Fast 500 (Easy English Stories)

Short stories approximately 500 words in length.

[Short Story] The Present

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Cora has been married for six months. She lives with her husband in a small town outside the city. Houses in the city are very expensive, so they bought a house with a big garden about an hour by train from the city. Brian, her husband, takes the train to work every day. He works in a bank. Cora doesn’t have a job. Sometimes she gets bored. Brian bought her a dog for Christmas. The dog is very naughty but he is good company during the day.

Today is Cora’s birthday. I wonder what Brian has bought me? she thinks. I hope it’s something very pretty.

Brian gets up very early in the morning. He has to take a train at 7:00am. He always brings Cora a cup of tea in bed before he leaves for work. Today he brings Cora’s tea and a parcel wrapped in beautiful paper with a big ribbon tied around it.

“Happy birthday!” he says. “I hope you like your present!”

Cora puts her teacup on the table next to the bed. She unwraps the present.

“Oh,” she says.

“Aren’t they great?” says Brian. He is very pleased. “They will be perfect for working in the garden!”

Cora looks at her present. It is a pair of black rubber boots. Cora is very unhappy, but she doesn’t say so. She knows that Brian thinks it is a very good present.

“Oh, thank you!” she says. “They look very useful!”

“I have to go,” says Brian. “I’ll see you tonight. I have made a reservation at the local hotel for dinner.” He kisses Cora and leaves the house.

Cora is very sad. Then after she gets out of bed, she starts to feel angry.

What a terrible present! I hate these boots. I wanted a romantic present!

She throws the boots into the garbage bin and goes into the living room to watch TV.

A little later she hears the mailman. The mailman rides a motor scooter. It stops outside their house.

Maybe my mother has sent me a present, thinks Cora. She knows I like pretty things.

Cora goes to the door. She wants to go to the mailbox, but it is raining heavily.

I didn’t hear the rain because I had the TV on very loud. Where are my outdoor shoes? Did the dog take my shoes? Where did he hide them?

Cora looks everywhere, but she can’t find her shoes.

The dog is out in the garden. Cora opens the kitchen door and shouts, “Bad dog!”

The dog runs to her. He is wagging his tail. He is a very friendly dog. Then Cora sees the garbage bin. I could wear those ugly black rubber boots, she thinks.

Cora goes to the garbage bin and takes the boots. She takes off her slippers and puts on the boots.

Oh no! They are ugly and they don’t fit! They are too small and very uncomfortable. Why did Brian buy these?

She feels very angry. She takes the boots off, and throws them into the garden. One of the boots lands upside down. Cora can see something on the ground. It is a small box. She runs into the garden in her bare feet. She picks up the box. She takes the other boot and shakes it. Another box falls on the ground.

Cora takes the small boxes back into the kitchen. She sits down at the table and opens them.

There is a beautiful pair of earrings in one box and a matching necklace in the other box.

 I am very lucky. The garbage man will come soon and he will empty the garbage bin. Brian is a wonderful husband but sometimes he has very crazy ideas!

 

 

 

[Short Story] Socks

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Pedro works as a waiter in a big hotel. He starts work at 6:00am because the hotel serves breakfast from 6:30am to 9:00am. One night Pedro takes his laundry to the laundromat. He washes and dries his clothes. He carries the basket of clean clothes back to his small apartment. He is very tired.

I won’t put my clothes away tonight, he thinks. I will do it tomorrow.

He puts his smartphone on charge and goes to bed.

During the night there is a big storm. The wind damages the power lines. Pedro doesn’t hear anything. He is sleeping. In the morning he wakes up. The room is very dark.

What time is it? he thinks.

He looks for his clock alarm but he can’t see it. The display has disappeared.

Oh, there is no electricity! What time is it? My alarm didn’t go off. I might be late!

He jumps out of bed and finds his way to his table. He can’t see in the dark so he uses his hands to find his phone.

