Arthur stood in the local post office. He held a brown cardboard box. The box contained a pair of red shoes for his sister. He wanted to post the box today. The shop was very warm. A line of people waited at the counter. Arthur stood at the end of the line. He checked his phone. He had plenty of time.

Finally, his turn arrived. He walked to the counter. A young woman in a blue uniform smiled at him. “Good morning,” she said. “How can I help you?”

“I want to send this parcel to London,” Arthur said. He placed the box on the desk.

The clerk looked at the box. Then she looked at a green form on the table. “You need to fill in this paper first,” she said. “Please write your name, your address, and the city.”

Arthur took a black pen. He started to write. He wrote his name clearly. He wrote his street name. Then he looked up. “Excuse me,” he said. “Do I write London in capital letters?”

The clerk blinked. “It does not matter,” she explained. “Small or big letters are both fine.”

“Oh,” Arthur said. “Good to know.” He continued to write. He made a small mistake. He wrote LONDON in very large letters. Then he drew a smiley face next to it. He did not notice it.

He handed the form back. The clerk read it carefully. “You are very happy about London,” she said with a straight face. “But the post service prefers a simple line.”

Arthur laughed nervously. “Sorry. I just want to make sure it arrives safely.”

“It will arrive,” she promised. “Now, please choose a stamp. We have stamps with birds, stamps with flowers, and stamps with old cars.”

Arthur looked at the sheets. “I will take the birds,” he said. “My sister likes nature.”

“A fine choice,” she said. “We weigh the box first.” She placed the box on a small scale. The numbers moved. “It is light,” she said. “The small stamp is perfect.”

Arthur smiled. “Right. Small stamp then.” He paid with a plastic card. The machine made a cheerful sound.

The clerk stuck a label on the box. She put it in a green bag. “Your parcel leaves this afternoon,” she said. “Have a lovely day.”

“Thank you,” Arthur said. He walked to the door. He felt happy. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He wanted to send a message to his sister. He looked at the screen. The message was already written. It said, “I am sending you a gift. Check the post.”

He pressed send. Then he stopped. He looked back at the counter. “Wait,” he said. “I did not tell her the box is blue. I said it was red.”

The clerk looked up. “The box is brown, sir,” she said. “The shoes inside are red.”

Arthur blinked. “Ah. Yes. You are quite right. Thank you for the reminder.”

He pushed the glass door open and stepped outside. The sun was bright. He felt very pleased. The post office was fast. The staff was kind. And his sister would receive her gift very soon. Arthur walked down the pavement, humming a small tune. He knew exactly what to buy next time.

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Vocabulary Notes

Parcel
Meaning: A package or box that is sent by post. In the story, Arthur has a brown cardboard box with shoes inside. He takes this item to the post office to send it to his sister.
Example: “I want to send this parcel to London,” Arthur said.
Similar words: Package, box, packet.

Counter
Meaning: A long flat surface in a shop or bank where customers are served. In the story, Arthur waits in line and then walks to this place to talk to the worker.
Example: Finally, his turn arrived. He walked to the counter.
Similar words: Desk, service area, checkout.

Uniform
Meaning: Special clothes worn by people who do a particular job. In the story, the woman at the post office wears blue clothes so customers know she works there.
Example: A young woman in a blue uniform smiled at him.
Similar words: Work clothes, outfit, attire.

Capital letters
Meaning: Large letters used at the start of names or for emphasis. They are also called upper case letters. In the story, Arthur asks if he should write the city name using these large letters.
Example: “Do I write London in capital letters?”
Similar words: Upper case, big letters, capitals.

Pavement
Meaning: The path for people walking at the side of a road. This is a British English word. In American English, people often say “sidewalk”. In the story, Arthur walks on this path after he leaves the post office.
Example: Arthur walked down the pavement, humming a small tune.
Similar words: Sidewalk, walkway, footpath.

Story written by Qwen3.6-Plus.

Image created by 1min.ai.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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