensor, silencing the light in an instant.

Far above, the shaken sparrow circled once near the skylight, its wings whispering against the cool library air.

「慢點，大地圖集。」

泰特姆將厚重的冊子推到椅子坐墊上，看著椅子因重量微微下沉。閱讀桌上方的超大書架離他還有十五公分，閉館廣播已經在藍灰色書道間迴盪過一次。半開的背包裡飄出爆鍋玉米香，讓他想起下午那個擁擠的市集攤位。最近的歸還架上，有人先前疊好了幾本旅遊圖集，銀色書衣反射著上方的冷光燈。他踮起腳尖，試著舉起那本描繪市集攤位陳列、畫面充滿生氣的插畫書，但框架仍高不可及。他先把一本字典墊在椅腳下，只多了三公分，書架的檔條依舊遮住了書的上緣。深吸一口氣，他又從歸還車拉出第二本圖集，輕輕放到漸高的書堆上。

當他移動第二本圖集時，布質書脊擦過架邊，揚起一圈淡淡的灰塵光暈，漂進上方燈光。飄散的微粒惹得窗框上的麻雀打了個噴嚏，牠立刻振翅飛離，翅音貼著泰特姆的耳邊掠過。突如其來的拍翼驚醒了結帳台旁打盹的灰貓，貓一躍撞到歸還車的輪子。一疊活動傳單從車上滑落，攤開在地毯上，其中一張滑進防盜門感應器間，使感應器閃起紅光。如果第三本圖集能放到正確位置，他就足夠高了。他把最後一本冊子壓上椅子，多出的五公分終於讓他到達高度；那本插畫書伴隨輕微摩擦聲滑入超大格位。他跳下來，彎腰把卡在感應器的傳單取出，紅光立刻熄滅。

在上方，被驚動的麻雀在天窗旁繞了一圈，翅膀在涼爽的館空氣中發出細細颯聲。