I can get the time from my phone, he thinks. But his phone has no charge. Oh no! There has been no electricity for hours. I must go to work! I must hurry!

Pedro falls over the basket in the corner of his room. He finds socks and underwear and his waiter’s uniform. There is no hot water so he can’t have a shower. But there is some charge in his shaver so he can shave and wash in cold water. He still doesn’t know what the time is so he hurries to get dressed. He puts his wallet and keys in his pocket and runs to the bus stop. At the bus stop he speaks to another man waiting for the bus.

“Excuse me, Sir. What time is it?”

The man looks at his smartphone. “It’s 5:30am,” he says.

“Thank you,” says Pedro.

I’m lucky, he thinks. I have enough time to get to work. I will not be late.

When Pedro is sitting on the bus he remembers he didn’t shine his shoes. He looks down at his feet. His shoes are OK but Pedro sees his socks!

I am wearing one black sock and one red sock! I couldn’t see in the dark. Everyone will think I am crazy. Or maybe no one will notice.

At first there are no lights in any of the buildings or apartment blocks, but as the bus gets closer to the hotel everything looks normal.

It is only in my area that there is no electricity, thinks Pedro. I hope they have fixed the problem before I go home. I didn’t even have a cup of coffee this morning.

Pedro gets off the bus near the hotel.  He waits to cross the busy road. There is an older woman standing next to him. She is very smartly dressed. She looks at him and smiles.

I wonder why she is out so early? She doesn’t look like a worker, thinks Pedro. I think she smiled because she saw my socks!

Suddenly the woman falls down. Pedro tries to help her. She seems very ill. She cannot speak. He calls out.

“Please someone, call an ambulance! She is ill!”

Many people come to help, but Pedro stays next to her. He is worried someone might take the woman’s bag.  He picks it up and holds it. He waits until the ambulance comes. He gives her bag to the ambulance driver.

“This belongs to her. Please make sure it is safe and she gets it when she wakes up,” he says.

Then he hurries to work.

The other waiters see Pedro’s sock. They laugh at him. They make many jokes. Pedro feels bad, but he can’t say anything because it is true. He is wearing one black sock and one red sock. The restaurant manager is angry. “You look very strange. Don’t make such a mistake again.”

Two weeks later Pedro is busy serving customers. The restaurant manager comes up to him. “Come with me now.”

Pedro is worried. Am I going to lose my job?

The manager takes Pedro to the guest lounge. “You have a visitor,” he says. There is a woman sitting in the guest lounge. It is the woman who fell down in the street.

“This is Mrs Van Velden,” says the manager. “Her son owns this hotel. She wants to talk you.” The manager goes away.

“Please sit down,” says Mrs Van Velden.

Pedro sits down. Mrs Van Velden smiles at him.

“Two weeks ago, there was a bad storm,” she says. “I couldn’t sleep. And then there was no electricity in my part of town. I was cold and hungry. So I decided to come here to my son’s hotel to have breakfast. But you know I felt very ill and fell down in the street. You were very kind to me. You looked after my bag. You are a very kind young man.”

“No! No!” says Pedro. “I didn’t do anything special. You don’t need to thank me.”

“I want to thank you,” says Mrs Van Velden. “I want to give you a little present.”

She takes an envelope out of her bag and gives it to Pedro. Pedro doesn’t want to take it, but Mrs Van Velden says, “Take it! Open it.”

Pedro takes the envelope and opens it. There is a lot of money inside.

Oh, I can send this to my mother, thinks Pedro.

Thank you very much!” he says. “But how did you find me?”

Mrs Van Velden laughs. “That was very easy. I saw your uniform so I knew you worked in this hotel. So I just asked who was wearing one red sock and one black sock that day!”

[Short Story] Scare the Children

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Here is a short story for Halloween!

Wallace lives alone. He doesn’t like children.

He hates Halloween. He doesn’t want any children coming to his door for Trick or Treat. He doesn’t want to give them candy.

