Printable version
'David, wake up, wake up.
There's something outside.'
'What? What? Go back to sleep Carla. It's probably a sheep or goat,
or... or...' I drifted
back to sleep.
'David. Wake up. I'm serious. There's something moving around outside.'
My wife sounded concerned.
'Okay, okay. I'll take a look.' I walked sleepily to the window of the
small Tuscan
cottage
we had rented in Italy
for our summer holiday.
'I can't see anything!' I said while yawning.
'Hang
on, what's that?
I see something, someone, out by the trees. Wait, there are two, no,
three things. What are they? That's strange.'
'David, I'm scared. I heard them near to the house. Are all the windows
and doors locked?'
Carla sounded terrified.
'I think so, but I'll go and check.'
I crept
down
the old wooden stairs to the ground floor and one by one, I checked the
windows and doors. All were safely locked. I picked up a large knife
from the kitchen table and hurried upstairs to join my wife at the
bedroom window.
'What are they David? I'm really scared. What if they come back? What
if there are more of them? What do they want?'
'Listen Carla, I have no idea, but I'm sure we are safe in the house.
In a few hours it will be morning. When it's light, I'll go take a
look.'
I stood at the window through the night, but the things didn't
come back. Slowly, it began to get light and the sun rose across the
beautiful Italian countryside. I got dressed, picked up the knife, and nervously
stepped
outside.
All around the
cottage were many small footprints.
They came right up to the back door and windows. The footprints lead
out across the muddy field
to the dark trees about three hundred metres away. I followed them. I
couldn't tell
if the
footprints were human or animal as they were very strange.
When I reached the trees, I couldn't see any more tracks. The soil wasn't soft and muddy in the forest and I decided to go back to the cottage. As I entered the cottage, I called out to my wife, 'Carla. I couldn't see anything, but maybe we should leave. Let's pack our things.' But there was no reply. 'Carla,' I shouted. 'Carla!' But there was no answer. The house was silent. Carla was gone. Then I looked down and saw many small muddy footprints all over the floor.
Adjectives
concerned:
Worried about something.
Tuscan:
In/of the Italian area of Tuscany.
locked:
Closed by using a key.
terrified:
Very scared.
Verbs
drift
back to sleep:
To gradually start sleeping again.
yawn:
To open your mouth wide and slowly breathe in, when you are sleepy.
creep:
To move very carefully and quietly, so no one hears you.
step
outside:
To go out of a house or room.
lead:
To show the way in a certain direction.
tell:
To understand what something is by using your senses.
Nouns
a
footprint:
The mark made by a foot or shoe..
a
cottage:
A small house in the countryside.
tracks:
The marks left by the feet of animals or people, that shows where they
have walked.
soil:
The top layer of the earth in which plants grow. When wet, it becomes
mud.
Adverbs
nervously:
In a nervous or worried way.