Sarah worked on the twenty-fifth floor of a tall office building. Every day she used the old red lift to go up and down. The lift was slow and made strange noises, but it always worked.
One rainy evening, Sarah stayed late at the office. She was alone. At nine o’clock she pressed the button. The red lift came. The doors opened with a loud scream of metal.
She stepped inside and pressed G for ground floor.
The doors closed. The lift went down… down… down.
But it did not stop at the ground floor. It kept going.
Sarah looked at the numbers: 1… G… then B1… B2… B3…
The light inside started to flash red. The air became very cold.
The lift stopped at B13. There was no B13 in the building.
The doors opened slowly.
Outside was only darkness and the smell of wet earth. Sarah heard water dripping and low voices far away.
She pressed the close button many times. Nothing happened.
A hand – white, wet and very cold – came from the dark and touched the floor of the lift.
Then another hand. Then a face with no eyes looked in.
Sarah screamed. She kicked the hands. She pressed every button.
Suddenly the lift moved up fast. The doors closed just before the thing could enter.
Up… up… up.
It stopped at the twenty-fifth floor again.
The doors opened. Sarah ran out to her office. She locked the door and called security.
The security man came. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Sarah told him everything.
He smiled. “There is no B13,” he said. “And look – the lift is not red. It is silver. The red lift was removed ten years ago… after a woman disappeared inside it.”
Sarah turned and looked down the corridor.
The red lift was waiting, doors open, light flashing red.
She never took the lift again. Every day she walked down twenty-five floors.
And every night, when the building was empty, people say the red lift still travels between floors that do not exist… waiting for the next person who presses the button after dark.
Vocabulary Notes
Flash (verb)
Meaning: to shine brightly on and off very quickly
Example: “The light inside started to flash red.”
Example sentence: The police car lights flashed blue and red in the dark.
Similar words: flicker, blink, sparkle, twinkle
Scream (noun or verb)
Meaning: a very loud, high sound (often from fear or pain); the doors made a sound like a scream
Example: “The doors opened with a loud scream of metal.”
Example sentence: She screamed when she saw the ghost.
Similar words: shriek, yell, screech, howl (for metal sound)
Drip (verb/noun)
Meaning: when water falls in small drops; the sound of water falling
Example: “Sarah heard water dripping…”
Example sentence: Rain was dripping from the roof all night.
Similar words: drop, leak, trickle, ooze
Press (verb)
Meaning: to push something (usually a button) firmly
Example: “She pressed the button.” / “She pressed G for ground floor.”
Example sentence: Press the green button to start the machine.
Similar words: push, click, tap, hit (a button)
Security (noun)
Meaning: the people or department that keep a building safe; a security guard
Example: “She called security.” / “The security man came.”
Example sentence: If you lose your key card, go to security on the ground floor.
Similar words: guard, watchman, caretaker, porter (in a building)
Bonus useful phrase:
After dark
Meaning: after the sun has gone down; at night when it is dark
Example: “waiting for the next person who presses the button after dark.”
Example sentence: The park closes after dark because it is not safe.
Similar expressions: at night, in the dark, when night falls
Story written by Grok 4.1.
Image created by Grok 4.1.
CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.
Reading Short Stories/Content for English Learners 
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