When the children ring his doorbell, Wallace gets very angry.  He doesn’t open the door. He stays inside and shouts “Go away!”

One Halloween, Wallace has an idea. I will scare the children. They will be too frightened to come to my door.

Wallace is very smart. He knows a lot about electronics. He goes to the electrical shop and buys everything he needs to scare the children. He buys a sensor, a mini sound player, speakers, batteries and switches.

He finds audio files of screams and groans on the Internet. He makes a recording.

Then he sets up his system in his mailbox.  He tests it. It works very well.

If anyone walks towards his gate, the recording will start playing. There will be very loud screams and groans. Wallace thinks the sounds will frighten the children and they will run away.

This year, Wallace is looking forward to Halloween.

He waits until it is dark. Then he goes to his mailbox and turns the sensor on. He turns the volume on the recorder up to maximum. He goes back into his house and waits by the window.

I will see the children in their costumes, he thinks. I will see them come to my house. I will see them run away because they are so scared.

About 30 minutes later a group of children walks down the street. They are dressed as ghosts, princesses, and super heroes. Their parents are with them. The parents are dressed up too. They walk to Wallace’s gate. The sensor works. The sounds of moans and screams are very, very loud. Wallace can hear them easily inside his house.

The children shout. They jump up and down. Wallace cannot believe it. The children laugh. They do not run away. They run towards Wallace’s door. They ring the bell.

“Go away!” shouts Wallace. The children are still laughing and talking outside his door. He waits for a long time.  Finally, it is quiet. The children have gone.

Wallace does not understand. I thought my plan was very clever. Why didn’t my plan work?

The next morning, Wallace goes out to his mailbox. He takes everything out of the mailbox.

Lucy Parks, who lives next door, comes into the street. “Wallace!” she shouts. “Thank you so much! The children loved your surprise!”

Wallace shakes his head and walks back inside.

It’s not surprising I don’t like children, he thinks. I don’t understand them at all!

[Short Story]Footprints

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It is nearly Halloween, so here is a strange story. We hope you enjoy it!

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Malcolm has a new job in Bayerville. He will work as a mechanic in the gas station. It is a very small town. He has to find somewhere to live. It is very difficult, but he finds a small house about 2km outside Bayerville. The rent is very low. Malcolm is pleased.

I can save money and buy myself a new motorbike, he thinks. The house is old and dirty, but I can clean it up. And it’s next to the river. I like that. I am very lucky.

Malcolm works hard to clean the little house. After two days, he can move his furniture into the house. He rides his motorbike into Bayerville and buys food from the supermarket. He is pleased and excited.

He goes back to the house and cooks himself a meal. He drinks some beer. Then he feels very tired. He goes to bed.

Very early the next morning, Malcolm wakes up. There is someone in his bedroom!

He is very shocked. Then he sees that it is a small child. A little girl in a nightdress.

“What are you doing here?” he asks. “Where did you come from?”

The child doesn’t answer. She turns and walks out of the room. Malcolm jumps out of bed.

She is too young to be out alone at night. I must find out where her parents are. I must take her home, he thinks.

He sees the child’s footprints on the floor. The footprints are wet.

Has she been in the water? This is very strange. Malcolm follows the footprints. The child has walked out of the house.

It is still dark outside. Malcolm takes a flashlight from the kitchen. He hurries out the door.

He can see the little girl walking towards the river.

“Stop! Come back!” shouts Malcolm, but she keeps walking.

She moves very quickly and Malcolm has to run.

At edge of the river, the little girl disappears.

Oh, no! She has fallen in the river! I have to save her! he thinks.

A little later, the man who delivers the newspaper comes to Malcolm’s house.  He sees the door of the house is open. He is a very friendly man.

I will say ‘Hi’ to the new customer. I will welcome him to Bayerville, he thinks.

He goes to the open door. Then he stops. He can see very small wet footprints on the floor.

