Hello, my friends.
Welcome back to English Unleashed.
In today's episode, I want to tell you a very beautiful story.
It is one of the most touching short stories in English literature.
The story is called The Last Leaf.
It was written by the American writer O Henry, a writer who was famous for emotional stories and powerful endings.
This story is about friendship, hope, and sacrifice.
Sacrifice means doing something very difficult, sometimes even giving something very important in order to help another person.
When I first read this story, I felt something very deep.
It shows how one small act of kindness can change a person's life.
So today I will tell you this story slowly in clear English.
Just relax, listen carefully, and enjoy the story.
This is one of the best ways to learn English because stories are emotional and easy to remember.
And before we start, if you enjoy our podcasts, please like the video, share it with a friend who is learning English and subscribe to the channel.
It really helps the channel grow and helps more learners find these lessons.
Let's begin.
The story takes place in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood in New York City.
Many years ago, this area was full of artists.
An artist is a person who creates art.
An artist might paint pictures, draw images, or create sculptures.
Many young artists came to Greenwich Village because the apartments were cheap and they could live there while they tried to build their careers.
In one of these small buildings lived two young women.
Their names were Sue and Johnsy.
Sue came from the state of Maine in the north of the United States.
John C. came from California, far away on the west coast.
Even though they were from very different places, they became close friends.
They first met in a restaurant.
While they were talking, they discovered something surprising.
They both loved art.
They both dreamed of becoming great painters.
And they both liked the same kinds of books and ideas.
When two people discover they have things in common, we say they have similar interests.
Because Sue and John C. had similar interests, they decided to live together.
They rented a small apartment at the top of an old building.
The apartment was not large.
It was not beautiful.
The walls were old.
The rooms were small.
But for them, it was enough.
They turned the apartment into a studio.
A studio is a place where artists work and create their art.
Every day, they painted pictures.
Sometimes they sold their paintings to magazines or small buyers.
When they sold a painting, they earned a little money.
But life for young artists was often uncertain.
The word uncertain means something is not stable, it is not sure.
Some days they had money, some days they did not.
So, things were uncertain.
But Sue and John C. were still happy because they had a dream.
They dreamed that one day people would see their paintings and say, These artists are talented.
The word talented means having natural ability to do something well.
Their apartment had a small window.
Outside that window there was a brick wall from the building next door.
On that wall grew an old ivy vine.
An ivy vine is a plant that climbs on walls and buildings.
It spreads across the wall and grows many small leaves.
During the summer, the vine was full of green leaves.
The wall looked alive and beautiful, but now it was late fall.
Every day slowly the ivy vine began to lose its leaves.
Every day more leaves fell from the wall, and during this cold season something very sad happened.
John C. became very sick.
She caught a serious illness called pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a dangerous disease that affects the lungs.
The lungs are the parts of the body that help us breathe.
When someone has pneumonia, breathing becomes difficult and the person becomes very weak.
John C. had to stay in bed.
She became thin and pale and she had not have the strength to paint anymore.
Sue was very worried about her friend.
Every day, she tried to take care of Johnsy.
She cooked for her.
She spoke to her kindly.
She tried to keep the room warm.
Soon, a doctor came to see Johnsy.
After examining Johnsy, the doctor spoke quietly to Sue.
He said that John C. had a chance to recover, but the chance was small.
The doctor said that if John C wanted to live, if she believed she could recover, then she might become healthy again.
She needed hope.
But if she lost hope, it would be much harder for her to survive.
Sue listened carefully.
She felt afraid, but she tried to stay strong.
She promised the doctor that she would do everything she could to help her friend.
But Sue did not know that John C. had already started to think about something very strange.
As she lay in bed, John C. spent many hours looking out of the window.
She started at the ivy vine on the brick wall and slowly she began to believe something very strange and very sad.
She believed that when the last leaf fell from the vine, her life would also end.
She believed that when the final leaf dropped to the ground, she would die.
Sue did not understand why Johnsy was thinking this way.
But Johnsy watched the leaves every day.
One leaf fell.
Then another.
And another.
And each time a leaf fell, John C. quietly counted.
Soon, there were only a few leaves left on the vine.
And John C. continued to watch the wall outside her window.
She waited for the last leaf.
One afternoon, Sue was sitting near the window, drawing a picture for a magazine.
She needed to finish the drawing because they needed money for food and medicine.
Sue worked quietly with her pencil, but suddenly she heard a weak voice from the bed.
John C. was counting.
Ten, she said softly.
Sue looked up from her drawing.
Ten what? she asked.
John C. continued looking out of the window.
