Short Stories with Audio

[Short Story with Audio] Hilda’s Roof

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This is a short story for learners of English from I Talk You Talk Press. You can read and listen at the same time, or you can try shadowing. We hope you enjoy the story!

Hilda’s house is very old. She does not have much money. When it rains, water comes into her house.

I must stop the water coming into my house, thinks Hilda.

She calls a local man who repairs houses. His name is Rory.

“Rory,” says Hilda. “The roof of my house is very bad. When it rains, water comes into my house. Can you help me?”

“OK, Hilda,” says Rory. “I will come and look at your house. I will come tomorrow. My daughter is home because it is university holidays.  Maybe she will come and help me.”

Rory comes the next day. His daughter Wanda, comes with him.

Rory looks inside the house. Then he goes outside. Wanda holds the ladder for her father. Rory climbs onto the roof.

After a while, Rory comes into the house.

“Hilda,” he says. “You need a new roof.”

“Oh, no!” says Hilda. “I do not have enough money for a new roof!”

“I understand,” says Rory. “Maybe I can fix the holes in your roof. I will do my best, but more holes will come.”

Hilda is worried and unhappy. “Please do the best you can,” she says. “Maybe I will win a lottery or something. Maybe I can find enough money for a new roof before next winter.”

“OK,” says Rory. “I will go onto the roof and try to fix the holes.”

Hilda goes into her kitchen.  Rory is a very kind man, she thinks. When Rory and Wanda take a break, I will give them a snack.  I will make some cookies.

Hilda is taking her cookies out of the oven when she hears a loud noise. There is a crash and a bang. Then she hears loud voices.

Oh no! That’s Rory’s voice, thinks Hilda.

Hilda runs through the house. She gets a big shock. Rory is sitting on her living room floor. Hilda looks up. There is a big hole in the roof – Hilda can see the sky.

Wanda runs into the house.  “Dad! Dad! Are you OK?”

“I’m fine,” says Rory. “Hilda I am so sorry about your roof. It was so old and weak. I fell through it.”

“Don’t worry about my roof,” says Hilda. “I am happy you are not hurt. Sit down in that armchair and I will bring you a cup of tea.”

Hilda brings tea and cookies for Rory and Wanda. She sits down with Rory and Wanda. They drink tea and eat cookies. They look at the sky.

Suddenly they hear strange noises. “Get out!” shouts Rory. “The roof is falling!”

They run to the kitchen. There is a lot of noise and dust.

After a while, the noise stops. “Stay here,” says Rory. “I will go and look.”

Hilda and Wanda wait for a long time. Finally, Rory comes back to the kitchen. He is hiding something behind his back.

“Hilda,” says Rory. “Who lived in this house before you?”

“My parents,” says Hilda. “And before them, my grandparents lived here.”

Rory smiles. “Well someone who lived here didn’t like banks! Look what I found in all the rubbish on the floor.” He takes a box from behind his back and gives it to Hilda.

Hilda opens the box. It is filled with old gold coins.

“Someone hid this box in the roof of your house.”

“I can pay for a new roof!” shouts Hilda. “It is wonderful!”

Rory laughs. “Hilda you can pay for a new house!”

[Short Story with Audio] A Bad Mistake

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This is a short story for learners of English from I Talk You Talk Press. You can read and listen at the same time, or you can try shadowing. We hope you enjoy the story!

A Bad Mistake

A BAD MISTAKE

Lonnie steals bags. It is very easy.

He travels on trains when people are going to work, or going home.  The trains are very crowded. He always wears a big coat so he can hide the bags inside his coat. He always wears a hat and sunglasses.

He looks for someone who has put their bag on the floor, or on a seat. He waits until the train stops at a station and many people are trying to get on the train or off the train. He quickly takes a bag and disappears in the crowds of people.

One Friday evening, Lonnie is on the train. He sees a woman in a red coat. She has many shopping bags. She doesn’t have a seat and it is hard for her to hold her shopping bags and her handbag. She is standing near the door of the train.

