The Last Blank Sheet and the Flying Downhill Paper Dart- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Five neatly folded paper darts already covered the bench plank, and Margot crouched beside them, smoothing a new crease.

Inez joined her, tapped the bench once, and set her notebook beside the stacked blank sheets. She had planned to test three wing styles and compare their reach by landing each one inside the chalk circle. At the far edge of the field, Tobias marked fresh chalk arcs for distance, his hat tilted against the sun.

The first throw sliced downhill like a young panther, sleek and quiet, yet it dived three paces short of the line. Retrieving it, Inez noticed the nose had bent flat against damp grass where a puddle held a single tadpole. On closer observation, the heavy paper clip on the front weighed more than the soft folds could support in glide. She peeled the clip away, yet the crease tore slightly, leaving only two untouched sheets waiting on the bench. A quiet, amused puff of air slipped from Margot's nose as she watched the scene. Wind rolled through a narrow lane between taller grass tufts and flipped one blank sheet over. By the time Inez caught it, a corner had been dampened, so only one perfect page remained. The stack that had seemed generous earlier now looked thin, corners lifting like pale flags in the breeze. She lowered her goal to a single final flight and returned to the bench, folding with extra care.

She pressed each crease along the grain, then tipped the wings upward a hair, skipping the heavy clip altogether. If the wind turned, the plane might drift, yet a lighter nose could stretch the glide. From the launch spot she waited until the ribbon hung still, then sent the dart forward with a brisk snap. It skimmed the warm air, curved through the open lane, and floated over the faded first plane lying below. Inside the bright chalk ring, the slender dart pressed against the sun-warmed grass and glinted.

五架摺好的紙飛機已經整齊排在長椅木板上，瑪歌蹲在旁邊，正在壓出新的折線。

伊內茲走過來，輕敲長椅一下，然後把她的筆記本放在疊好的空白紙旁。她原本打算試三種機翼樣式，並讓每架都落在草地上的粉筆圓圈內以比較距離。田野遠端的托比亞斯正用粉筆畫新的距離弧線，帽子斜遮著陽光。

第一次投擲沿坡滑下，像隻年輕的黑豹靜靜掠過，卻在圓圈前短了三步。伊內茲撿回飛機時發現，機頭被濕草壓扁，而一灘小水坑裡有隻蝌蚪在扭動。仔細觀察後，她覺得前端那枚迴紋針太重，軟折線支撐不了滑行。她拆下迴紋針，但折線微微裂開，長椅上只剩兩張未用紙。瑪歌鼻尖輕輕噴出帶著笑意的氣聲，看著這一幕。風從高草間窄窄的通道吹過，掀翻了一張空白紙。伊內茲趕緊抓住時，紙角已被打濕，於是只剩最後一張完好的紙。原本寬裕的紙堆現在顯得單薄，紙角在微風中像淡色旗子晃動。她把目標縮小為最後一次飛行，回到長椅，小心地重新摺疊。

她順著紙紋壓實每一道折線，再微微上翹機翼，完全不用迴紋針。若風向改變，飛機可能偏移，但較輕的機頭或許能延長滑行。她站在起飛點，等到緞帶靜止，猛然將紙機射出。它掠過溫暖空氣，穿過開闊的草間通道，飄過先前那架已褪色的飛機。落在明亮的粉筆圓圈內，那架纖細的紙箭貼在曬熱的草面上閃閃發光。