Dripping Sauce Jar in the Henhouse - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Two paces lay between the low wooden door and the first row of straw-filled nests. Waverly stepped over that gap, balancing an empty wicker basket against one hip. A clay mug of steaming soup rested on a narrow shelf beside the water trough. It waited for after chores. The air carried a rising aroma of boiled herb and soft grain. Gold light slipped through slim gaps in the boards and danced across floating dust. Hens rustled on the perch bar, their claws ticking on wood while grain dust drifted down. An older brother, Cyrus, pushed fresh straw under one nest and nodded. “Take the front row,” he said. Waverly’s knees bent and her fingers brushed through the dry bedding.

As she lifted a warm egg, a glazed jar above the shelf shifted. Heat had thinned the vegetable sauce inside, lowering its viscosity until red liquid edged past the loosened lid. First one bead formed, then another. Each bead dropped, struck the clay mug, and slipped onto the straw floor. The thick fluid spread, swirling around loose stalks before seeping toward Waverly’s boots. She slid the basket one arm-length away and crouched again, keeping the routine steady. Cyrus wiped the shelf with a rag. Drops kept forming, slower now, each drip clicking like a slow clock. A folded recipe sheet had been wedged beneath the jar and now rested against the damp wood.

By the time Waverly reached the last nest, the drip had slowed. Only an occasional bubble of air passed beneath the lid. The shelf showed a dark circle where the sauce had pooled. The paper recipe stuck there, edges wavy from moisture. Straw below held a glossy stain, yet the eggs in the basket stayed dry and uncracked. Waverly wiped one droplet from her sleeve and straightened. Outside the wire mesh, sunlight warmed the yard. Inside, the hens settled on their perch again, feathers fluffing once and then lying flat. The lingering aroma drifted upward, and the ripples in the trough faded.

低矮木門與第一排鋪滿稻草的巢箱之間相隔兩步。薇弗莉跨過那段距離，靠著臀部托著空藤籃。裝著熱湯的陶杯放在水槽旁的窄木架上，等著收工後享用。空氣中飄著煮草藥與穀物的香味。金色光線穿過木板細縫，在飄浮的塵埃間跳動。母雞在棲木上撲動，爪子敲著木頭，穀屑隨之落下。哥哥賽勒斯把新稻草塞進一個巢箱後點點頭。「前排交給你。」薇弗莉屈膝，手指撥開乾草。

她正把一顆溫熱的蛋放進籃裡，架上的釉罐晃了一下。熱度稀釋了罐內的蔬菜醬，使其黏度降低，紅色液體滲過鬆動的蓋子。先凝成一滴，又一滴；每滴撞到陶杯，再滑到稻草上。濃稠液體在鬆散稻草間旋繞，最後滲向薇弗莉的靴尖。她把籃子挪遠一臂，繼續蹲下保持節奏。賽勒斯用抹布擦架子，但滴液仍慢慢形成，每聲滴落像慢鐘。原先墊在罐下的食譜紙此刻貼在潮濕木板上。

當薇弗莉拿起最後一顆蛋時，滴液已放慢，只偶爾有氣泡冒過蓋子。架子上留下深色圓痕，食譜紙邊緣被水漬浸得波浪。下面稻草呈現光亮汙漬，但籃中雞蛋依舊乾燥完整。薇弗莉擦去袖口上一滴醬汁，站直身子。網欄外陽光照暖雞舍庭院；內部母雞再次安坐棲木，羽毛微蓬後又平貼。餘香向上飄散，水槽裡的漣漪漸平。