BEGINNER SHORT STORY WITH ADVERBS OF PLACE
A Stranger in Our Town and Adverbs of Place
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There is a stranger in our town. He is a storyteller. The stories he tells are about the places he visits, the food he eats and the people he talks to. Where he comes from, hyenas laugh at night.
In our land we haves foxes and wild pigs. We eat rabbits and raise livestock: cattle, sheep and rarely goats. In this place, wolves no longer howl at night.
Our stranger walks with a walking stick—you know, just in case. In case of what? We ask. In case he meets a snake, a snake in the grass. A big, fat and long snake in the grass.
Sometimes he just stays indoors because he is afraid of what he can meet outside. We tell him not to worry. Our wild animals are toothless, I mean, harmless.
What about the Big Five back in his land? We know all about them. They are always in the news. The leopard, the elephant, the rhinoceros, the buffalo and the famous lion! Does he meet them all the time? Is his stick enough to scare them away?
He says he does not know them. His great-grandfather does. He used to hunt them but now he is too old to hold a spear. His teeth can no longer bite.
Our stranger says the animals in the savannah are like the hair on his grandfather’s head. It is hard to see them anywhere as time flies past. In the past, they used to be everywhere.
Like us, he sees the animals in the news. He does not where they live, what and how they eat, where they sleep. Simply speaking, he does not know their whereabouts. They live far.
What about the hyenas who laugh at night?
He says they want to steal their goats or chickens or whatever they can eat. In the bush, meat carcasses are now scarce. The hyenas need food so they go wherever the food is.
Our stranger travels because where he comes from the land has gone crazy. He no longer knows if the rain will last for two days or more. It is always a gamble. Sometimes the rain makes the river swell and the water spills everywhere.
He says the wind in his land now has wings. The power of the wind in his land is enough to uproot a tree and remove the roof of a house. It is enough to blow everything thing away. It is enough to destroy one’s dreams.
This is why our stranger travels. He knows something strange is happening in his land so he wants to know if the wind also has wings in other lands. He wants to know if in our lands rivers also become pregnant with too much water and spill it on livestock, people and houses. He wants to know.
We tell him that the wind has wings here too. In summer, it carries fire and sweeps through entire bushes and forests, chasing people and burning houses. It is the type of wind that blows everything away too, forever.
Our stranger’s name is Dumisani. Dumi in short. He is tall and walks with an easy gait. Walking is his favourite activity. He walks and travels and sees the world. In turn, the world shows him its secrets.
More Adverbs of Place
Listen: Short Story With Adverbs of Place
Name the Wild Animal Quiz
Further Exploration: Short Story With Adverbs of Place
Download:
- English Worksheet, A Stranger in Our Town, with Adverbs of Place, Learn English With Africa, September 2023, PDF
- English Worksheet with Answers, A Stranger in Our Town, with Adverbs of Place, Learn English With Africa, September 2023, PDF
- English Short Story, A Stranger In Our Town, with Adverbs of Place, Learn English With Africa, September 2023, PDF.
- Adverbs of Place, Vocabulary Chart, Learn English With Africa, September 2023
- Vocabulary Charts, Learn the Wild Animal, Learn English With Africa, September 2023
Read:
- English Short Story, The Astronaut from Bolero, Learn English With Africa, July 2021
- English Short Story, When Lions Come to Town, Learn English With Africa, May 2020
- English Short Story, Dreams Can’t Be Too Big, Learn English With Africa, November 2016
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About the Author
Thandi Ngwira Gatignol is the founder of Learn English With Africa. She was born on June 11th, 1981 in Blantyre, Malawi. When she was 19, she left her country of birth for France. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband in Poland.
Thandi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English studies obtained at the Université Paris X Nanterre in France and a Certificate in Journalism from Malawi. She has taught English as a French Ministry of Education certified teacher both in France and in Poland. She speaks six languages fluently, including French, Polish and Italian. She is now learning Kiswahili, German and Spanish. Salt No More is her debut novel and you can find her other books here on the website or on Amazon.
Course Title: Surprising Adverbs of Place!—A STRANGER IN OUR TOWN, English Short Story (Level A1-A2) © Learn English With Africa, September 2023
