Arthur was a single man. He lived in a small, quiet flat in London. Arthur loved one thing most: a good cup of tea. Every morning, he made tea with his old electric kettle.

But the kettle was very, very loud. When it boiled, it sounded like a small plane was landing in his kitchen.

“I must fix this,” Arthur thought one Saturday.

He found his toolbox. The box was full of tools he never used. He put the kettle on the table.

First, Arthur looked at the kettle. Then, he used a small screwdriver. He wanted to see inside. Soon, the kettle was in ten little pieces on the table. Arthur looked at the pieces.

“Oh dear,” he said. He did not know how to put it back together.

He put the pieces in a bag. Now, he needed a coffee instead of tea. He turned on his old toaster to make toast. The toaster smelled strange. A lot of grey smoke came out of the top!

The smoke alarm started to make a terrible noise. Beep! Beep!

Arthur panicked. He grabbed a box of biscuits from the shelf and threw one at the ceiling. The biscuit hit the smoke alarm. The alarm stopped.

Just then, his neighbour, Betty, knocked on the door. She looked at the smoky kitchen, the open toolbox, and the biscuit stuck to the ceiling.

Betty started to laugh. “What happened, Arthur? Did the washing machine explode?”

Arthur sighed. “No, Betty. I just wanted a quiet cup of tea.”

Betty smiled. “It’s a very British problem. I’ll call a handyman, mate. You put the kettle down, literally.”
Arthur sat down. He ate a biscuit from the floor. He still needed a cup of tea. But at least the kitchen was quiet again.

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Vocabulary Notes

Kettle (Noun)
Definition: An electrical container used only for boiling water. In the UK, almost every kitchen has one, especially for making tea.
Example: “Every morning, he made tea with his old electric kettle.”
Similar words: Boiler, tea maker. (The action is to boil.)

Screwdriver (Noun)
Definition: A specific type of tool with a handle and a thin end used for turning screws (like small metal pins) to put things together or take them apart.
Example: “Then, he used a small screwdriver. He wanted to see inside.”
Similar words: Drill (a power tool for similar work), wrench (a tool for turning nuts and bolts), implement.

Smoke (Noun)
Definition: The cloud of gas and small black or grey particles that you see when something is burning. In the story, the toaster burned the food, creating smoke.
Example: “A lot of grey smoke came out of the top!”
Similar words: Fumes (often used for unpleasant-smelling gas), steam (the white gas from boiling water), haze.

Biscuits (Noun, plural)
Definition: (British English) A small, often sweet, baked food, typically eaten with tea or coffee. (In American English, this word often means a soft, savoury bread roll.)
Example: “He grabbed a box of biscuits from the shelf and threw one at the ceiling.”
Similar words: Cookies (often larger and softer than biscuits), crackers (unsweetened, eaten with cheese), treats.

Quiet (Adjective)
Definition: Making very little or no sound; the opposite of loud or noisy. Arthur wanted a peaceful moment.
Example: “I just wanted a quiet cup of tea.”
Similar words: Silent, calm, peaceful, still. (The noun form is quietness or silence.)

Story written by Gemini AI.

Image created by Gemini AI.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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