Circles on the Bus Floor- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Three pale bars glowed on Yara’s bottle gauge; each tilt sent another gulp of water into the plastic travel tank resting on her knees. The transfer bus vibrated under her sneakers while the departure screen over the front door slipped from “3 min” to “2 min.” A spaniel pup, ears flicking with the rhythm of the engine, watched from the opposite seat. Yara had promised Ben that the tiny turtle inside the tank would stay covered during the long ride past the wildlife park, so she twisted the cap again and dripped the last of the bottle onto the shell-shaped rock at the bottom.

The level still sat low. She unzipped her duffel, pulled out a second canteen, and poured. The added weight pressed against her thighs, and the surface began to sway like a bowl on a rocky trail. Unsatisfied, she scooped half-melted cubes from her commuting coffee cup and dropped them in as an extra layer of water formed. The melt overflowed at the next corner; translucent ribbons ran along the floor, slid beneath the spaniel’s leash, and chased engine vibrations toward the back door. The pup sprang up, hind paws scrambling for balance in the slick line. Its vivacious scramble tipped a stack of folded umbrellas, which toppled against a stroller. Wheels rolled, knocking a paper cup that tumbled, spun, and added another thin stream to the travelling puddle.

The cascade grew wider than a boot sole, so Yara pinched two half-melted cubes—the earlier addition—and flicked them into her empty coffee cup. With the extra volume gone, the tank’s surface sank; the turtle tucked inside its shell while the remaining water stilled to a gentle slosh. She slid the cup under the seat, trapping the cubes before they could drip again. Outside the window, a line of cypress trunks flashed past, hiding and revealing a pond where a duck guided several fuzzy offspring between reeds. At that same moment, near the rear door, the abandoned paper cup kept rolling in lazy circles, drawing a thin ring of water that inched closer to the aisle grate.

雅菈水瓶的顯示僅剩三格微弱的燈；她每傾斜一次，就把一口水滴進膝上那個塑膠旅用水缸。中轉巴士在她的運動鞋下震動，車門上方的發車螢幕從「3 分」跳成「2 分」。對面座位上一隻西班牙獵犬幼犬隨引擎節奏撥動長耳。雅菈答應班，要讓缸中小烏龜在經過野生動物公園的長途裡保持浸水，因此她再度扭開瓶蓋，把最後的水滴在缸底貝殼形石塊上。

水位依舊偏低。她拉開運動袋，拿出第二壺水再倒進去。額外重量壓著大腿，水面像在崎嶇小徑上的碗般搖晃。覺得還不夠，她把通勤咖啡杯裡半融冰塊舀出，丟進缸裡當作又一層水。下個轉彎時，融水滿溢；透明水帶沿地板滑動，穿過幼犬的牽繩，貼著引擎震動一路流向後門。幼犬猛地站起，後腳在濕滑細流上亂踩，活力十足的掙扎撞翻一疊摺傘，傘又推到嬰兒車。輪子滾動，撞倒紙杯，杯子旋轉又灑出細細水線。

水灘寬到超過鞋底，雅菈便捏起那兩塊半融冰——早先加進去的部分——彈進空咖啡杯。多餘體積被去除，缸面下降；烏龜縮進殼中，而水面歸於柔和晃動。她把杯子塞到座椅下，先鎖住冰塊免得再滴。窗外一排柏樹幹飛掠而過，時隱時現的池塘裡，一隻母鴨正引領幾隻絨球般的雛鴨穿梭蘆葦。就在同一刻，車尾門附近，那個遺落的紙杯仍慢悠悠地轉圈，在地板上畫出愈來愈大的水環，逐寸逼近排水格柵。