8 A Sad Story

Jim met two friends on the street. “Come back to my apartment for a meal, ” he said. “You can see the whole of the city from my bedroom window.”

His two friends agreed and they went back with Jim to the apartment building where he lived on the fortieth floor.

When they arrived,however,the elevator was out of order.

“I'm sorry, ” Jim said, “we'll have to walk.”

“But it's forty floors! ” his friends said.

“We'll talk as we climb, ”Jim said.“You can tell me the new jokes you've heard and when we get to my apartment I'll tell you a story.”

His friends agreed and they started to climb the forty flights of stairs.

At last they reached the top floor and were standing outside the door of Jim's apartment.

“Now tell us a good story, ” his friends said.

Jim looked at them sadly and said, “Once upon a time there was a man who met two friends. He invited them to his apartment on the fortieth floor.The elevator wasn't working and they had to climb forty flights of stairs. When they reached the fortieth floor, he put his hand in his pocket for the key to the door of his apartment. It wasn't there. Then he remembered where it was. It was in his car.”