Sam gets into a taxi after finishing work late at night.
But the driver refuses to take him where he wants to go.
Instead, he keeps asking Sam where he needs to go.
This is a mystery short story that your students will love.
It comes complete with a full lesson plan with lots of questions for reading comprehension and discussion.
You can download the full lesson plan below.
The Taxi
“Where do you need to go?”
Sam blinked for a second as he flopped into the back seat of the taxi.
Strange thing to say. Usually, any other taxi driver would say, Where to? Or where do you want to go?
“Berkeley Street. Just by the garage.”
Sam rested his head back and closed his eyes for a second. He couldn’t wait to get home and go to bed. These long days were killing him.
He opened his eyes again. The taxi sat still and motionless on the dark, deserted street.
Sam leaned forward a little.
“Driver?”
In the front, a dark figure, his two big hands on the steering wheel. A cap pulled down low over his eyes.
“Berkeley Street, just by the…”
“I heard you the first time,” said the driver.
“Okay, it’s been a long day,” said Sam. “I just need to…”
“And I’ll ask you again: Where do you need to go?”
Sam blinked. What was this?
“I just told you. Twice in fact.”
The driver stared ahead. The car engine rumbled beneath them.
“No. You told me where you want to go. That’s not where you need to go.”
Sam’s eyes fixed on the back of the driver’s head. He could only make out the man’s jacket collar pulled up around his neck. The cap pulled down to his ears. He could not see one feature of the man in front.
“All right, thanks anyway.”
Sam grabbed his bag and pulled at the door handle. But the door didn’t open. He yanked at the handle a couple of times, but the door remained closed.
Childproof locks. To stop a kid from opening the door. Or anyone, for that matter.
“Listen, let me out. I’ll get another cab somewhere else.”
The driver didn’t move.
“Tell me where you need to go.”
“I need to get out of this taxi,” said Sam. “Before I call the police.”
No movement from the driver.
Sam pulled out his phone and swiped the screen. Nothing. He swiped again. He tapped the screen. Maybe out of juice. He could have sworn he had a full battery earlier. He swiped again, but nothing.
“Just let me out here, please,” he said to the driver. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
The driver spoke again. “Tell me where you need to go.” Each word emphasised.
Sam looked out the side window. Opposite, a row of shops, all closed. He turned in his seat to look behind him and saw the street disappearing into the darkness.
Not a soul around. No one.
“Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what this is about. If you want my money, I’ve got some in my wallet. You can have that and…”
The driver tilted his head.
“Where do you need to go?”
Sam stared ahead. Through the window of the front of the taxi, he could make out the deserted street. The lights on either side, illuminating the sidewalk with conical shapes.
He turned, panic flooding through his veins, and yanked at the door handle. Pulled at it several times until it snapped off in his hand.
He banged at the window with his fists.
“Let me out of here. Let me out right now.”
The driver didn’t flinch. His body rigid in the front seat.
Sam fell back into the rear seat, his breath coming out of him in short bursts. He blinked away the tears that filled his eyes, wiped away the salty sting from his eyelids.
“What do you want?” he said, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper.
“Where do you need to go?”
“I need to go home,” said Sam. “I need to get home and sleep. I’ve been working all day, and I am tired. I need to go home.”
“That’s where you want to go,” said the driver. “But think. Think carefully. Where do you need to go?”
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but the driver raised his right hand to stop him.
“No. Think. Think carefully now. Where do you really need to go tonight? What is the one place that you need to go?”
Sam sat frozen in the back.
Where did he need to go?
He thought about it and could not think of one possible answer. He needed to be home. That was where he needed to be.
He wasn’t tired. He was exhausted. He needed to get inside his own apartment, have a shower, a cup of hot tea and then bed.
He needed sleep. That was what he needed.
But he could not speak.
The car engine hummed beneath him and the driver sat in front, unmoving.
Then it came to him.
Sam’s mouth fell open.
His face dropped and his eyes closed.
That was where he needed to be.
The car engine purred. And the driver sat still in the front.
Sam opened his mouth, but no words came. The driver cleared his throat.
“Where do you need to go?”
Sam raised his eyes to the rear-view mirror. He could just make out the driver’s own eyes. Steely grey, no emotion inside them.
Sam leaned forward and whispered the address to the driver.
The driver nodded, put the car into gear, and slowly drove down the street.
Sam stared outside. The cold, grey windows he had walked past a thousand times on his way to the office. Windows that he may never see again.
Colleagues in his office he may never talk to again.
But he had to go.
It was where he needed to go, and he had put it off for so long.
Now take a look at the video below. Listen to the way I read the story. You can follow along with me and practice your English speaking and pronunciation. Good for listening too!
Reading Comprehension Questions
Who is the main character of the story?
Where does the story take place?
What time of day is it?
Why is Sam taking a taxi?
Where does Sam want to go?
What has he been doing?
What does the taxi driver ask Sam instead of the usual question?
What is unusual about the taxi driver’s question at the beginning of the story?
