The Storm

American Chapters presents short stories in vivid and easy-to-read, 500-word chapters, perfect for English language learners internationally and adult literacy learners in countries where English is commonly used. All stories are also offered as audio books for learners who want to hear the sounds of American English.

Cecilia Hunter lives in Sunflower, a little town under the big West Texas sky. She runs a home health care business for the elderly. Cecilia visits her clients, cleans their houses, and helps them run errands. At the end of the day, she visits sweet Mrs. Lee, who tells her in a strange voice that "a storm is coming."

That night while driving home, Cecilia encounters a desert storm. Terrible wind and rain force her off the road for a while. But in the days that follow, Cecilia sees another storm brewing. Mrs. Lee's son and his family are moving back to Sunflower. This should be happy news. But Mrs. Lee's granddaughter Anita is acting strangely. Something is wrong.

And then the real storm comes, beginning with a terrible fire. Will Cecilia and the Lee family ever be the same?