The Ladder That Started to Teeter - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Zev hoisted a narrow wooden ladder and set it against a short pear tree. The first rung flexed, so he placed one boot closer to the trunk, then reached overhead. A goldenrod towel hung from his belt; he used it to brush dust from each pear before lowering it into a wicker basket that rested on the grass.

He picked in pairs, aiming for fairness between two baskets so they would balance on the cart later. The routine moved smoothly until the sun crossed a thin cloud. Cool shade spread, and a ripple of wind rattled leaves against one another. A patch of lichen formed a pale tapestry along the bark, and a silent wasp crawled across it. Zev climbed higher. The loaded branch began to tilt, its green fruit illustrating the pull of weight. "That branch hangs low," Nora said while passing the row with an empty crate. Zev nodded, shifted his stance, and felt the ladder wobble. The ground beneath the rear foot had softened since morning rain; the footpad sank, and the ladder started to teeter forward.

He caught the side rail, pressed his shoulder against the trunk, and pushed backward. The ladder steadied, yet the branch continued to lean until one pear knocked another and toppled onto the towel. Juice dotted the fabric, but the fruit stayed whole. Zev lowered himself, added the fallen pear to the lighter basket, and tried to adjust the load. One basket still outweighed the other, and the branch above kept bending, its pears swaying in uneven rows. Soil clung to Zev’s boots where he had dug in. The branch remained tipped, its shadow stretched across both baskets.

澤夫抬起一把細長的木梯，靠在一棵矮梨樹上。第一級踏板稍微下彎，他便把一隻靴子貼近樹幹，然後伸手向上。腰帶上掛著一條金黃色的毛巾，他用它拂去每顆梨子上的灰，再把梨子放進草地上的柳籃。

他一次摘兩顆，希望兩只籃子的重量相同，之後好在推車上保持平衡。動作持續而熟練，直到太陽滑到薄雲後。涼意擴散，風掠過，葉子互相沙沙作響。樹皮上一片淡色地衣像織錦般鋪開，一隻沒聲音的黃蜂爬過其上。澤夫再往上拾階，掛滿果實的枝條開始傾斜，綠色的果子直接展示了重量的拉力。諾拉拖著空箱經過行間，說：「那根枝條垂得低。」澤夫點頭，移動站位，感到梯子搖晃。因晨雨變軟的地面讓梯腳陷下，梯子向前輕輕搖晃。

他抓住側邊扶手，用肩抵住樹幹，往後推。梯子穩住了，可枝條依舊下彎，一顆梨撞到另一顆後掉到毛巾上。汁液點點濺在布上，梨子本身完好。澤夫下到地面，把掉落的梨子放進較輕的那籃，再嘗試調整重量。兩籃仍不等重，上方的枝條仍舊傾斜，梨子在不平均的列裡搖晃。他的靴底留下深深泥印。枝條依然偏向一側，影子橫跨在兩只籃子上。