The Mixed-Up Seating Cards
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Halle nearly seats two feuding cousins together after mixing up place cards for a family dinner.
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Halle planned every detail of the family dinner. She made a seating chart for twelve guests. Two cousins, Delwyn and Corvin, often argued.
She placed their cards at opposite ends of the table. She hurried and swapped two cards by mistake. She did not notice right away.
Halle stepped back to check her work early. Something looked wrong with the head of the table. She counted the cards twice.
Her stomach dropped. Delwyn's card sat right next to Corvin's card. This one mistake was a big problem.
Halle moved fast. She swapped the two cards back to their correct spots. She checked every other name at the table, too.
The doorbell rang right then. Guests filled the house one by one. Delwyn and Corvin arrived within minutes of each other.
They found their seats at opposite ends of the table. Everything was exactly as planned. Neither cousin noticed a thing. Dinner passed calmly, without a single awkward moment.
After dessert, Halle told her sister the whole story quietly. "I almost sat them together," she whispered. Her sister laughed and shook her head.
"You were smart to check twice," her sister said. Halle nodded and looked at the table. Everyone talked and laughed happily.
She started clearing the plates with a small, proud smile.
The next family dinner, Halle made the chart early. She checked every card three times. She never mixed up a card again.
