The Map That Got Wet
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A sudden rain shower ruins Eliza's paper trail map, and she and Otis work out which way leads back to the car.
Eliza and Otis went hiking on a warm Saturday morning. Eliza carried a paper map of the trail in her pocket. Halfway up the mountain, dark clouds appeared overhead. A sudden rain shower caught them by surprise.
They found shelter under a large tree. But the rain came in sideways. When Eliza checked her pocket, the map was soaked. The ink spread across the paper. The lines were hard to read.
"Now what?" Eliza asked. "I'm not sure which way leads back to the car," Otis said.
"I remember a big rock near the parking lot," Eliza said. "We passed it on the left side of the trail."
"No, I think it was the right side," Otis said. "We turned right at the rock, not left."
They stood under the tree and tried to remember together. Then Otis pointed at a tall pine tree in the distance. "Wait," he said. "I remember that tree. It was on our right when we started."
"You're right," Eliza said. "That means the rock was on the left side." They walked toward the pine tree and found the trail again.
Soon, they saw the parking lot ahead. The rock stood exactly where Eliza remembered it. They reached the car just as the rain stopped.