She looks rich, thinks Lonnie. He looks at the shopping bags. She went to some very expensive stores. I will take her handbag and maybe I can get some shopping bags as well.

He stands next to the woman. The train stops. There are many people trying to get off the train. Everyone is pushing. Lonnie pushes the woman in the red coat very hard. She almost falls over. Lonnie quickly pulls her handbag and two shopping bags from the woman’s hand.

He hurries off the train and puts the handbag and shopping bags under his coat.

He hears the woman shouting. “Stop! Stop! Stop that man! He has taken my bag and my shopping!”

Lonnie laughs. They won’t catch me!

Outside the railway station Lonnie hides behind a tall building. He looks in the handbag. He takes a mobile phone and a wallet from the bag – the wallet has a little money. Lonnie counts it. $90. He puts the money in his pocket and puts the handbag and wallet in a garbage can.

He looks in the shopping bags. One bag has some towels. He puts it in the garbage can. But in the other bag he finds a beautiful necklace. It is pink and green and gold. Wow, thinks Lonnie. My girlfriend’s birthday is tomorrow. I will give her this necklace. She will like it very much.

On Saturday night, Lonnie takes his girlfriend to a pub. She is wearing the necklace. She is very happy. She likes her birthday present very much.

Lonnie and his girlfriend are sitting at a table in the bar. They are drinking beer. A woman comes to their table. She is wearing a red coat. She says, “Where did you get that necklace?”

“My boyfriend bought it for me,” says Lonnie’s girlfriend. “It is a birthday present.”

“Oh no!” says the woman.  “He didn’t buy that necklace for you! It is unique. My husband ordered it for me. Your boyfriend took my bags on the train last night!”

Oh no! thinks Lonnie. I must run away.

He tries to run out of the bar. A very big man runs after him. He throws Lonnie on the ground. “I am a policeman,” says the man. “You took my wife’s necklace and now I am taking you to the police station.”

[Short Story with Audio] The Mirror

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This is a short story for learners of English from I Talk You Talk Press. You can read and listen at the same time, or you can try shadowing. We hope you enjoy the story!

The Mirror Audio

THE MIRROR

Sally wants to buy a house.  She saves very hard and after 3 years, she has enough money to buy a very small house.  She is very excited.

But now Sally has a big problem. She has a house but it is empty. She needs furniture but she has very little money.

Her mother gives her a bed, a table and a chair.  Her grandmother gives her some plates and pots and glasses.

Sally can live in her house but she wants many more things. On weekends she drives around all the towns near her house. She looks in secondhand shops.  One Saturday afternoon, she finds a secondhand shop in a small village. She looks in the window.

Everything in the shop is very dusty and dirty. But Sally thinks she will go inside.  There is no one in the shop. She looks around. She sees a mirror in a corner of the shop. It is big and old. I need a mirror, thinks Sally.  I will look at it.

She walks over to the mirror.  It is so dirty she can’t see the glass.  Sally takes some tissues from her bag. She starts to clean the glass.

“I’ll clean it for you.” Sally jumps. She turns around. There is a man standing behind her. He is very small. He is very old. He is wearing a black suit.

“Thank you,” says Sally. “Are you the owner of this shop? ”

The man doesn’t answer. He goes away and comes back with a cloth and some water. He cleans the glass.

“Now you can look at yourself in the mirror,” says the old man.

Sally stands next to the old man. She looks at the mirror. She looks at the old man standing next to her.

Sally is very shocked. She can see herself in the mirror, but she can’t see the old man.

“But! But!” says Sally.

The old man smiles. “It is a very special mirror,” he says. “And it is cheap.”

“It is very nice, but I have changed my mind. I don’t want to buy it.”

Sally runs from the shop. She runs to her car and gets in. She drives away very fast.

It is a very nice mirror, thinks Sally. But either the old man is very strange or the mirror is very strange.  Maybe I will save some more money and go to a department store and buy a nice new mirror!