English Short Stories for Intermediate Learners
3. A Terrible Town

Chapter 1

“You two can go on your big adventure,” Ari said. “But I am staying home!”

“No, you are not. You are coming with us!” Denza tried to pick her friend up. Ari kicked her in the knee. She put him down.

Ari was eighty years old. He was not a human though. Ari was a Sliwoh with long white hair. His fingers were long and wrinkly.

Ari was very young…for a Sliwoh. Compared to humans, he was a teenager.

“No, I’m staying home,” Ari repeated. “I will not change my mind. I do not want go out. I don’t want to look for treasure, and I don’t want to fight anybody. You can keep your adventure!”

Denza raised her hairy arms in the air. “I give up!” she said. She was also a Sliwoh, but she was very loud and playful. Most Sliwohs were not.

The other friend was a Glowman. Glowmen loved fighting, they loved adventure, and they really loved gold and treasure.

Their favourite thing in the world was treasure.

The Glowman’s name was Lummp. No one knew how old Lummp was. Lummp liked to talk a lot, but no one understood him. He did not speak the Sliwoh language, but he could write it.

Lummp carried a notebook. Sometimes, he would write things on paper.

He wrote a note to Ari.

“Ari,” the note said, “you can stay home.”

“Thank you,” Ari said. “See? Lummp agrees with me.”

“No, I don’t,” Lummp wrote. He pointed out the window. Far away was a cloud of dust. There were horses coming. Ari could see humans on the horses. Humans! One of the men was wearing a long yellow coat. He was wearing a crown on his head.

“We do not have to leave for adventure,” Denza said with a smile. “Adventure is coming to us!”

Ari, Denza, and Lummp ran outside. Everyone in town was outside. Their town was small. It was called Bird’s Field. It was very quiet. Most of the people who lived in Bird’s Field were Sliwohs, but there were a few Glowmen and a few other types of persons.

All of them were standing in front of their homes. They were looking at the humans on horses.

Visitors were rare. They never saw strangers, and these strangers were dressed very odd.

The horses slowed down. The first horse was a large black mare. Its rider was the tall man in the yellow coat. There was a crown on his head. He looked like a tired king.

He touched his horse’s neck and the horse stood still. The rider climbed down. He looked like the leader of the other men.

“Does anyone here know who I am?” he asked in English. The other horse riders stayed on their horses. There were eight in total, including the leader.

“Why don’t you just tell us?” asked a small Sliwoh. It was Pidor, the baker. Pidor, like most Sliwohs, remembered the old English language. “We don’t like mysteries here, human!”

Denza walked forward. “Are you a king from the East?” she asked.

“Why do you think I’m a king?”

She pointed to his crown.

The tall man in yellow took the crown off his head. “Perhaps I stole this,” he said. He had a long red beard and bright blue eyes.

Lummp was impressed with the crown. It was made of gold. It must be heavy…and worth a lot of money.

“If you stole it,” said Pidor, “then go give it back. We don’t like thieves here.”

“What do you like?” the man asked. “Do you like anything?”

“We like to be left alone.” Pidor crossed his arms. One of the other riders came closer to him. The leader waved his hand.

“No,” the leader said. “Give the old Sliwoh what he wants. Leave him alone.” He looked again at Denza. “You are almost correct. I was a king. I am not a king anymore.” He dropped the crown on the ground.

Lummp wrote a note. He showed the note to Denza.

The note said, “Ask him if I can have that crown now.”

Denza shook her head. She ignored Lummp.

“What happened?” she asked the former king. “And why did you come to Bird’s Field?”

The other riders stopped their horses. They all got down. They stood next to their king.

“These men,” he said, “are the last of the humans. There was a great war in the East. Everyone was killed. I am not a king anymore…because there is no one left to rule.”

“Then why have you come here?” Pidor asked. His wife stood behind him, hiding their daughters.

“Do not fear for your girls,” said the leader, scratching his red beard. “My name is Yardum. I am taking these seven men to the sea town of Spring Field, but we are lost.”

“My name is Denza. You need a guide,” Denza said, stepping forward.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” Yardum said. “I have no money, but I have this gold crown. I will give it to anyone who helps us.”

Ari had a question. “Why must you go to Spring Field? What is there for you?”

“There is a rumour that my friends went there. Perhaps we are not the last humans. I need to find out, so we are on a quest!”

Lummp wrote a note to Denza. He wanted to go because he wanted the crown. Denza nodded; she also wished to go on the journey. “We’ll help you,” she said.

Ari looked alarmed. He could not allow Denza to go with these strangers. He whispered to her in Sliwohish, but she shook her head. “I’m going,” she told him. “Come with us!”

