Brain Storming nyelvtanulási segédletei

Are You My Mother?

A bird sat on her egg.

The egg jumped.

„Oh oh!” said the mother bird. „My baby will be here! He will want to eat.”

„I must get something for my baby bird to eat! she said. „I will be back!”

So away she went.

The egg jumped. It jumped, and jumped, and jumped!

Out came the baby bird!

„Where is my mother?” he said.

He looked for her.

He looked up. He did not see her.

He looked down. He did not see her.

„I will go and look for her,” he said.

So away she went.

Down, out of the tree he went.

Down, down, down! I was a long way down.

The baby bird could not fly.

He could not fly, but he could walk. „Now I will go and find my mother,” he said.

He did not know what his mother looked like. He went right by her. He did not see her.

He came to the kitten. „Are you my mother?” he said to the kitten.

The kitten just looked. It did not say a thing.

The kitten was not his mother, so he went on.

Then he came to a hen.

„Are you my mother?” he said to the hen.

„No,” said the hen.

The kitten was not his mother.

The hen was not his mother.

So the baby bird went on.

„I have to find my mother!” he said. „But where? Where is she? Where could she be?”

Then he came to a dog.

„Are you my mother?” he said to the dog.

„I am not your mother. I am a dog,” said the dog.

The kitten was not his mother.

The hen was not his mother.

The dog was not his mother.

So the baby bird went on. Now he came to a cow.

„Are you my mother?” he said to the cow.

„How could I be your mother?” said the cow. „I am a cow.”

The kitten and the hen were not his mother.

The dog and the cow were not his mother.

Did he have a mother?

„I did have a mother,” said the baby bird. „I know I did. I have to find her. I will. I WILL!”

Now the baby bird did not walk. He ran!

Then he saw a car. Could that old thing be his mother? No, it could not.

The baby bird did not stop. He ran on and on.

Now he looked way, way down. He saw a boat. „There she is!” said the baby bird.

He called to the boat, but the boat didn’t stop.

The boat went on.

He looked way, way up. He saw a big plane.

„Here I am, Mother,” he called out.

But the plane did not stop. The plane went on.

Just then, the baby bird saw a big thing. This must be his mother!

„There she is!” he said. „There is my mother!”

He ran right up to it.

„Mother, Mother! Here I am, Mother!” he said to the big thing.

But the big thing just said, „Snort.”

„Oh, you are not my mother,” said the baby bird. „You are a Snort. I have to get of here!”

But the baby bird could not get away. The Snort went up.

It went way, way up. And up, up, up went the baby bird.

But now, where was the Snort going?

„Oh, oh, oh! What is this Snort going to do to me? Get me out of here!”

Just then the Snort came to a stop.

„Where am I?” said the baby bird. „I want to go home! I want my mother!”

Then something happened.

The Snort put that baby bird right back in the tree. The baby bird was home!

Just then the mother bird came back to the tree. „Do you know who I am?” she said to her baby.

„Yes, I know who you are,” said the baby bird.

„You are not a kitten.”

„You are not a hen.”

„You are not a dog.”

„You are not a cow.”

„You are not a boat, or a plane, or a Snort!”

„You are a bird, and you are my mother.”

*******

Te vagy az anyukám?

Egy madár mama ült a tojásán.

A tojás ugrálni kezdett.

- Oh, oh! - mondta a madár mama. - A babám mindjárt itt lesz! Enni akar majd valamit.

- Szereznem kell valamit ennivalót az én kis madár bébimnek. - mondta. - Mindjárt jövök!

És azzal el is ment.

A tojás továbbra is ugrált. Csak ugrált, ugrált, ugrált!

És egyszer csak kint termett a madár bébi!

- Hol van az anyukám? - mondta.

Keresni kezdte.

Felnézett, de nem látta őt.

Lenézett, de nem látta őt.

- Megyek és megkeresem. - mondta.

És azzal el is indult.

Lelépett a fáról …

… és csak lefelé, lefelé, lefelé. Hosszúnak tűnt az út lefelé.

A madár bébi nem tudott repülni.

Nem tudott repülni, de tudott gyalogolni. - Most pedig megyek, és megkeresem az anyukámat, - mondta.

De nem tudta, hogy néz ki az anyukája és éppen mellette ment el. Nem is vette észre.

Odament egy macskához. - Te vagy az anyukám? - mondta a macskának.

A macska csak nézett és nem mondott semmit.

A macska nem volt az anyukája, így ő tovább is ment.

Azután odament a tyúkhoz.

- Te vagy az anyukám? - mondta a tyúknak.

- Nem, - mondta a tyúk.

A macska nem volt az anyukája.

A tyúk nem volt az anyukája.

Így a madár bébi tovább ment.

- Meg kell találnom az anyukámat! - mondta. - De hol? Hol van? Hol lehet?

Aztán odament a kutyához.

- Te vagy az anyukám? - mondta a kutyának.

- Nem én vagyok az anyukád. Én egy kutya vagyok, - mondta a kutya.

A macska nem volt az anyukája.

A tyúk nem volt az anyukája.

A kutya nem volt az anyukája.

Így a madár bébi tovább ment. Most a tehénhez ment oda.

- Te vagy az anyukám? - mondta a tehénnek.

- Hogy lehetnék én az anyukád? - mondta a tehén. - Én egy tehén vagyok.

A macska és a tyúk nem volt az anyukája.

A kutya és a tehén nem volt az anyukája.

Volt neki anyukája?

- Biztosan volt anyukám, - mondta a madár bébi. - Tudom, hogy volt. Meg kell találnom őt. Meg is fogom. Meg én!

A madár bébi most már nem gyalogolt, hanem futott!

Aztán meglátta az autót. Lehet az az öreg roncs az anyukája? Nem, az nem lehet.

A madár bébi nem állt meg. Csak futott és futott.

Valahova nagyon messzire lenézett. Meglátott egy hajót. - Ott van! - mondta a madár bébi.

Odakiáltott a hajónak, de a hajó nem állt meg.

A hajó elment.

Aztán felnézett valahova messze a magasba. Meglátott egy nagy repülőt.

- Itt vagyok, mama. - kiáltotta.

De a repülő nem állt meg. A repülő továbbment.

És akkor, a madár bébi megpillantott egy óriási dolgot. Aha, biztosan ez lesz a mamája!

- Ott van! - mondta. - Ott van az anyukám!

Odaszaladt hozzá.

- Anyu, anyu! Itt vagyok anyu! - mondta a nagy dolognak.

De a dolog csak ennyit mondott: - Brrrrr!

- Ó, te nem vagy az anyukám, - mondta a madár bébi. - Te csak egy Brrr vagy. El kell tűnnöm innen!

De a madár bébi nem tudott el menni. A Brrr felemelte.

És csak emelte, csak emelte, csak emelte. És vele a madár bébi is csak ment, ment, ment felfelé, felfelé.

De ugyan hova indult a Brrrr?

- Ó, ó, ó! Mit fog csinálni ez a Brrrr velem? Engedj eeel!

De ebben a pillanatban a Brrrr megállt.

- Hol vagyok? - mondta a madár bébi. - Haza akarok menni! Az anyukámat akarom!

És akkor történt valami.

A Brrr visszatette a madár bébit a fára. A madár bébi otthon volt!

És a madár mama éppen akkor tért vissza a fára. - Tudod, hogy ki vagyok? - mondta a gyerekének.

- Igen, tudom, hogy ki vagy te, - mondta a madár bébi.

- Te nem macska vagy, nem tyúk vagy, nem kutya vagy, nem tehén vagy. Nem vagy se hajó, se repülő, se Brrr! Te egy madár vagy, és méghozzá az én anyukám!

 

SKYJACK!

-1-

The air hostess smiled. 'Welcome aboard, sir. Would you like a newspaper?'

  'Yes, please.' Carl took the newspaper and looked at his ticket. 'I'm in seat 5F. Where's that?'

  'It's near the front of the plane, sir. On the left, there. By the window.'

  'I see. Thank you very much.' Carl smiled back at the air hostess. She was young and pretty. Just like my daughter, he thought.

  He put his bag under his seat and sat down. His friend Harald sat beside him. They watched the other passengers coming onto the plane. Harald looked at his watch.

  '9.30 p.m., 'he said. ' Good. We're on time.'

 Carl agreed. 'And in three hours we'll be home’, he said. 'That's good. We've been away for a long time. You'll be plased to see your family, won't you, Harald?'

 Harald smiled. 'Yes, I will. Have you seen this, sir?' He opened his bag and took out two small planes. 'These are for my sons. I always bring something back for them.'

  'How old are your sons?' Carl asked.

  'Five and almost seven. The older one has a birthday tomorrow.'

  'He'll be very excited tonight then.'

  'Yes. I hope he gets some sleep.'

  The plane took off. Carl watched the lights of the airport grow smaller below them. Then the plane flew above the clouds and he could see the moon and the stars in the night sky. He lay back in his seat and closed his eyes.

-2-

  Later, he woke up. Harald was asleep. Carl looked at his watch. It was midnight. He called the air hostess.

  'Excuse me. What time do we arrive?'

  '11.30 p.m. local time, sir. That's about halt an hourfrom now.'

  'Thank you.' Carl changed the time on his watch.

  'Anything else, sir?'

  'No, I don't think so. Oh, wait a minute - could I have a cup of coffee, please?'

  'Yes, of course, sir.' He watched her bring the coffee.

  'She walks like my doughter, too,' he thought. 'And she is very young. She looks nervous, not sure what to do.'

 'How long have you been an air hostess?' He asked.

She smiled. 'Three months, sir,' she said.

  'Do you like it?'

  'Yes, I love it. It's very exciting.' She smiled nervously. 'Will that be all, sir?'

  'Yes, thank you.'

  'Have a nice flight.'

He drank the coffee and started to read his newspaper. When Harald woke up, Carl showed him a page in the paper.

   'Look. There you are,' he said. He pointed to a picture. In the middle of the picture stood Carl himself - a short thin man with grey hair, wearing a suit. Behind him, on the left, was Harald - a tall, strong young man, like a sportsman. Both men were smiling.

  'That's you and me, outside the Embassy,' said Carl. 'We're in the news again. You can show it to your sons. You're a famous man, Harald!'

  Harald lanughed. 'You're the famous man, sir, not me,' he said. 'I'm just a police officer. It's my job to take care of you. That's a photo of you, not me.'

  'Perhaps. But your children think that you're a famous man, I'm sure. Here, take it, and show it to them.'

  'OK. Thanks.' Harald smiled, and put the newspaper in his coat pocket. 'I think I'll have a cup of coffee too.' He called for the air hostess, but she did not come. Harald looked surprised.

  'What's the matter?' Carl asked.

  'The air hostess,' Harald said. 'She's sitting down talking to those two men.'

  Carl looked up and saw young air hostess. She was sitting in a seat at the front the plane with two young men. They looked worried and nervous. Suddenly, one of the young men picked up a bag and walked into the pilot's cabin! The other man and the air hostess followed him.

  'That's strange,' said Carl. 'What are they doing?'

  'I don't know. It's very strange,' said Harald. 'I dont't like it at all.' He began to get out of his seat, but then stopped and sat down again.

  For one or two minutes nothing happened. None of the others passengers moved or spoke. They had seen the young men too. Then the pilot spoke.

  'Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking. Please do not be afraid. There is a change of plan. Wehave to land at another airport before we finish our journey. There's no danger. We will land in fifteen minutes. Please stay in your seats and keep calm. Thank you.'

  Then the air hostess came out of the cabin. She looked very different now because she had a machine gun in her hand. She stood at the front of the plane and watched the passengers carefully.

-3-

  'Here we are, madam.' The big black car stopped and a police officer opened the back door.

  'Thank you.' Helen Sandberg smiled at him as she got out. Another police officer opened the front door of her house. Inside the house it was quiet. Her daughter was reading. She put the book down.

  'Hello, Mummy. You're late. You said you'd be home by ten o'clock. I wanted to talk to you about my homework, remember?'

  Helen sat down. 'I'm sorry, Sarah. I did remember, really. But I had a very busy day. Anyway, I'm home now. What's the problem?'

  'It's this book,' said Sarah. 'I have to write about it at school on Friday, and I don't understand it.'

  'All right,' said Helen. 'Bring the book into the kitchen and I'll look at it while you make me a cup of coffee.'

  They sat in the kitchen and talked for nearly half an hour. Then Helen looked at her watch. 'OK, Sarah, that's enough for now. It's nearly midnight, and I must be up at six tomorow. I'm going to bed. Good night.'

  Alone in her bedroom, she undressed and got into the big empty bed. She was very tired. She closed her eyes and in three minutes was asleep.

  The phone rang at 12.15 a.m. Helen groaned, and picked it up.

  ' Hello… What? … Who? … Do you know what time it is?

  She ran her hand through her hair and turned the light on. 'What, now? I don't believe it. Are you sure?’

  The voice on the telephone explained carefully. Helen groaned again, and sat up. 'I hope it is serious. If it isn't, somebody is going to be in big trouble… Yes… All right… Send the car in fifteen minutes, then. And bring me some coffe! Goodbye.'

  She put the telephone down and got out of bed. Outside the window she could hear a strong wind blowing.

  Twenty minutes lates she was sitting in the back of her big blak car, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to the Chief of Airport Police on hte car telephone. It was raining heavily.

-4-

  Carl looked out of the plane window. It was very dark and rainy. It was a small airport with only one or two others planes. But there were three polices cars near the airport building.

  'I don't understand,' he said quietly in Harald's ear. 'Why are we here?'

  Harald looked worried. 'Don't ask me', he whispered back. 'Ask them.'

  'No thanks.' Carl looked at the hijeckers. The young air hostess was still standing at the front of the plane with her machine gun. One of the young men, also with a machine gun, was standing at the back of the plane. The passengers sat very quietly in their seats.

A bell rang and and a man's voice spoke.

  'Ladies and gentlemens, listen to me. This is the People's Liberation Army. This plane is ours now, you are our prisoners. We do not want to hurt you, but you can see, we have our guns and we know how to shoot. So please, sit quietly in your seats and do what we say. We will be here for one or two hours. The Government of this country has two of our brothers in a prison near this airport. We are asking the Government to bring our two brothers to this plane. When our brothers are free, you will be free. We think this will take one or two hours, but not very long. As you know, the Prime Minister of this country is only a woman. She will do what we say. So do not worry. Just sit very still and wait a little while. Good night.'

  Carl looked at Harald. 'Oh dear,' he whispered. 'I think we're in trouble, my young friend. Big trouble.'

  Harald agreed. 'We certainly are. The Government won't set those two men free. They tried to put a bomb on a plane last year, didn't they, sir? They're in prison for thirty years!'

  'I know,' Carl whispered. 'No one could set them free. So what about us?'

  'What about you, you mean,' whispered Harald. 'I'm not important. Look, sir, you'd better give me your passport.'

  'What? Why?'

  'Ssh!' Harald put his hand on the older man's arm and stopped talking. Carl looked up and saw the young air hostess staring at them. Her machine gun was pointing at them too. He stopped talking and looked out of the window.

  After a few minutes she stopped watching them. 'Give me the passport, sir!' Harald whispered, very quietly. Very slowly and carefully, Carl took it out of his pocket and gave it to him.

  There was still some cofee in Carl's cup. Very carefully, Harald put the passport on his tray and poured the coffee onto it. When the passport was very wet, he tore it slowly into little pieces. He was a strong young man and because the passport was a strong young man and because the passport was wet, it did not make a sound. Then, one by one, he put the pieces of wet paper into his mouth and ate them. In ten minutes, the passport had disappeared.

  'I don't understand,' whispered Carl. 'Why did you do that?'

  'You'll see,' whispered Harald. 'But when they ask questions, let me answer, sir. OK? You say nothing.'

  'OK.' Carl looked away, out of the window. A large black car was just driving up to the airport building.

-5-

  The black car stopped outside the airport building and a police officer opened the door. Helen Sandberg got out and went quickly inside. Upstairs, in the control room, the Chief of Airport Police, Inspector Holm, was waiting with a solider. Helen's secretary, Michael, was there too.

  'Good evening, Prime Minister,' said Inspector Holm. 'This is Colonel Carter, of the Special Commando Section.'

  'Good evening, Colonel.' Helen shook hands with the solider and looked at him. He was a thin, tough-looking man, about forty years old, with a brow face. His hand was hard and strong. 'I hope you know your job,' she thought. 'I may need you.'

  She looked out of the window. There was a large plane on the tarmac about two hundred metres away. All its light were on. 'Is that the plane?' she asked.

  'That's it, Prime Minister.'

  'Right, give me the facts. How many people are on it?' Inspector Holm answered. 'One hundred and eight passengers, five crew.'

  'What nationalites are they?'

  'There are twenty-nine Americans, fifteen British, two Brazilians, Two Indians, and one Chinese. The others are from this country.'

  'I see. There are a lot of Americans and British, then,' said helen quietly. 'That means trouble.'

  'Yes, Prime Minister,' answered Michael. 'I'm afraid their Ambassadors are on their way here now.'

  Helen smiled at him quickly. He was a good secretary; he usually knew what she was thinking. Both the American Ambassador and British Ambrassador were difficult people.

  She turned back to Inspector Holm.

  'Tell me about the hijackers. What do they want?'

  'We don't know how many hijackers there are, Prime Minister. But they have guns, we know that. They say they are from the People's Liberation Army. And they want three things.' Inspector Holm paused and looked down at her. He was a very tall man and he looked very important in his uniform. Helen didn't like him much.

  'Yes, well. What three things? she asked quickly.

  'First, they say we must set free their two brothers from prison. You remember, Prime Minister - two men tired to put a bomb on a plane last year. They are in prison near here.'

  'I remember,' Helen answered sloftly. 'They're in prison for thirty years, aren't they?'

  'I think so. Something like that.' The man paused. 'Secondly, they say we must refuel the plane because they want to fly to another country. Thirdly, they say we must put this in all our newspapers. It says they are fighting for freedom for liberate their people.'

  He gave her a sheet of paper. Helen put it on the table. She did not read it. 'And what about the passengers?' she asked. 'When will the hijackers set them free?'

  'They say they will set most of the passengers free when their brothers are on the plane. But they want ten passengers to fly away with them. They will set them free when they arrive.'

  'I see.'

  'There's one other thing, Prime Minister,' Colonel Carter spoke for the first time. His voice was very quiet, almost gentle. 'They say we must bring the prisoners to the airport in two hours. If not, they will kill a passenger. They said this one hour ago.'

  'So we have one hour left?'

  'That's right, Prime Minister. Just one hour. Then they will kill the passenger.'

  'I see.' Helen walked slowly to the window and started out at the plane. It was still raining and a strong wind was blowing. She turned round. 'Thank you gentlemen. I will have to talk to them. But first I need a few minutes to think. Colonel Carter, Inspector, please go to the other room. Tell the hijackers I will talk to them in five minutes. Michael, stay here.'

  'But… yes, madam.' Inspector Holm looked unhappy, but he went out, slowly, with the Colonel. Michael sat quietly, looking at her. He knew what she was thinking.

  'Have you got the passengers list, Michael?'

  'Yes, Prime Minister. Here you are.'

  She picked up the list of names and looked at it carefully. 'Oh my God!' His name was near the begining. She dropped the list, sat down at the table, and ran her hands through her hair. For a long minute he said nothing. Then she looked up.

  'This is going to be very difficult, isn't it, Michael?'

  'I'm afraid so, Prime Minister. Very difficult indeed.'

  Helen stood up and walked to the window, thinking hard. Outside in the rain, the American Ambassador's car stopped by the door.

-6-

  Carl looked through the window and watched the cars now and a lot of lights in the building. Inside the plane it was hot and quiet. There was nothing to do. He remembered other times when he had been in a plane at night with his wife and daughter. That had been fun because they were excited and going on holiday. His daughter had always asked lots of questions in the plane. Now no said anything at all. Carl sat, and thought, and felt his face becoming wet with sweat.

  'Your passports, please!'

  'What?' He turned suddenly. One of the hijackers, a young man in a black shirt, was just behind them. He had a bag in his hand and he was talking everyone's passorts and putting them in it.

  'Why…?'

  'Be quiet!' Harald whispered. 'Let me talk, sir. Remember?'

  'Your passports, please.' The young man stood by their seats.

  'Here you are.' Harald gave the man his passport.

  'Thank you. And his?'

  'He has no passport. I am a police officer and he is my prisoner. I am taking him to prison in my country.'

  'I see.’ The young man looked at them both in surprise. 'Stand up, you!'

  Carl stood up and young man searched his pockets, but he found nothing. He told Carl to sit down, then he opened Harald's passport and looked inside. 'Police pig!' he said. 'Now you are our prisoner!' Then he hit Harald in the face, looked at Carl, and laughed. 'And perhaps we will set him free!'

  Harald said nothing. The hijacker was about the same age as him, but not so big. The young hijacker laughed again and moved on to the next seat.

  'Thank you, Harald,' Carl whispered, when the man was at the front of the plane. 'That was very brave. But I won't let you die for me, you know.'

  'Be quiet, sir! Something's happening!' Harald wishpered back.

  Carl looked up. Another hijacker was standing in the door of the Captain's cabin. He was talking to the other two. He was a big strong man, with a black beard. He looked angry and waved his arms. Carl listened carrefully. He could hear one or two words, but not many.

  '…nothing! Nothing at all!…stupid woman!… she needs time, she says…'

  All the hijackers were angry now. They looked at the passports and then started to walk down the aisle, pointing their guns at the passengers. Harald sat very still in his seat.

  'Don't look at them, Carl' he whispered. 'Sit very still and don't look at them.'

  Suddenly the big hijacker pulled a passenger out of his seat. The passenger was a short fat man in a grey suit. He shouted angrily in a voice that sounded American, but the hijacker hit him and then pushed him to the front of the plane with his machine gun.

  'Turn towards the door!' he shouted. 'Put your hands on the door! Above your head! Higher! That's it!'

  The air hostess pointed her gun at the American's back. The hijacker in the black shirt stood at the front of the plane and point his gun at the passengers.

  'Don't move!' he shouted. 'Stay in your seats and don't look back!' Then the big bearded hijacker went back into the Captain's cabin.

  The bell rang. The hijacker's voice spoke.

