English Short Stories For Intermediate Learners: 8 Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn English the Fun Way!

Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
6. David is afraid to help Lily because:
a. the Nazis know she is there
b. the Nazis may have seen her go there
c. he thinks she is a Nazi
d. he is afraid she will rob him
7. Lily says she needs to use the restroom, and David:
a. does not let her
b. shows her where to go
c. says he does not have water in his home
d. asks her to wait
8. Lily offers David a cigarette because:
a. she wants to be friends
b. he does not have any money to buy cigarettes
c. she does not want to smoke by herself
d. none of the above
9. Lily and David know each other because:

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a. they went to school together
b. Lily helped David’s niece
c. David helped Lily’s niece
d. David is helping the American government
10. After Lily makes her phone call, why is David mad?
a. Because the call was expensive
b. Because she gave his name and birthdate
c. Because she said he was helping her
d. Because she gave his address

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Answers to Chapter 2
6. b
7. a
8. d
9. b
10. d

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Chapter 3
“You failed your mission,” the agent said. He did not tell Lily his name.
They were sitting in a small office. The office was inside an empty
warehouse.
The agent with no name was wearing a large blue coat and a white shirt. He
fixed his red necktie. He was sick and he coughed a lot. “Perhaps we should give
you to the Germans.”
“I did my job. I got what I was told to get,” Lily argued. “I got the folder.”
She pointed at the folder. The folder had been in her bag. Now it was on the
desk in front of her. She was going to speak again, but the agent raised his hand.
He stopped her from talking.
“Yes,” he said, frowning. “You got it. Good job.”
“So, why are you angry?”
“Because,” he said, "inside the folder was information. Very important
information.”
“Was the information there?”
“Half of it was. Only half.”
Lily’s face turned pale. “What? You are saying half is missing?”
“That’s right. Where is the other half?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I robbed the office you told me
to. I took the folder...”
“Did you open this folder?”
“Of course not,” she said. “That is not my job.”
“But, you know what is inside of it?”
Lily shook off her shoes. They were uncomfortable and her feet hurt. She
took out a cigarette.
The agent with no name took the cigarette away.

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“I asked you a question, Miss Livesay--”
“Are you an idiot? Yes, I know what is inside the folder!” She took out
another cigarette and lit it. “I was told to find that folder. There it is. And inside-
-”
“Inside is a list of names. Americans who are working for the Nazis.”
“Then my job is done,” Lily said.
“Our man told us the list was bigger. He said there were three hundred
names.” The agent in the blue coat opened the folder. He took out some papers.
“I counted. There are only one hundred and forty-nine names.”
He’s lying, she thought. There were one hundred and fifty names on the list.
“What do you want?” she asked. “I was chased by Nazis! I was almost shot
for that list!”
The agent coughed. He walked backward. He did not like the smoke. “You
have a dangerous job. You have been successful…in the past. But, I will report
this failure. I must tell your boss. He can decide what to do.”
My boss is a woman, Lily thought. He’s lying again!
She looked around the office. “Where is my boss?”
“He will come here later. You must wait here.”
“You said my mission is not finished. Half of the list is missing,” she said. “I
will go out again.”
“No. You cannot leave. They know who you are,” he said, opening a
window. He put his head outside for a moment.
“Are you looking for something?” she asked.
He closed the window. “I wanted some fresh air.”
He waited for her to finish smoking. “They know who you are,” he repeated.
“So you cannot go back out.”
“I have a question for you,” she said. “The list of names. Those are
American government workers?”
The agent with no name sneezed. He took out a tissue. He wiped his nose.
“Yes.”

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“Those people are working for the Nazis?”
“Correct.” He put the papers back in the folder.
“We will find the people on the list.” She leaned forward on the desk. She
touched the folder, but he took it away.
“Yes, we will find them all.”
“What will happen to them?”
“You know what will happen,” he said. “They will be investigated. If they
are really spying for the Germans, we will learn. We know what to do with
people who turn against America.”
“Kill them?” Lily asked. Slowly, she moved her bag. She moved it closer to
her.
“Yes. If they are Americans working for the Nazis…they must die.”
I agree, she decided. Lily had not told the agent everything.
She had opened the folder.
She knew where the other information was…because she had it. She had the
other half of the list.
But, Lily was always paranoid. She never trusted anyone. That is why she
had not told him yet.
When the agent looked away, Lily took a gun out of her bag. He turned to
her. She pointed the gun at his stomach.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked.
“Do you know how to count?” she asked him. “Can you count to one
hundred and fifty?”
He closed his eyes. “You are making a big mistake,” he said.
“You saw your own name on the list. Didn’t you?”
“Miss Livesay, put that gun down. I work for your boss.”
“What’s his name?” Lily asked.
“It does not matter,” he said. “You don’t know his real name anyway.”
“My boss is a woman,” she said, smiling. “And, you don’t know my real

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name either.”
The agent opened his eyes. Lily thought he looked afraid, but she was not
sure…
“Here,” she said. She put the gun on the desk. “I trust you. You can have my
gun.”
He looked at her face, then at the gun. Quickly, he reached out. He picked up
the gun from the table. Outside, they could hear jeeps coming…
“Where did you get this old gun?” he asked, laughing. Then, he pointed it at
her. “I thought you would use a better gun. Well, it does not matter. You were
right. Yes, my name was on the list, but you will never tell anyone.”
He pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire.
She took out her own gun. “You are right too,” she said. “I do use a better
gun.”
Lily shot the agent three times. He fell down on the ground. She took the
folder and put it back into her bag, then she ran outside. The motorcycle driver
was there. He was watching the jeeps.
“Look, the Nazis are coming!” he yelled. “Did you finish your business?”
“Yes,” she said. “My mission is over. Let’s get out of here!”

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Annex to Chapter 3
Summary
Lily meets a government agent. She does not know his name. He is unhappy
because she did not finish her mission. She found a folder with names in it, but
he says half of the names are missing. The names are people who are spying for
the Nazis. Lily learns that the agent is lying to her. He is also working for the
Nazis. She shoots him and escapes…again!