The Familiar Face on the Night Bus
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A stranger on the night bus keeps looking at Daria, and turns out to be a childhood neighbor she had not seen in years.
Daria took the night bus home from the city. The bus was almost empty at this hour. She sat near the back, close to the window. A man two seats ahead turned to look at her. Daria felt sure she knew his face. She could not remember his name. The bus stopped, and a few people got off. The man stood up and walked toward her seat. "Excuse me," he said. "Did you live on Elm Street?" Daria's eyes went wide. "Yes, years ago," she said. "I'm Anselm. Our families were neighbors long ago," he said. Daria smiled and looked at him closely. "Anselm! I remember the tree house now," she said. They talked about their old street for a while. Daria's stop came, and she stood up to leave. "It was good to see you," she said. She stepped off the bus into the cool night air. She waved through the window. The bus pulled away.
