David Miller liked his new flat. It was small, but it was quiet. The neighbours were friendly. Best of all, it was safe. The building had a strong front door with a modern lock. David always locked it carefully. He felt peace behind his heavy, blue door.

One Tuesday, he came home from work late. He was tired. He put his key in the lock and turned it. But something was wrong. The key would not turn all the way. He tried again. Nothing.

Strange, he thought. It worked this morning.

He looked at the key. It was his key. He looked at the door number. It was his number, 4B. He tried once more, pushing hard. The key turned suddenly, but with a rough, grinding sound. The door opened.

Inside, everything was dark. He reached for the light switch. The room was exactly as he left it: his book on the sofa, a clean cup on the table. He shook his head and laughed quietly.

“Silly man,” he said to himself. “You need to sleep.”

The next day, he forgot about the lock. But on Thursday evening, it happened again. He put his key in the lock of his blue door. It didn’t turn smoothly. It felt stiff. Then, he noticed something else. A very small, thin scratch on the metal around the keyhole. It was new.

A cold feeling started in his stomach. Someone tried to get in, he thought. Someone tried to use a different key.

He called the police. A young police officer came, looked at the door, and wrote in a notebook.

“Probably just kids playing,” the officer said. “Or maybe the lock is getting old. You should get a new one.” He gave David a card for a locksmith.

David didn’t feel better. That night, he lay in bed, listening. The old building made its usual sounds: pipes knocking, floorboards settling. But then he heard a new sound. A soft click. It came from the front door.

His heart beat fast. He got out of bed and walked quietly to the door. He put his eye to the peephole. The hallway was empty. He saw nothing.

The next morning, he called the locksmith. A man came and put in a strong, new lock with shiny silver metal. “No one will get through this,” the locksmith said. David paid him and felt safe again.

For three days, everything was fine. The new key turned smoothly. The blue door felt like a fortress.

On the fourth night, David was watching television. A news report came on. The reporter’s face was serious. “Police are searching for a man,” she said. “He is dangerous. He enters flats at night while people sleep. He is very quiet. He watches them.”

David’s blood went cold.

---

Vocabulary Notes

Lock / Lock (verb)
Meaning: A device used to fasten a door, lid, etc., with a mechanism that requires a key to open it. As a verb, it means to fasten something with a lock.
Example: “The building had a strong front door with a modern lock. David always locked it carefully.”
Similar words: Bolt (a metal bar that you slide across to lock a door), deadlock (a type of very strong lock), padlock (a lock you can carry and use on a chain or a gate).

Stiff
Meaning: Not moving or operating freely; difficult to bend or turn.
Example: “He put his key in the lock of his blue door. It didn’t turn smoothly. It felt stiff.”
Similar words: Tight, hard to move, rigid. The opposite is loose or smooth.

Locksmith
Meaning: A person whose job is to make, repair, and open locks, and to make and supply keys.
Example: “He gave David a card for a locksmith.”
Explanation: This is a compound noun, made from ‘lock’ + ‘smith’. A ‘smith’ is a person who works with metal (e.g., a blacksmith works with iron, a goldsmith works with gold).

Fortress
Meaning: A building or place that has been strengthened against attack; a very strong and safe place.
Example: “The new key turned smoothly. The blue door felt like a fortress.”
Similar words: Castle, stronghold, citadel. The author uses this word to show that David feels very safe and protected.

Smoothly / Smooth (adjective)
Meaning: (Adverb) In a way that is without difficulties or problems; having a steady, regular flow. The adjective ‘smooth’ describes a surface that is even and without lumps or rough areas.
Example: “The new key turned smoothly.” / “It didn’t turn smoothly.”
Similar words: Easily, effortlessly, fluently. The opposite is roughly or with difficulty.

Story written by DeepSeek AI.

Image created by 1min.ai.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

short stories, English short stories with subtitles, short bedtime stories read aloud, English short story, short bedtime stories for toddlers, British English story, short story, short English story, English story British accent, short stories, English stories, English stories for kids, British, British studying, stories, British lifestyle, moral stories, moral stories in English, British English, British phrases, stories for teenagers, British English lesson, British English at home