  'Passengers! Listen to me! You know we are here to set our brothers free. I have spoken to the Prime Minister of this country. I told her she must bring our brothers here by two o'clock. That is plenty of time because the prison is only ten kilometers from here. She says she needs more time, but we know she is lying. We have no time. The passenger at the front of the plane is an American spy who lives in our country. All Americans who live in our country are spies. If our brothers are not here at two o'clock, he will die. If you try to help him, you will die too.'

  'Jesus,' Carl said quietly. He looked at his watch. The time was 1.50 a.m. He looked out of the window across the rainy tarmac to the airport building. In one of those rooms was the Primer Minister. What would she do? What could she do? 'Come on, honey,' he said softly. 'Start thinking. Think fast, honey. And think hard!'

-7-

  Helen Sandberg sat at the radio in the control room. Michael, Inspector Holm, and Coloner Carter sat behid her.

  They could all see the plane, two hundred metres away, and they could all hear the voice of the hijacker on the radio. It was loud, excited.

  'Our brothers have done nothing wrong. They are innocent! They are fighters for the freedom of our people! We need them with us on this plane, now!'

  Helen kept her voice low and calm. 'Look, I understand what you say. But those men are criminals; they're in prison. I can't bring them here. And remember, the passengers on the plane are innocent people too, with families and children. Please set them free. We will not hurt you. We…'

  The voice on the radio interrupted he. 'Mrs Sandberg! I do not want to talk any more. It is now 1.59 a.m. Do you have our brothers here, at the airport?'

  ' No. I told you.'

  'Then watch the front door of the plane. You can see it well, I hope!'

  'Yes.' Helen's voice was quiet now, almost whisper.

  'Then watch. There is an American spy behind it. And remember, we have money American spies, and many important business people on this plane. In half an hour I will ask you again about my brothers.'

  Helen started out at the plane. Its front door was very small and far away. Colonel Carter touched her arm.

  'Here are some binoculars, Prime Minister. You will be able to see more clearly with these.'

  She did not want to look, but she had to. She had decided not to free the prisoners, so now she had to see what happened to the passengers. She picked up the binoculars and started at the front door of the plane.

  The door opened slowly. There were no steps outside the door, so it was about four metres above the ground. Standing in the door was a short fat man, his hands above his head. His face was white and he looked very frightened. Then he jumped. But as he jumpened, a girl came to the door and shot him. Some bullets hit him in the air and more bullets hit him as he lay on the ground. One of his arms moved a little and blood ran out of the side of his head onto the wet tarmac. The girl continued shooting him for ten, maybe fifteen seconds. Then someone pulled her back into the plane and the door closed.

  For a long time everyone was silent. Then Colonel Carter spoke.

  'Inspoector, why didn't your men shoot? That girl was in the doorway for nearly fifteen seconds! Why isn't she dead?'

  'We… are police officers, not soldiers. I…' But the Colonel interrupted him.

  'Prime Minister, let my men deal with this problem. They have killed a man now and they'll kill another one in half an hour. We must attack that plane! We are commandos; we know how to do it!'

  Helen was still watching the dead body of the man on the tarmac. She thought a hand moved, for a moment; but no, he must be dead by now. There was a pool of blood on the tarmac now, around his head. He could not possibly be alive. For a moment she did not a hear the voices around her. In half an hour…

  'Prime Minister…?'

  'Yes.' She turned towards them. 'Yes. Colonel Carter, bring your men here, immediately. Meet me in ten minutes with your plane. But I warn you, it must be a good one. I don't wan't any more dead passengers.'

  'Yes, Prime Minister. At once.' The Colonel turned to go.

  'Inspector.'

  'Yes, madam.'

  'I want those two prisoners brought here from the prison. At once. You have twenty-five minutes, no more. Do you understand?'

  'But Prime Minister! You can't do that!' The Inspector and the Colonel started at her in surprise.

  'I can and I will.'

  'But these men are dangerous criminals - terrorists! They tired to put a bomb on a plane! They are in prison for…'

  'For thirty years, Colonel. I know. But they are only two men, and there are over a hundred innocent people on that plane. My job is to save their lives, and I need time to do it.'

  The Inspector stood up very tall and straight in his fine uniform. 'Prime Minister, I strongly advise you not to do this. You don't understand…'

  Helen interruped him, her voice ice-cold and angry. 'I understand very well indeed, Inspector. And I thank you for your advice. But I think I must make the decisions, and you must obey my orders. You now have only twenty-four minutes. Bring those prisoners here, please.'

  'Yes, madam.' The Inspector and the Colonel Carter left the room, looking very unhappy.

  'Prime Minister?'

  'Yes, Michael?' She turned, and saw that Michael was smiling quietly.

  'The American and British Ambassadors are here. Do you want to see them?'

  She groaned, and sat down suddenly. 'Do I want to? Of course I don't! But I suppose I must talk to them because that man was an American. Send them in. They can have five minutes with me, that's all.'

  'Yes Prime Minister.' Michael picked up a telephone.

-8-

  When the girl came back into the cabin she was shaking. Her hands were shaking and she was crying and smoke was coming out of her gun. One of the passengers, an American, stood up and shouted at her.

  'You're a murderer!' He shouted. 'You're a dirty, murdering b…'

  She turned and pointed the gun at him and fired. The man sat down in his seat and the bullets went above the seats, all along the plane, and out through the roof. After ten seconds the girl stopped firing and shouted.

  'You shut up! You shut up and sit down or I'll kill you all! I am a solider of the People's Liberation Army and I'll kill you, all of you!'

  But she was crying too, and the young man in the black shirt put his arm around her and held her. She leaned against him, crying, and he whispered something in her ear.

  It was then that Harald moved. He got out of his seat, bent low, and ran very fast along the aisle towards the front of the plane. The young man and the girl did not see him coming and he caught them both around their legs and knocked them onto the floor. Harald fell on top of them and he tried to take one of the guns, but the girl pulled his hair and the young man held his arms. Then the bearded man came out of the Captain's cabin and hit Harald hard on the head with his gun. Harald fell on the floor and lay still. The bearded man pointed his gun at the passengers and shouted 'SIT STILL' very loud indeed.

  None of the passengers had moved expect Carl, and he was too slow. He stood very still in the middle of the aisle five metres away from the bearded man's gun. The other two hijackers were still on the floor, and Carl saw the Captain move in the cabin behind the beareded man. But the young man in the black shirt saw him too, and stood up and pointed his gun at the Captain. Both Carl and the Captain were too late.

  'I am getting old,' Carl thought. 'When I was young, I could move as fast as Harald. But not now.' Carl sat down in his seat, very slowly. The bearded man watched him all the time. He pushed Harald with his foot.

  'Search him, ' he said to the girl. 'Then handcuff him to the door. He will be the next one.'

  The girl pulled Harald to the door. She found some handcuffs in his pocket and handcuffed him to the door. Then she searched his other pockets.

  In one of his pockets she found a newspaper. She looked at it and saw the photo of Harald and Carl. She stood up slowly and showed it to the bearded man. He looked at the photo, and then he looked at Carl carefully and for a long time. Very slowly smiles appeared on the faces of the two hijackers and they began to laugh.

-9-

  Helen Sandberg stood up to welcome the American and British Ambassadors. The two men were very different. The American Ambassador was a short round man with a loud voice wich Helen disliked very much. He often wore open-necked shirts, and he had a very hairy chest. She disliked that too. The British Ambassador - a tall thin Scotman from Edinburgh - was always quiet, polite and well-dressed, but she did not always believe what he said. Once - a year ago - he had lied to her and she could never forget that.

  But most of all, she disliked them because they were both military men and their countries were much bigger than hers. They wanted military bases for their soldiers in her country and she did not want them.

  'So, gentleman, what can I do for you?'

  The American spoke first. 'Well, ma'am, an American passenger is dead…'

  'Yes, I know. I am very sorry about that. I hope more will die.'

  'I hope so too, ma'am. There are twenty-eight US passengers on the plane and my Government wants to keep them alive.'

  'There are a hundred and seven passengers on the plane, Ambassador, and my Government wants them all alive,' Helen answered quietly. But the Amassador did not listten.

  'So the US Government is going to help you, ma'am. We have fifty US Marines at the US Embassy, and they can be here in one hour from now. Then they'll just take that goddam plane apart.'

  The Scotsman smiled. 'Excuse me, Ambassador, but perhaps one hour from now will be too late. One man os already dead. But, er… perhaps you don't know this, Prime Minister, but this week six SAS soldiers are visiting the Brithis Embassy, and they're waiting outside in my car now. These men know a lot about hijacks; much more than the US Marines or, probably, your own soldiers, Prime Minister. They know exactly what to do. So…'

  'Now just moment!' The American interrupted. 'The US Marines are…'

  'Gentleman!' Helken's clear, hard voice stopped them. 'There's not time argue.’

  'Firstly, I didn't know about the SAS soldiers in the British Embassy, and I am very surprised about it. Very surprised indeed, Ambassador. Secondly, I do not think it is a good idea to attack a plane with a hundred and seven passengers in it, and "take it apart" as you say. I want these people to live, not die. So I thank you for your ideas, but remember that this small country is ours, not yours. We will manage this problem in our own way, with our own people, thank you very much. Now you must excuse me, I am busy.'

  At the door, the Scotman turned back. 'Primer Minister, I know you want to save lives,' he said. 'I understand that. But these hijackers must not go free. My Government does not want that. No Government in the world wants that.'

  'I know that, Ambassador,' Helen answered quietly. 'I know that very well.'

  As they went out, the phone rang. Michael picked it up. Helen sat down at the table and watched him. His face was very serious. He wrote on a piece of paper then put the phone down. For a moment, he did not look at her.

  'What is it, Michael? Tell me.'

  'It was a radio message from the plane, Prime Minister.'

  'Well? What did they say? Didn't they want to talk to me?'

  'No, Prime Minister. Just the message. It says: "We love our brothers. We hope the Prime Minister loves her husband. He is on the plane, just behind the door."

  For a long moment she started at Michael, but she did not speak. A picture of the American passenger appeared in her head. She saw him jumping out of the door and the girl shooting him. Shooting him for ten, maybe fifteen long seconds.

  'I'm sorry, Prima Minister,' said Michael softly.

  'What? Yes, so am I. I thought perhaps… perhaps the hijackers didn't know Carl was my husband. But now they do know.'

  She ran her hand was shaking so much that she could not tell the time.

  The phone rang again… Michael picked it up.

  'Colonel Carter is outside, Prime Minister.' He watched her, waiting for an answer. 'I'll tell him to wait, shall I?'

  She put her hands flat on the table and stood up. 'Yes. Yes, Michael. Tell him to wait two minutes, that's all.'

  She walked to the window and started out at the plane. She pressed her her forehead against the cool glass and for two minutes she did not move. Then she turned round and smile at Michael.

  'Let's just hope Colonel Carte's plan is a good one, shall we? Show him in.'

-10-

  In the plane, Carl and Harald sat on the floor by the door. they were handcuffed together with Harald's handcuffs. The girl hijacker stood watching them with her gun. The bearded man was in the Captain's cabin, and the young man in the black shirt was watching the other passengers.

  Harald touched his head with his band. there was blood in his hair.

  'How do you feel, my young friend?' Carl asked.

  'It hurts,' Harald answered. 'And I can't see weel.'

  'This man needs a doctor,' Carl said to the girl, angrily.

  She laughed. 'That is your wife's problem, not mine,' she said. 'If our brothers come, he will get a doctor. If they don't come, he won't need one.' She pointed her gun at Harald's head and laughed again. She wasn't at all nervous now.