Nine, John C. whispered.
Sue stood up and walked to the window.
She looked outside and saw the ivy vine on the brick wall.
Many leaves had already fallen from the vine.
Sue turned back to John C. What are you counting? she asked gently.
John C. answered slowly.
The leaves, she said.
Sue felt confused.
The leaves? she asked.
Yes, John C. said.
When the last leaf falls, I will die.
Sue felt shocked.
What are you talking about? she said quickly.
John C. continued staring at the wall outside.
The doctor told you I am very sick, she said quietly.
When the last leaf falls, I will go too.
Sue felt both sad and worried.
This idea was very dangerous.
John C. had begun to lose hope.
She walked to the bed and sat beside her friend.
She said, that idea is nonsense.
It is not true.
The leaves have nothing to do with your life, Sue said.
You must stop thinking about this.
But John C. did not answer.
She only watched the vine.
Outside the window, the cold fall wind was blowing.
Another leaf fell slowly from the wall.
John C. watched it fall.
Eight, she whispered.
Sue felt frightened.
She realized that John C. truly believed this strange idea.
Sue knew she had to do something.
That evening, she decided to visit their neighbor.
On the ground floor of that building lived an old artist named Berman.
Berman was about 60 years old.
He had lived in Greenwich Village for many years.
Like Sue and Johnsy, he was also an artist.
But Berman was different.
For many years, he had dreamed of painting a masterpiece.
A masterpiece is a work of art that is extremely great and important.
It is the best work an artist can create.
But even though Berman talked about his masterpiece for many years, he had never actually painted it.
Instead, he spent most of his time doing small jobs for other artists.
Sometimes he worked as a model for painters.
Berman had a long white beard and a strong voice.
Sometimes he seemed rough, which means he spoke loudly and strongly.
But inside, he had a kind heart.
He cared deeply about Sue and John C. and often said he was their protector.
A protector is someone who protects or guards other people.
That evening, Sue went downstairs to speak with him.
She knocked on his door.
When Berman opened the door, Sue immediately saw the straw.
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Berman looked at Sue carefully.
What is wrong, he asked.
Sue explained everything.
She told him about John C.'
's illness.
She told him how John C watched the Ivy Vine every day and she told him the terrible idea that John C believed.
Sue said she thinks she will die when the last leaf falls.
Berman became very angry.
What foolishness, he shouted.
Foolishness means something silly or unwise.
People do not die because leaves fall.
He said loudly.
Sue nodded sadly.
I know, she said.
But she believes it.
Sue explained that John C. had become very weak and very quiet.
She has stopped hoping.
Sue said softly.
Berman's angry face slowly changed.
He became serious.
He walked to the window in his room and looked outside.
He could see the ivy vine on the brick wall.
Many leaves had already fallen.
Only a few leaves were still holding on the vine.
And the vine was growing stronger.
A cold storm was coming.
Berman shook his head slowly. that poor little girl," he said.
Sue wiped a tear from her eye.
Berman stood silently for a moment.
Then he spoke again.
Tomorrow I will come upstairs, he said.
Dark clouds were moving across the sky.
Soon the rain began to fall, and during the night the storm became fierce.
It became strong and violent.
The rain hit the windows, and outside the fragile ivy leaves struggled to stay on the wall.
Sue lay awake during the night.
She wondered if the final leaf would survive the storm, and she feared that when morning came, there might be no leaves left at all.
During the night the wind blew very strongly.
The rain hit the windows of the small apartment again and again.
The streets of Greenwich Village were cold and dark.
The wind moved through the narrow streets and between the buildings.
The ivy vine on the brick wall shook in the storm.
The leaves were small and fragile.
They were delicate, and they could easily fall.
Sue lay awake for a long time.
She could hear the wind outside.
She could hear the rain.
She was afraid.
She believed that by morning all the leaves might fall.
If that happened, she knew John C. might completely lose hope.
Finally, after many hours, morning came.
The storm became quieter.
The rain stopped.
John C. was lying in bed, very still.
Her face looked pale and weak.
She opened her eyes slowly and looked toward the window.
John C. whispered, pull up the curtain.
Sue felt afraid.
She knew John C. wanted to see the ivy vine.
Sue walked slowly to the window.
For a moment, she hesitated.
To hesitate means to pause because you feel uncertain or nervous.
She was afraid that the wall outside would be empty.
They both looked out of the window.
Only one leaf.
One leaf was still there.
It was dark green and yellow at the edges.
The leaf looked old and tired, but it was still holding on the vine.
John C. stared at the leaf for a long time.
