Click here to read part 1 of The Last Stop
American accent
Maria looked out of the window. There were only trees and white fog.
The bus moved more slowly. Then it stopped. The doors opened.
Outside, there was an old bus stop. It was small and broken. There was no town. There were no houses. There was only the road and the trees.
The driver stood up.
“This is the last stop,” he said.
Maria did not move.
“I want to go home,” she said.
The old man looked at her.
“You can go home,” he said. “But first, you must know the truth.”
Maria looked at the man in the dark coat. He was still very quiet.
“What is this place?” she asked.
The driver took an old photo from his bag. He gave it to Maria. She looked at it.
It showed the same bus. It showed the same driver. It showed the same road.
“This photo is very old,” the driver said. “Many years ago, I drove this bus on a cold autumn night, just like tonight.”
“What happened?” Maria asked.
“There was a bad crash,” the driver said. “The bus hit the trees.”
Maria looked at him.
“Were you the driver?”
“Yes.”
“And the people on the bus?”
“They all died.”
Maria felt cold.
“But you are here.”
The old man gave a small smile.
“My body died,” he said. “But my work did not end.”
Maria looked at him, but she did not speak.
“Every year, on this night, I drive this road again.”
“Why?” Maria asked.
“Because one person never left the bus.”
Maria turned to the man in the dark coat.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I was on the bus that night,” the man said. “I was afraid. I did not get off.”
The driver looked at Maria.
“So every year, I come back.”
Maria looked at the man.
“Why do you stay?”
The man looked down.
“I want to change that night,” he said. “I think I can go back.”
“You cannot,” the driver said.
Maria walked to the man.
“You must come with me,” she said.
The man did not answer.
“You can leave now,” Maria said. “The night is over.”
For a long time, nobody spoke.
Then the man stood up. He walked slowly to the door.
Maria smiled.
Together, they got off the bus.
The cold wind touched their faces. They looked back.
The driver was still inside. He smiled for the first time.
“Thank you,” he said. “The trip is over.”
The bus became lighter and lighter. Then it was gone.
There was only the empty road. The trees moved in the wind. Nothing else was there.
Maria looked at the man.
He was smiling.
“I am not afraid now,” he said.
Then he closed his eyes.
Slowly, he disappeared.
Maria was alone.
A few minutes later, she saw lights on the road.
It was a police car. The police officer got out.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes,” Maria said.
The officer took her back to the city.
When Maria got home, her family was waiting for her. They were very happy to see her.
Maria never told many people about that night. Most people would not believe her.
But every autumn, when the wind was loud and the night was dark, she remembered the old driver.
She remembered the man in the dark coat.
And she knew one thing.
She did not feel afraid anymore. And she would never forget the last stop.
📒 Key vocabulary
- fog – a thick cloud close to the ground that makes it hard to see
- broken – damaged and not working; not in good condition
- truth – what is real or correct
- crash – an accident when a car, bus, or other vehicle hits something
- hit (hit, hit, hit) – to touch something hard by accident or on purpose
- died (die, died, died) – stop living
- dark – with little or no light
- go back – to return to a place
- trip – a journey from one place to another
- lighter – brighter; with more light
- empty – with nothing or no one inside
🤔 Comprehension quiz
How much of this story did you understand? Test yourself with this easyEnglish quiz!
Leave a Reply