A Broken Window
“Come on, Jack! Hit the ball harder!” shouted Tom. The boys were playing tennis in the garden outside their house. Their parents had warned them many times not to play in the garden but they always turned a deaf ear to what they said. Jack took a deep breath and hit the ball as hard as he could.
The ball flew through the air at great speed. It sailed over Tom’s racket and crashed right into the window behind them. There was an ear-splitting crash. The boys froze. Jack stared open-mouthed at the broken window. Tom did not even dare to turn around. After a minute, the boys trudged towards the window. There was broken glass everywhere. Their ball was lying in the middle of the living room floor.
Jack turned to Tom. “Do you think we’ll get out of trouble if we apologize?” Tom shook his head. He knew that their parents would reprimand them for what had happened. He was right. He heard the gate creak open at that moment. Then, he heard his mother’s shrill voice as she stomped over to them.
Their mother glared at them. Then, without saying a word, she snatched the rackets from their hands and stomped into the house. The boys’ hearts sank. They knew that they would be severely punished later.
