Welcome back to easy english.
My name's oliver, and today we are doing something a little bit different and possibly a new series, and that is we are reading short stories in english.
So what is this?
In this series, we are going to read a short story in English with simple phrases and words.
And at the end of the story I'm going to teach you some of the more difficult phrases and vocabulary that we have heard in this story.
So join with me and I will read you some of this story.
Let's get started.
This short story is called The Curious Village.
Once upon a time in a small, quiet village, tucked away in the mountains, everyone knew everyone.
The villagers shared stories.
They helped each other with daily tasks, and they celebrated every holiday with joy.
Life in the village was simple and most people were content.
But one day something unusual happened.
A stranger arrived.
The stranger wore a long dark coat and had a curious look in his eye.
His presence was mysterious and the villagers whispered about him as he walked through the narrow streets.
No one knew where he came from, and he didn't say much.
Some villagers thought that he was a lost traveller, while others believed he was a spy from a distant land.
The stranger checked into the only inn in the village.
An inn is like a hotel, somewhere to stay and sleep. which was run by Mrs. Hill.
She was an older woman known for her kind heart and love of gossip.
She tried to make small talk, but the stranger only gave short answers and spent most of his time in his room reading thick ancient books.
The villagers grew more curious by the day.
They noticed that every evening the stranger went for a walk around the village, stopping to look at certain houses and occasionally taking some notes in a small notebook.
This behavior made the villagers suspicious.
Some of the children even made up stories saying that the stranger was looking for something magical hidden in the village.
One evening, a brave young boy named Leo decided that he was going to follow the stranger.
Leo was the most curious person in the village. always asking questions and seeking adventure.
He hid behind the trees and walls, watching the stranger carefully.
The stranger walked to the centre of the village, where an old abandoned well stood.
He knelt down beside it, took out a strange silver key and whispered something that Leo couldn't quite hear.
So he whispers like this.
Suddenly, the well began to glow with a soft blue light.
Leo's eyes widened in surprise.
The stranger stood up.
He placed the key back in his coat pocket and walked away, disappearing into the night.
Leo ran back to his house.
His heart was racing. and he wanted to tell everyone about what he had just seen.
But he knew that no one would believe him without proof or evidence.
But the next morning, the stranger was gone.
The villagers searched everywhere, but it seemed as if he had vanished into thin air.
Leo, however, knew the truth.
He returned to the well, hoping to see the blue light again.
But the well was silent and dark, as if nothing had happened at all.
Years passed and the village returned back to its usual peaceful life.
But Leo, he never forgot the strange night by the well.
And whenever he looked at the sky on clear nights, he wondered if the stranger was still out there searching for magical places in other villages.
So that's the end of our short story for today.
Now let's take a look at some vocabulary or phrases from within that story.
That might have been a little bit difficult.
I will tell you these phrases and once you understand them, it might be worth or I would recommend to re-listen again to the story with the new words, just to get them into your head.
So the first phrase is tucked away.
Tucked away.
And this means to be hidden or located in a quiet, secret place.
So listen out for that one.
Tucked away.
The second, I did explain while we were reading, was an inn.
And this is a small hotel, often found in villages or rural areas, in the countryside for example.
The third word is gossip.
And gossip is simply casual conversations or rumors, usually about other people or their lives.
Okay.
Word number four, you might know this one already.
It's suspicious.
And that is feeling that something is wrong or that someone may be hiding something.
Okay, number five is abandoned.
Abandoned is left empty or unused, so no one takes care of it anymore.
Number six, vanished.
Vanished means to have disappeared completely, as if by magic.
And the final phrase or word for today is proof.
So proof is evidence of something.
So something which proves or shows that something is real, that it exists, um.
So those are the words which i think were a little bit difficult from this um story.
So now that you know them, take some time to remember those words and listen again to the story And try to think about maybe some of the grammar within the story and those new words.
And you should find on your second listen that you can understand a lot better.
So thank you for listening.
This is a new type of video.
So let me know in the comments if you like it.
And I'm also trying this video format to see if you'd like that too.
So please give me your feedback in the comments below and I will do more videos like this, if you enjoyed.
Thank you for watching and have a great day.
Goodbye.
