Emma was cleaning out her grandmother's attic when she found a dusty wooden box. Inside the box was an old photograph from 1952. The photograph showed four young women standing in front of a large house. Emma recognized her grandmother immediately – she was the one on the far left. But there was something strange about the photo. One of the women had been partially cut out, leaving only her hand visible. Emma turned the photograph over and found some faded writing. 'The summer we lost everything,' it said. She brought the photograph downstairs to show her mother. Her mother's face turned pale when she saw it. 'Where did you find this?' her mother asked quietly. Emma explained about the box in the attic. Her mother sat down slowly and stared at the image. 'Your grandmother never talked about that summer,' she said. 'Why not?' Emma asked, curious now. Her mother shook her head and refused to say more. That night, Emma couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the mysterious photograph. Who was the woman who had been cut out? And what had happened during that summer of 1952? The next morning, Emma decided to investigate. She drove to the local library to look through old newspapers. The librarian helped her find newspapers from the summer of 1952. After hours of searching, Emma found an interesting article. 'Local woman disappears without a trace,' the headline read. The article mentioned a woman named Margaret Hayes. She had vanished on July 15th, 1952, and was never found. Emma's hands trembled as she read the details. Margaret had lived in a large house on Oak Street. That was the same street where her grandmother grew up. Emma photocopied the article and drove to her grandmother's nursing home. Her grandmother, now 91 years old, was sitting by the window. 'Grandma, I need to ask you something important,' Emma said. She showed her the old photograph. Her grandmother's eyes filled with tears immediately. 'I haven't seen this in over seventy years,' she whispered. 'Who was cut out of the photo?' Emma asked gently. Her grandmother was silent for a long moment. 'Her name was Margaret,' she finally said. 'She was my best friend.' Emma waited patiently for her grandmother to continue. 'We were all so young and foolish that summer,' the old woman said. 'There was a man – a handsome stranger who came to town.' 'All four of us fell in love with him.' 'But Margaret was the one he chose.' 'We were jealous, especially Susan – the woman on the right.' Her grandmother paused and looked out the window. 'One night, we had a terrible argument.' 'Susan said awful things to Margaret.' 'The next morning, Margaret was gone.' Emma showed her grandmother the newspaper article. 'Did Susan do something to Margaret?' she asked carefully. Her grandmother shook her head slowly. 'For seventy years, I believed Susan was responsible.' 'That's why I cut her out of the photograph – not Margaret.' Emma was confused now. 'But the article says Margaret disappeared, not Susan.' Her grandmother smiled sadly. 'Three days after Margaret vanished, we received a letter.' 'It was from Margaret herself.' 'She had run away with the stranger.' 'They had planned it all along.' 'She didn't even say goodbye.' 'So I cut Susan out because of what she said that night?' 'No,' her grandmother replied. 'I cut out Margaret because she broke our hearts.' 'Susan passed away ten years later.' 'I regret our friendship ending because of a silly argument.' Emma held her grandmother's hand. 'Did you ever hear from Margaret again?' she asked. 'Once, about thirty years ago,' her grandmother said. 'She sent a postcard from Paris, saying she was happy.'
English Story (B1)The Old Photograph
This B1 English story is designed for intermediate learners. Click any word for instant translation and build your vocabulary as you read.
aboutStory
Emma discovers a mysterious old photograph in her grandmother's attic with one woman cut out. Her investigation leads to the truth about a long-ago disappearance that wasn't what it seemed.
1 / 72
🇬🇧English→🇬🇧English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Where did Emma find the old photograph?
2
Why did the grandmother believe Susan was responsible for Margaret's disappearance?
3
What actually happened to Margaret?
4
