The Last Bus Home

1. NarratorThe school concert finished at nine o'clock. Ava played the violin, and Leo played the drums. Both of them were still smiling when they ran out of the hall to catch the last bus.
2. LeoLook at the time. It is nine-fifteen. The last bus is at nine-ten!
3. AvaBut it is always late. Quick, let us run.
4. NarratorThey ran down the hill to the stop. There was nobody there. The timetable on the shelter said the last bus left at nine-ten, and they had missed it by five minutes.
5. LeoOh no. It has gone.
6. AvaDo not panic. Let us think. How far is it if we walk?
7. LeoAbout six kilometres. That is more than an hour, and it is cold.
8. AvaThen we should call my mum. Do you have your phone?
9. NarratorLeo searched his pockets, then his bag. His face fell.
10. LeoIt is in the concert hall. I left it on the piano.
11. AvaMine is nearly dead. Eight per cent.
12. NarratorShe dialled her mother's number. It rang four times, and then went to voicemail.
13. AvaShe must be driving. I will leave a message. Hello, Mum, it is Ava. We missed the last bus at the school stop. Please come and get us. We are fine. We are waiting by the shelter.
14. NarratorThey sat on the bench. The wind was cold, and the street was very quiet. A single streetlight flickered above them.
15. LeoWhat if she does not get the message?
16. AvaShe will. And if she does not, we will go back up the hill to the school. The caretaker and the teachers are still there. We will not walk home in the dark.
17. NarratorHeadlights appeared at the end of the road. A large bus rolled up and stopped with a hiss. The door opened, and a driver looked out.
18. Bus driverAre you waiting for the number fourteen?
19. LeoYes, but we thought it had already left.
20. Bus driverIt is running late tonight because of the roadworks. I am the last one. Jump on.
21. AvaThank you so much! We were just about to walk.
22. NarratorThey climbed aboard and found two seats near the front. Ava's phone buzzed. It was a message from her mother: We are at the school gate. Where are you?
23. AvaMum is at the school. She will go home in a minute. Can I tell her to wait?
24. NarratorShe typed with her last bit of battery: On the bus, now. Meet us at the Park Road stop in fifteen minutes. Her phone shut down at once.
25. LeoDo you think she saw it?
26. Bus driverIf you tell me the stop, I will wait for a minute, just in case.
27. NarratorAt Park Road, the bus stopped. In the bright light of the doorway, a familiar car stood waiting. Ava's mum hurried towards them.
28. Ava's mumThere you are! I have been so worried.
29. AvaWe are fine, Mum. Everything worked out.
30. NarratorLeo thanked the driver, and the three of them walked back to the car. On the back seat, wrapped in his coat, was Leo's phone. The caretaker had found it on the piano and had handed it to Ava's mum.
31. LeoThat is the second miracle of the night.
32. AvaAnd the first was a bus that was late.

Voices: when recorded voices are on this page they play; if not, your own device reads the words aloud in a British voice if it has one. Slow mode plays at 85 per cent speed.