How does the description of the driver’s appearance create suspense?
What does the driver mean when he says, “That’s not where you need to go”?
How does the taxi driver’s behaviour contribute to the tension in the story?
Can Sam see the driver? Why/why not?
Why does Sam get frustrated with the driver?
What does Sam try to do in order to escape the taxi?
How does Sam’s attempt to use his phone add to the feeling of helplessness?
What happens when Sam tries to open the taxi door?
Are there other people or cars on the street?
Is the car engine on or off?
What is the driver wearing?
Why can’t Sam open the door?
Why can’t Sam use his phone?
What does Sam do when he realizes his phone isn’t working?
How does Sam react when the driver asks him where he needs to go?
Why does Sam feel a sense of panic when he looks outside and sees the deserted street?
What does the driver mean when he emphasizes the difference between where Sam wants to go and where he needs to go?
What is opposite the taxi?
What does Sam offer the driver?
What does Sam want to do when he gets home?
How can Sam see the driver’s eyes?
Why can’t Sam answer the driver’s question at first?
How does Sam finally come up with an answer?
What is Sam’s realization towards the end of the story?
Where does Sam go at the end of the story?
Essential Vocabulary
Out of breath | Childproof locks | Yanked at the handle |
Strange | Walked past | Pulled out his phone |
Closed his eyes | Emphasized | Wiped away the salty sting |
The car engine hummed | Glanced | Banged at the window |
Flopped | Exhausted | Put the car into gear |
Where to? | Cleared his throat | Usually |
Blink | Absently | Out of juice |
Motionless | Usually | Rigid |
Rested | Put it off | Emphasized |
Disappeared | Panic flooding | Usually |
Hummed | Conical | Garage |
Tugged | Desperately |
Exercise
Write down all the words and phrases in your vocabulary notebook. Look in your dictionary and find the meaning of each word. Write the definition next to each word.
Then make up your own sentences using each word or phrase.
For example:
Out of breath — refers to the state of breathing rapidly and with difficulty, typically after physical exertion or strenuous activity, resulting in a temporary shortage of air and a feeling of breathlessness.
Strange — refers to something that is unfamiliar, unusual, or different from what is commonly expected or understood.
Then write a sentence of your own that uses the new word or phrase correctly.
I ran all the way home and by the time I reached my door I was completely out of breath.
The clouds in the sky created a strange shape that I had not seen before.
Do this with all the vocabulary and, over time, this will help improve all your English skills — reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Discussion Questions
What kind of story is this?
Is this a supernatural story? Or a real-life event?
How would you feel if you were in Sam’s situation?
Have you ever had a strange experience in a taxi or another type of transportation?
Explain your reasons.
Who — or what — is the driver?
Is he real? Or a supernatural being?
Explain your reasons.
What do you think the driver symbolizes in the story?
Why do you think the driver kept asking Sam where he needed to go?
Why do you think Sam couldn’t initially answer the driver’s question about where he needed to go?
What might have been holding Sam back from acknowledging where he truly needed to be?
What is the difference between where you want to go and where you need to go?
What do you think the driver meant by “Where do you need to go?” Is it different from where you want to go?
Why do you think the driver keeps repeating this question to Sam?
What do you think prevented Sam from leaving the taxi?
Where is that Sam needs to go?
At the end of the story, Sam whispers the address to the driver. Where do you think they go?
How did Sam’s perspective change by the end of the story?
How does the story build suspense and tension as it progresses?
How does the setting of a dark and deserted street contribute to the story’s atmosphere?
How does the lack of physical descriptions of the driver add to the mystery of the story?
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt trapped or unable to leave?
Where do you need to go?
Think about where you need to go in your life right now. Try to think of three places that you need to go to. Tell the class about these places and why you need to go there.
Have you ever been so focused on what you want that you neglect what you actually need?
How does the concept of “want” versus “need” play a role in our decision-making?
Can you relate to Sam’s exhaustion after a long day of work? How do you unwind after a tiring day?
Are people in so much of a hurry in their lives that they only think about their immediate desires in life?
Why don’t they think about what they really need in life?
Think of three things you want and three things you need.
Now tell the class.
What is the difference in these things?
Can you help someone you know with what they need in life? Can they help you? Why/why not?
The Story Continues…
This is a group exercise.
Divide into groups of three or four students. Work together and think of possible conclusions to the story.
For example, Sam could end up in the following places:
Hell
A cemetery to visit the graveyard of his grandfather
The house of a long-lost friend
To meet an enemy and make amends
It could be anywhere!
In your groups, think of a place where Sam is taken by the mysterious driver.
Then make a story out of this situation.
When you are ready, tell the story to the class as one group. Each person should tell one part of the story.
Writing
This is a creative writing exercise.
The title of the story is:
Where Sam Needs To Be
Write the ending to this story. You can write any ending you want — use your imagination!
When you have finished your story, read it out loud in class.
Or you can hand it to your teacher for review.
You can download the full lesson plan by clicking the link below!
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