Dust in the Feeder Groove- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

A shallow dip lay on the feeder tray where a mound of seed had once filled the space between two raised strips of wood. Troy leaned forward, fingertips brushing the smooth rim, and traced the dusty outline with the back of his nail. The bench plank under his knees felt warm and slightly ridged, a reminder of long summers. Beside him, Esme turned a page of her magazine, the paper rasping. When Troy lifted the paper bag, the rolled top unfolded and formed a narrow funnel; sharp grains rattled down the inner wall and gathered at the bottom, their edges prickling against the thin paper. A thin split along one seam caught his thumb, and the bag flexed.

He tipped a careful line of seed onto the tray, and small birds fluttered down from the tree in near unison, claws tapping the wooden edge. The added weight had pressed the tear wider; seed now dribbled through the gap and scattered onto the bench, mixing with tiny curls of dried orange zest that clung to the mix. He had hoped a shy goldfinch might descend before the bag emptied completely, yet every shake saved the feeder but bled the supply. While he waited, wind brushed the platform, nudging light kernels toward a dark crevice between two corner slats. The pile on the tray shrank faster than planned, and the goldfinch still hovered three branches up.

Troy folded the torn seam twice, slipped the remaining seed into his steel tumbler, and wedged the cup in the bend of his elbow. With his other hand he slid a finger through the crevice; hidden seed shifted upward, revealing that the first mound had not been eaten but had sunk between boards during an earlier gust. He nudged the freed kernels toward the center, forming a smaller but tighter heap. A streak of pale dust remained along the groove, and his pressed fingertip left a faint, oily mark on the tray’s rough surface.

餵食平台上原本堆著飼料的地方只剩一個淺淺的凹陷，兩條凸木條之間顯得空空蕩蕩。特洛伊向前探身，指尖輕觸光滑的邊緣，用指甲背描著灰色輪廓。長椅的木板在他膝下溫熱而略帶細紋，彷彿多年夏天刻下的痕跡。旁邊的艾絲蜜翻動雜誌，紙張發出沙沙聲。當特洛伊提起牛皮紙袋時，原本捲起的袋口鬆開，變成狹窄的漏斗形，尖銳的穀粒順著內壁滑下，在袋底聚成一堆，邊緣刺刺地頂著薄紙。他的拇指碰到一道細裂，紙袋跟著微微變形。

他小心地將一條飼料倒在平台上，幾隻小鳥幾乎同時從樹上飛下，爪子叩在木邊。額外的重量讓裂縫更大；穀粒從缺口漏出，散落在長椅上，混著黏在混合飼料裡的乾燥橘皮屑。特洛伊原本希望在袋子完全見底前，一隻靦腆的金翅雀能飛下來，但每一次搖動雖救了平台卻耗掉存糧。等待時，風掠過平台，把輕顆粒推向角落兩塊木板間的黑縫。飼料堆縮得比預期快，而那隻金翅雀仍停在第三根樹枝上。

特洛伊把裂縫折了兩道，把剩餘的飼料倒進鋼製隨行杯，並將杯子夾在手臂彎處。另一隻手伸進縫隙，隱藏的穀粒被他撥上來，原來第一堆飼料並非被鳥吃掉，而是早先一陣風把它們送進了板縫。他把撥出的顆粒推向中央，堆成較小但更緊實的一堆。槽溝裡留下一道淡淡的灰色粉痕，而他按壓過的指尖在粗木面上印出一點隱約的油光。