Ben is a taxi driver. He works in the city at night. He likes the quiet roads. One rainy evening, a woman gets into his taxi. She has a grey umbrella. She is wet and cold. She says, “Please drive fast. Go to the river.”

Ben looks at her in the mirror. Her hands shake. Her eyes look scared. Ben drives. The rain is loud on the car. The woman does not talk. She holds the grey umbrella close.

At the river, she says, “Stop here.” She gives Ben money. She leaves the umbrella in the car. She runs into the dark. Ben shouts, “Wait! Your umbrella!” But she is gone.

Ben looks at the umbrella. It is heavy. He opens it. Inside the handle, there is a small bag. The bag has a ring. The ring is gold and bright. There is also a paper. The paper says, “If you find this, I am in trouble. Call this number.”

Ben is nervous. He calls the number. A man answers. The man says, “Who are you? Where is she?” Ben says, “I am a taxi driver. The woman left this umbrella.” The man gets angry. He says, “Meet me under the big bridge in twenty minutes. Bring the ring. Do not call the police.”

Ben does not like this. He thinks about the woman. She looked so scared. Ben decides to call the police first. He tells an officer about the umbrella, the ring, and the call.

The officer says, “Good. Come to the big bridge. We will be there too. But stay in your car.”

Ben drives to the bridge. It is still raining. He sees a black car under the bridge. A tall man stands next to it. Ben stops his taxi. He does not get out. The man walks to Ben’s window. He says, “Give me the ring.”

Ben says, “Where is the woman?” The man smiles but his eyes are cold. He says, “She is safe if you give me the ring.”

Suddenly, police cars come fast. Lights flash. Officers run out. The tall man tries to run but they stop him. They open the black car. Inside, the woman from the taxi is there. Her hands are tied. She is okay.

The woman sees Ben and cries. She says, “Thank you. The ring was my grandmother’s. That man wanted to sell it. He took me today. I put the paper in the umbrella when he was not looking. I hoped someone would help.”

The police take the tall man to jail. They give the ring back to the woman. She hugs Ben. She says, “You saved my life. You were very brave.”

Ben drives home. The rain stops. He is tired but happy. He puts the grey umbrella by his door. He will never forget that night. The woman is safe. The bad man cannot hurt her now.

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Vocabulary Notes

Scared
Meaning: feeling afraid or worried that something bad might happen.
Example: “Her eyes look scared.”
Similar words: afraid, frightened, nervous
More examples:
The dog is scared of loud noises.
I feel scared when I walk home at night.

Brave
Meaning: ready to do things that are dangerous or difficult, without showing fear.
Example: “You were very brave.”
Similar words: strong, fearless, bold
More examples:
The firefighter was brave and went into the fire.
She was brave to speak in front of many people.

Trouble
Meaning: a problem, difficulty, or a dangerous situation.
Example: “If you find this, I am in trouble.”
Similar words: problem, difficulty, danger
More examples:
My car is in trouble. It will not start.
He helps his friends when they are in trouble.

Safe
Meaning: not in danger, protected from harm.
Example: “She is safe if you give me the ring.” / “The woman is safe.”
Similar words: secure, protected, unhurt
More examples:
The baby is safe in her bed.
Keep your money safe in the bank.

Decide
Meaning: to choose what to do after thinking about it.
Example: “Ben decides to call the police first.”
Similar words: choose, make a choice, pick
More examples:
I cannot decide what to eat for dinner.
We decided to go to the park today.

Story written by Meta.

Animation created by Meta.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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