The Humming in the Walls
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Oscar hears a strange humming sound in his apartment every night and finally traces it to his neighbor's new fish tank pump.
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Oscar moved into his apartment in March. Every night, he heard a low humming sound. It came from somewhere behind the kitchen wall. At first, he thought it was the refrigerator. He checked the refrigerator, but it was quiet.
The humming came back every night at nine. One evening, Oscar decided to find the sound. He put his ear against the wall and listened. The sound seemed to move up toward the ceiling. The next morning, he knocked on his neighbor's door.
A woman named Lucia opened the door and smiled. "Hi! Can I help you?" she asked. "Hi, I'm Oscar, from downstairs," he said. "I have a strange question for you." "Okay," Lucia said, and laughed a little.
"Do you hear a humming sound at night?" Oscar asked. Lucia's face changed, and she looked surprised. "Oh! That's probably my fish tank," she said. "I got a new pump for it last week. It's really loud. I didn't know it traveled through the wall."
Lucia showed Oscar the fish tank and the small pump. "I'm sorry about the noise," she said. "It's okay," Oscar said. "I just wanted to know." "I'm going to move the pump away from the wall," Lucia said.
The next night, the apartment was quiet again. Oscar smiled and went back to reading his book.
