Arthur Finch loved his work. He was an art restorer in a big, important museum in London. His job was to fix old things and make them beautiful again. But one Tuesday, his work became a mystery.

He was the last to leave the museum. The lights were off. The city outside was quiet. Arthur walked past the new exhibition. In a glass case was “The Serpent’s Heart,” a small, famous sculpture from the 16th century. It was made of dark metal and looked like a coiled snake. Arthur had just finished cleaning it. He smiled and went home.

The next morning, the museum director called him. “Arthur, the Serpent’s Heart is gone! The case is open, but not broken. The only fingerprints are yours.”

Arthur’s heart jumped. He felt sick. “But I didn’t take it! I saw it there when I left.” The police did not believe him. They questioned him for hours. Arthur felt like his life was ending. He had to find the real thief.

He thought about the night before. What was different? He remembered a young security guard, a new one, named Davies. Davies had seemed very nervous. He kept looking at the clock on his wrist. “Maybe he did it,” Arthur thought.

He decided to follow Davies. The next day, he saw Davies leave the museum and get on a bus. Arthur followed him in a taxi. The bus went to a dark, industrial part of the city. There were many big, grey buildings. Davies walked to a small printing company and went inside.

“This is it,” Arthur thought. “He’s selling the sculpture to someone here.”

Arthur went to the door. He listened. He heard voices, but they were not angry. They sounded sad. He saw Davies talking to a young woman. The woman was crying. Davies gave her a lot of money. “Don’t worry,” Davies said. “This is for the hospital bill. Your moher will be okay.” Arthur felt bad. Davies was not a thief. He was just a worried son trying to help his family.

Arthur went back to the museum. He felt lost. Who could it be? He thought again about every person he had seen. Then he remembered a woman from the day before. She was a journalist. Her name was Clara. She was very friendly and asked many questions. One question was strange. She asked, “How much does the sculpture weigh exactly?” Arthur had found it an odd question. Most people asked about its history or its colour.

He went to the security office. He looked at the video from the camera near the sculpture. He saw himself leave. Then, ten minutes later, a cleaning woman came into the room. She was wearing a uniform like the others, but it looked new. The camera blinked, and the picture went away for just five seconds. When the picture returned, the sculpture was gone. The cleaning woman was walking away.

Arthur looked closer at the uniform. The badge was different. It had the wrong letters. He thought about Clara. The journalist. The cleaning woman on the video had the same height and hair colour as Clara. She had used the camera blink to take the sculpture and leave.

He suddenly understood the strange question. Clara didn’t want the sculpture because of its beauty. She wanted it for its weight. The Serpent’s Heart was hollow. A secret old story said a secret message was hidden inside. The museum thought it was just a legend. But Clara knew it was true. She needed the sculpture for what was inside it. The theft wasn’t about art at all. It was about a secret.

Arthur called the police. He told them everything. They went to Clara’s flat and found the empty sculpture. Inside, they found a small metal box. The box had a very old key in it. Clara confessed. She was a spy, not a journalist. The key was a key to a safe with important government documents.

Arthur’s name was cleared. He was a hero. He looked at the glass case where the sculpture used to be. The mystery was over. The city’s shadow, the hidden truth, was gone. Arthur could finally go back to his simple, quiet job.

---

Vocabulary Notes

Restorer
Meaning: A person whose job is to repair and clean old things like paintings or furniture so they look new again.
Example: “He was an art restorer in a big, important museum in London.”
Similar words: repairer, conservator, mender.

Exhibition
Meaning: A public display of works of art or other items of interest, often in a museum.
Example: “Arthur walked past the new exhibition.”
Similar words: display, show, gallery.

Jumped (as in “my heart jumped”)
Meaning: This is an idiom. It means to feel a sudden shock or fear.
Example: “Arthur’s heart jumped. He felt sick.”
Similar words: startled, shocked, surprised.

Hollow
Meaning: Empty on the inside.
Example: “The Serpent’s Heart was hollow.”
Similar words: empty, vacant, not solid.

Confessed
Meaning: To admit that you did something wrong or bad.
Example: “Clara confessed. She was a spy, not a journalist.”
Similar words: admitted, revealed, told the truth.

Cleared
Meaning: To prove that someone is not guilty of a crime or a mistake.
Example: “Arthur’s name was cleared. He was a hero.”
Similar words: proven innocent, exonerated, acquitted.

Story written by Gemini Pro AI

Image created by Imagiyo AI

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads

#Britishshortstories #learningEnglish #Englishspeaking #Englishspeakingpractice #Englishreading #Englishreadingpractice #readingEnglish #ieltslistening #Englishlisteningpractice #shortstory #storytime