Mr Jenkins was not a criminal. He was a retired postman who spent most of his time gardening, feeding birds, and watching old detective shows. But one Thursday morning, everything changed. Mr Jenkins became… a biscuit thief.
It started with a simple plan: go to the local supermarket, buy tea and biscuits, and come home in time to watch Inspector Badger, his favourite detective show. He put on his beige cardigan, flat cap, and comfy shoes. He looked like the kind of man who wouldn’t steal a single crumb, let alone an entire packet of biscuits.
Mr Jenkins arrived at the supermarket with his shopping list: Tea bags, Biscuits, Milk, Bird seed.
It was all going well until he reached the biscuit aisle. He stood there for ten minutes, trying to choose between chocolate digestives, custard creams, or the fancy foreign ones with the Italian name he couldn’t pronounce.
While he stood there, staring at the shelves like they were a great mystery, he didn’t notice a small child nearby pushing a toy trolley. The trolley crashed into Mr Jenkins’ leg.
“Ouch!” he said, rubbing his shin.
“Sorry!” said the child, and zoomed off, leaving behind a packet of biscuits in Mr Jenkins’ shopping basket.
Mr Jenkins looked down. The biscuits were called ChocoCrunch Supreme Deluxe. He had never heard of them, but they sounded fancy.
“Well,” he said to himself, “maybe it’s a sign.”
He continued shopping, paid at the till, and walked home happily, dreaming of tea and crunchy chocolate joy.
But when he opened the biscuits at home, something was wrong.
They weren’t chocolate at all.
They were dog biscuits.
On the front, in tiny writing, it said: “Now with extra beef flavour for your furry friend!”
“Beef?!” said Mr Jenkins. “I don’t have a furry friend!”
He looked in the mirror and thought, Do I look like the sort of man who eats beefy biscuits?
Just then, his neighbour, Mrs Bell, knocked on the door.
“Mr Jenkins! You’ve stolen my dog’s biscuits!”
“What? I did no such thing!”
“My grandson saw you put them in your basket in the shop!”
Mr Jenkins’ face went red. “That was an accident! I thought they were chocolate!”
Mrs Bell raised an eyebrow. “Really? You thought beef flavour was a new type of chocolate?”
Mr Jenkins tried to give the biscuits back, but unfortunately, he had already eaten three.
“And?” Mrs Bell asked.
He looked down. “Crunchy,” he admitted. “Bit dry.”
From that day on, people in the neighbourhood gave him a new nickname: The Biscuit Bandit.
He tried to explain it was all a mistake, but nobody listened. Even Inspector Badger started to feel judgmental when he watched it.
One day, he went to the park to feed the birds. As he opened his bag, a group of dogs came running over. They sniffed his coat, jumped up on him, and wouldn’t leave him alone.
“Oh no,” he said, “they’ve heard the legend.”
“Legend?” asked a lady walking her poodle.
“Yes,” he sighed. “The legend of the man who stole the beefy biscuits.”
She laughed. “You’re the Biscuit Bandit?”
He nodded.
She smiled. “My poodle loves those. Want to come over for tea and share a few, the dog kind, I mean?”
Mr Jenkins paused. Maybe being the Biscuit Bandit wasn’t so bad after all.
He tipped his hat. “Lead the way.”
Vocabulary Notes
Robbery (noun)
Definition: The act of stealing something, especially using force or without permission.
From the story: “Mr Jenkins became… a biscuit thief.” and the title “The Great Biscuit Robbery”
Example: “The robbery happened late at night when the bakery was closed.”
Similar words:
Theft – general word for stealing something.
Heist (informal) – often used for a clever or dramatic theft, e.g., “a jewellery heist.”
Burglary – when someone breaks into a building to steal something.
Fancy (adjective)
Definition: Expensive, high-quality, or decorated in a way that is not plain.
From the story: “the fancy foreign ones with the Italian name he couldn’t pronounce.”
Example: “She wore a fancy dress to the party with lots of sparkles and lace.”
Similar words:
Posh (British, informal) – upper-class or stylish.
Luxurious – rich and comfortable.
Elegant – stylish and graceful.
Trolley (noun)
Definition: A small vehicle with wheels used to carry shopping in a supermarket (British English).
From the story: “The trolley crashed into Mr Jenkins’ leg.”
Example: “I pushed the trolley down the biscuit aisle.”
Similar words:
Cart (American English) – same as trolley.
Buggy – also used for a baby stroller (context matters).
Handbasket – smaller version, sometimes used.
Crunchy (adjective)
Definition: A food that makes a crisp noise when you chew it.
From the story: “Crunchy,” he admitted. “Bit dry.”
Example: “These biscuits are so crunchy, they almost hurt my teeth!”
Similar words:
Crispy – often used for fried or toasted foods.
Brittle – hard but easily breakable.
Crumbly – easily breaks into small pieces (e.g. shortbread).
Eyebrow (noun) / Raised an eyebrow (phrase)
Definition: A line of hair above the eye / To raise an eyebrow means to show surprise or doubt.
From the story: “Mrs Bell raised an eyebrow.”
Example: “He raised an eyebrow when he heard the strange excuse.”
Similar phrases:
Gave a look – a way of expressing feelings with your face.
Side-eye (informal) – a sideways glance showing suspicion.
Lifted her brow – another way to say someone looked surprised.
Legend (noun)
Definition: A famous story, often passed down over time, sometimes not entirely true.
From the story: “They’ve heard the legend.”
Example: “There’s a legend about a ghost who haunts the old castle.”
Similar words:
Myth – a traditional story, often involving gods or heroes.
Tale – a story, often imaginative or exaggerated.
Rumour – an unconfirmed story or gossip.
Sighed (verb)
Definition: To breathe out slowly and noisily, often showing tiredness or sadness.
From the story: “Yes,” he sighed. “The legend of the man who stole the beefy biscuits.”
Example: “She sighed when she saw the mess in the kitchen.”
Similar words:
Groaned – a sound of pain or annoyance.
Muttered – to speak quietly, often angrily.
Exhaled – the physical action of breathing out (not always emotional).
Bit dry (expression)
Definition: Used to describe food that is not moist enough and is hard to chew or swallow.
From the story: “Bit dry.” (referring to the dog biscuits)
Example: “The cake looked nice, but it was a bit dry in the middle.”
Similar expressions:
Not very moist – more polite/formal.
Overbaked – cooked too long and dried out.
Hard to swallow – both literally (food) and figuratively (information or a lie).
Story written by ChatGPT AI
Image created by ChatGPT AI
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