Sarah lived in a tall building in London. Her flat was on the third floor. She liked her flat. It was quiet, and she could see the park from her window. Sarah worked from home on her computer, so she often saw her neighbours.
One of her neighbours was Mr. Henderson. He was an old man, maybe seventy years old. He lived alone in the flat next to Sarah, flat 3B. He was usually very quiet. Every morning, Sarah saw milk bottles outside his door. The milkman delivered them early. Mr. Henderson always took them inside before 8 AM.
On Tuesday morning, Sarah saw one milk bottle outside Mr. Henderson’s door at 9 AM. “That’s strange,” she thought. “Maybe he is sleeping late.”
On Wednesday morning, Sarah looked again. Now there were two milk bottles outside flat 3B. Sarah started to worry. She knocked on Mr. Henderson’s door. Knock, knock, knock. No answer. She listened. It was completely silent inside.
She went back to her flat. She felt nervous. Was Mr. Henderson okay? Had something bad happened?
Later that day, Sarah saw another neighbour, Mr. Davies, from flat 3C. Mr. Davies was a big man who always looked a bit angry.
“Hello, Mr. Davies,” Sarah said. “Have you seen Mr. Henderson today? Or yesterday?”
Mr. Davies stopped. “Henderson? No. Haven’t seen him. Why?”
“His milk bottles are outside his door,” Sarah explained. “Two of them now.”
Mr. Davies just shrugged. “Maybe he went away.” He walked quickly to the lift and pressed the button. He didn’t look at Sarah again. Sarah thought his reaction was a bit odd.
That evening, Sarah decided she must do something. She called the police. She explained about the milk bottles and the quiet flat.
About thirty minutes later, two police officers arrived. One was a woman, and one was a man. The man introduced himself. “Good evening, I’m Inspector Miller. You called about Mr. Henderson?”
“Yes,” Sarah said. “I’m worried. It’s not like him.”
Inspector Miller knocked loudly on Mr. Henderson’s door. “Mr. Henderson! Police! Are you okay in there?”
Still no answer.
Inspector Miller spoke to the building manager, who had a spare key. They opened the door slowly.
“Mr. Henderson?” Inspector Miller called again, stepping inside. Sarah waited nervously in the hallway.
The flat was dark. Inspector Miller used his torch. The flat was very tidy. Everything looked normal. There was no sign of Mr. Henderson. There was no sign of any problem, like a fight or a robbery.
“Has he got any family?” Inspector Miller asked Sarah.
“I think he mentioned a sister once,” Sarah said. “But I don’t know her name or where she lives.”
“Did he ever talk about going away?”
“No, never,” Sarah said.
The police officers looked around the small flat. In the bedroom, on a small table next to the bed, they found an address book. Inspector Miller opened it. There were names and phone numbers inside. He found an entry: “Mary P. – Sister.” There was a phone number next to it.
Inspector Miller used his police radio to ask someone at the station to call the number. They waited. It felt like a very long time.
Finally, the radio made a noise. A voice came through. “Inspector? We spoke to Mary Peterson, Mr. Henderson’s sister. She says her brother, Arthur Henderson, is with her. He arrived at her house on Tuesday morning.”
Sarah felt huge relief. “Oh, thank goodness! He’s safe!”
But Inspector Miller looked serious. “Ask Mrs. Peterson why he didn’t tell anyone he was leaving, and why he didn’t cancel his milk.”
There was another pause, then the voice on the radio came back. “She says Arthur decided to visit her very suddenly. He felt a bit lonely and unwell on Monday night. He just packed a small bag early Tuesday morning and took a train to her town. He completely forgot about the milk delivery. He also forgot his mobile phone here in the flat. He sends his apologies for worrying everyone.”
Inspector Miller thanked the officer on the radio. He turned to Sarah. “Well, it seems Mr. Henderson just needed a break and was a bit forgetful. No crime committed here.”
He looked towards Mr. Davies’ flat. “Perhaps Mr. Davies seemed unfriendly because he was busy, not because he knew anything.”
Sarah nodded. She felt a little silly for imagining terrible things, but also glad that she had checked. It was good that neighbours looked out for each other.
“Thank you for calling us,” Inspector Miller said kindly. “It’s always better to check if you are worried.”
