Button Tin Spills on the Storeroom Floor - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Cora and Bethan stepped into the small storeroom to find a large sketch pad. A single bulb lit the stacked shelves and their white paper labels. Cool air met Cora's forearms, and a light cardboard smell sat near the shelves. Boxes stood tight together, each one storing work between one task and the next.

Cora read down a column of names until one line said, Paper: Pads, Large. She aimed her hand into a narrow gap and touched something soft, a foam pad. It was not the sketch pad, so she worked along the labels by touch. Bethan stayed close and lifted a heavier box to open a wider space. The mass of wool scarves on a lower shelf pressed its carton down a little.

Cora brushed her sleeve against a small tin that sat on a stack of fabric. The tin tipped, and a horde of bright buttons spilled and ran across the floor. They clicked along the tiles and rolled under the first lip of a low shelf. Cora dropped to her knees at once and picked them up with quick pinches. Bethan cupped her hands, and their fingers moved like small rakes through color. The tin filled again; one cool button paused on Cora's palm before it joined the rest. With the floor clear, Bethan slid an olive storage box aside to reveal a wide pad. Cora pulled the sketch pad free, its new label matching the words on the shelf. "That label looked new," Bethan said, and her breath eased as she set the tin. Cora pressed the lid, and the last bright button inside the rim clicked.

Cora和Bethan走進小小的儲物間，要找一大本素描本。天花板上一盞燈照亮層層堆疊的層架和白色紙標籤。涼涼的空氣碰到Cora的前臂，淡淡的紙箱味停在層架附近。箱子緊緊靠在一起，每一個都在兩次使用之間暫放物品。

Cora往下一行行讀名字，直到一行寫著：紙張：大尺寸畫冊。她把手伸進一條狹縫，瞄準那裡摸到一塊柔軟的泡棉墊。那不是素描本，所以她沿著標籤邊摸邊找。Bethan待在身旁，搬起較重的箱子，好讓空間更寬一點。下層架上的羊毛圍巾有重量，壓得紙箱微微下陷。

Cora的袖子擦到一個放在布料堆上的小鐵盒。鐵盒傾斜，一大群亮晶晶的鈕扣灑開，在地板上跑開。它們在瓷磚上喀答作響，又滾進低矮層架前緣的下面。Cora立刻跪下，用指尖快快把它們捏起來。Bethan把手掌併成弧形，她們的手指像小耙子在色彩之間移動。鐵盒又裝滿了；一顆冰涼的鈕扣在Cora的手心停了一下，然後回到同伴之中。地面清出後，Bethan把一個橄欖綠的收納盒滑到旁邊，露出一大本畫冊。Cora把素描本抽出來，上面的新標籤和層架上的字一樣。Bethan說：「這張標籤看起來很新。」她把鐵盒放好，呼吸也鬆了下來。Cora壓緊盒蓋，卡在邊緣的最後一顆亮鈕扣咔一聲進去。