The Ink Jar That Painted the Fountain Water - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

"Catch the blue jar."

Leander slid his hand under the passing glass before it tapped the wet stone rim of the fountain. The square buzzed with early visitors, and thin mist cooled their cheeks. Marnie lowered herself to the edge, letting the jar tip just enough for a strand of thick turquoise ink to pour into the central pool. The ink formed a ribbon that curled under steady water pressure, then seeped outward like a slow cloud. A pigeon pecked near their shoes, tilting its head at the new color.

Marnie raised a second jar filled with lemon paint. She poured shorter pulses, watching yellow swirl and meet the blue in soft spirals. Beside them, a grey-haired researcher knelt, dipping small tubes to measure the blend. He worked in silence; a line of young artists waited behind temporary rails, each holding clay models for the afternoon sculpture exhibition. A hopeful chain of bubbles rose along the jar’s outer wall and slid away with the current. The pigeon hopped onto the rim; its wings gave one sharp flutter, sending drops across the surface.

Leander rested the blue jar on the rim and reached for a final pot of crimson dye. The pigeon flapped again, knocked the unattended jar, and the glass rolled straight into the pool. Ink erupted in a dense plume, darker and heavier than the others, and the current dragged the color beneath the frothy jets. Marnie’s knees splashed, but she steadied herself and watched the sudden purple cloud spread between the coins. She wiped her damp hands on her shorts. The jar sank against the marble grate, still leaking color, while the fountain kept its bright chatter.

「接住那個藍色罐子。」

里安德把手伸到滑過的玻璃罐下，阻止它碰到噴泉濕滑的石緣。廣場已有早到的遊人，薄霧帶來清涼。瑪妮坐到邊緣，輕輕傾斜罐子，濃稠的青綠墨水成線流進中央水池。墨水在穩定的水壓下彎成緞帶，隨後慢慢滲開。鴿子在他們鞋邊啄石，歪頭打量那抹新色。

瑪妮又舉起裝著檸檬黃顏料的第二個罐子。她短促傾倒，讓黃色與藍色在水中盤旋相遇。旁邊，一位灰髮研究員跪著，用小試管取樣比對。廣場另一側，年輕藝術家排在臨時欄杆後，手捧黏土模型，準備下午的雕塑展。罐壁沿著水流升起一串「充滿期待」般的氣泡，又被水流帶走。鴿子躍上石緣，翅膀猛然一振，水點濺向水面。

里安德把藍罐擱在石緣，伸手去拿最後那罐深紅染料。鴿子再度拍翅，撞倒無人看守的罐子，玻璃直滾入池。墨水濃烈噴散，比其他顏色更深更重，水流把顏料拖向噴頭下方的白泡。瑪妮的膝蓋濺水，她穩住身體，看紫雲突然在硬幣間鋪開。她把濕手在短褲上抹一抹。罐子靠著大理石濾網沉著，仍緩緩漏色，而噴泉繼續發出明亮水聲。