The Sandcastle and the Tide
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in 4 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Evander and his team fight the sea with a wall and a canal to save their sandcastle before the beach contest ends.
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Evander and his team are at the beach for the sandcastle contest. There are five of them. They have a plan. The castle has four towers, a gate and a long stairway.
They work all morning with buckets, spoons and their hands. Evander makes the towers. One of the girls makes tiny windows with a stick. By noon, the castle is as tall as Evander's chest.
The judges will come at two o'clock. The team sits down to eat their sandwiches.
Then Evander looks at the water. The sea is much closer than before. The tide comes in early today. A small wave touches the first tower.
"We must stop the sea," he says.
Everyone jumps up. They build a high sand wall in front of the castle. Then they dig a long canal on the side. The water hits the wall and goes into the canal instead. For ten minutes, the plan works.
Then a big wave comes. It breaks the wall, and the water runs to the castle. One tower falls, then another. Soon the whole castle is only a hill of sand.
The team sits in the wet sand and laughs.
The judges walk over. A tall woman looks at the broken wall and the canal. "We came to see a castle," she says. "But you fought the sea. That is the best idea on the beach today."
She gives the team a small golden shovel. Evander holds it over his head. The sea takes the last of the sand.
