Breath on Frost and a Whistling Window Gap - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

“Does this spot melt fast?”

Blair breathed on the frost and watched a round patch fade. A wooden trolley stood by the window, its small wheels quiet. Pale light brushed the wood grain of the sill while the heater clicked. A toy sailboat waited on the top shelf; its thin rigging crossed like threads. Next to it, a ceramic mug steamed, and a green ceramic cricket sat nearby. Thin ferns covered the top half from the cold night, and the lower pane showed clear beads. Emil leaned on the frame and looked at the pale yard beyond.

Blair puffed again, bigger this time, and the fog on the glass swelled. A draft slid from the sash and made the sheer curtain billow. The warm circle shrank at the edges, and new feathers crawled along the rim. “I can see the yard through that gap,” Emil said. A thin whistle came from the gap, and a paper pinwheel on the trolley fluttered. The sailboat’s rigging quivered at the moving air. Blair traced a line with one fingertip, then pulled it back from the chill. A cricket chirped once under the trolley shelf and then went still.

Blair picked up a small rubber bellows from the lower shelf. One firm squeeze sent a short puff; a clear path opened across the frost. The paper pinwheel spun twice in the gust and then slowed. Water beaded at the bottom and drew a fine line of runoff down the pane. “Do you hear that whistle?” Emil asked. Blair took a swallow of warm cocoa and blew a last gentle breath. He set the bellows back on the trolley beside the mug. Emil nudged the trolley in by the wall and straightened the curtain.

「這一塊融得快嗎？」

布萊爾朝霜面哈氣，看著一個圓圓的區塊變淡。窗邊放著一台木頭小推車，小輪子安靜不動。淡淡的光掠過窗檯的木紋，暖氣機發出輕微的喀聲。最上層擺著一艘玩具小帆船；帆船上的細繩交錯著。旁邊是一只冒著蒸氣的陶瓷杯，綠色陶瓷蟋蟀就坐在杯邊。上半部還留著昨夜寒氣結成的薄蕨狀霜紋，下半部則出現一顆顆清亮的小水珠。伊米爾靠在窗框上，望向外面淡色的院子。

布萊爾又吹了一口，這次更大些，霧氣在玻璃上鼓起來。窗縫透進一股氣流，把薄紗窗簾鼓了起來。溫暖的圓圈邊緣縮回，新的羽狀紋路沿著邊緣悄悄生長。「我能從那個縫口看到院子，」伊米爾說。縫口傳來細細的嗚聲，小推車上的紙風車也跟著顫動。帆船的細繩被流動的空氣撓得輕輕發抖。布萊爾用一根手指劃出一道線，隨即因冰涼把手收回。小推車底層傳來蟋蟀單獨的一聲叫，然後又安靜下去。

布萊爾從下層拿起一顆小橡膠風球。紮實按了一下，短促的氣團衝出；霜面上開出一條清晰通道。紙風車在這股氣旋中轉了兩圈，接著慢了下來。底部聚著的水珠連成一條細細的水線，沿著玻璃往下流。伊米爾問：「你聽到那個嗚聲嗎？」布萊爾喝了一口溫熱的可可，又輕輕吹了一下。他把風球放回小推車、靠在杯子旁。伊米爾把小推車往牆邊輕輕一推，並把窗簾理好。