The Silent Weekend
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 4 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Leif joins a retreat where nobody may speak, and his gestures cause one very funny mix-up.
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Leif had signed up for the silent weekend because his friends said he talked too much. "Try being quiet for two days," one of them had told him. He had laughed, but the idea stayed in his head. So he booked a room at a retreat house in the hills.
On Friday evening, a woman called Anja explained the rules. Nobody could speak after the first meeting until Sunday at noon. Phones were not allowed, and notes were not allowed either. "Use your face and your hands," she said, and then she smiled and said nothing more.
On Saturday morning, a man in the hallway pointed at Leif. He made a walking motion with two fingers and rubbed his hands together. Then he pointed at the kitchen door. Leif understood at once. Rubbing hands meant cold weather, so they were going for a hike.
He was delighted. He put on his boots, his warm jacket and his hat, and he waited by the front door. Everyone else walked past him towards the kitchen. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry, which Leif thought was very peaceful of them.
At last a woman took his arm and led him to the kitchen. A pile of dirty plates stood next to the sink, tall enough to fall over. Leif decided that the hike must start after breakfast, so he took an apron and helped.
He washed for an hour, still wearing his boots. Then he washed for another hour. Whenever he pointed at the window and walked his fingers, the others nodded and passed him another pot.
By lunch, his hat was soaking wet, and he began to wonder whether the hike had been cancelled. He did not dare to ask. On a silent weekend, it is surprisingly hard to complain about the weather.
On Sunday at noon, Anja rang a small bell. "You may speak now," she said.
"At last!" Leif said, much too loudly. "So when are we going hiking?"
The room was quiet for a second. Then the man from the hallway began to laugh so hard that he had to hold the table. "Hiking?" he said. "I asked if you would wash the dishes!"
Leif looked down at his boots, his hat and his wrinkled fingers, and he laughed louder than anyone. "Well," he said, "I talk too much, but I'm a very good dishwasher."
