Warm Step Dust and the Brighter Squid Mug - 適合初級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Zara sat on the wooden step beside the mother.

Cool air touched her cheeks and arms.

A soft shawl rested near her knee.

A warm lamp made a bright rectangle.

The father’s mug stood on the shawl.

A blue squid picture covered the mug side.

Zara wanted to count the cricket chirps she heard.

She tried to draw dots in the thin step dust.

Her fingertip met a cool damp ring on the wood.

The dust stuck there and did not produce clear marks.

She touched the bright part inside.

That wood felt warm and dry.

She touched the dark rim again; it felt cool and wet.

Zara pulled the shawl closer to her knee.

She kept her hand inside the warm rectangle.

She began to arrange tiny dots in a neat row.

The warm dry dust moved cleanly and showed pale wood.

More light bounced from the pale strip toward the father’s mug.

The blue squid on the mug looked brighter against the step.

Zara set her fingertip down for the next chirp.

Zara 坐在木頭台階上，母親坐在她身旁。

涼涼的空氣碰著她的臉頰和手臂。

一條柔軟的披肩放在她的膝蓋旁。

溫暖的燈在台階上照出一個亮矩形。

父親的馬克杯放在披肩上。

馬克杯側面有一隻藍色烏賊的圖案。

Zara 想把她聽到的蟋蟀叫聲數一數。

她試著在台階上薄薄的灰塵裡點小點。

她的指尖碰到木頭上涼涼又濕的一圈印。

那裡的灰塵黏住了，點不出清楚的記號。

她又碰了裡面亮亮的那一塊。

那裡的木頭感覺溫暖而且乾。

她再摸那圈較暗的邊緣；那裡涼而且濕。

Zara 把披肩往膝蓋這邊拉近。

她把手留在溫暖的亮矩形裡。

她開始把小點整齊地排成一列。

溫暖而乾的灰塵順利移開，露出淡色的木面。

更多光從那條淡色帶反射，射向父親的馬克杯。

杯子上的藍色烏賊在台階上看起來更亮。

Zara 又把指尖點下，準備下一聲叫。