Rafael told a small lie at work on Tuesday. It was about a report. Now it is Friday. He has not slept well for three nights.
He sits in a waiting room. On the table there is a thin book of very old verses. It is the Dhammapada, a Buddhist book. Rafael opens it.
Verse 246 gives five promises. Do not hurt living things. Do not lie. Do not take what is not yours. Be faithful. Do not drink what clouds the mind.
Verse 247 says: a person who breaks them "digs up his own root". A tree with no root falls. Rafael knows this feeling.
Nobody punishes him. The lie is the punishment. On Friday afternoon he tells the truth in one sentence. That night he sleeps.
Every Journeva story exists at four levels — same plot, same characters, richer language each step. Here is how this one begins at each level.
A2 · ElementaryRafael's lie was small. It was about a report, on Tuesday, and by Friday he had not slept properly for three nights. …
B2 · Upper intermediateRafael's lie was small. It concerned a report, it had been told on Tuesday, and by Friday he had not slept properly for three nights, although nobody at work had noticed. …
Read the whole story at A2, B1 and B2
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