Learn to speak about e-commerce, IT, website design, and general user experience online. Great for upper-intermediate and advanced English learners! Happy learning!

In this story, an hourglass named Timer comes alive and is able to time travel. This is Part 5 of 6. Waking up at 5am, his most precious time of day when his genius flows like a mighty waterfall, Henry looked out his laboratory window and saw a magic moment: a baby chick was hatching from its egg. This was a sign, today Henry would complete his greatest invention. It looked like a simple household object, fairly inconspicuous, except for its futuristic black appearance. It had two chambers, one on the top and one on the bottom; the bottom was filled with yellow sand. They were connected by a narrow passage in which the sand flowed through. If an ordinary person had seen it, they would have believed it was an ordinary hourglass. But there was nothing ordinary about this hourglass. It was Henry’s latest attempt at engineering a time machine. Henry poured the remaining yellow sand into the top chamber and watched it fall to the bottom. He then tightly attached its cap. Taking a step back, Henry was overwhelmed with both exhilaration and trepidation. At that moment, a strong gust of wind came in through an open-window and scattered several documents across the floor. Henry flipped the hourglass and watched the yellow grains of sand travel through the narrow passage. As they hit the bottom, the grains changed to dark red. Henry looked out the window and saw the proud rising sun, a symbol of a new day. He watched as it slowly went back behind the mountains. He watched as the scattered documents flew up onto his desk and organized themselves as they previous were. He saw the baby chick return to its egg and the egg reassembled itself. Finally, the last grain of sand hit the bottom. Henry had traveled thirty minutes back in time.

In this story, a wax bowl of stinky tofu named Stinfu wants to transform into real food. How does he do it? This is Part 3 of 4. The night market had finished and all the satisfied customers had left. There was only the restaurant staff, working very quickly to pack up. They didn’t want to spend another minute around a kitchen. They wanted to get home to their warm houses and relax. Stinfu stayed where he was. From his view in the showcase, he couldn’t see any of the workers, but he could definitely hear them. He heard plates being washed and stacked; and he heard spray bottles used to clean tables. Then, right on time, just like every night, Stinfu was picked up and moved out onto the counter. A waiter then reached inside the showcase and wiped the glass. Stinfu looked out at the lonely, empty night market and wished for a miracle. I’ve done my service… I’ve attracted thousands of customers to eat stinky tofu… I’m done. I’m tired of living a fake life. I know I’m something real, something more than this wax figure. And with that thought, Stinfu saw the homeless man return. The homeless man creeped forward, trying to stay hidden from the restaurant workers. He crouched down behind a table and looked straight at Stinfu. The homeless man’s eyes said everything: I’m going to get that stinky tofu or die trying! Stinfu lit up with absolute joy and sung a little song in his mind. Eat me, eat me, eat me—I’m ready. Eat me, eat me, eat me—I’m delicious! When the time was right, and the workers were nowhere to be seen, the homeless man ran forward to the counter and snatched Stinfu.

In this story, a deer named Macey plans a secret party with her sister. But what happens when two big cats try to stop her? This is Part 3 of 5. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr! Two huge, strong and dirty cats appear out of nowhere: one proud lion and one sneaky cheetah. They creep forward, saliva dripping from the sides of their mouths. The lion says, “Little deer, I don’t usually eat noodles, but I might have to today.” The cheetah laughs and laughs and laughs. She has never heard anything so funny in her entire life. Macey looks confused, but then notices she has noodles stuck on her horns. She feels embarrassed and angry at the same time. “If you must know, there were no chopsticks…” says Macey. The cheetah says, still laughing, “Did you get it, little dear? We don’t eat noodles; we’re carnivores… but you have noodles on your head and we’re going to eat you.” The lion frowns and looks at the cheetah. “Yes, thank you, Cheetah... That was my point…” Macey confidently steps forward and prepares to fight. She looks like a kung-fu master. She says, “I’m not scared of you. You will never eat me… or my noodles!” Macey then jumps high into the air and does a flying kick! Hiiiiiyyyaaaaaa! Macey kicks the lion right in his big face. Saliva explodes from his mouth. The lion hits the floor HARD. The cheetah is so scared that she crouches down and starts purring. The cheetah doesn’t want to get hurt. The lion is very weak. He gets up and tries to speak, but he’s in so much pain. He says, “ahh…I… my face… you’re so… powerful… Please don’t hurt me anymore…” Macey has fire in her eyes. She is tired of big cats trying to eat her. “You carnivores think you’re so strong,” says Macey, looking like she will crush them. “But you’re not! Now get out of here!” The two cats, not so big anymore, run away. With the setting sun behind her, Macey is standing strong, looking like a hero.

Books 17 and 18

Learn about laws that protect employees' rights to rest and to disconnect from work. Best for upper intermediate and advanced learners! Happy learning!

Love is the most precious gift in the world.

Book 17