The Earbuds That Stopped
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 4 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Lyra shops at a market with earbuds that translate for her, until the battery dies in the middle of a sale.
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Lyra walks into the big market. It is her first day in a new country. The air smells of fruit and bread.
She wears small earbuds in her ears. They turn every word into English. She loves them.
Lyra stops at a fruit stall. An old man sells red apples and yellow pears. "Good morning," he says in his language. The earbuds say it in English.
She wants some pears. "How much?" she asks. The earbuds say it to the man in his language. He answers, and the earbuds tell her the price. It is easy.
Then the earbuds beep two times. They go silent. The battery is dead. Lyra taps them, but nothing happens.
The man talks again. Lyra does not know one word. Her face feels hot. She wants to leave.
Then she smiles. She points at the pears. The man holds up a bag.
He takes a pen and a piece of paper. He writes a number. Lyra writes a smaller number. He shakes his head and writes a new one. They do this three times.
At last the man laughs. He puts four pears in the bag. Lyra gives him the coins. She bites a pear, and she waves goodbye.
