Short Story Reading and Questions

Maya had been saving her pocket money for months to buy the silver watch she'd seen in the jewellery shop window. It wasn't fancy or expensive, but it had a delicate pattern of stars etched around its face that reminded her of the night sky. When she finally had enough money, she rushed to the shop and bought it, wearing it proudly on her wrist every single day.

One Saturday afternoon, Maya's best friend Jackson invited her to play football at the park. Maya hesitated—she didn't want to damage her precious watch—but Jackson insisted it would be fine. "Just take it off and leave it in your bag," he suggested. Maya agreed and carefully placed the watch in the side pocket of her backpack before joining the game.

After an hour of running, laughing, and scoring goals, the friends collapsed on the grass, exhausted and happy. Maya reached for her bag to check the time, but her heart sank when she unzipped the side pocket. The watch was gone. She frantically searched through every compartment, tipped the entire bag upside down, and retraced her steps across the field, but there was no sign of it.

"Maybe it fell out when we were playing," Jackson said, looking worried. Together, they combed through the grass near the goalposts where they'd piled their bags. Nothing. Maya felt tears stinging her eyes. All those weeks of saving, gone.

Just as they were about to give up, Jackson noticed an elderly man sitting on a nearby bench, waving at them. They jogged over, and the man smiled kindly. "I think this might belong to one of you," he said, holding up Maya's watch. "I saw it glinting in the sun near that tree. Thought someone might come looking for it."

Maya couldn't believe her luck. She thanked the man repeatedly, her relief overwhelming. From that day on, she made sure to leave her watch safely at home whenever she went to the park. Some things, she realised, were too precious to risk losing.