  Carl felt angry. He was angry with the hijackers and he was angry with himself because he had not moved fast enough to help Harald. It was good to be angry; when he was angry he did not feel so afraid.

  'How old are you?' he asked the girl.

  She did not answer.

  'I asked you a question!' He said. 'How old are you? Eighteen, nineteen? You're not very old, really, are you? You're just a child!

  The girl's face went red. 'I'm twenty,' she said angrily. 'I'm not a child!'

  'You look like a child,' Carl said. 'You're only two years older than my daudgther. Why are you doing this?'

  The girl laughed. She didn't look at his eyes. 'Why? You wouldn't understand.'

  'I don't think you understand what you're doing,' Carl said. 'None of the people in this plane has hurt you. We are all innocent. That man you killed - he wasn’t a spy, he was just an American businessman. You've never seen any of us before.

Why do you want to kill us?'

  The girl looked worried and angry. She pointed the gun straight at carl's head. ' I don't want to kill you,' she said. ' I want your government - your wife - to set our brothers free.'

  ' Yes, I know,' said Carl, carefully. He watched the gun and the girl's face, but he was not really afraid because he was still angry. He argued with the girl as though he was arguing with his daughter. 'But remember what your brothers did. They put a bomb on a plane. They wanted to kill innocent people like us. Why?'

  'You are not innocent!' said the girl. 'No one is innocent! People like you, and your wife, and that American - you have money and power and you take it from my people, from us! Do you know how I lived when I was child? Ten people in one room, with no bath, no water, nothing! My parents had no jobs, no passports, no country, nothing! We lived in a town with ten thousand others. But ten kilometres away there were rich people like you, with big beautiful houses, fine cars, fine clothes - and they were all innocent people, like you! I tell you no one is innocent!'

  She was shouting now, and nearly crying - there were tears in her eyes. Carl and Harald watched the gun carefully. 'Poor girl,' Carl thought. 'Poor little murderess.'

  The bearded men came out of the Captain’s cabin and put his hand on the girl's arm. 'Stop it, little flowere,' he said. 'Don't talk to them. That' not your job.' Then he hit Carl in the face. 'Keep your mouth shut!’ He said. 'Think about your wife instead. Do you see the time? I think she has forgotten you!'

  Carl groaned and held his mouth with his hand. There was blood in his mouth and one if his teeth was broken. Then he looked at his watch. It was 2.23. Seven minutes left… then the half hour was over.

  'I'm sorry, my friend,' he whispered to Harald. 'You tried fighting, and I tried talking. But it didn't work. I think this may be our last journey.'

-11-

  Helen Sandberg decided she liked Colonel Carter. He spoke clearly, he explained his ideas carefully, and he listen to what she said. He did not try to be difficult because she was a woman. Best of all, they had made a plan together. A good plan, she thouht; it could really work. Perhaps.

  She looked at her watch: 2.23. 'Right, Colonel, get your men ready. I'll send the first prisoner down to you when they arrive. But where are they? Michael, have they arrived yet?'

  'No, prime Minister. Not yet.'

  'Then where the hell are they? Can you get Inspector Holm on the car radio?'

  'Thery're trying, Prime Minister.' Michael spoke into the phone. Colonel Carter left the room and Helen walked up and down slowly, watching the clock. 2.24, 2.25, 2.26…

  'They've got him, Prime minister! He says… he says one of the cars has had an accident in the rain. He thinks he can be here in ten minutes.' Michael looked up. There was no smile on his face at all now.

  'Ten minutes! What's he driving - a police car, or a bicycle?' Helen banged her fist on the table. 'We've got four minutes left. OK. I want to talk to the hijackers. Get them on the radio.'

  She sat down at the table while Michael called the plane. Colonel Carter came in and stood behind her. A voice came on the radio.

  'Well, Mrs Sandberg. where are our brothers?'

  'They're coming,' said Helen. 'They'll be here in ten minutes.'

  'That is too late. I gave you half an hour. Your husband will die in four minutes.'

  Helen pressed her hands flat on the table, so hard that the ends of her fingers went white. 'Please don't do that', she said.

  'I am sorry, Mrs Sandberg. But if my brothers are not here ten four minutes, your husband will die.'

  'Don't you want to see your brothers?' she asked quickly. 'I promise you, if you kill my husband, you'll never see them again.'

  There was a pause while no one spoke. Then the radio ansewred.

  'Fuor minutes, Mrs Sandberg.'

  Helen spoke clearly, slowly, and loudly. She filled her voice with all the anger she had in her body. 'Listen, you murderer. I need just ten minutes to get your brothers to this airport. Then I will send them to the plane. But if you kill my husband, or anyone else, then I promise you that your brothers will die, on the tarmac in front of that plane. Is that What you want? Or will wait ten minutes?'

  There was another, longer pause. Helen started out into the night. She did not see anything.

  'All right. Ten more minutes.'

  'Thank you. Now, there is one more thing. The passengers.'

  'What about them?'

  'You must set them free before I send your brothers to the plane.'

  The voice on the radio laughed. 'Because you are woman, do you think all men are stupid, like your husband? Send me our brothers, then refuel the plane, and then I will send you the passengers.'

  'No,' answered Helen. She looked at Colonel Carter. 'This is how we will do it. I will send you one of your brothers and then you must send me the passengers. When we have all the passengers, then we will refuel the plane and send you your other brother.'

  The voice laughed again. 'Do you think are buying cheap fish from a child in the market? Send us one brother, then, and we will send you one hundred passengers. Refuel the plane and send us the other brother, and we will send you the other passengers. But the pilot and your husband must come with us to another country. We will set them free later.'

  Helen looked at Colonel Carter. There was the begining of a smile on her face.

  She could see that he agreed with her. She waited for a moment longer, to worry the hijacker.

  'Is it agreed, woman? Or do I kill your husband now?'

  ’I agree. I will send your first brother to you in ten minutes.'

-12-

  Carl felt his broken tooth with his tongue. The door of the Captan's cabin was open and he could see the bearded hijacker sitting inside. He had a long nose and dark hair and his eyes looked green from the light of the instruments in the dark cabin. He held his gun near his mouth and touched it gently with his lips as he waited.

  Carl had heard half of the conversation. Eight of the ten minutes had gone. Now that he could do nothing, he felt afraid. He could feel his hand in the handcuffs shaking. Harald felt it too and held Carl's hand with his own.

  'Don't worry, Mr Sandberg,' Harald whispered. 'We'll get out of here.'

  'Perhaps,' Carl answered. ’And perhaps not. But I don't want these murderes to go free.'

  'Ssh!' Harald whispered. Carl looked up and saw the girl watching them. Then, suddenly, the beared man shouted, ’They're coming! Look! Get ready!'

  The girl went into the Captain's cabin. Harald and Carl stood up and looked through a window. They saw three men pushing some steps across the tarmac. The men put the steps outside the plane door and then went back again. Then two more men came out of the building. They were wearing bright yellow coats because of the rain. One man walked towards the plane.

  'Come away from the door! Quick!' the girl unlocked the handcuffs and pushed Harald and Carl back to their seats. then she started to open the door.

  'Wait! Turn the lights out and stand back from the door!' said the bearded man. 'They will try to shoot us in the light from the door.'

  The door opened and the man in the yellow coat came into the plane. He was thin, with very short hair. The girl shut the door, the lights came on, and the man shut his eyes in the bright light. The girl and the breaded man put their arms around him, laughing.

  'Free! You are free now, brother! And the other one, is he safe? Come into the cabin, let1s talk!'

  Carl and Harald watched sadly. 'So now she will give them what they want, because of me,' said Carl quietly. 'We will be safe, but they will go free to bomb another plane, because of me.' He held his head in his hands.

  'Wait, Mr Sandberg,' said Harald. ’Your wife isn't stupid, you know. This game has not ended yet. Sit still, and be ready.'

  The other passengers sat quietly, waiting to be free.

-13-

  Helen Sandberg stood by the control room window, staring at the plane. 'Come on,' she said. 'Why is that is that door shut? Where are the passengers?'

  'The hijackers won't set them free,' said Inspector Holm. 'I told you, Prime Minister, this is a serious mistake.'

  'Be quiet, man,' said Colonel Carter. 'I think we1vge got something on the radio.'

  Beside him, a solider was turning the controls of a small army radio. Suddenly, the voices of once of the hijackers and the prisoner came into the room.

  'So how many soldiers, only police.'

  'That1s strange! No soldiers at all?'

  'I did not see any, brother.'

  'Very strange. But these are not military people. They no not have many soldiers. Perhaps the woman will do what she says, then.'

  'What's happening Colonel?' Helen asked. 'Those are the hijackers' voices. How can we hear them?'

  The Colonel Laughed. 'Well, madam, you can see it's raining, can't you? We didn't want our poor prisoner to get wet, so we gave him a nice yellow raincoat, you see. But it was an expensive raincoat, because one of it's buttons is a small radio transmitter. So now we can hear everything they say and we know where they are on the plane!'

  Helen smiled. 'Good idea, Colonel. I hope it helps.'

  'Prime Minister,' Michael interrupted. 'They're coming!' Helen looked through the window. The door of the plane was open and people were coming down the steps one after another. Some of them started to run towards the airport building, and few knelt down on the wet tarmac.

  'What are they doing?' Helen asked.

  'Praying, perhaps?' said Michael. ’To thank God that they're alive?'

  Police and doctors came out of the building to help the passengers. Helen stood and watched through the binoculars. She did not see Carl.

  'Ninety-nine, a hundred. That's it, then,' said Colonel Carter. The plane door closed. 'Now we move on to the next step of our plan. Goodbye, Prime Minister.'

  Helen turned and saw thet the Colonel was putting on whit clothes on top of his army uniform. He put several grenades in the coat pocket, and a machine gun into a long pocket inside the coat. He smiled at her. 'I must help my men refuel the plane.'

  'May God go with you, Colonel,' she said.

-14-

  The lights in the plane went out again. There were only eleven of them left now: Carl Sandberg and Harald, four crew, and five Americans.

  They sat together in the middle of the plane. The girl and the young man in the black shirt watched them. Through the window, Carl saw the fuel tanker drive towards the plane. It stopped, and five men in white clothes got out. The pilot went to the front of the plane to work the controls, and the men started to refuel the plane.

  Then he saw another man in the yellow raincoat come out of the airport building.

The bearded hijacker started to talk very excitedly. 'Is it him? Yes, it is! Our leader! My brother and sister, we have done it! Now, I must welcome him at the door. You, brother, watch the pilot in the cabin, and sister, watch the passengers.'

  Carl Sandberg watched the man in the yellow coat walk nearer. He could only see one man at the back of the plane, refuelling it. He thought the others were under the plane somewhere, but he did not know where.

  Harald put his hand on Carl's arm. Carl looked at him. Harald did not speak, but he was looking at the girl, very carefully.

  As the door opened, and the man with the yellow coat came in, the girl turned to look. Through the window, Carl saw a man in a white coat run out from under the plane with something that looked like a grenade in his hand. Two other men in white ran out behind him.

  The man's arm went up and he threw the grenade through the open door. There was a very loud BANG! at the front of the plane, and flash of white light that burned Carl's eyes. Almost immediately there was an even louder BANG! BANG! and two more flashes of white light.