Sue waited quietly.
After a few minutes, John C. spoke again.
She said, I thought it would fall during the night.
But it is still there.
Sue nodded gently.
She said, yes, it is still there.
Jauncey continued to watch the leaf.
The wind outside was still cold.
For many days, she had believed that when the last leaf fell, she would die.
But the leaf did not fall.
It remained there on the wall, strong and steady.
And slowly, John C. began to think differently.
John C. said, maybe it was wrong for me to want to die.
Sue felt a sudden feeling of hope.
John C. continued speaking.
This leaf, it has stayed there through the storm.
If it can stay on the wall through the wind and rain, maybe I should stay too.
Sue felt tears in her eyes.
But these were happy tears.
For the first time in many days, John C. was beginning to fight for life again.
John C. asked for some soup.
Then she asked Sue to bring her a mirror so she can look at herself.
Later, she even asked Sue to read a magazine to her.
These were small things, but they were very important signs.
They showed that John C.'
's will to live had returned.
The will to live means the strong desire to continue living.
Later that day, the doctor came to visit again.
After examining John C., he smiled.
She is much better now, he told Sue.
She is much better now.
If she continues to improve like this, she will recover.
She will become healthy again.
Sue felt relief.
Over the next few days, John C. became stronger.
She began to eat a little more food.
She asked Sue to bring her soup and tea.
She even asked for some pillows so she could sit up in bed.
Every morning she looked out of the window at the ivy vine.
And every morning she saw the same thing.
The last leaf was still there.
She thought about it again and again.
How strange, she said one day, it has not moved at all.
Sue smiled gently.
Yes, she said, it is a strong leaf.
Inside her heart, Sue felt deep relief.
She knew that the leaf had helped save John C.'
's hope.
But a few days later, the doctor came again.
After he examined John C., he smiled.
He said, she is safe now.
Her body is stronger and her mind is stronger too.
She will recover.
Sue felt extremely happy.
But as the doctor prepared to leave, he said something else.
He said quietly, there is another patient in this building.
An old man named Berman.
Sue looked surprised.
She asked, Berman?
The doctor nodded.
He said yes.
He has pneumonia.
The disease is very serious for someone his age.
He is very weak.
Su felt a sudden feeling of fear.
How did he become sick, he asked.
He said he was found outside two nights ago.
He was completely wet from the rain and very cold.
Su remembered the night of the storm.
The wind had been fierce.
The rain had been heavy.
She began to feel uneasy.
What was he doing outside?
Sue asked.
The doctor answered quietly.
We do not know exactly, he said.
But the janitor found him early in the morning.
He was lying on the ground near the wall.
He had a ladder beside him and some painting tools.
Sue felt confused.
Painting tools?
Why would Berman be outside in the storm with paint and a ladder?
Later that day, Sue went downstairs to ask the janitor what had happened.
The janitor explained everything.
On the morning after the storm, he had found Berman outside the building.
His clothes were wet and cold.
Near him were a ladder, a lantern, and some paint brushes.
Sue walked quietly to the window.
She looked out at the ivy vine.
There on the brick wall she saw the last leaf.
She looked at it carefully, very carefully.
And suddenly she understood.
The leaf was not moving, even in the wind.
It stayed perfectly still.
The colors were beautiful, dark green, yellow at the edges, and exactly like a real leaf.
But something about it looked different.
Sue realized something extraordinary.
The leaf was not a real leaf.
It was a painting.
Berman had gone outside during the storm.
He had climbed the ladder in the cold rain and on the brick wall he had painted a perfect picture of a leaf.
Sue felt tears fill her eyes.
She now understood everything.
Berman had always talked about painting a masterpiece.
For many years he had dreamed about it. and now he had finally painted one.
It was on a brick wall, in the rain, during a cold storm.
The cold rain had been too much for his old body.
Berman had become very sick, and the next day the doctor brought the final news.
Berman had died.
But Berman had finally painted his masterpiece.
The last leaf teaches us a very powerful lesson.
Sometimes a small act of kindness can change someone's life.
Berman did not become famous.
He did not become rich.
But he did something much more important.
He helped another person live.
He gave hope when hope seemed impossible.
And that is why his painting became a true masterpiece.
Okay, thank you so much for listening to another episode of English Unleashed.
Stories like this help you improve your English listening, your vocabulary and your understanding of natural English.
So try to listen to this story again, read the story out loud, and practice shadowing.
Remember, just like the last leaf in this story, never lose hope in your English journey.
Until next time, keep learning, keep practicing, and keep believing in yourself.
Bye for now.
