Martin Lewis was a radio technician who lived in a quiet coastal town. Every evening, after finishing his shift at the harbour workshop, he liked to experiment with an old portable receiver that he kept in his garage. It was an old silver box with scratched knobs and a bent antenna, but it still worked well enough to catch unusual signals.
One warm evening in late summer, the receiver picked up a strange rhythmic pulse. It was not music, not a voice, and not the usual crackle of distant storms. The sound was steady, like a coded message. Martin listened carefully. The pattern repeated every twenty seconds. He wrote the sequence in a notebook, believing it might be a form of amateur communication.
Over the next few days, the signal grew stronger. People at the harbour mentioned unusual flickers in their radio systems, and fishermen complained that their navigation tools seemed slightly off. Martin felt curious but also uneasy. Something about the pulse felt deliberate.
One night, determined to understand the source, Martin drove to an abandoned industrial yard outside the town. Years ago, the yard had been used for research on marine equipment, but now it was silent and covered in dust. His receiver beeped faster as he walked between the rusted metal frames and empty storage units. The pulse was definitely coming from somewhere inside the yard.
He followed the signal to a small concrete building with no windows. The door was unlocked. Inside, he found dusty tables, broken screens, and a single metal cabinet humming softly. The cabinet held an old experimental transmitter, still connected to a damaged power supply. A loose cable had formed a simple repeating loop, accidentally sending the rhythmic pulse across the coast.
Relief washed over Martin. There was no hidden message, no danger, only a forgotten machine waking itself by accident. He disconnected the power supply, and the pulse stopped at once. The silence felt peaceful.
A few days later, the harbour technicians confirmed that their equipment was stable again. Fishermen said their tools worked better. Life in the town returned to normal.
Martin kept the old receiver on his shelf, but he did not chase any more mysterious signals for a while. The experience taught him that curiosity can lead to answers, but sometimes answers hide in the most ordinary places.
Vocabulary Notes
Rhythmic
Meaning: Having a regular, repeated pattern of sound or movement.
Example: The receiver picked up a strange rhythmic pulse.
Why it is used: The pulse was repeating in a steady pattern, almost like a beat.
Similar words: regular, patterned, steady, measured.
Uneasy
Meaning: Feeling slightly worried, uncomfortable, or unsure about something.
Example: Martin felt curious but also uneasy.
Why it is used: Martin sensed that something about the signal did not feel right.
Similar words: nervous, uncertain, concerned, anxious.
Abandoned
Meaning: Left empty and unused for a long time.
Example: Martin drove to an abandoned industrial yard.
Why it is used: The industrial yard was no longer active and had been left to decay.
Similar words: deserted, neglected, empty, derelict.
Deliberate
Meaning: Done on purpose; intentional.
Example: Something about the pulse felt deliberate.
Why it is used: Martin thought the signal might have been created by someone intentionally, rather than being random noise.
Similar words: intentional, planned, purposeful, conscious.
Transmitter
Meaning: A device that sends out signals, often radio or electronic.
Example: The cabinet held an old experimental transmitter.
Why it is used: This machine was responsible for accidentally sending the repeating pulse across the coast.
Similar words: sender, broadcaster, signal unit, radio device.
Story written by ChatGPT.
Image created by ChatGPT.
CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.
Reading Short Stories/Content for English Learners 
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