  Carl could not move. The noise was so loud and the light so bright that he sat still as a stone. He saw the girl hijacker and the breaded man standing quite still too, with their guns in their hands and theirs mouths open. Then a man in white ran through the door with a gun in his hand. He shot the girl and the breaded man before they could move. The hijacker in the black shirt came out of the Captain's cabin behind the man in white, but two other men in white came through the door and shot him too. The two prisoners, in their yellow raincoats, tried to get to the door, but the men in white knocked them to the floor and handcuffed their hands behind their backs.

  Carl looked down. The girl was lying on the floor of the aisle beside him. He thought he saw her hand move towards her machine gun, but then one of the soldiers in white ran down the aisle and shot her again throught the head. Another soldier pulled her away by her legs and her long hair left blood along the floor.

-15-

  Helen Sandberg heard the bangs too, and when she saw the white light, she thought the plane was burning. For about half a minute there was nothing but loud bangs and white flashes, and then there was nothing.

  There were no lights at all in the plane and no sounds either.

  She turned to Michael. ' Can't you get them on the radio?'

  'I'm trying, Prime Minister. But I think it's broken.'

  She walked to the door. 'I'm going out.'

  Inspector Holm stood in front of her. 'You must not do that, Prime Minister. We don't know what's happened.'

  'That's why I'm going,' she said. 'I'm going to find out. I don't care what happens to me.'

  He was a big man but he was afraid of her. She walked straight past him and down the steps. In the departure lounge there was a crowd of passengers waiting to get on other planes, and also a lot of doctors, police, and newspaper journalists. She walked straight past them all and out onto the tarmac. It was dark and cold, and the wind blew rain into her face. When she was about fifty metres away from the building she heard some people behind her, but she did not stop.

  The door of the plane opened and a man in white came out. He had a gun in his hand he came backwards down steps. After him came two men in yellow raincoats with their hands behind their backs, and then two other men in white with guns. Two police officers came after her.

  'Wait, Prime Minister,' they said. 'Please stop, it's dangerous.'

  'Not now,' she said. 'It's not dangerous any more.' She walked on through the rain without stopping, and the young police officers walked beside her. They were afraid to touch her and they did not know what to do. Some journalits ran after them.

  Two men in blue came out of the plane - the pilot and co-pilot. Then some men in suits. She was quite near the plane now and there were quite a lot of newspaper photographers around her, but she did not stop walking.

  A big young man came out of the plane with a short, thin, grey-haired one - Harald and Carl. Helen could see that Carl's face was very white and there was blood on his mouth, but he could walk all right.

  Carl saw her coming, a small strong figure walking throught the rain, with a crowd of police and photograpers around her. 'Harald, my friend,' he said. 'I think we're in the news again. You're going to have another photo to show your little son on his birthday.'

  Carl and Helen Sandberg met at the bottom of the steps in the darkness and the rain. And Carl was right; there was a photo of it in every newspaper in the world the next day.

THE END

SAVE THE GOLDFISH

  Joe Jenkins worked in a small office in a small town. The sign on the window outside said PARKER, ESTATE AGENTS. Mrs Parker was the boss. Picture of houses filled the window.

  Joe sat in front of the office computer most of the time. On the computer he kept information about all the houses that were for sale.

  Mrs Parker’s secretary, Linda, thought he was wasting his time. - What’s wrong with a typewriter? - She used to say.

  Joe just smiled when Linda said this. - You don’t understand computers, - he told her. - They’re wonderful when you know them.

  Joe was really interested in the computer and enjoyed using it. Really, he wasn’t very interested in anything else. He was a quiet, shy, young man. He had always worked in the same office and lived in the same small flat in the poor part of the town.

  - You should be more ambitious, Joe, - Linda used to say.

  -You’ll never become an estate agent if you sit in front of that computer all the time.

  It was true. Joe was not very ambitious. Sometimes he took customers out to look at houses, but he rarely sold one. When the customers said, ‘This house is too large‘ or ‘The traffic is too noisy’ , he usually agreed with customers when he was very busy. He usually visited the houses and put the information about them on the computer.

  Joe couldn’t understand why so many people wanted to change their houses, anyway. - Why don’t they just stay where they are? - He wondered. He couldn’t understand why his wife, Isabel, wanted a house. The flat he and Isabel lived in was small, but it was big enough for two people. They were both out at work most of the time. Isabel worked for a lawyer and often came home late.

  When Isabel was late, Joe played computer games. He played them after work when Linda and Mrs Parker had gone home. He knew that Isabel was still working, so he amused himself for hours at the computer. If he went home, he just used to sit and watch the television.

  One morning Joe said to Linda, - Shall I show you my new computer game? We can play it during our lunch hour. It’s called SAVE THE GOLDFISH. You have to get the goldfish out of the pond and into the goldfish bowl. I haven’t done it yet. You have to be quick. It’s a really good game.

  - Oh, no! - groaned Linda. - Not a computer game! Must I? - But she agreed to play the game with him in their lunch hour.

  When Mrs Parker returned to the office after lunch, Joe and Linda had been playing SAVE THE GOLDFISH for half an hour.

  - I don’t think it can be done, - Linda told her. - The goldfish has so many enemies. You can’t possibly save it! It’s not only the blue fish and the green fish and the red fish with white spots. There’s also a big black cat and a bird with long legs. Even Joe can’t do it. And he thinks he’s so clever at computer games!

  - It’s the most difficult game I’ve ever played, - said Joe. - They told me at the shop that it wouldn’t be easy.

  - Let me try, - said Mrs Parker. But, before she could catch the goldfish in the net, it was swallowed by the red fish with white spots. The next time the big black cat caught it. She tried again and again, but she couldn’t do it.

  - That’s enough, she said. - What a terrible game! Let’s not waste any more time. We have to do some work!

  At five o’clock Linda put on her coat. ‘Will you lock the office door and turn off the lights? - She asked. Linda asked the same question almost every evening. She never stayed a minute in the office after five o’clock. She put on her coat at exactly that time. Her boyfriend was always waiting for her at the corner of the street.

  - Yes, all right. Leave it to me, - said Joe.

  Usually he asked her why she was in hurry, or made a joke about her boyfriend, but today he just smiled at her. He was glad that she was going. Mrs Parker had gone out with a customer and was not coming back. Joe wanted to be alone. He really wanted to play the goldfish game again. He was not in hurry. He knew that Isabel was working late.

  He played SAVE THE GOLDFISH again and again, without success. After several hours he turned off the computer. The blue fish, the green fish and red fish with white spots had all caught the little goldfish. The big black cat and the bird with long legs had caught it, too. Joe was very quick, but he could not save the goldfish.

  - What a terrible game! - He groaned. He had played many computer games that were difficult, but this one was impossible! Or maybe he wasn’t clever enough!

  Joe got up from his desk. He checked that the windows were shut. Then he turned off the lights, went out, and locked the door behind him.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  Every evening that week Joe stayed in the office after the two women had gone home, but he still couldn’t save the goldfish. He couldn’t stop playing the game until he won, and he hadn’t won it once. Joe was annoyed. He had never found a game that was too hard for him.

  On Friday Joe stayed in the office during his lunch hour to play the game. But he still couldn’t save the goldfish. He was sitting with his head in his hands when Linda got back from lunch.

-     Are you still playing that silly game? - She asked. - You must be crazy, Joe! You’re just wasting your time, you know. You’ll never win!

  At four o’clock Mrs Parker sent him out. She wanted some information about a house that was for sale. When he got back to work, it was a quarter past five and the office was empty.

  - I’ll just play the game a few times before I go home, - he said to himself. - Isabel won’t get home until seven.

  He turned on the computer and began to play. He lost the goldfish once, twice, ten times, thirty times, fifty times...Then, suddenly, he caught the goldfish in the net, lifted it out of the pond and dropped in into the goldfish bowl.

  The goldfish swam round and round the goldfish bowl, safe at last. Then it swan towards Joe. It grew larger and larger on the screen, and its mouth was opening and shutting. The words on the screen said:

YOU HAVE SAVED THE GOLDFISH!

  Joe couldn’t believe his eyes. He stood up and shouted, - I’ve done it. I’ve done it at last! - He threw his arms in the air and danced round the room. - That’s amazing... fantastic...wonderful, - he cried. - I’ve saved the goldfish.

  He was very excited. He forgot that the goldfish was still looking at him. It was still opening and shutting its mouth. When he looked back at the screen, there was another message:

YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE

YOU HAVE WON A PRIZE

WHAT DOYOU WANT?

  Joe laughed. This game was very different from any other computer game that he had played. Usually they said, TRY AGAIN, or told how to make the game more difficult. - Dear goldfish, - he said. He was still laughing. - I am glad you’re safe at last. That’s my reward.

  But the message remained on the screen. Joe tried to think of something. What could he ask for? He stared down at the floor, and he noticed that his shoes were very old. He typed in the words, I NEED SOME NEW SHOES.

  The goldfish was still opening and shutting its mouth. Now the words on the screen said:

MESSAGE NOT UNDERSTOOD

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

  Joe breathed deeply. Then he typed in the message, I WANT A PAIR OF SIZE 10 SHOES. He whispered to himself, - If you ask a crazy question, you’ll get a crazy answer. Nobody has ever asked a computer for shoes! - But the message on the screen had changed again:

MESSAGE UNDERSTOOD

GOODBYE

  Joe was sure the goldfish was smiling. He smiled back.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  When Joe reached home, he was still smiling. He sang to himself as he got some food out of the freezer for dinner.

  - You sound happy, - said Isabel, when she came in. - Have you sold a lot of houses? Did you have a good day?

  - Yes, - Joe laughed. - I didn’t sell any houses, but I did save a goldfish. It’s safe in the goldfish bowl.

  - What? What are you talking about?

  - I saved the goldfish, - Joe laughed again. He was pleased with himself. - I’ve just won the most difficult computer game I’ve ever played. It’s called SAVE THE GOLDFISH. You have to catch the goldfish in a net before its enemies can catch it.

  Joe was rushing around the kitchen. He was preparing the dinner while he was talking. Isabel followed him.

  - Oh, really, Joe! I’ve never heard anything so silly in my life! You’re crazy! If you spend your time in the office like that, I’m not surprised that Mrs Parker doesn’t pay you much! - She looked in the pans. - What are you cooking? I’m hungry. Is dinner almost ready? -

  - No, I’m afraid it isn’t. I got home late. - Joe was annoyed with Isabel, but he knew it was his own fault. - I couldn’t stop playing the game until I won. And then a funny thing happened. When I caught the goldfish and put it in the bowl, it offered me a prize.

  Isabel was hanging up her coat in the hall. - What do you mean? - She asked. She came back into the kitchen. Isabel liked prizes. She often filled in the forms in newspapers that offered you something for nothing. She always entered competitions.

  Joe waited for a moment before he answered. - It said, YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE. YOU HAVE WON A PRIZE. WHAT DOYOU WANT?

  - It didn’t, did it? Did the goldfish really speak to you? - Isabel sounded more interested. - What did you ask for?

  - Oh, I don’t know...- Joe wasn’t brave enough to tell her. No intelligent person asks a computer for anything. If she laughed at him, he would feel like a fool. - What could I ask for? I don’t need anything. Anyway could a computer give me?

  Isabel looked at him carefully. - I don’t know. If you ask, you’ll find out.

