One morning, Sarah found a package on her doorstep. The package was wrapped in brown paper and had no return address. Sarah picked it up and looked at the handwritten label. It only said her name: Sarah Miller. She had not ordered anything online recently. She brought the package inside and placed it on the kitchen table. Sarah wondered who could have sent it. Her birthday was two months away, so it was probably not a gift. She carefully opened the package with scissors. Inside, there was a small wooden box. The box had beautiful carvings of flowers on its lid. Sarah opened the box and found an old pocket watch inside. The watch was made of silver and looked very old. There was also a folded note at the bottom of the box. Sarah unfolded the note and read it. 'This belonged to someone who loved you very much,' the note said. The note was not signed. Sarah felt confused and curious at the same time. She looked at the watch more closely. On the back, there were some initials engraved: E.M. Sarah thought about these initials for a long time. Then she remembered her grandmother's name: Eleanor Miller. E.M. - Eleanor Miller! Her grandmother had passed away five years ago. Sarah had been very close to her grandmother when she was young. But who had sent this package? Sarah decided to call her mother. 'Mom, did you send me something?' Sarah asked. 'No, I did not send you anything,' her mother replied. Sarah told her mother about the package and the watch. Her mother was silent for a moment. 'That watch belonged to your grandmother,' her mother finally said. 'She always wanted you to have it when you grew up.' Sarah asked who had kept the watch all these years. 'Your Aunt Helen had it,' her mother explained. 'She thought it was time to send it to you.' Sarah felt tears coming to her eyes. She remembered how her grandmother used to show her this watch. 'This watch has been in our family for generations,' her grandmother would say. Sarah held the watch close to her heart. She decided to call her Aunt Helen to thank her. 'Thank you so much, Aunt Helen,' Sarah said when her aunt answered. 'I knew you would appreciate it,' Aunt Helen replied warmly. 'Your grandmother talked about you all the time.' Sarah smiled through her tears. That evening, Sarah wound up the old watch. To her surprise, it still worked perfectly. The soft ticking sound filled the quiet room. Sarah placed the watch on her bedside table. She fell asleep listening to the gentle ticking. In her dreams, she saw her grandmother smiling at her. The mysterious package had brought her a precious gift. It was not just an old watch. It was a piece of her family history and a connection to her beloved grandmother.
English Story (A2)The Mysterious Package
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Sarah receives a mysterious package with no return address containing an old silver pocket watch. She discovers it belonged to her late grandmother and was sent by her aunt, connecting her to cherished family memories.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What was inside the wooden box that Sarah found?
2
What did the initials E.M. on the watch stand for?
3
Who had kept the watch and sent it to Sarah?
4
What happened when Sarah wound up the old watch?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