Oh, no! Not again!

He takes out his smartphone and calls the police. “Mary Lou is back!” he says. “Yes. I’m sure. There are footprints on the floor. This is the first time in ten years. Yes. I’ll wait here for you to come. I will help you search the river.”

He goes back to his truck and waits for the police.

Ever since Mary Lou drowned in the river, some people who live in this house disappear, he thinks. We always find their dead bodies in the river. The only clue is the wet footprints on the floor. I think she gets lonely.

[Short Story] Saori makes her own luck

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It’s Monday morning. Saori has no classes today, so she decides to clean her apartment. It takes a long time and it is almost 11:30am when she is finished. Next to the door are bags of bottles and jars and a pile of old magazines.

I take those to the recycling station, she thinks.

Saori ties some string around the magazines.

She puts on her jacket, and puts her keys and smartphone in her pocket.

She picks up the bags and the bundle of magazines and leaves her apartment.

The recycling station is at the local community centre.

It is a cold windy day, and Saori hurries along the road to keep warm.

Even thought the weather is not good, there is a group of older people outside the community centre. They are practising Tai Chi.

Saori puts the magazines in the paper recycling crate, and walks along to the bins of different coloured glass. There is a cage for clear glass, a cage for green glass and a cage for brown glass.

She is careful to put the glass bottles into the correct cage, but she makes a mistake.

Oh no! I have put a wine bottle into the clear glass cage. I must take it out.

Saori is not very tall, and it is difficult to reach the wine bottle. She leans over the edge of the cage. I’ve got it! Now I’ll just put it in the green bottle cage and I can go home, she thinks.

Saori doesn’t notice, but her smartphone has fallen out of her pocket. It is in the cage full of clear glass.

When Saori gets back to her apartment she thinks, I’ll call Michiko. She doesn’t have classes today. Maybe we can meet for coffee.

She puts her hand in her pocket. Where is my phone! It’s not here. I have lost it! Where did I lose it?

Saori remembers leaning over the recycle cage. Did it fall out of my pocket?

She runs out of her apartment. She runs to the recycling station. Oh no! The bins are empty! Someone has come and taken all the bottles and glass away!

Saori wants to cry. My phone! It has all my contacts! No one can call me. No one can text me! And it was so pretty!

 “Excuse me.”

Saori is surprised. There is an old woman standing next to her. “Are you looking for something?”

“Yes,” says Saori. “I have lost my smartphone. I think I dropped it in the recycling cage. And now they are empty! My phone has gone!”

The old woman smiles. “Today is your lucky day,” she says.  “When I finished my Tai Chi class, I walked past the recycling station. I saw something pink in the cage for clear glass. I thought ‘that’s not good. I must take it out’. It was too difficult for me. So I called our Tai Chi instructor. He is taller and fitter than me. He rescued your smartphone.”

The old woman puts her hand in the pocket of her track suit. She takes out Saori’s smartphone and gives it to her.

“Oh, thank you!” says Saori. “I am so lucky.”

“You’re welcome,” says the old woman. “But maybe you made your own luck. Your phone is pink. That’s why I saw it. Maybe if it was silver or black I could not see it. I think pink is a good colour for a smartphone. Maybe I will get a new one.”

[Short Story] Salt and sugar

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Wanda graduated from cooking school and got a job in the kitchen of a new café in her town. She was very happy. She has been working in the café for 6 weeks. She likes her job. The café is new and very small. The café belongs to Gregor. He makes coffee and looks after the customers. Wanda does all the cooking.

Wanda thinks Gregor is very nice, but he is also a tough boss. He wants everything to be perfect.

Today Wanda is having a very bad day. She has been in the kitchen since 6am. Last night, she broke up with her boyfriend. She was very sad so she went to visit her friend Janet. They drank a lot of wine.

Today she feels very ill. Why did I drink so much? I feel terrible, my head hurts and I went to bed so late! I am so tired!

