Working by Candlelight#

Theme: A man finishes an important office project at home when the power suddenly goes out.

Early in the morning, Leo woke up on his comfortable mattress. He pushed off the heavy quilt, pulled back the warm blanket, and straightened the white sheet and soft pillow. He stepped across the bedroom carpet onto a small wool rug, then paused on the bathroom mat. In front of the mirror, he picked up a razor to shave carefully. Afterward, he dried his face with a clean towel and wiped the counter with a damp sponge.

Suddenly, the bathroom lights flickered and died with a quiet click. An electrical fuse had blown in the hallway. Leo walked into the kitchen, took a wooden match from a box, and lit a tall candle. He watched the melted wax slowly drip down to the curved rim of the dish. Looking under his work table, he checked the main computer cable and the thin lamp cord. He noticed one damaged strand of wire was exposed, which had caused the short circuit.

Leo had important papers to prepare before noon, so he sat down on a soft chair cushion by candlelight. He reached into his stationery drawer to gather his supplies. He placed a writing pad on the desk, along with a bottle of black ink, a soft rubber eraser, a small metal staple, and a tube of clear glue. He even pulled out a small nail to pierce holes in thick paper boards.

His task was to assemble a business memorandum, a short information pamphlet, and a pocket paperback guide. Since the electricity was gone, he could not use an office Xerox machine to print another set. Instead, he had to create an exact duplicate by hand. Leo had to shear through stiff cardboard to make binders, and then he used a pair of sharp scissors to trim along every rough edge.

A single drop of ink spilled near his desk, but Leo quickly caught it with a dry tissue before it caused damage. At last, he decorated the front cover of each booklet and slipped everything neatly into his leather portfolio. He blew out the flame and smiled, ready for the busy day ahead.

中文#

烛光伏案#

主题： 一名男子在家中突遇停电，却依然坚持完成了一项重要的办公项目。

清晨，利奥从舒适的床垫上醒来。他推开厚重的被子，拉开温暖的毯子，整理好白色的床单和柔软的枕头。他穿过卧室的地毯，踩上一块小小的羊毛小地毯，接着在浴室的地垫上停下脚步。在镜子前，他拿起一把剃须刀，仔细地刮胡子。随后，他用一条干净的毛巾擦干了脸，又用一块湿润的海绵擦净了台面。

突然，浴室的灯闪烁了几下，伴随着轻微的咔哒声熄灭了。走廊里的一个电气保险丝烧断了。利奥走进厨房，从盒子里拿出一根木质火柴，点燃了一支高高的蜡烛。他注视着融化的蜡缓缓滴落在盘子弯曲的边缘上。他查看了工作台下方，检查了电脑的主电缆和细细的台灯电线。他注意到有一股受损的电线裸露在外，正是它导致了短路。

利奥在中午前有重要文件需要准备，于是他在烛光下坐到了柔软的椅子坐垫上。他把手伸进文具抽屉里收集用品。他在桌上放了一个书写便签本，还有一瓶黑色墨水、一块柔软的橡胶橡皮擦、一枚小小的金属订书钉以及一管透明胶水。他甚至找出一枚小钉子，用来在厚纸板上扎孔。

他的任务是装订一份商务备忘录、一本简短的信息小册子和一本口袋平装书指南。由于停电，他无法使用办公室的施乐复印机来加印一套。相反，他必须手工制作出一份一模一样的副本。利奥不得不剪切硬纸板来制作文件夹，然后用一把锋利的剪刀修剪每一个粗糙的边缘。

一滴墨水洒在了他的书桌旁，但利奥在它造成污损前迅速用干纸巾吸干了。最后，他装饰了每本小册子的前封面，并将所有东西整齐地滑入自己的皮革公文包中。他吹灭了烛火，微笑着准备迎接即将到来的忙碌一天。