The Missing Garden Shovel
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Kate's garden shovel disappears, and she finds an unexpected culprit next door.
Kate keeps her garden tools in a small shed. Every Saturday, she waters her flowers. Today, her small garden shovel is gone.
She looks on the shelf. She looks under the bench. She looks behind some old flower pots. The shovel is not there.
Kate thinks someone took it from her yard. She feels a little upset about it. Her flowers really need fresh soil today.
She walks over to her neighbor's house. "Did you see my garden shovel?" Kate asks. Her neighbor shakes his head slowly. "No, but my dog loves to dig," he says.
They walk to the neighbor's yard together. The dog runs happily around the grass. Near a rose bush, they see fresh dirt.
Kate digs a little with her hands. She feels something hard under the soil. There is her shovel, deep in the dirt.
The neighbor's dog sits nearby and wags its tail. Kate laughs and picks up the shovel. "I think he borrowed it," Kate says.
The neighbor laughs too and shakes his head. "Sorry about that," he says kindly. "I'll watch him more closely next time."
Kate cleans the shovel with some water. She walks home and waters her flowers. She smiles and puts the shovel away.