The police officers left. Sarah went back into her flat. The building felt normal and quiet again. She was happy Mr. Henderson was safe. Tonight, she would sleep much better. The mystery of the empty flat was solved. It wasn’t a scary thriller story after all, just a case of a forgetful old man needing a holiday.
Vocabulary Notes
Flat
Meaning: An apartment; a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor of a larger building. (Commonly used in British English; American English usually uses ‘apartment’).
Example: “Her flat was on the third floor.”
Similar words: Apartment, unit, residence (more formal).
Neighbours (UK spelling) / Neighbors (US spelling)
Meaning: People who live very near to you, especially in the next house, room, or flat.
Example: “She often saw her neighbours.”
Similar words: People next door, nearby residents.
Delivered
Meaning: (Past tense of deliver) To take goods, letters, parcels, etc. to people’s houses or places of work.
Example: “The milkman delivered them early.”
Similar words: Brought, supplied, distributed.
Strange
Meaning: (Adjective) Unusual or surprising; difficult to understand or explain. Not normal.
Example: “‘That’s strange,’ she thought.”
Similar words: Odd, unusual, peculiar, weird.
Opposite words: Normal, usual, ordinary, common.
Worry (Verb) / Worried (Adjective)
Meaning: (Verb) To think about problems or unpleasant things that might happen in a way that makes you feel unhappy and frightened. (Adjective) Feeling anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.
Example: “Sarah started to worry.” / “You called about Mr. Henderson? … ‘Yes,’ Sarah said. ‘I’m worried.’”
Similar words: Anxious, concerned, nervous, stressed.
Opposite words: Relaxed, calm, unworried.
Nervous
Meaning: (Adjective) Feeling worried, anxious, or slightly frightened. Often about something you are going to do or something that might happen.
Example: “She went back to her flat. She felt nervous.”
Similar words: Anxious, uneasy, apprehensive, jumpy.
Opposite words: Calm, confident, relaxed.
Note: Often similar to ‘worried’, but can sometimes describe a more physical feeling (like shaky hands).
Shrugged
Meaning: (Past tense of shrug) To raise your shoulders slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference (not caring).
Example: “Mr. Davies just shrugged.”
Similar words: (No single word synonym, it describes an action) Showed indifference, gestured uncertainty.
Odd
Meaning: (Adjective) Strange or unexpected. Very similar to ‘strange’.
Example: “Sarah thought his reaction was a bit odd.”
Similar words: Strange, unusual, peculiar, different.
Opposite words: Normal, typical, usual.
Spare Key
Meaning: (Noun phrase) An extra key that you keep in case the main one is lost, or for someone else (like a building manager or family member) to use if needed.
Example: “…the building manager, who had a spare key.”
Similar words: Extra key, duplicate key, backup key.
Tidy
Meaning: (Adjective) Arranged neatly and in order.
Example: “The flat was very tidy.”
Similar words: Neat, orderly, organized, uncluttered.
Opposite words: Messy, untidy, cluttered, disorganized.
Relief
Meaning: (Noun) A feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress. The good feeling when something bad stops or doesn’t happen.
Example: “Sarah felt huge relief.”
Similar words: Comfort, ease, reassurance.
Opposite words: Anxiety, stress, worry, distress.
Suddenly
Meaning: (Adverb) Quickly and unexpectedly. Without warning.
Example: “She says Arthur decided to visit her very suddenly.”
Similar words: Unexpectedly, abruptly, all of a sudden.
Opposite words: Gradually, slowly, expectedly.
Forgot
Meaning: (Past tense of forget) Failed to remember something.
Example: “He completely forgot about the milk delivery.”
Similar words: Didn’t remember, failed to recall.
Opposite words: Remembered, recalled.
Mystery
Meaning: (Noun) Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. Often used for strange events or crimes before the explanation is known.
Example: “The mystery of the empty flat was solved.”
Similar words: Puzzle, enigma, riddle, unexplained event.
Solved
Meaning: (Past tense of solve) Found an answer or explanation for a problem, crime, or mystery.
Example: “The mystery of the empty flat was solved.”
Similar words: Figured out, resolved, answered, explained.
Opposite words: Unsolved, unresolved.
Story written by Gemini AI
Image created by Designer AI
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