Just Leave — a short story for English reading and speaking

Kevin got to his feet.

He looked around the office at all of his colleagues working inside their cubicles and cleared his throat.

“I’m going,” he said.

A couple of his co-workers looked up at him.

Kevin shoved his chair away from the desk, pulled on his jacket, and walked out of his cubicle.

Frank – Kevin’s closest colleague and now a good friend – stood by his own cubicle.

“Where are you going?” he said.

“I just have to get out of here,” said Kevin, shaking his head.

He didn’t make eye contact with Frank. He just wanted to leave.

“You can’t just go,” said Frank, a smile spreading across his face.

“Watch me,” said Kevin. “I’m leaving.”

Frank gestured to the other people in the office.

Kevin made his way to the exit, and Frank hurried after him, snapping his fingers at the others to follow.

Frank called out after Kevin.

“Kevin. We can talk about this. No need to be like this.”

His tone was patronising and demeaning. Kevin ignored it. At the lift, he stabbed at the button with his finger.

But there was no light to show that the lift was in service.

Kevin pulled the fire door open and went down the stairs.

Just as he reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs, the door opened again and Frank followed with the other office staff.

“Kevin! Stop! You can’t just walk out of here!”

Kevin rushed down the stairs. He reached the lobby of the building and marched towards the front exit.

Two security guards blocked his way.

“Excuse me, sir. I can’t let you leave.”

They raised their hands to block his path, but Kevin dodged past them and out of the door.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the sky was blue.

A perfect day for leaving.

His co-workers bundled out onto the street, led by Frank.

“Kevin, where are you going? You can’t just leave!”

Kevin ignored them. The sun felt good on his face. The air felt fresh and clean.

A sign pointed towards the harbour, with a small logo of a ship beside it.

Kevin marched down the street.

A passer-by pointed at Kevin and looked towards Frank.

“Where is he going?” he called out.

“He’s trying to leave,” said Frank. “We have to stop him.”

As Kevin walked down the street, other people began to notice him.

They called out after him.

“Kevin! Where are you going?”

Kevin didn’t look back. He kept marching forward.

“I’m leaving,” he said quietly to himself.

The growing crowd howled as one. The mob grew bigger.

Shopkeepers, street sweepers, an elderly man out walking his dog – they all joined Frank and the other office workers.

Soon there were thirty people or more.

“Stop!” they cried. “You can’t leave!”

A woman ran up to Frank in the crowd.

“You have to stop him! He’s going to the ferry terminal… He wants to get on the ferry!”

Frank nodded at her and rushed forward to grab Kevin’s arm.

He pulled at Kevin’s elbow, spinning him around to face him.

“Stop this stupid game right now, Kevin. Enough of this. Let’s go back to the office.”

Kevin spun around but didn’t fall. He yanked his arm free and glared at Frank.

“I’m leaving,” he said. “I’ve had enough of this place. I have to get out of here.”

Kevin continued down the hill. More signs for the ferry terminal appeared beside the road.

“I have been here for too long,” said Kevin. “I should have done this a long time ago.”

The crowd grew bigger and bigger. People poured out of shops and houses.

They stopped what they were doing and ran after the crowd.

The crowd streamed past a cafe. A man enjoying a quiet cup of coffee saw the commotion and rose to his feet. He joined the mob in the street.

Soon there were so many of them that they filled the street.

A man ran ahead of Kevin.

“We have to stop him,” the man called out. “I’m going to run down to those police. They will help us.”

Ahead, two police officers stood by the side of the road.

Frank sidled up to Kevin, his voice low and threatening.

“You won’t be able to leave now,” he said. “The police will stop you.”

The crowd let out a cheer as the man ran up to talk to the police.

But Kevin continued walking towards the harbour. He clenched his teeth and thought about what he would say to the two police officers if they stopped him.

As he neared the two officers, he saw the man talking to them excitedly. One officer nodded and started walking towards Kevin.

“Excuse me, sir,” he said. “Where are you going?”

Kevin stopped. The crowd milled around behind him.

“I’m leaving this place,” he said. “I’m going to the ferry terminal.”

The police officer looked back at the other officer. The second officer stared blankly at Kevin.

The first officer stepped forward and held out his hand to Kevin.

“That is not a good idea, sir. I think you should go back to your office and stay there.”

Kevin stood his ground. He didn’t move.

“Are you telling me or asking me?” he said.

The officer looked at his colleague a second time. The second officer took one step towards Kevin.

“We are advising you, sir. Please don’t make any trouble.”

The crowd surged behind him. Their voices rose in protest.

“You must stop him!” they called out as one. “Make him stop! He cannot leave!”

Kevin let out a quiet laugh.

“You can’t stop me, can you? If you could stop me, you would.”

He walked down the hill towards the ferry. He stepped between the two officers. Neither one tried to stop him. They just stared as he walked past them.

The crowd let out a gasp of fear.

Kevin walked faster and faster, then broke into a run. He ran the last few metres to the ferry terminal.

Soon he was right in front of the ferry itself. A steel-mesh walkway led from the harbour wall to the boat.

No crew members were visible. Just the boat.

Kevin ran up the walkway and gripped the railing. From here, he could see the town clearly: the road that led uphill through the middle of the town and straight up to the building that housed his office.

The crowd stood on the harbour. He could see his work colleagues, shop owners, bank staff, the two police officers, and many local people from the town.

“Come back down here,” called out a woman. “You cannot leave.”

“None of us leaves,” cried another man.

“Why not?” asked Kevin. “Why do you all stay here?”

“We have no choice,” said another. “We must stay here. It’s just the way it is.”

Kevin shook his head.

“You can all leave. We can all leave. Any time we want.”

The ferry let out a blast from its horn, and the engine roared into life.

Then the ferry pulled away from the harbour wall and chugged out towards the sea.

Kevin gazed back at the crowd. They stared back at him, their faces twisted in despair.

“We can all go any time we want,” said Kevin to himself.

Soon the crowd became smaller and smaller. The harbour drifted further and further into the distance.

Then Kevin could no longer see it at all.

It had all just disappeared.