Yardum and his men awaited Ari’s answer.

“I just want to stay home,” Ari said. “But I will go too.”

I will go to protect you, Denza, he thought.

One of the riders who had a scar on his forehead bent and picked up the crown. He wiped off the dirt and put it in a saddlebag, then he got back on his horse.

“It is settled then,” Yardum said. “You,” he pointed to Lummp, “ride with Sadida, the one with the scar. He will keep the crown for now. “You,” he pointed to Ari, “ride with fat Ekin back there. And Denza, you can ride with me.”

Annex to Chapter 1

Summary

Ari is a young Sliwoh. He does not like adventure, but his friends, Denza and Lummp, do. Denza is also a Sliwoh, Lummp is a Glowman. They see humans coming to their town, so they go out to meet them. The humans came from the East, they are looking for a sea town to search for other humans. Ari, Denza, and Lummp agree to go with them.

Multiple-choice questions

Select one answer for each question

1. Ari is eighty years old, but he is:

a. considered an old person

b. considered to be a teenager

c. considered to be wise

d. none of the above

2. Denza and Ari are not humans. They are:

a. Lummps

b. Glowmen

c. horses

d. Sliwohs

3. Lummp cannot speak their language, but he can:

a. write it

b. sing it

c. communicate with them in English

d. use sign language

4. Humans come on horses. They are lost and looking for:

a. someone to buy their gold

b. other humans

c. a town called Bird’s Field

d. Glowmen

5. Yardum says he was once:

a. a king

b. a thief

c. a baker

d. a Sliwoh

Answers to Chapter 1

1. b

2. d

3. a

4. b

5. a

Chapter 2

After riding all day, they arrived in the town of Hill Side. Hill Side was a town of mountains and jewel miners. It was also a very dangerous town, full of criminals. All of the jewel miners carried weapons to protect themselves from thieves.

The sun had been down for hours. It was getting late and people were looking at them.

“We must be careful here,” Ari said. “We should have gone around Hill Side.”

“This way is faster,” Denza said. “Besides, no one is going to bother eight large humans.”

Maybe not, Ari thought. But everyone will bother two Sliwohs, and Glowmen never fight. Lummp is no help. We must stay with the humans at all times.

“We are tired,” Yardum said. “The horses need rest. So do I.”

“What, you want to stay here?” Ari asked. “Let’s keep going. We can camp outside of town.”

“We have no camping supplies. Do you want to sleep on the ground with no blanket or tent?”

“No, but--”

“Then we will rent rooms for the night,” Yardum said, riding toward a small group of cabins. “Tomorrow morning, we will leave early, so you will not be scared for long, little Sliwohs.”

Denza laughed, but Ari was not happy. Yardum and his men tied the horses to wooden posts. Yardum walked to the main cabin.

“You said you don’t have any money,” Ari said.

The tall, bearded man in yellow turned. “What?”

“Back at Bird’s Field…you said you have no money.”

Yardum stared at the little Sliwoh. “That is true. What is your point?”

“How will you pay for the rooms?”

The humans looked at their leader. Sadida smiled at Lummp who wrote a “?” on his notebook. Ekin put his heavy hand on Ari’s shoulder.

“It is a good question, little Sliwoh,” Yardum said. “But don’t worry, I will sweet talk them. I’m very persuasive when I need to be.”

Yardum was indeed very persuasive. He got them five large rooms. One for himself, two rooms for his men, and one for Ari, Denza, and Lummp to share.

Denza took the bed. Ari and Lummp put blankets on the floor. At least, the rooms were warm.

“I don’t trust him,” Ari said. “How did he get rooms with no money?”

Lummp wrote a note. “Maybe he threatened the owner of the cabins…”

“Yes, that is what I think,” Ari said. “He told the cabin owner that his men would hurt them!”

“Keep your voice down,” Denza said. “You think Yardum is dangerous? Then don’t talk so loud or he’ll hear you.”

“I’m only saying we do not know him. And now, we are spending the night in Hill Side. This was a bad idea.”

“I agree,” she said. “Bringing you was a bad idea!”

Lummp laughed. Ari rolled over and tried to go to sleep.

The three were finally asleep when the door burst open. Dark figures had broken the door and ran into the small room. Ari sat up, but was hit in the head. He fell back down, crashing into Lummp. They heard Denza scream and saw her being picked up.

Someone was kidnapping her!

Holding his bruised head, Ari got up again. The dark figures were not humans; they looked like miners. Miners were shorter and rounder than most humans. Their skin was very pale because they did not get much sunlight. Their eyes were very big to help them see better in the darkness of the mines.

One miner held Denza and ran outside with her. His hand was over her mouth and she was not making any sound.

