When you tell a story you can use all the three tenses together. Have a look:

“It was late in the evening and the wind was howling outside. Tom was reading a book in his living room while his cat was sleeping on the couch. Suddenly he heard someone knocking at the door. “Who’s there?” he asked. He stood up and went towards the door. He was a little worried because he wasn’t expecting anyone. He opened the door but saw nobody; whoever had knocked had already gone away. “Stupid wind,” he thought, and he went back to read his horror book.”