Sarah felt the cold evening air on her face as she hurried down the street. Her throat was sore, and a cough had been bothering her for a week. She had a late appointment at the doctor’s surgery, and she was already a few minutes late.

She pushed open the heavy glass door. A small bell above it jingled loudly. The waiting room was empty, except for one other person. A man sat in a chair in the corner, holding a magazine. The air was quiet, and the only sound was the low hum of a computer behind the reception desk. The smell of disinfectant was strong.

A woman with tired eyes sat behind the desk. “Hello,” Sarah said, giving her name. The receptionist did not look up. She simply pointed to a sign on the wall. “Wait,” the sign said in big red letters.

Sarah sat down, pulling her coat tight around her. She looked at the man in the corner. He did not look at her. He just turned the pages of his magazine, one by one. The silence was unusual. Normally, this room was full of children crying and people coughing.

After five minutes, the door to a small office opened. A man in a white coat stood there. “Mr. Peterson?” he called. The man in the corner got up and went into the office. The doctor closed the door quietly.

Sarah frowned. She was sure she was Mr. Peterson. Her last name was also Peterson. And she had arrived first. It was strange. She could hear a low noise from the office, like a muffled argument, but it quickly stopped. A few minutes later, the office door opened again. The man came out and walked quickly to the exit, without looking at the receptionist. He seemed pale and in a hurry. The small bell jingled again.

Now Sarah was alone. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting very late. She stood up and went to the desk. The receptionist was gone. The computer screen was dark. Sarah felt a shiver run down her back. A sudden cold draft came from a hallway at the back of the room. A squeaking noise came from the same direction. Sarah felt she should leave, but she needed to see the doctor.

She walked towards the hallway. The squeaking noise came from a door at the end. It was the door to the cleaning closet. The door was slightly open. She pushed it gently, and it opened completely.

Inside, she saw the receptionist tied to a chair. Her mouth was taped, and she was crying silently. Sarah pulled the tape from her mouth. “The doctor!” the receptionist whispered. “That’s not the doctor! The real doctor is in his office. He’s been tied up!”

Sarah ran back to the doctor’s office. She opened the door. The man in the white coat was kneeling by a cabinet. He was putting small bottles into a bag. He looked up, and his eyes were full of surprise and fear. He was not the doctor. He was an impostor. The real Dr. Williams was tied to his chair, just as the receptionist had said.

The man grabbed his bag and ran. Sarah screamed and ran after him, out of the office and into the street. A police car was driving past. Sarah waved her arms wildly. The police car stopped. The officers looked at her. “He’s in there!” she cried, pointing back at the surgery. “He’s a thief!”

The two police officers went inside. They came out a few minutes later, holding the man in handcuffs. He had been stealing drugs from the surgery.

Dr. Williams and the receptionist were fine, a little shaken but not hurt. Sarah’s cough still bothered her, but for some reason, she felt much better. She was no longer just a patient. She was a hero.

---

Vocabulary Notes

Appointment
Definition: A formal arrangement to meet or visit someone at a particular time.
Example: “She had a late appointment at the doctor’s surgery…”
Similar words: Meeting, consultation, reservation.

Surgery
Definition: In the UK, a place where a doctor or dentist works.
Example: “…at the doctor’s surgery, and she was already a few minutes late.”
Similar words: Clinic, office, practice.

Frown
Definition: To make a serious, angry, or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together.
Example: “Sarah frowned. She was sure she was Mr. Peterson.”
Similar words: Scowl, glare, grimace.

Impostor
Definition: A person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others.
Example: “He was not the doctor. He was an impostor.”
Similar words: Fraud, fake, deceiver.

Shaken
Definition: Upset or shocked by an unpleasant event.
Example: “Dr. Williams and the receptionist were fine, a little shaken but not hurt.”
Similar words: Startled, shocked, disturbed.

Story written by Gemini AI.

Image created by 1min.ai.

To read ALL the stories in FULL, please go to http://www.steveuk.blog Thank you.

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