Leaf Print Appears on a Rooftop Cloth - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

A soft hiss came from Blair’s thermos as the lid turned. A quick pop followed when steam slipped past the rubber ring. We stepped onto the flat roof, and small pebbles pressed our shoes. A low wall ran around the edges. A row of pots sat beside a round water tank. Blair set two cups on a wide ceramic saucer. It rested near the drying rack and the parapet. “It’s warm up here,” Blair said. Heat from the roof warmed my soles. Mint leaves gave a cool, sharp smell. A magazine lay under the saucer. A picture of an athlete ran across the page. The paper began to curl under the damp air.

I tied a white handkerchief into a small bundle. Then I slid two elastic bands around it. A glass jar held blue dye left from egg coloring. I touched one corner to the rim. The color moved slowly, thick and smooth, and bled along the folds. I studied the path. Each ridge of cloth caught a thin line of blue. I changed sides and gave the red bottle a gentle squeeze. Light pressure sent a narrow stream across a tight band. The flow ran sideways along the elastic groove. A drip from Blair’s cup tapped the saucer. Steam rose over the magazine. The athlete’s picture bent as the page softened.

Blair knelt by a clay saucer with a tiny chip. Blair pressed a bit of wet clay into the line to repair it. A bead of water seeped from the pot’s base and then stopped at the clay. I lifted one band, and purple swirled where the red met the blue. A soft bubble rose on the wet cloth and popped. Under the bunched cloth, a dry leaf lay flat against the stone. When I opened another fold, the leaf’s shape stayed pale. Its veins blocked the dye. “That leaf left a shape,” Blair said. We clipped my square and Blair’s small test scrap side by side on the rack. I set a second wooden clip. Both pieces dripped neat rings onto the saucer.

布萊爾轉開保溫瓶蓋時，先傳來一聲輕嘶。接著，蒸氣從橡膠圈邊滑出，發出短促的啵一聲。我們走上平屋頂，小礫石頂著鞋底。矮牆沿著四邊圍著。一排花盆靠著圓形水塔排開。布萊爾把兩個杯子放在一只寬的陶瓷盤上。它擱在曬衣架和女兒牆旁邊。「這裡很暖和，」布萊爾說。熱度從屋面往上透，暖到我的腳底。薄荷葉送出涼而清的氣味。陶瓷盤下壓著一本雜誌。頁面上有一位運動員在奔跑。潮氣一來，紙面開始微微捲起。

我把一方白手帕打成小包，然後套上兩條彈力圈。一個玻璃罐裡裝著復活節剩下的藍色染液。我把手帕的一角碰到罐緣。顏色慢慢移動，濃而滑，沿著摺痕滲開。我專心看著路徑。每一道布紋都攔住一條細藍線。我換了另一邊，輕輕擠紅色細瓶。輕壓擠出一條窄細水線，越過緊繃的圈。流動順著彈力紋路往側邊跑。布萊爾的杯子滴下一點，輕敲在盤上。蒸氣在雜誌上方升起。頁面上的運動員隨著紙張變軟而彎曲。

布萊爾在一只有小缺口的黏土托盤旁跪下。布萊爾按了一點溼黏土進細縫，把它補好。花盆底部滲出一顆小水珠，碰到黏土就停住。我掀起一條彈力圈，紅藍相遇的地方漾出紫色漩渦。溼布上鼓起一顆小氣泡，又啪地破了。塞在布包下面有片乾葉，平貼在石面。我再打開一層布，葉子的形狀留成淡痕。它的葉脈擋住了染液。「那片葉子留下形狀，」布萊爾說。我們把我的方布和布萊爾的小試布並排夾上曬衣架。我又夾上一個木夾。兩塊布在盤上滴出一圈一圈的細環。