  Joe didn’t answer. He thought he had found out already. He looked down at his shoes. They were the same comfortable old shoes he’d put on that morning. He had been wearing them nearly every day for the last year.

  Isabel was silent during dinner. She picked up her spoon and finished her soup without a word. She stared at her plate as she ate her spaghetti.

  - Well, did you enjoy that? - Joe asked her.

  - Yes. - She smiled at him. I was hungry.

  She waited until they were drinking their coffee. Then she said, - Joe, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t you play that game again and ask the goldfish for a nice little house? You know how much I want one.

  At first, Joe just stared at her. Then he said, - You’re not serious, are you, Isabel? - It wasn’t like Isabel. She didn’t belive in magic.

  - Of course I’m serious. Look at this flat. It’s too small for us. We can’t turn round in it! Look at the furniture. It’s all old. You say you don’t need anything. I think we need a lot of things. Next time, when you win the game, say you want a house. - She certainly sounded serious.

  Joe was surprised. He looked at his wife. - Now who’s crazy? - He asked. - What could a computer give you, except another game, perhaps?

  Isabel looked straight back at him. - Promise me, - she said. - Promise me, Joe. On Monday, when you go into the office, you’ll play the goldfish game again. When you win, it’ll ask you what you want. Tell the goldfish that you want a nice little house.

  Joe didn’t say anything for a moment, but he knew when he was beaten. He nodded. - OK, Isabel. I promise. But the whole idea is crazy. It’s only a game.

  Isabel smiled. - I know it’s only a game, but what can we lose? Oh, and Joe...

  She got up and went into the hall. When she returned a moment later, she was carrying a paper bag. - I forgot to tell you. My brother brought these into the office just before I came home. He bought them a few months ago and has never worn them. They’re too small for him. He thinks they may be your size.

  Joe took the bag and opened it. Inside, he found a pair of size ten shoes.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  On Monday Linda went out early lunch. Joe was still working at the computer when Mrs Parker went out, too.           

  When she had gone, he took out the computer game. He felt like a fool but he knew he had to do it. He had promised Isabel. He had to play the game and win. Then he had to ask for his reward.

  He could not believe his eyes when the goldfish swam straight into the net. The blue fish, the green fish and the red fish with white spots did not get near it. The cat and the bird were left at the pond.

  He lifted the goldfish out of the pond and dropped it into the goldfish bowl. The goldfish swam round and round the bowl.

  Then it swam towards Joe. It was opening and shutting its mouth. The message on the screen said:

YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE

YOU HAVE WON A PRIZE

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

  Joe scratched his head. - Dear goldfish, - he said, - I have become quite fond of you. Please, don’t be angry with me. I’m afraid I’m going to ask for a really big prize this time.

  He breathed deeply and then slowly typed the message, I WANT A NICE LITTLE HOUSE. To himself he added, - I hope the neighbours will be friendly. - It was all so strange. He had to make a joke of it. A moment later he saw that his message had been accepted:

MESSAGE UNDERSTOOD

GOODBYE

  When Joe reached home that evening, there were a lot of boxes and bags in the hall of the flat. Isabel was in the bedroom, but she rushed out when she heard him.

  - Joe, you clever, clever man! How did you do it? Isn’t it wonderful! - She gave him a big hug and kiss. - I’ve been to see the house and we’re moving immediately. We can sleep there tonight. I’ve never been so excited in all my life!

  Joe kissed her again, for luck. He was glad that she was happy. - What happened? - He asked. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, but Isabel didn’t notice.

  - I came home early this afternoon, - she continued, - and I found a card in the door. It was a business card and it said, ‘You have won a nice little house’. It gave the address. It’s where they’re building all those new Hacket Homes. So I went there right away. It’s lovely! It’s wonderful! Call a taxi, will you, Joe? We’re going there now. I’ve put a lot of things in bags and boxes, and we can get the other things tomorrow.

  - What about the furniture? - asked Joe. - We can’t sleep there without furniture.

  - It’s already furnished! - cried Isabel. - You must know that. It’s one of the show houses. Everything in it is new. And it has a wonderful, modern kitchen, just like the ones in magazines. I just love it, Joe!

  - That’s great! - said Joe.

 - You thought you could fool me, didn’t you? That story about a goldfish? A computer game! You knew all the time that we had won the competition in The Daily News. I’d forgotten about it myself. I filled in the form in the newspaper months ago.

  Joe looked serious. - That wasn’t a story about the goldfish, - he said. - It was true.

  Isabel stared at him and he stared back. For a moment they both felt frightened. Then Isabel frowned and said, - I don’t belive it. We’ve had good luck, that’s all. Call the taxi, Joe.

  For a few months, Isabel was happy. - Of course, the house is very small, - she said. - The rooms aren’t much larger than the ones in the flat, and the furniture’s cheap. But you can’t have everything. The neighbours are friendly.

  Joe had a difficult time in the office. Mrs Parker and Linda did not believe that they had won their new Hacket home and all the furniture in a newspaper competition. - What competition? - they asked.

  - Isabel thinks you probably helped us, Mrs Parker, - Joe told his boss. - You know a lot of people in the Hacket Homes Company.

  Mrs Parker looked shocked. - That’s not true, Joe. I didn’t know anything about the competition, and I didn’t know Isabel had filled in from.

  - You said the wrong thing that time, Joe, - Linda said later. - She’s really angry. You’re very lucky, Joe. Maybe you don’t need a job any more! - She stood up and said, - Anyway, I wouldn’t want to win a house, if I couldn’t win it honestly.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  - You know, Joe, I’ve been thinking, - said Isabel one evening. - This house is very small, and the furniture is cheap and nasty. We still own the flat. Let’s sell this house and the flat, and buy a bigger house.

  - No, - said Joe.

  - Then, - Isabel went on, - if we have any money left, we can buy some new furniture. Could you find us a house?

  - Certainly not! - said Joe. - I like this house. It’s our home now, and the neighbours are friendly. I won’t sell the flat and I don’t want a bigger house. This one is big enough. It’s beautiful. Everything in it is new.

  Isabel gave him a hug and kiss. - Dear Joe, you never change. You’ve never been ambitious and you never will be. I want a bigger, better house. If you won’t sell the flat, - she laughed, - you’ll have to ask the goldfish.

  Joe groaned. He didn’t play the goldfish game any more. He felt frightened when he thought about it. He never joked about it. - I don’t want to do that, - he said, - I don’t want to ask the goldfish for anything more.

  - No, but you will, - said Isabel. - You would be silly if you didn’t. Think about it.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  Joe thought about it for a long time. When he didn’t think about it, Isabel talked about it. She didn’t let him forget the idea.

  At last, one evening in the summer, he pulled the computer game out of the drawer of his desk. He hadn’t forgotten how to play it. Soon the fish was in the bowl and he was invited to ask for his reward.

  - Poor little goldfish, - said Joe. - I know you’ve done a lot for us already, but we need something more.

  He typed in the words. - I WANT A BIGGER HOUSE AND BETTER FUNITURE - He felt guilty. He and Isabel were becoming really greedy. But the fish didn’t look surprised. It just opened and shut its mouth. Then the words - MESSAGE UNDERSTOOD - appeared on the screen.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  The new house had a lot of large rooms and bathrooms. It was another show house and it was like the house of a film star. It was full of useless and expensive objects and flowers that were not real. There was a television in every room. There were two garages, but Joe and Isabel didn’t own a car. There was a large garden, with fruit trees and plenty of flowers. Joe walked around it like a visitor in film studio. He was astonished. He could not belive it was real.

  - There! You see? - said Isabel. - Isn’t fantastic? I said you were a clever man, didn’t I? Now we have a really beatiful home, and we still have money in the bank. - She gave him a small kiss.

  Joe smiled. He was beginning to agree with Isabel. He was clever. Very clever. He had done it all. He had won a very difficult computer game and received his reward. He felt excited. He had a lot of power.

  Isabel put her hand on his arm. I knew you only had had to ask the goldfish. - She laughed. - It will be easier next time.

  - There won’t be next time, - said Joe.

  - Oh yes, there will, - said Isabel.

  - Aren’t you satisfied? - He asked her. - What do you want? You’ve got everything.

  - Oh, Joe, don’t you see? Our life is different now. We can’t ride on buses. We’ll need two cars, one for you and one for me. And who’s going to clean all those rooms and bathrooms? We’ll need servants. And who will cut the grass and water the flowers? You won’t want to do it. We’ll need a gardener.

  - I see, - said Joe. It was true. Their life had changed.

  - But we don’t have to ask the goldfish right now, - said Isabel. - We can wait. We may think of more things we want.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  Mrs Parker and Linda joked about Joe and his wonderful house. They called him „Mr Money Bags”. Joe knew they were laughing at him and he didn’t like it. He began to go into the office late and leave early. He forgot appointments. It wasn’t a very good job, anyway. It was only a small estate agent’s office.

  Isabel was busy. She was making plans. - You won’t need a job, Joe, - she announced one day. - We’re not going to ask for anything small this time. We’ll ask for a beautiful big house in the country, an old castle, perhaps. We’ll become landowners. We’ll have farms and lots of workers. We won’t need to work.

  Joe didn’t argue with her. He wasn’t happy in the office. He didn’t like the house, either. The neighbours weren’t friendly. Neither of them wanted to stay in that house and they could go anywhere they wanted. He promised to speak to the goldfish.

 

*** *** *** ***

 

  It was a Sunday evening and Isabel went with him. He unlocked the office door with his key and started to play the game.

  He saved the goldfish easily. He could not lose the game now. When the goldfish asked what he wanted for his prize, Isabel told Joe what to say. He began to type list, and it got longer and longer. The goldfish’s mouth opened and shut.

  It was getting late. - Have you finished? - Joe asked Isabel. - Have you asked for everything you want?

  - Yes. Just say that you want to keep it all forever, - she replied. The computer was beginning to make strange crackling noises, but Joe typed those words in, too.

  The crackling got louder and louder. Red and white lights flashed. Lines and circles chased each other round the screen. The goldfish seemed frightened. It swam away and disappeared. In its place there was a message?

WARNING! OVERLOAD

MESSAGE NOT ACCEPTED

GO BACK TO YOUR FLAT

  Joe got angry. - What does that mean? - He shouted. - I typed it in correctly, what’s wrong with the thing? Find my computer book, Isabel. There’s a fault somewhere.

  But the crackling got louder and the lights flashed more wildly. Flames appeared along the electric wires. A pile of papers began to burn.

  Isabel screamed. - Fire! Run, Joe! Run! - She was terrified.

- There’s going to be an explosion. - Smoke was pouring from the computer. The desk was on fire.

  When the explosion happened, it made the loudest, most terrifying noise either of them had ever heard. Through a shower of metal and broken glass, they were black with smoke. They ran till they reached the corner.

  But as they ran, Joe could hear a very small voice. It was whispering, „Clever...clever...’, or something like that. He didn’t tell Isabel. She didn’t seem to hear it. He knew it was the voice of the goldfish.

 

THE END

As you imagine, the next few weeks were very busy for mary and her parents, although Arthur didn't have much to do. As is the custom, Mary's parents sent invitations to everybody they wanted to come to the wedding.

Mr and Mrs G. Stephens request the pleasure of Mr Reginald Smithers company at the Marriage of their only daughter Mary to Mr Arthur Newton, at 10 a.m. on saturday August 20th, at St. Mark's Church, Middleford and afterwards at the talbot Hotel, Middleford.