The other miner waited at the door for a moment. He looked confused. He was holding something. He had taken Denza’s blanket.

Suddenly, Ari heard the sound of the humans coming. They would be able to help!

“Miners have taken Denza!” Ari shouted. He saw Sadida and Ekin running toward him. The second miner ran into the darkness and caught up with the first miner, the one who held Denza.

In the dark, it was hard to see which one held her…and which held the blanket!

Ari was chasing them. He pointed in their direction. “Go after them!” he yelled at the two humans. “They have her!”

Miners were very fast runners. They were already far away. One went left, the other went right.

“Which one has the female?” Ekin asked, running next to Ari.

“I cannot tell,” Ari said. “Come with me. We’ll chase the left one. Sadida, go right!”

Lummp stayed at the cabin. Glowmen were extremely slow walkers, and they never ran, but when Yardum and the other humans came, Lummp wrote them the story of what happened.

“Do not worry,” the former king said. “My men will catch those monsters! They will save your friend.”

Lummp waited with Yardum and the others. After an hour, Ari, Sadida, and Ekim returned. Denza was not with them.

“I caught one of the miners,” Sadida said. “But he did not have the female Sliwoh. He only carried a blanket.”

“Did he say where the other miner was going?”

“Yes,” the scarred human said, rubbing his fists. “I made him talk. The kidnapper is taking Denza West to the sea towns.”

“Why?” Yardum asked. “Are they going to Spring Field like us?”

Sadida nodded his head. “They will try to sell her there.”

Ari was startled. “What do you mean, sell her? She is a person, not a horse!”

Yardum’s blue eyes were very sad. “There is much you do not know about the world,” he said. “You have never left Bird’s Field, have you?”

“It isn’t safe to leave,” Ari said.

“Why isn’t it safe?”

“Because bad things happen in the other towns…”

The leader looked down at his feet. “But, you don’t know what bad things, do you? All you know is the world ‘is not safe’. But you don’t know why.”

“I never wanted to know why,” Ari said, crying. Why had he left his town? He knew he was right to stay home! This was all Denza’s fault! And now…now she was gone.

“I understand,” Yardum said. “But get dressed. We’re leaving now. You are going to learn things you did not want to know.”

Annex to Chapter 2

Summary

Ari, Denza, and Lummp ride horses with the humans. They go to the mountain town of Hill Side. Hill Side is a dangerous mining town. It is late at night, so they take rooms. They go to bed, but people break into the Sliwohs’ room. They take Denza! Ari alerts the humans, and they run after the kidnappers, but the kidnappers escape with Denza as their prisoner.

Multiple-choice questions

Select one answer for each question

6. Ari is eighty years old, but he is:

a. miners and criminals

b. a Sliwoh

c. horses and jewels

d. rivers and lakes

7. Yardum rents rooms using:

a. his money

b. his gold crown

c. his persuasion

d. the horses

8. Who does not trust Yardum?

a. Denza

b. Lummp

c. Ekin

d. Ari

9. What do the kidnappers take?

a. Lummp and his blanket

b. The crown

c. Denza and her blanket

d. Denza and the crown

10. According to Sadida, the kidnapper said:

a. the miners killed her

b. the miners will sell her

c. the miners lost her

d. the miners married her

Answers to Chapter 2

6. b

7. c

8. d

9. c

10. b

Chapter 3

It took two days to get to Spring Field. The sea town was beautiful, the sandy beaches were clean and lovely. The blue sea looked warm and full of life. But, there was no time for fun or fishing.

Denza was still missing. She might be here. She might still be the miner’s captive…unless he had sold her.

“I have never seen anything like this,” Lummp wrote. “When we find Denza, we should move here!”

Ari agreed. Spring Field looked like a perfect town. But, he did not feel comfortable here.

“There is something wrong about this place,” he said to his friend. “Do you feel it?”

Lummp shrugged. Glowmen did not feel very much of anything. They were not very sensitive persons.

Yardum led the way. His black horse was in front. It seemed like he knew where he was going.

“Have you been here before?” Ari asked.

“No.”

“Where will we begin our search?”

Yardum waved to Sadida. Sadida rode his horse closer to his leader’s.

“What is it, my lord?” Sadida asked Yardum.

The tall human in yellow pointed at Ari. “Tell this Sliwoh where we are going.”

“We are going to the slave market,” the scarred man said. “Your friend Denza will be there.”

“How do you know that?” Ari asked.

“He knows,” Ekin said, “because he’s smart.”

Ari was getting scared. He did not like the feeling he had. “And how do you know where the market is? You said you have never been here!”

Suddenly, Ari realized--he had not seen any people in Spring Field. But then, he saw someone, a pale miner. No, a group of miners!

