Tom and Jane moved to a small house. It was old and cold. They liked it because it was cheap. The house had a big room with a fireplace. In the corner, there was a wooden chair. It was very old. The chair was empty.

“Who sits here?” Jane asked. Tom did not know. “No one,” he said. “It is just an old chair.”

That night, they heard a sound. It was a soft sound. Like someone breathing. They went to the big room. The chair was still empty. But the chair was warm. The fireplace was cold. The chair was warm.

“Strange,” Tom said. “Maybe the sun made it warm.” Jane did not agree. The sun was gone for hours.

The next night, they put a coat on the chair. They went to bed. In the morning, the coat was on the floor. The chair was warm again. Tom felt scared. Jane felt scared too.

“Let us move the chair,” Tom said. They tried to push it. The chair did not move. It was very heavy. Too heavy for two people. It was like the chair was stuck to the floor.

That night, they heard a new sound. A whisper. The whisper said, “Sit with me.” Tom and Jane looked at each other. They did not speak. The whisper came from the empty chair.

Jane ran to the door. The door was locked. Tom tried the window. The window did not open. They were trapped in the big room. The chair started to shake. The whisper grew louder. “Sit with me. Sit with me.”

Then the chair turned. It turned slowly. It faced them. The empty chair looked hungry. Tom screamed. Jane cried. The chair moved across the floor. It moved by itself. It came closer and closer.

Tom pushed Jane behind him. The chair stopped. It was very close. The whisper said, “One of you. One of you must sit. Now.”

Jane looked at Tom. Tom looked at Jane. They loved each other. But they were very scared. Then Jane had an idea. She picked up a heavy lamp. She threw it at the chair. The lamp broke. The chair made a loud cry. It was a terrible cry. The chair fell over. It broke into many pieces.

The room went quiet. The door opened. The window opened. The warm feeling was gone. The chair was just old wood on the floor.

They burned the wood in the fireplace. The fire was hot and bright. They watched it burn all night.

In the morning, they left the house. They never came back. But sometimes, late at night, Tom thinks he hears a whisper. It says, “Find me a new chair. Find me a new chair.”

---

If you learned a new word today, please make sure to subscribe, so you can practice again next time.

---

Vocabulary Notes

Empty (adjective)
Meaning: Having nothing inside; not filled.
Example: “The chair was empty.”
Similar words: blank, hollow, vacant, bare.
Extra example: The room was empty, so we felt alone.

Whisper (noun and verb)
Meaning: A very soft, quiet way of speaking.
Example: “The whisper said, ‘Sit with me.’”
Similar words: murmur, mumble, hiss, low voice.
Extra example: She spoke in a whisper because she did not want to wake the baby.

Trap / Trapped (verb and adjective)
Meaning: To be stuck in a place and unable to get out.
Example: “They were trapped in the big room.”
Similar words: caught, stuck, locked in, cornered.
Extra example: The cat was trapped in the tree and could not come down.

Shake / Shook (verb)
Meaning: To move quickly from side to side or up and down, often because of fear or force.
Example: “The chair started to shake.”
Similar words: tremble, vibrate, shiver, quake.
Extra example: His hands shook when he heard the strange noise.

Burn / Burned / Burnt (verb)
Meaning: To destroy or heat something with fire.
Example: “They burned the wood in the fireplace.”
Similar words: set fire to, ignite, scorch, char.
Extra example: Be careful not to burn your fingers on the hot stove.

Story generated by Deepseek AI.

Image generated by 1min.AI

Video generated by MoneyPrinterTurbo AI.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

short stories, English short stories with subtitles, short bedtime stories read aloud, English short story, British English story, short story, short English story, English story British accent, short stories, English stories, British, British studying, stories, moral stories, moral stories in English, British English, British phrases, stories for teenagers, British English lesson, British English at home