R.S.V.P. 7 Laburnium Close, Middleford.

Mary had to have her wedding dress made and the bridesmaids also had to have dresses. Mary wanted Sheila an Jennifer to be her bridesmaids; Sheila accepted her invitation immediately, although Jennifer wasn't very keen on the idea at first. Mary and Arthur received many presents just before the wedding. Many people sent towels; in fact they found they had enough towels to last them the rest of their lives.

Arthur and Mary went to see the vicar of St Mark's Church to make arrangements for the ceremony and Mrs Stephens had to do the same for the reception. Of course, Mr Stephens had to pay, which made him think how lucky he was to have only one daughter.

Finally the great day arrived. At about 9.45 the guests started to arrive at the church. The men wer all dressed in morning suits and grey top hats and they wore white carnations in their button-holes. the ladies all wore very large amusing hats and gaily-coloured dresse. Arthur's old school friend, Peter, was the best man and he and Arthur arrived at the church just beofre 10 o'clock and waited Mary and her father to arrive. He asked Peter nervously whether he had the ring and Peter pretended the he had lost it. At last the church organ began to play and in came Mary on her father's arm followed by jennifer and Sheila.

The followed by the ceremony, after which photographs of the bride and bridgegroom with the bridesmaids and families were taken outside the church. Cars then took everybody to the Talbot Hotel for the reception.

***

- Well, though I say it myself, I think that went off fairly well.

- Yes, it went off splendidly. I bet it cost you a fair bit, though.

- You can say that again. I'll be coming round to your bank tomorrow, Mr Smithers. I hope your manager's in a good mood. ha-ha.

- Well, I don't know, I'm sure, Mr Stephens.

- I suppose it could be my turn next. Jennifer's growing up. Where's your wife, Mr Stephens?

- Oh, she's gone off to help Mary get ready. Arthur and mary'll be off in a minute. They've got to be at the airport by three.

- Oh, have they? I'd better go and say goodbye to Arthur, hadn't I?

- I say, you two! Look at that extraordinary woman over there. Have you ever seen such a ridiculous hat?

- Which one do you mean?

- That one over there by the door.

- That's my mother, actually.

- Do have a sandwich, girls.

***

- Arthur's going to miss my cooking. I wonder if that Mary can cook.

- Yes, I don't know how he'll manage.

- Ah, there you are, Arthur. You'll be off in a minite, I suppose.

- Yes, that's right. We're just waiting for the taxi to get here.

- Well, we'll miss you two at the library. the mornings won't be the same, ha-ha.

- I suppose not, Mr Steele. Ah, here's Mary.

- We'll send you a postcard from Spain. Come on, Arthur, we'd better go. The taxi's here. Goodbye, everybody. Goodbye.

- Bye! Cheerio! Best of luck!

Mary was delighted. The fortune teller had told her that she would get a proposal very soon. How right she was! Of course she accepted and it was a very happy couple that left the fair that evening. Just near the common there was an old eighteen-century pub with a garden outside where they went to sit and talked about their future. What a lot of plans they had to make! Arthur had just taken his two A-level examinations but would not know the results until August. When should they get married? Where would they live?

Arthur was not absolutely sure what he wanted to do? He wanted to study for more qualifications and to leave the library but everything depended upon his examination results. Mary said that whatever he did she would like to get married soon. If Arthur wanted to study she could earn enough to keep both of them if the worst came to the worst. Arthur said that he would like to leave Middleford and that he could probably work and study in London if he passed his examinations. To begin with they could look for a small furnished flat.

But first of all they had to see Mary's parents to tell them the good news and decide on a date for the wedding. Then they had to ring Arthur's parents as well. What a surprise it would be for Jennifer that Arthur was going to marry Mary!

Then there was the honeymoon - it was lucky that Arthur had won the holiday for two on the Costa Brava in the TV contest, especially as Arthur did not have vary much money. He told her that he wpould not be able to buy her such an expensive engagement  ring as the one Bruce had given her. Mary said that she would rather do without an engagement ring and spend the money on something more useful.

When they had finished their drink, they got into Arthur's old car and drove towards Mary's home. How nervous Arthur felt as Mary turned the key in the lock and pushed him through the door.

***

- Is that you, Mary? Oh how nice! You've got Arthur with you. Hallo Arthur.

- Dad, Moter, we've got something to …

- Look, love, could it wait for a bit? This match is nearly over. I've been looking forward to it all week.

- Oh, George, really! You and your football. I don't know what you see in it. Anyway, Arthur's here.

- Oh, hallo, Arthur. Sit down.

- Oh, you idiot! Ha-ha! Not you, Arthur. Noble, I mean. He gave it away.

- Oh, it’s the European Cup Winners’ Cup, isn’t it? The semi-final? What’s the score? Are we winning?

- No, there’s no score so far. It will go into extra time if they don’t score pretty soon.

- Arthur!

- Hang on a bit, Mary. It’s nearly over.

- Here, help yourself to a beer, Arthur.

- Oh, thanks.

- Oh, these men. What children they are!

„And Short. Now he passes to Higgins. He’s on his own now. He’s beaten Müller and he’s scored! What a magnificent goal! And it’s all over. The referee’s blown the final whistle. Spurs have one, and they go through the final in Amsterdam next week.”

- Well, that’s it. What a damned good match! What a pity you missed most of it, Arthur. Well, what have you two been doing with yourselves? Being to the fair, have you?

- Er …, yes, we have, haven’t we, Mary? This is a nice glass of beer. What sort is it? Oh, it’s ….

- Oh, Arthur!

- Oh yes, er well ar that is … Well, Mary and I were at the fair this evening and Mary said er that is I said …

- What on earth are you talking about, my boy? Look here, your glass is empty. Have some more. Oh, I’d better get some more from the fridge.

- Well, Mrs Stephens, the long and the short of it is, to put it in a nutshell really …

- Oh, Arthur, you’re hopeless. Mum, this evening Arthur asked me to marry him and I said ‘Yes’.

- Oh, Mary! How wonderful! I am delighted.

- Here you are, Arthur. Here’s your beer. You know I didn’t think we were going to win at one stage. Well, what on earth’s the matter with you all?

During the next week the weather got warmer and warmer and the evenings became lighter and lighter.

One day after work Arthur asked mary to come to Middleford Midsummer Fair with him. This fir is held annually every third week in June on Middleford Common, a large open space to the east of the town centre.

When Arthur and Mary arrived the common was crowded with thousands of people enjoying themselves on the roundabouts, dodgem cars, the big dipper and all the amusements generally found at a fair.

Arthur and mary walked past the caravans parked round the outside of the common and stopped at a stall selling hot-dogs and hamburgers. They each bought a hot-dog and walked to the middle of the fairground eating their hot-dogs and looking at all the stalls. They stopped a shooting gallery where they were given rifle loaded with darts. Arthur missed the target completely with all his shots but Mary got a good score and won a prize - a rather ugly-looking vase.

Then they came to the ghost train. Arthur persuaded Mary to go this with him. So Arthur paid the money and then they sat down together on the narrow seat. Mary pretended to be frightened by the sights and noises and held tightly on to Arthur's arm.

Next to the ghost train was a brightly painted caravan with a sign outside.

Have your fortune told by Madame Tanya, the original forune teller. Has told forutnes of all world-famous people including the crowned heads of Europe. Palms reads, tea leaves, crystal ball - 50p.

Arthur tried to hurry Mary past this quickly but she stopped and read the notice. She told Arthur she would like to go in and hear what Madame tanya had to say. Arthur said that he thought fortune telling was a lot of stupid nonsense, but before he could say any more Mary had walked up the caravan steps and had gone in. She found herself in a dimly-lit room in front of a table with a crystal ball. Sitting behind the table was a dark-haired lady.

***

- Come in, my dear, and sit down. Oh, you are a pretty young lady, aren't you? Give me your hand first, dear.

- Can you tell me what's going to happen to me?

- First, I'm going to tell you what's already happened to you. Now let me see. You're an only child. You've got no brothers or sisters. Am I right?

- Yes, that's right. How did you know?

- Ah, we gipsies have the power, you know. Now I see books - thousands of books in a large building. A library perhaps.

- That's fantastic.

- Oh dear, I see a tall fair-haired man with a moustache - in another large building - not a library this time. I don't know what kind of building. It's very ugly. There are many uniformed men in it. What's the matter, dear? Oh, I understand - a broken romance.

- C-can't you tell me about my future?

- Now that's in the crystal ball. Ah, yes, you have suffered a lot but your future is bright. I see another young man - a quiet shy young man but his heart is true.

- Yes?

- He loves you very much. He will ask you to marry him soon, very soon, sooner than you think. It will be difficult at first but you will be happy.

- Yes?

- That'll be fifty pence. The ball's gone dark; I can't see any more. Thank you, dear, and the best of luck to you.

***

- That was a waste of money, I bet.

- No, she was fantastic. Why don't you have your fortune told, Arthur?

- Oh, don't be silly! I've got better things to spend money on. I don't know how you can believe in such rubbish.

- It's not rubbish, Arthur.

- Of course it is. Don't be stupid.

- Arthur, don't talk to me like that!

- Oh Mary, you know I didn't mean it. You know I love you!

- Arthur! Do you really?

- You know I do. I've loved you ever since I first met you at the library. Mary, will you marry me?

During the next few weeks the newspapers were full of the case of Bruce and the bank robbery. First he was brought before the Magistrates's Court and charged with armed robbery together with four other men. The court was so full that many people were turned away and could not get into the court.

Fanshawe, Brown, Elkins, James and Robinson in Court. - Westland Bank Robbery - Uxbridge magistrates' Court was packed this morning when Bruce Stewart Fanshawe, car salesman, 31, of Middleford, Alfred Henry Brown, unemployed, 29, of no fixed address, Charles Edward Elkins, Company Director, 45, of Didcot, Peter Brian james, van driver, 27, of Middleford, William David Robinson, unemployed, 19, of Middleford were all charged with armed robbery at the Westland Bank, Middleford on 3rd January. the case against Fanshawe was taken first. Evidence of arrest was given by Chief Insp. Stacey of Middleford C.I.D. Reginald Smithers, bank Clerk, gave evidence that he recognized the accused, fanshawe, as one of the men who had held up the bank staff at gun point. mary Stephens, Fanshawe former fiancée, gave evidence that she had been given a ring by fanshawe, later idnetified as one of the items taken from the Westland bank.

Mr Smithers enjoyed giving evidence very much but Mary was so upset that she burst into tears in the court. They both had to appear twice, first at the Magistrates's Court and later at the trial before a judge and jury t the Central Criminal Court (or the Old Bailey, as it is called) in London. At the trial Bruce was found guilty and set to prison for eight years.

The Saturday after the trial was such a nice day, that Arthur rang Mary up and suggested a picnic and a drive into the country. Mary said she would come so Arthur picked her up at her house where he met Mary's parents for the first time. They invited him to come back for supper after they had returned from the country.

***

- I must say It's been a lovely day today. I'm so glad Mary's got someone to take her out. She's been having such a terrible time lately.

- Yes, I'm glad that business is all over at last. I hope she'll forget all about it now.

- I think Arthur's such a nice young man, don't you, George?

- Well, he's certainly better than that Bruce fanshawe. I hear he got eight years.

