Lesson 11: Midnight Express

(i) Mortimer found the book (c) in his father's library.

(ii) The illustration on the page showed (b) an empty railway platform.

(iii) Mortimer was able to read up to (a) page fifty of the book.

(iv) Here Midnight Express is (c) a story in a book.

(1) As a young man, Mortimer was waiting for a train in an empty junction. [ 6 ]

(2) Mortimer found a battered old book. [ 1 ]

(3) He started to read the story by candle light. [ 3 ]

(4) Mortimer stopped at page fifty while reading the story. [ 5 ]

(5) The illustration of the story frightened Mortimer every time. [ 4 ]

(6) Mortimer was fascinated by the battered old book. [ 2 ]

Mortimer never read beyond page fifty because the illustration on that page threatened and frightened him for some unknown reason. The image of the lone man on the dark, empty platform was so disturbing to him as a child that he could not bring himself to continue with the story.

(a) Mortimer noticed in the lamp light a dark and solitary figure he knew.

(b) The solitary figure faced the black mouth of a tunnel.

(c) Walking towards the figure Mortimer was shocked to see he was staring into his own face.

(d) The shadowy figure stood with a candle after opening the door.

(a) Mortimer had seen the 'dark and solitary figure' in an illustration on page fifty of a battered old book he read in his childhood.

(b) Mortimer was shocked when he walked up to the solitary figure on the platform and looked into its face, because he discovered he was staring into his own face.

(c) The echo of his own footsteps was "steadily gaining" on Mortimer as he stumbled out of the platform, creating the terrifying illusion that he was being chased.

(a) Mortimer found the old battered book on the armchair. [ F ]

Supporting Statement: "...on which lay a battered old book bound in red leather."

(b) Mortimer realized that the book was the same one which he had read in his childhood. [ T ]

Supporting Statement: "With a shock he realized it was the same book from his childhood..."

(c) Mortimer felt immensely afraid of the things happening around him. [ T ]

Supporting Statement: "Mortimer was greatly afraid." / "He was filled with acute dread."

(d) In the flickering candlelight, the host was seen standing by the table. [ F ]

Supporting Statement: "The shadowy figure stood before Mortimer."

(a) Mortimer followed the shadowy figure up the creaking stairs to an upper room where a bright fire was burning.

(b) Mortimer's hands trembled because he was greatly afraid. He had just found the same mysterious and frightening book from his childhood in this strange cottage, and he was terrified of what he might find inside.

(c) The strange cycle of events was the realization that he was living the very story he had read as a child. The story in the book was about a man who, in his childhood, had read a book with a frightening picture, which was exactly Mortimer's own experience.

(d) Yes, it seems the strange incidents were a direct result of him reading the book. The story created a loop in time where he was destined to live out the very events he read about, culminating in him becoming the shadowy figure for the next version of himself.

(i) Mother is cooking food for us. - (c) Food is being cooked by mother for us.

(ii) Father is baking a cake. - (d) A cake is being baked by father.

(iii) The children were planting trees. - (a) Trees were being planted by the children.

(iv) The students were learning a lesson. - (b) A lesson was being learnt by the students.

(a) A film is being watched by the girl.

(b) A car is being driven by Rahul.

(c) A novel was being written by the author.

(d) Vegetables were being bought by the man.

(a) tunnel

(b) dread / panic

(c) trembling

(d) creaking

Alone at the Station

The last train had departed, leaving me alone on the dimly lit platform. The silence was unsettling, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl. Every shadow seemed to stretch and twist into strange shapes. The faint whistle of the wind sounded like whispers, making me shiver. I clutched my bag tightly, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and loneliness. I counted the minutes, praying for the first sign of dawn or the comforting rumble of an approaching train to break the eerie silence of the night.

Me: Hi Rohan! I haven't seen you at the school library lately.

Rohan: Oh, hi! I haven't had much time. I just read what's needed for class.

Me: You should visit more often! It's so peaceful, and there's a whole world of books beyond our syllabus. I found an amazing adventure story last week.

Rohan: Really? I guess I never thought about it that way.

Me: It’s true! It's a great way to discover new interests and improve your vocabulary. Plus, it's free! You can travel anywhere through the pages of a book.

Rohan: You've convinced me. I'll join you next week!