Today Gregor is very excited. “Wanda, we must try very hard today. Look at the man sitting by the window. Do you know who that is?”

Wanda looks at the man. “No. I don’t know him. Who is he?”

“His name is Anton Wesley-Brown. He writes about food and restaurants for the newspaper! If he likes the food here, he will write a good report about this café!”

Wanda understands. Gregor wants the café to be a success.

But why today? Why did this restaurant critic come today?

Gregor goes out of the kitchen to talk to the customers. It is only 11:15 so there are not many people in the café. Most people are drinking coffee and eating muffins and cakes.

Wanda is busy making salads. Today’s special is very simple – a grilled pork chop, with cream and mustard sauce and salad.

I could have cooked something wonderful if I had known that man was coming. No, maybe not. Not today. I am too ill to cook.

Gregor comes back into the kitchen. “Mr Wesley-Brown wants the pork chop!”

“OK,” says Wanda. She takes a pork chop from the refrigerator. She reaches up to the shelf and takes down the seasonings. She sprinkles salt and pepper on the chop and puts it under the grill. She makes the sauce and puts salad on the plate.

When the meal is ready she puts it out near the door of the kitchen. Gregor hurries over and takes the meal to Mr Wesley-Brown.

Wanda turns back to the kitchen. She stares at the counter. Why is there brown sugar on the counter? I used salt, pepper, mustard. I didn’t use brown sugar. There is the pepper and the mustard. Where is the salt? Oh, no! I put brown sugar on the pork chop! Mr Wesley-Brown will hate it! Gregor will be very angry! I will lose my job!

Wanda doesn’t know what to do, so she keeps on working. She finishes all the food preparation. It is almost noon and many customers are coming in for lunch. It will be a busy day.

Gregor comes into the kitchen. “Wanda! Mr Wesley-Brown wants to talk to you.”

The restaurant critic comes into the kitchen. “This is Wanda. She does all the cooking,” says Gregor.

“I know you are very busy,” says Mr Wesley-Brown. “But I just have one question. Did you put brown sugar on my chop?”

Wanda looks at the floor. This is it, she thinks. I am going to lose my job. Gregor will fire me.

“Ur, yes,” she says.

I will have to explain, she thinks. But Mr Wesley-Brown is speaking.

It is a very good idea. The chop was very tasty. I like the way the sugar turned to caramel under the grill. Keep up the good cooking.”

He smiles and goes out. Gregor looks very happy.

Wanda smiles too and goes back to work.

I will have to have a hangover more often, she thinks.

[Short Story] The life of a tree

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Simone’s house is very old. Her grandfather built the house when he was a young man. When the house was finished, Simone’s grandfather asked a girl from his village to marry him.

Simone’s father grew up in this house. Many years later, Simone came to live in this little old house.

Simone has a wonderful tree in her garden. It is a camellia. Her grandfather planted it. So it is more than 60 years old. Every year, at the end of winter, it is covered in beautiful pink flowers.

But one year, the weather is very bad. The wind is very strong. The old tree falls down. It is lying on the ground. Simone is very sad. She feels empty.

The camellia was a memory of my family, and now it is gone.

Simone is in the garden. She is looking at the dead tree. She is crying.

“Excuse me”.

Simone is surprised. There is an old man in her garden. She didn’t see him come into the garden.

“What! Who are you?”

“I was a friend of your father. I remember this house. I came here to play when I was a young boy. Why are you sad?”

Simone shows the old man the tree. “My grandfather planted this tree. And now it is dead.”

The old man laughs. “Dead? Why do you think this tree is dead?”

Simone thinks the old man is crazy. “It fell down! There will be no more flowers. It is only a memory.”

The old man smiles. “I am in this village to visit my grandson. I am tired. Can we sit down? Can you give me a cup of tea?”

“Oh, sorry. Of course. Please come into the house.”

“No. I like to be outside. Can you bring me a cup of tea here?”

