The Joker

Jack loved playing jokes more than anything else in the world. He was always looking for ways to make people laugh—or jump and scream with fright. At school, he hid behind doors to shout “Boo!” At home, he put toy spiders in his sister’s bed. At the park, he would swap footballs for water balloons and make his friends wet. Everyone called him “the joker”, and Jack was proud of the name.

At first, his tricks were funny. People laughed, and Jack felt clever. But after a while, things changed. His sister grew tired of spiders in her shoes. His dad wanted to drink his coffee without salt in it. His mum wanted a kitchen without sudden bangs from balloons. The family had had enough.

One evening, they sat together in the living room. “Jack thinks he is the only one who can play tricks,” said Mum. “But maybe it’s time he learnt a lesson.” Dad smiled. His sister clapped her hands. Together, they made a plan.

The next morning, Jack woke up late. Still half asleep, he pulled on his jumper. But—surprise! The arms had been sewn closed at the ends. His hands couldn’t get through. “What’s going on?!” cried Jack. His sister was outside the door, laughing into her pillow.

He quickly changed and ran to the kitchen for breakfast. He opened the fridge to get milk. But instead of milk, there was a big bottle filled with green water with peas floating inside. “This is disgusting!” shouted Jack. Dad hid behind the newspaper, trying not to laugh.

Still hungry, Jack decided to leave for school. He slipped on his shoes and rushed to the front door. But after a few steps outside, he stopped. His shoes felt very cold and wet. He looked down. Both shoes were filled with ice cream—melting ice cream that felt cold and wet under his feet.

From the upstairs window, his family burst into laughter. His sister shouted, “Now you know how it feels, Jack!” Mum took a photo as Jack stood in the garden with sticky ice cream on his socks.

Jack wanted to be angry, but soon he started to laugh too. “Okay, okay, you win!” he said, shaking his head.

That night, at dinner, Jack admitted the truth. “I guess it’s not so funny when you’re the one being tricked.” His family nodded, smiling. Jack promised to make his jokes kinder and more fun. From then on, he didn’t give up tricks—he just made sure everyone could laugh together.

📒 Key vocabulary

jokes – actions or stories that make people laugh

swap (swap, swapped, swapped) – replace or trade

joker – a person who likes to make jokes or play tricks

trick – something done to surprise or fool another person

plan – an idea of what to do

jumper – a warm piece of clothing worn on the upper body

sew (sew, sewed, sewn) – stitch with a needle and thread

burst (burst, burst, burst) – suddenly start doing something strongly

sticky – covered with a substance that stays on things it touches

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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