The Plant Someone Waters
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Isla expects her porch plant to die while she is away, but it is thriving when she returns, and a young neighbor turns out to be the secret gardener.
Isla planned a two-week work trip. She loved her plant on the porch. It needed water every two days. She forgot to ask for help.
She left early on a Monday morning. She thought about her plant the whole time. The plant needed water, and she was away.
Two weeks later, Isla came home. She walked straight to the porch. The plant looked green and healthy. Isla stared at it in surprise.
"How is this plant still alive?" she said.
She looked around the porch for clues. A small watering can sat by the door. It was not her watering can.
Isla knocked on her neighbor's door. A young girl named Junie opened it.
"Did you water my plant?" Isla asked.
Junie nodded and smiled a big smile. "I saw it from my window," she said. "The soil looked dry every single day. I used my own watering can."
"That was very kind of you," Isla said. "I did not even ask for help."
"I like plants," Junie said simply. "I water my own plants too."
Isla thanked Junie again and again. She gave Junie a small potted flower. "For your good work," Isla said.
Junie held the flower with both hands. She promised to water that one too.
Now, Isla waters her own plant. But she waves at Junie's window first.