Simone points to a table and chairs in the garden.

“Please sit there,” says Simone.

The old man sits down. Simone goes into the house and makes tea. She carries the tea out to the garden.

She gives the old man a cup of tea. Simone has a cup of tea too. They sit in the garden, but Simone is not happy. They can see the dead tree. She is very sad.

The old man drinks his tea. Then he asks, “What will you do with this tree?”

“I don’t know,” says Simone. “Maybe I will pay some men to take the dead tree away.”

“Oh,” says the old man. “What will the men do with the tree?”

“I don’t know,” says Simone.

The old man smiles.

“I think you should pay some men to come and cut the tree up into firewood.”

“But I don’t have a fireplace.”

“That’s OK. I’m sure you can find some people who need firewood. Maybe some people who have no money and are cold this winter. You should cut all the leaves and small branches up very small and put them on your garden. They will stop weeds from growing. In time they will break down and feed the earth. The earth gave you that tree, so you should give something back. And finally.” The old man stops talking.

“Finally?” asks Simone. “What is the last thing I should do?”

“The old man laughs. “Plant another tree of course!”

He stands up. “I must go now,” he says. “But remember. Nature is a circle. Trees grow and die. New trees grow. This is normal. You should be happy because your tree was beautiful, you have good memories.  And now this old dead tree will help you do some good in the world.”

[Short Story] Young people today

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Mrs Bateman is sitting on the bus. There are many people on the bus. They are mostly students. They are laughing and shouting.

Mrs Bateman is tired. She is in a very bad mood.

Look at these young people, she thinks. They are noisy. Their clothes are terrible.

She looks at the young woman sitting next to her. The young woman has pink hair. She is wearing jeans and big black boots. Her T-shirt is very short and tight. She has a ring in her nose and many earrings in her ears. The young woman smiles at her. Mrs Bateman looks away.

Her parents must be so ashamed, she thinks. I am sure she is lazy and rude. Young people today are not polite. When we were young, we were polite and well-dressed.

She looks at another young person. This boy has shaved his head. He has many tattoos. He even has tattoos on his head. And that boy! I am sure he is some kind of criminal!

The bus stops. An old man climbs onto the bus. He asks for a ticket. The bus driver says, “Three dollars, please.”

The old man takes out his wallet. He looks in his wallet. “Oh, I don’t have enough money.”

“Then get off the bus,” says the driver. “If you can’t pay, you can’t ride on the bus.”

The old man turns to get off the bus.

“Excuse me,” says the young woman with the pink hair. She stands up and goes to the front of the bus. “I will pay for you,” she says to the old man. She gives $3 to the driver.

“Thank you,” says the old man.

“No trouble,” says the young woman. She goes back to her seat next to Mrs Bateman.

The old man moves along the bus. He is looking for somewhere to sit, but the bus is full.

“Here, Grandad,” says the boy with the tattooed head. He stands up. “Have my seat.”

Well, thinks Mrs Bateman. I have a lot to think about. Young people today look very different, but they are kind.

She smiles at the young woman with the pink hair.

“Your parents should be very proud of you,” she says.

[Short Story] Some days you just get lucky

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William is sitting in a classroom. His desk is next to the window. On the desk is an exam paper. It is upside down. The back of the paper has nothing on it. In about 15 minutes, the woman in charge of the exam will say, “Please turn over the exam book. You can begin the exam now.”

William is very tired. He studied all night. This exam is very important. If he can pass the exam he will be able to get a better job.  

I hope I can pass this exam, he thinks. The boss said he would promote me to assistant manager, but only if I pass this course. But I am so sleepy.

The sun is coming in through the window. It is very hot. William’s eyes close. His head goes forward onto the desk. William is asleep.

He wakes up suddenly. A bell is ringing. He shakes his head and sits up. What!

The woman in charge of the exam is speaking.

“Time is up. Please put down your pens and pencils. Do not touch the exam papers. We will collect them now.”