- Yes, I don't suppose we'll see him again. I hope not, anyway.

- Mm, I agree. Oh, that must be them now. Ha-ha, I don't think much of his car. It's a real old banger.

- Hallo, we've had such a lovely time, haven't we, Arthur?

- Yes, we went to the Cotswold.

- Oh, yes. What were the roads like?

- Well, we kept off the main roads and we didn't meet much traffic.

- Well, dinner's nearly ready. Perhaps you could give me a hand in the kitchen, Mary. George, why don't you offer Arthur a drink?

- What would you like, Arthur? Sherry?

- That'd do fine. Just a small one, please. I'm driving later on.

- I see Bruce Fanshawe got eight years. I can't say I'm sorry. I never liked him. I don't understand what Mary saw in him.

- I didn't like him either. I got that car of mine from him and I've had no end of trouble with it. I think I'll sell it and buy a better one.

- Mm, I don't think you'd get much for it if you did.

- Come on, you two. Dinner's ready.

***

- Well, I really must be going now. It's getting rather late. Anyway, thanks very much for a very pleasant evening. You're a very good cook, Mrs Stephens.

- I'll just see Arthur to the door.

- Well, goodnight everybody, and thanks again.

***

- Mm, it's getting late. I'll just go and put the car away, I think.

- Well, Mary, I think I'm for bed. Let's leave the washing up till the morning. After all, it is Sunday tomorrow.

- Yes, I'm rather tired myself. Oh, Mother, we had such a lovely day! It's funny. I used to think Arthur was such a bore.

- Do you really like him then, dear?

- Yes, i do. I think I love him, actually. This time I think it's the real thing.

That evening an article appeared in the evening paper.

Have you seen this man? - The police are anxious to interview bruce Fanshawe, a Middleford car salesman. He has been living in Middleford for three years and during the past two years he has been working at the Middleford Used car mart. The police believe that he would be able to help them in their enquiries into the recent robbery at the Westland bank. If anybody has seen this man, would they please contact the Middleford police (Telephone 026 307 8097) or any police station?

For the next few weeks Arthur saw mary quite a lot - not only in the library but also in the evenings and at weekends. Mary was trying to forget all about Bruce but of course this was difficult for her. She had been thinking quite a lot about him. She had been impressed by his money, his sports-car and his generosity, but she hadn't realized what sort of man he really was or what he had been doing when he wasn't with her. He had actually been robbing banks and mixing with other criminals. She thought she had been behaving like an idiot. And none of her family had ever liked Bruce.

Arthur was very sorry that Mary was so miserable but he was glad, of course, that the engagement was over.

One evening about three weeks after the drama at the police station, Arthur had been studying at the Technical College. He had been working very hard for the last feww weeks at his English and Economics. In a few weeks he would be taking his A-level examinations. He had been going out with Mary most evenings and and weekends but he had been staying up late reading and learning. On this particular evening, Arthur did not see Mary but went straight home from his class to Mrs Harrison's. She now had a colour television set and she and Mr Smithers had been watching it since dinner when Arthur came in.

***

- Oh, hallo, Arthur. Sit down, dear. You do look tired. We've been watching a lovely programme on the telly. It was all about holidays in Spain. Have you been thinking about who you're going to take with you on your free holiday?

- Well, not really. Good evening, Mr Smithers.

- Hallo.

- Would you like to have your dinner on a tray in here?

- Yes, please. That'd be lovely.

- All right. I'll just go and get.

- Well, what have you been learning about tonight, Arthur?

- Well, we've been doing economoics this evening. I must say it's rather difficult.

- Oh, I had to do that years ago for my banking exams. I can't say I liked it very much either. When are your exams?

- In just under a month, actually.

- Then I suppose you've been hard at it recently?

- Yes, I've been going to bed late most nights.

- Here'S your dinner, Arthur. It's fish and chips.

- Thanks very much. Oh, have you got any tomato sauce?

- Oh dear! No, I'm sorry. I've been meaning to get some all week but I keep on forgetting.

- Oh, well. Never mind.

- It's nearly ten o'clock. Time for the news. Do you mind if I turn the Tv up?

- No, carry on.

Good evening. The Prime Minister has been having talks at Number 10 with union leaders about a voluntary wages policy. Here's our industrial correspondent, Peter Thompson. …

- Are your fish and chips all right, Arthur? Not cold, are they?

- No, they're OK.

… The Middleford Bank Robbery.…

- Quiet, everybody!

… At half past three this afternoon, Bruce Fanshawe, wanted in connection with armed robbery at the Westland Bank in Middleford was arrested and charged while attempting to leave the country at Heathrow Airport. He will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court tomorrow. The police have been searching for him for the last three weeks. … It has just been announced that teachers have been awarded a pay increase. Richard Kershaw has been talking to their leader, Mr Fred Williamson … …

Mary and Arthur had to get into the detectives' car and drive to Middleford Police Station. There they were taken into separate rooms and were asked a great many questions. The police asked mary once more where she had got the ring and she explained that she'd been given it as an arrangement ring by Bruce. The police were very interested in Bruce and they asked her when she had seen him last and where he lived. She told them his address but said that she hadn't been able to contact him all weekend. They then told her that the ring that she'd been given was one of the rings that had been stolen in the recent robbery at the Westland Bank in Middleford. They asked her if she had a photograph of Bruce and she told them she had and the police asked her if she would give it to them. Then they told her not to leave Middleford. they asked her if she would mind having her fingerprints taken and she told them she had nothing to hide and sgreed.

As soon as they arrived, Arthur asked if hr could telephone Mr Smithers at the library to tell him that both he and Mary would be late back from lunch and that they were helping the policce with their enquiries. He was told by the inspector that the sergeant would phone Mr Steele.

The police asked Arthur if he knew Bruce and he said that he did. They then asked him when he'd last seen him and he told them it was at the dentist's on saturday and that he was with Mr Smithers, who thought he'd seen Bruce somewhere before. When the police asked who Mr Smithers was and Arthur told them he was a clerk at the Westland Bank in Middleford, the police immediately went round to the bank and brought Mr Smithers to the station. When Mr Smithers was shown Bruce's photo, he told the police that he recognized the man he had seen at the dentist's. He also told them that one of the bank robbers had had a moustache and a gold watch just like Bruce's.

After a couple of hours they were all allowed to leave. Mr Smithers went back to the bank and Mary and Arthur returned to the library.

***

Access to English - Getting on - 15.2. - At the police station

- Ah, you're back at last. Would you mind telling me what all this is about? This afternoon's been terrible.

- Oh, Arthur, could you explain to Mr Steele what's happened? I'm much too upset. Would you excuse me for a moment, Mr Steele?

- All right. Off you go but don't be too long. Now, Arthur, what's the trouble?

- Well, it's all rather extraordinary, Mr Steele. We'd just had lunch at the Sunny Snack Bar and Mary wanted to go to the jeweller's to collect her engagement ring. It appears it's one of the rings that were stolen from the bank the other day.

- Well, bless my soul.

- Yes, and it looks as if Bruce Fanshawe's a crook.

- Oh dear! Poor Mary! Perhaps she'd better go home. I suppose we could manage without her.

- Here she is now.

- Look, Arthur's told me more or less everything, Mary. I expect you're feeling a bit upset. Woulkd you like to take the rest of the afternoon off?

- Thank you very much, Mr Steele. But I think I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind. I'd only feel miserable by myself at home.

- Well, just as you like. Are you sure you don't want to go home?

- Yes, quite sure, thank you, Mr Steele. If I do some work it'll take my mind off my problems.

- All right then. Ah, that's the phone ringing. I must get back to my office.

- Well, you've been very understanding, Arthur. Thank you very much.

- Oh, that's nothing, Mary.

- Well, one thing's sure - if Bruce Fanshawe were the last man on earth I'd have nothing more to do with him. Thank God I found out now.

- Oh dear. Look, there's a big queue at the counter. I'd better go and look after them. But I tell you what. Why don't we go to the pictures this evening? It'll help you to forget.

- Oh, that's a marvellous idea. I'd love to.

The following monday Arthur got up early for a change. he looked out of his bedroom window and saw the sun shining brightly. 'If it were like this every morning,' he thought, 'I'd get up a six o'clock.'

While he was eating his breakfast, he kept on looking out of the window and thinking: 'If I didn't have to go to work this morning, it would be really great to go to the coast and sit in the sun - and if Mary were my girlfriend instead of Bruce's, she would come with me.'

But unfortunately, Arthur had to go to work. So he set off half an hour earlier than usual and arrived at the library before anybody else. The next to come was Mr Steele who thought, 'This must be a miracle. Arthur is actually the first here. If he came as early as thes every morning, he would get a lot more work done.'

Arthur began to get on with his work and by half past nine he had finished all the postcards he had to write. A little later he looked at his watch and saw it was a quarter to ten. Mary had still not arrived. He wondered whether she was ill or if she had taken the day off. But Mr Steele came in and asked him if he knew where mary was. 'If she were ill, she would telephone,' he said. 'It's not like her. She's usually the first to arrive.' Arthur said that he had no idea where Mary was. He didn't seen her since last Friday.

But at that moment the door opened and there was Mary. She was looking very pale and tired. She apologized to Mr Steele and explained that she had been awake most of the night. She hadn't got to sleep until five in the morning and had consequently overslept. Mr Steele was very kind and suggested that she should take the day off. She thanked him and said she would stay, but she hardly said a word for the rest of the morning. Arthur, on the other hand, was feeling cheerful so at one o'clock he suggested to Mary that they should go and have lunch together at the Sunny Snack Bar, and she agreed.

***

- Let's not sit here, Mary. It's rather hot, isn't it? If we sit over there, we'll be in the shade.

- Oh all right, if you like, Arthur.

- What's the matter with you today? You don't look very cheerful. Do you feel all right?

- As a matter of fact I'm a bit fed up, actually.

- Oh? Why's that then?

- Oh, it doesn't matter. You wouldn't be interested if I told you.

- Suit yourself … By the way, i saw Bruce on saturday. … What's the matter? Don't cry. Here, do you want to borrow my handkerchief?

- Thank you. I'm sorry to be so boring. It's just that I haven't seen Bruce for the whole weekend.

- Oh dear.

- Where did you see him? We'd arranged to meet for lunch on saturday. He didn't turn up and I haven't seen him since.

- Well, I saw him at the dentist's at about 11.30.

- Oh, did you? Well, I just can't understand it. I telephoned him hundreds of times but there was no reply.

- Oh, I shouldn't worry if I were you. There's pobably quite a simple explanation.

- Yes, i suppose so.

- Look, here's our lunch. Would you like some sauce?

***

- Well, thank you. You've cheered me up quite a lot. Look, I've just got to go to the jeweller's next door to get my ring back. If I wait until this evening, the shop will be closed.

- Would you mind if I came with you?

- No. Not at all.

***

- Good afternoon, madam. Can I help you?

- Yes, I brought my ring in to have it repaired last week. You said it'd be ready by Monday. Here's the ticket.

- Ah, yes, madam. Would you wait just a minute, please?

***

- What's happening? He's long time, isn't he?

- Excuse me, madam. We're police officers. Is this the ring you brought in last week?

- Yes, it's my engagement ring. What's this all about?

- Would you please come with us, madam? We'd like to ask you a few questions. And you, sir, if you please.