Anna makes hot tea. She puts water in a pot. The water gets warm and steam comes out. Anna pours the water into cups. She adds sugar and milk.

Her friend Tom comes to her flat. They sit on chairs near the window. Outside, people walk on the street. Some cars go by slowly.

Tom talks about his job. He teaches children at school. Anna listens carefully. Then she tells him about her garden. Her plants grow tall now. Flowers are pink and yellow this year.

They drink their tea together. Both cups become empty. The sun moves across the sky outside. It starts to get late. Tom says goodbye and leaves. Anna washes the cups and puts them away. The day ends quietly.

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Vocabulary Notes

Steam
In the story, steam comes out when water gets warm in the pot. Steam is hot gas that you can see rising from hot liquids or food. It happens when water boils.
Example from story: “The water gets warm and steam comes out.”
Similar words: vapour, mist, fumes.
Note: Fumes usually smell bad. Mist is cooler and often outdoors.

Pour
To pour means to move liquid from one container into another smoothly. You pour water from a pot into cups or plates. This word is used with drinks like tea, coffee, juice, soup, or wine.
Example from story: “Anna pours the water into cups.”
Similar words: transfer, tip, decant.
Tip is quicker and less careful. Decant is for special occasions like wine.

Flat
A flat is a room or set of rooms where someone lives, all on one floor. People who speak American English call this an apartment. Flats are common in Britain and many cities around the world.
Example from story: “Her friend Tom comes to her flat.”
Similar words: apartment, residence, dwelling.
Residence sounds formal. Dwelling is very old-fashioned. Apartment is American English.

Empty
Empty describes a space or container with nothing inside it. When cups become empty, there is no more drink left. An opposite word is full, which means completely contained.
Example from story: “Both cups become empty.”
Similar words: bare, vacant, blank.
Bare means no covering. Vacant means no person inside. Blank means no writing marks.

Quietly
Quietly describes doing something in a calm way without much noise or sound. Anna ends her day quietly after Tom leaves. Adverbs ending in ly often describe how actions happen.
Example from story: “The day ends quietly.”
Similar words: softly, silently, peacefully.
Silently means zero sound. Peacefully means calm and relaxed feeling. Softly means gentle volume.

Story written by Lumo.

Image created by Lumo.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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