Seconds later, one of the woman’s assistants picks up the exam paper from in front of William.

“Stop! Stop!” William is shouting. The assistant looks at him but doesn’t say anything. She moves away and picks up the next exam paper.

Oh, no! I slept all the time. I studied so hard but I didn’t take the exam. My boss will see my score is zero. I will never get a better job. I might lose the job I have now!

William puts his head in his hands. The other students on the course are standing up. They are packing their bags and walking out. William doesn’t move. Finally, he looks up. He is the only student left. The woman and her assistants are putting the exam papers into boxes.

Then, an alarm rings and an announcement comes over the loudspeaker system. “Emergency! Emergency! There is a fire!  Leave now. Everybody, leave the building now!”

The woman and her assistants run to the door. William follows them. They hurry down the stairs and out onto the street. The fire is very small. It is on the other side of the building. The fire department arrives soon, and puts the fire out. The danger is over. Everything is fine.

William doesn’t have his bag. He left it in the classroom. He has to wait until he is allowed to go back inside. He is standing next to the woman in charge of the exam. “What happens now?” he asks. “Are you waiting to go back and get the exam papers?”

“Yes,” she says. “But there is no hurry.”

“Why not?” asks William.

“Well, we left the exam papers in the room. That is against the rules. I’m very sorry but all the students will have to take another exam. Maybe next week.”

She smiles at him. “I saw you sleeping. Maybe next time you will stay awake!”

Short Story – Marvellous Max

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A short story for learners of English.

Max loves action comics and movies. He works in the car park of a big supermarket. It is a not a good job, but Max was not clever at school. He doesn’t have any qualifications. He couldn’t go to university. This job was the best he could find.

Max collects the shopping carts that shoppers leave in the car park. He takes the shopping carts back to the entrance of the supermarket. It is sometimes hard work but it is not difficult. So Max has a lot of time to dream.

He dreams of being a hero. He dreams of being Superman or Batman. Of course his dreams are crazy but as Max tells himself, Dreams are free.

Today it is very wet and windy. Max is wearing a long blue raincoat. It has the name of the supermarket on the back.

Max is standing next to a row of carts. He will push them together and then he will take them all back to the supermarket door. He looks around to see if there are any more in the car park. There are special places for shoppers to leave the carts. Most people take their carts to these special places but some people are lazy, and leave them near their cars.

He sees two young boys in jackets with hoods.

They should be in school, he thinks. What are they doing here?

He sees a small woman pushing a cart towards her car. The cart is full of shopping bags. She looks old and the weather is very bad.

I’ll go and take her cart for her, he thinks.

He starts walking across the car park. The woman puts her cart behind her car. She walks to her car door to unlock it.

Suddenly the two boys run towards the cart. They take the cart and push it towards the road.

“Hey you!” shouts Max “What are you doing?”

Max chases the boys. The boys run out of the car park with the shopping cart and along the road. Max runs very fast.

“Stop! Stop!” he shouts.

The boys run to the corner. There is a car coming. They have to stop. They turn around and see Max. They see a very big man. His long coat is blowing in the wind. It looks like a cape. He looks like Batman, or Superman. They are frightened. They leave the cart and run across the road.

Max takes the cart of shopping and pushes it back to the supermarket. The little old lady is sitting on a seat outside the store. The store manager is talking to her. She is very shocked. She is crying. Max walks up to her.

“I couldn’t catch the bad boys, but here is your shopping,” he says.

“Oh, thank you!” she says.

“Well done, Max,” says the store manager.

“You are a hero,” says the lady.

Max’s face is red. “Oh, no,” he says. “I am not a hero.”

“You are a hero to me,” she says. She gives Max $20.

Max doesn’t want to take it, but she pushes it into his pocket.

“Please take it,” she says.

Max helps her put her shopping into her car. Then he takes the empty cart away.

I’ll be able to buy a new comic on the way home, he thinks.