Flour Against the Sudden Gust- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Luna shoved an empty jute sack across the flour-dusted boards and fitted its mouth under the narrow cloth chute. Cleo steadied the small weighing scale on the packing table, brushing away powder with the side of her hand. The copper beam of the scale ended in a shallow pan shaped like an octagon, its edges glowing amber beneath lamplight. Above them the vertical shaft groaned; a rising gust struck the sails and the hopper rattled faster in response. Flour burst in a pale plume before the sack sat squarely in place. Luna lifted her palm to measure the distance between the restless chute and the loose fabric, then pushed upward. The surge had already coated the table and her sleeves, yet she tried to decant the first rush back inside. Fine powder slipped past her fingers and pooled across the warm boards.

Cleo wiped a stripe across the amber-coated scale and set a fresh iron weight on the pan. The wooden lever controlling the stone gap had been greased by the miller earlier, yet the groan still deepened. Another rumble from the gears signalled a coming gust, so Luna waited beside the table. If the wind slowed, the stones would turn gently, but the deep groan above promised a quicker surge instead. She lifted the sack only after the leather belt slapped once, then tightened the mouth around the chute.

The next burst arrived, and nearly all the warm flour dropped cleanly into the waiting sack below. The sack bulged like a soft loaf, though a warm ribbon of powder still escaped. The floorboards hummed again; on a side shelf a glass decanter filled with linseed oil wobbled toward the edge. Both girls lunged, and Cleo caught its narrow neck just as another vibration rocked the shelf. When quiet returned, a pale ring of flour circled the iron weight on the octagonal pan.

露娜把一個空的黃麻袋推過覆滿麵粉的木板地，將袋口對準狹長的布料落粉口。克莉奧在打包桌旁扶穩小型秤，側手把粉末拂去。秤桿盡頭是淺淺的八角形托盤，在燈光下透著琥珀色邊緣。她們頭上的垂直軸發出沉沉低鳴；一陣更強的風撞上風帆，料斗跟著更加震動。袋子還沒完全就位，淡淡的粉霧已噴散開來。露娜抬起手掌量距離，對準不停抖動的出粉口，再把袋口撐上去。剛才那股衝擊早已把桌面和她的袖子染白，她仍想把第一波麵粉重新倒回袋中，細粉卻仍從指縫滑落，鋪滿溫暖的地板。

克莉奧在琥珀色的秤面上抹出一條乾淨痕跡，並把新的鐵砝碼放上托盤。磨石縫隙控制桿早上才被磨坊師傅上油，但沉鳴聲仍然變深。齒輪又傳來一聲隆隆，預示下一陣風，露娜便在桌旁等待。如果風減弱，磨石就會慢慢轉動，不過頭頂的深沉聲音反而預告更快的衝擊。她等皮帶只抽打一次才提起袋子，隨即將袋口緊套在落粉口上。

下一股風衝來時，大部分溫熱麵粉順利落入袋中。袋子像軟麵包般鼓起，但仍有一條暖粉帶逸出。地板再次微震；側架上一只裝著亞麻油的玻璃酒瓶開始向邊緣晃動。兩人同時撲過去，克莉奧在另一個震動搖晃架子前抓住瓶頸。安靜回來時，淡淡的麵粉圈包圍著八角托盤上的鐵砝碼。