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Short Story 271 – The Mysterious Letter

One sunny morning, Sarah woke up early. She had a day off from work, and she wanted to enjoy it. After breakfast, she decided to go for a walk in her local park. The park was beautiful, with big trees, colourful flowers, and a small pond. As she walked, she felt happy and relaxed.

While walking along the path, Sarah saw something unusual on a bench. It was a brown envelope, slightly open. Curiosity got the better of her. She approached the bench and picked up the envelope. No one was around, so she decided to take a look inside.

She carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a letter, and it was addressed to “The Brave Explorer.” Sarah laughed a little because she thought that sounded very exciting. She began to read:

“Dear Brave Explorer,

Congratulations! You have found the first clue in a treasure hunt. To find the treasure, follow the clues and listen to your heart.”

Sarah felt a rush of excitement. A treasure hunt? She had never been on one before! She searched the envelope for more information. At the bottom of the letter, there was a small map with a drawing of the park. There was a big red X marked at a spot near the pond.

Without wasting any time, Sarah decided to follow the map. She walked quickly to the pond, her heart racing with excitement. When she reached the pond, she looked around. There were ducks swimming and families having picnics. She looked for the spot marked with the red X.

After a few minutes of searching, she noticed a big rock near the pond. It looked like it had been placed there for a reason. Sarah bent down to look closely. Underneath the rock, she found a small wooden box. It was painted blue and closed with a tiny silver lock.

“Wow, this is amazing!” she said to herself. She looked around again, but no one was watching her. She took the box back to the bench where she had found the letter. She wanted to open it carefully.

Sitting on the bench, she examined the box. There was no key in sight, but she noticed a small riddle written on the box: “What has keys but can’t open locks?”

Sarah thought hard. The answer was simple but clever: “A piano!” She smiled, feeling proud. Perhaps the key would be hidden near a piano in the park. She remembered there was a small music garden with pianos installed for people to play.

Sarah hurried to the music garden, her heart full of hope. When she arrived, she saw that there were several pianos in the grass. People were playing cheerful tunes, and the sound made her feel even more excited. She searched around, looking for any clues.

Finally, she found a big white piano. Near the piano, she noticed a friendly old man playing a lovely song. Sarah approached him and explained her treasure hunt. The man smiled and said, “You might need a key. Look inside the piano on the right side.”

With gratitude, Sarah turned to the right piano and opened the lid. Inside, she saw a small metal key! Carefully, she took it out and thanked the old man. “Good luck, young explorer!” he called after her.

Returning to the bench, Sarah felt nervous but eager. She took the small key and tried it on the wooden box. With a click, the lock opened. Inside the box, she found something truly magical. It was filled with beautiful stones that sparkled in the sunlight. There was also a note that read, “These are not just treasures; they are reminders of adventures. Share them with others.”

Sarah smiled, feeling wonderful. She knew that today was special, not just because of the treasure, but because of the adventure she had. She decided to share the sparkling stones with her friends. They would have their own adventures together.

With a happy heart, Sarah left the park, excited for more adventures in the future.


Vocabulary Notes

Curiosity (noun)

Definition: A strong desire to learn or know something.
Example: Her curiosity about the strange noise made her go outside to investigate.

Envelope (noun)

Definition: A flat, usually rectangular or square paper container used for enclosing a letter.
Example: He opened the envelope to read the invitation to the party.

Congratulate (verb)

Definition: To express pleasure at someone’s success or good fortune.
Example: I want to congratulate you on your promotion at work!

Clue (noun)

Definition: A piece of information that helps to solve a problem or mystery.
Example: The detective found a clue that led him to the missing person.

Treasure (noun)

Definition: A collection of valuable things, such as gold, jewels, or other precious items.
Example: The pirates buried their treasure on a deserted island.

Excitement (noun)

Definition: A feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness.
Example: The children jumped up and down in excitement when they saw the circus.

Pond (noun)

Definition: A small body of still water, smaller than a lake.
Example: We often see frogs and ducks at the pond in the park.

Mark (verb)

Definition: To make a visible impression or sign on something, often to indicate a position or status.
Example: She used a red pen to mark the important dates on the calendar.

Search (verb)

Definition: To try to find something by looking carefully.
Example: He will search for his car keys in the kitchen.

Rock (noun)

Definition: A solid mineral material, often found on the ground or in nature.
Example: The children played on the large rock near the river.

Riddle (noun)

Definition: A question or statement that has a double or hidden meaning, often posed as a puzzle.
Example: They enjoyed solving the riddle during the game night.

Piano (noun)

Definition: A large musical instrument with a keyboard, played by pressing keys that cause hammers to strike strings.
Example: She practices the piano every evening to improve her skills.

Gratitude (noun)

Definition: The feeling of being thankful and appreciative.
Example: He expressed his gratitude to his friends for their support during difficult times.

Sparkle (verb)

Definition: To shine brightly with flashes of light; to glitter.
Example: The stars sparkle in the night sky.

Adventure (noun)

Definition: An exciting or unusual experience, often involving risk or uncertainty.
Example: They planned a weekend adventure in the mountains.

Share (verb)

Definition: To give a portion of something to others; to have or use something together with others.
Example: She loves to share her toys with her little brother.

Story written by 1min.ai

Images created by Designer AI

Hello this is Steve. If you enjoyed the story, please would you take the time to leave a meaningful comment and click on the like icon. If you want to know when the next story has been uploaded, please click on the notify bell icon to be notified. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my channel and tell your English learning friends, so they can benefit too. Thank you.

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Responses

  1. RS avatar

    Hi Steve,

    It’s a wonderful story and it has a meaningful moral to learn and imbibe a great thing from this story.

    thanks.

    1. Steve UK avatar

      I agree, it is a nice story, thank you for commenting.

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