passenger
The Passenger
Vocabulary
| wonder | resume (2) | fireplace |
| hail (3) | figure (3) | passenger |
| wave (3) | continue | excursion |
| wander | insurance | countryside |
| scarf | notice (2) | bury/buried |
| gasp | utter | eventually |
| stare | careless | unfortunately |
| touch | swear (2) |
Friday Evening
It was Friday evening.
I had to stay in the office late to finish an insurance report.
And now, I was driving home through the countryside.
It was cold and dark outside.
I felt very lucky to be nice and warm inside my car. I couldn’t wait to get home. I’d eat a nice, hot meal, take a nice hot bath, and relax by the fireplace.
Suddenly…
Then suddenly…I thought I saw a figure down the road.
Who would be out in a night like this?
As I got closer, I saw that it was a girl of about twelve years of age in a blue jacket and blue trousers. She was waving her arms.
Halt
And so I brought my car to a halt.
I opened the passenger door.
“Oh, I’m so glad you stopped,” she said. “You see, I got lost; could you please give me a ride home?”
“Certainly,” I replied.
She got in and I resumed driving.
Sherry
The girl said her name was Sherry, and that she had been on an excursion in a nature park with her class.
But then she got lost.
She had wandered through the forest for hours…until she came to this road.
3½ Miles
After driving about 3½ miles, we reached her village. I dropped her off in front of her family home and continued to my town.
Then I noticed a blue scarf on the passenger seat.
“She must have forgotten it,” I thought.
So I turned the car around, and drove back to her home.
The House
When I got there, I took the scarf, went to the front door and knocked.
A middle-aged man opened it.
I introduced myself, and explained what had happened.
“Your daughter left her scarf in my car,” I told him as I handed the scarf to him.
The man just looked at the scarf without taking it. He said nothing . . . then stared into my eyes. He looked down at the scarf again before reaching out slowly, touching it and picking it up.
His face was pale.
“Oh my god,” he uttered.
“Look, I didn’t do anything to her. I never touched her. I swear!” I said.
“No, it’s not that,” said the man.
The Sofa
He led me into his living room and we both sat down on the sofa.
His wife was sitting on an armchair. He told her what I had told him.
She gasped.
The Explanation
At last, the man explained that on this date, his aunt had gone on an excursion with her class in the forest.
She was separated from the group and got lost.
Later that night, in the darkness, she had stumbled onto the road; a motorist stuck her–she died instantly.
“It happened 50 years ago,” said the wife.
Questions
1. Where was the main character? What was he (or she) doing?
2. The story took place at lunchtime during the summer. Yes or no? Describe the setting or scene.
3. What did the driver see? What happened?
4. Who was the passenger? Who did she say she was?
5. The driver brought her to the police station. True or false?
6. The driver returned to the girl’s home. Why did the driver return to the girl’s home?
7. Did he see the girl with her family?
8. The middle-aged man smiled and thanked the driver for returning his daughter’s scarf. Is this correct or wrong? How did the middle-aged man react? What did he say?
9. What is a possible explanation? When did this happen?
A. I believe in ghosts. Is this correct or wrong?
B. As a youngster (child), were you afraid of ghosts?
C. Have you and your friends told each other ghost stories?
D. I (used to) like to read ghost stories. Yes or no?
E. Ghost stories and books are popular in my country. True or false?