He looked in the window of a building. There were miners inside. Far away, he saw a miner riding a small horse…no, it was a donkey!

“Sorry,” Yardum said. “But we have not been honest with you.” He pointed to the left. Not very far way, Ari saw a large fenced area. It looked like a big cage for animals. Inside the cage were many Sliwohs and other creatures. They were being held captive.

“This beautiful town has the largest slave market in the West,” Yardum said. “We bring many Sliwohs here. You can see them there. And look, there is your friend!”

“Denza!” Ari yelled. Denza was in the cage. She was alive…but a prisoner.

“You work with the miners,” Ari said. “You are helping them!”

“Sometimes,” Yardum said “we bring them a Sliwoh or two when we are going to Spring Field to buy guns. The miners make very good guns. Don’t they, Ekin?”

“The best,” Ekin said, pointing a very good gun at Ari.

The humans put Ari and Lummp in the cage. Denza ran over to greet them.

“I thought I would never see you again!” she said. “I am sorry, this is my fault!”

“No, don’t say that,” Ari said, hugging her. He looked around. There were at least one hundred Sliwohs in the prison. “How long have you been here?” he asked one of them.

“Not long,” the young Sliwoh said. “They will sell us today.”

“Who are they going to sell us to?”

“We don’t know. By the way, my name is Ked. My brother, Hakan, is over there.” Ked pointed to a small boy Sliwoh. Hakan did not look well. He looked sick.

“We have to escape,” Ari said. He seemed to be one of the oldest Sliwohs in the cage. “Lummp, what can we do to get out of here?”

Lummp frowned. He wasn’t a fighter. He did not have any ideas. But then, he watched one of the miners walk over to a donkey. The miner did something, but Ari did not see.

Lummp took out his notebook and wrote a note.

“It is getting dark,” he wrote. He drew a picture of a donkey and smiled. “We will wait until it is late at night.”

Ari and Denza read the note. They did not understand.

Lummp drew a picture of a key. He pointed to his picture of the donkey. Ari looked over at the real donkeys. One of them was wearing a small leather bag.

Do the guards keep the keys to the cage in that bag? Ari wondered.

Then, they looked at Yardum and his men who were talking to some miners. The humans were laughing. The miners were paying money to Yardum. Then Sadida took out the crown. The miners were impressed by the expensive gold crown. They gave money for it too.

“He lied about everything,” Denza said. “He stole that crown like he stole me!”

Yardum looked in her direction, as if he had heard her. He smiled. Denza spit on the ground.

Later that night, the humans were gone. They had taken their money and left. All the Sliwohs were on the ground sleeping. The miners had gone to their homes, except for a few guards. Most of the guards were drinking and playing a card game. A few of their donkeys were standing around near the cage. The donkeys were not tied down. They were free to walk around.

When everything was quiet, Lummp tapped Ari on the shoulder. Ari tapped Denza and Ked. None of them were really sleeping. They were pretending. Slowly, all of the Sliwohs got up.

Lummp, the Glowman, held out the palm of his hand. His hand was glowing with a small red light. He waved his hand at the donkeys and they looked at it. Very carefully, they walked over to see what the light was. Like all Glowmen, Lummp was very good with animals. They loved him and he loved them.

The donkeys were not afraid of Lummp. They walked over to stand next to him. He reached out his arm and took the bag off the donkey. The key was inside the bag! He gave it to Ari and Ari quickly unlocked the cage.

The guards were taking a nap. Ari and Denza quietly took their weapons and gave them to other Sliwohs. They gathered all the donkeys and slowly walked away from the cage. They were very quiet as they escaped Spring Field.

Tomorrow, they would take the long way around Hill Side, and then would return to Bird’s Field. Ari, Denza, and Luump would tell the others what had happened, then they would take back the other kidnapped Sliwohs to their towns too.

Soon, all of the Sliwoh towns would unite. Soon they would join together to create an army. They would fight the miners…and the humans too if they saw any.

The innocent Sliwohs had learned two important lessons. The world is a very scary place…and never trust a human!

Annex to Chapter 3

Summary

Ari and the others arrive in the Western sea town of Spring Field. It is a very beautiful town, but there is something wrong about it. Soon, Ari learns Yardum’s secret--he has been working with the miners! The humans sold Denza, Ari, and Lummp as slaves, but Lummp helped them escape the evil town and return to Bird’s Field.

Multiple-choice questions

Select one answer for each question

11. Spring Field is a:

a. mountain town

b. Sliwoh town

c. human town

d. sea town

12. Yardum sold the Sliwoh’s to the miners. What else did he sell?

a. Some horses

b. Some blankets

c. A stolen crown

d. Weapons