The Security App and the Neighbor's Cat
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Roman's security app keeps sending alerts about his neighbor's cat until he finds the right setting.
Roman's phone buzzes every hour with the same alert. "Motion detected at the back door," it says. Every time, he checks the camera on his phone.
Every time, the camera shows the same thing. A gray cat walks on his porch.
At first, Roman finds it funny. By the third day, the alerts start to annoy him. The cat walks past at breakfast, at lunch, and again at dinner.
On Saturday, Roman meets his neighbor Pia in the yard. "Is that gray cat yours?" he asks.
"Yes, that's Pepper," Pia says. "He walks the same path every day. It's his little routine."
"My security app sends an alert every time he crosses," Roman says. "I get about six messages a day."
Pia laughs. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know he goes that way."
"It's fine," Roman says. "I just need to change a setting."
That evening, Roman opens the app. He finds an option called "Ignore Small Animals." He turns it on.
The next morning, his phone stays quiet. Pepper still walks across the porch every day. The camera stays quiet now.
Roman watches the cat from his window and smiles. At least now he only sees it when he wants to.
