It was nearly midnight. Tim sat at his kitchen table, holding his head in his hands. In front of him was a pile of unpaid bills that seemed to be growing by the day. His hands were cold, and his head hurt from weeks of worry.
Every letter he opened seemed to be worse than the last. He had never felt so desperate.
“There’s no way out,” he said to himself.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Wondering who could be visiting so late on a Monday night, Tim opened the door cautiously. A tall man in a dark coat stood there.
His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
“Good evening, Tim,” the man said. “I know about your problems, and I can help you. Please let me explain.”
The man walked into the kitchen and put a deck of cards on the table. The cards looked old.
“All your debts can disappear tonight,” the man said. “All you need to do is pick one card.”
Tim looked at the deck. “This sounds like a trick.”
“Not a trick,” the man said. “But there is a risk. If you pick the ten of hearts, something terrible will happen. Not to you, but to someone you know.”
Tim felt sick. He thought of his sister. He thought of his best friend, Mark.
But he felt he had no choice. Besides, what were the chances of him picking the ten of hearts when there were 51 other cards in the deck?
The man pushed the deck closer. “Pick, Tim.”
Nervously, Tim picked a card. When he turned it over, he froze.
The ten of hearts.
Tim dropped the card on the table. His body felt cold. “No…”
The man’s smile grew wide. “A bold choice, Tim. But I’m afraid that fate can be cruel.”
At that moment, Tim’s phone rang. His sister’s name appeared on the screen. He answered with shaking hands.
Her voice was full of fear. “Tim… Mark’s been in an accident. He is in the hospital. They don’t know if he will live.”
Tim dropped the phone. The man picked up the ten of hearts, put the deck into his coat, and stood.
“Your debts are gone,” he said. “But freedom always has a price.”
The door closed behind him, leaving Tim alone in silence. The bills were gone from the table, but the cost was already too high.
📒 Key vocabulary
- bills – pieces of paper that show money you must pay
- debts – money you must pay back
- cautiously – in a careful or nervous way
- deck – a full set of playing cards
- risk – the chance that something bad may happen
- bold – not afraid, showing courage
- fate – what happens in life that you cannot control
- cruel – very unkind, causing pain
🤔 Comprehension quiz
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