Practice Story (Monkey Paw), Ejercicios de Inglés

¡Descarga Practice Story (Monkey Paw) y más Ejercicios en PDF de Inglés solo en Docsity! Gothic Short Stories The Monkey’s Paw 1 The Monkey’s Paw William W. Jacobs Outside, the night was cold and wet but a fire burned brightly in the small living room of Laburnum Villa, where Mr White and his son Herbert were playing chess. Mrs White, a white-haired old lady, sat knitting by the fire, occasionally commenting on the game. ‘Listen to the wind,’ said Mr white. He had made a serious 5 mistake and wanted to distract his son’s attention so that he wouldn’t see it. ‘I’m listening,’ said his son, concentrating on the chessboard. ‘I shouldn’t think he’ll come tonight,’ said the father, his hand over the board. 10 ‘Checkmate,’ replied the son. ‘That’s the trouble with living here,’ Mr White shouted with unexpected violence. ‘Of all the wet, isolated places this is the worst. The path is a bog and the road’s a river, but I suppose people don’t care because only two houses in the road are occupied.’ 15 ‘Don’t worry, dear,’ said his wife. ‘Perhaps you’ll win the next one. Mr White looked up suddenly and saw mother and son look at each other quickly. He hid a guilty smile in his thin grey beard. ‘There he is,’ said Herbert, hearing the gate shut loudly and 20 heavy footsteps coming to the door. The old man stood up hurriedly and went to open the door. He came back with a tall, well-built man who had small, bright eyes and a red face. ‘Sergeant Major Morris,’ said Mr White, introducing him. 25 The officer shook hands, sat by the fire, and watched contentedly as Mr White got out some whisky and glasses. After three drinks the soldier’s eyes became brighter and he began to talk. The family listened with great interest to this visitor from distant lands while he spoke of his courageous adventures and his experiences of wars, 30 plagues and strange nations. ‘Twenty-one years ago, when he went away, he was just a boy in the warehouse,’ said Mr White to his wife and son. ‘Now look at him.’ ‘It doesn’t seem to have hurt him,’ Mrs White agreed politely. 35 ‘I’d like to go to India myself,’ said the old man, ‘just to look round a bit, you know.’ ‘You’re better here where you are,’ said the Sergeant Major, shaking his head. He put down his empty glass, sighed, and shook his head again. 40 ‘I’d like to see those old temples, and fakirs and jugglers,’ continued Mr White. ‘What was that about a monkey’s paw or something you started telling me about the other day, Morris?’ ‘Nothing,’ said the other quickly. ‘Nothing worth hearing anyway’. 45 ‘Monkey’s paw?’ said Mrs White curiously. ‘Well, it’s just a bit of what you might call magic,’ said the soldier casually. But the three listeners were looking at him eagerly. Mr White filled his glass for him. 50 ‘It’s just an ordinary little paw to look at,’ said Sergeant Major Morris, taking it from his pocket. Mrs White moved back with a disgusted look, but her son examined it curiously. ‘And what’s so special about it?’ Mr White asked. He took it 55 from his son, examined it, and put it on the table. ‘An old fakir put a spell on it. He was a very holy man and he wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that to interfere with fate only caused deep sadness. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.’ 60 Gothic Short Stories The Monkey’s Paw 2 His manner was so impressive that the others realized their careless laughter was not appropriate. ‘Well, why don’t you have three wishes?’ said Mr White. The soldier looked at him as if he were a foolish boy. ‘I have,’ he said quietly, and his red face whitened. 65 ‘And did your three wishes really come true?’ asked Mrs White. ‘Yes.’ ‘And has nobody else wished?’ the old lady went on. ‘The first man had his three wishes, yes. I don’t know what the first two wishes were but the third was for death. That’s how I got 70 the paw.’ He spoke so seriously that everybody became quiet. ‘If you’ve had your three wishes, the paw is no good to you now,’ said Mr White at last. ‘Why do you keep it?’ The soldier shook his head and said slowly, ‘Oh, just for interest, 75 I suppose. I had some idea of selling it but I don’t think I will. It has caused enough trouble already. Anyway, people won’t buy it. Some think it’s all a fairy story, I and those who believe it want to try it before paying me.’ ‘If you could have another three wishes,’ said old Mr white, 80 looking interestedly at him, ‘would you have them?’ ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.’ Then he took the paw and suddenly threw it on the fire. With an astonished cry Mr White bent down and pulled it out quickly. ‘Better let it burn,’ said the soldier. 85 ‘If you don’t want it, give it to me, Morris.’ ‘No. I threw it on the fire. If you keep it, don’t then say that it is my fault. Be sensible – throw it on the fire again!’ But, examining his new possession closely, Mr White shook his head. ‘How do you do it?’ he asked Morris. 90 ‘Hold it up in your right hand and wish aloud,’ was the reply. But I warn you of the consequences.’ ‘It sounds like the Arabian Niqhts,’ Mrs White said as she began to prepare the dinner. ‘Why don’t you wish for four pairs of hands for me?’ 95 Laughing, her husband took the talisman from his pocket to make the wish but with a look of alarm the Sergeant Major caught his arm. ‘If you must wish,’ he said aggressively, ‘wish for something reasonable.’ 100 So Mr White put it back in his pocket and they all sat down to dinner. The talisman was partly forgotten for the rest of the evening as the soldier continued telling them about his exciting adventures in India. When he had gone, Mr White said that the story of the monkey’s paw was probably untrue, like all the other stories Morris 105 had told them. ‘Did you give him anything for it?’ Mrs White asked him. ‘Oh, just a bit of money. He didn’t want it but I made him take it. And he tried to persuade me again to throw the thing away.’ ‘Of course we will!’ said Herbert ironically. ‘God, we’re going to 110 be rich and famous and happy! Wish that you were an emperor, father, to begin with. Then mother won’t order you around.’ Mrs White pretended to be angry at this and chased him round the table, while Mr White looked at the paw doubtfully. ‘I don’t know what to wish for and that’s a fact,’ he said slowly. 115 ‘It seems to me I’ve got all I want.’ ‘If you could finish paying for the house you’d be quite happy, wouldn’t you?’ Herbert said. ‘Wish for two hundred pounds, then. That’ll just do it.’ His father, in an embarrassed way, held up the talisman as 120 Herbert, with a wink at his mother, sat down at the piano and played a few solemn notes. Gothic Short Stories The Monkey’s Paw 5 Mr White lit the candle with a match. ‘Get back to bed. You don’t know what you’re saying.’ 250 But the old woman said feverishly, ‘Our first wish was granted. Why not the second?’ ‘A coincidence,’ the old man stammered. ‘Go and get it and wish.’ Mrs White was trembling with excitement. 255 The old man looked at her and his voice shook. ‘He has been dead ten days, and also – I could only recognize him by his clothes. He was too horrible for you to see then. What do you think he looks like now?’ But his wife pulled him towards the door. ‘Bring him back. Do 260 you think I’m frightened of my own son?’ He went downstairs in the darkness, and felt his way to the living room, and then to the mantelpiece. The talisman was there. Suddenly he was possessed by a horrible fear that his unspoken wish might bring his mutilated son back before he could escape 265 from the room. In a cold sweat he groped his way round the table and along the wall until he was in the small passage. The dirty, twisted, dried-up, thing was in his hand. Even his wife’s face seemed different as he entered the bedroom. It was white and expectant, and her expression seemed unnatural. 270 He was afraid of her. ‘Wish!’ she cried in a strong voice. ‘It is foolish and wicked,’ he stammered, hesitating. ‘Wish!’ repeated his wife. He raised his hand. ‘I wish my son alive again.’ 275 The paw fell to the floor. He looked at it in fear. Then he fell trembling into a chair. With burning eyes his wife walked to the window and raised the blind. Mr White sat until he was chilled to the bone, glancing occasionally at his wife who was peering through the window. The 280 candle-flame, which had burned low, threw pulsating shadows on the ceiling and walls, until it slowly went out. The old man, feeling an inexpressible relief that the wish had not worked, crept back to bed. A few minutes later his wife also came to bed, silent and depressed. 285 Neither spoke, but lay silently listening to the ticking of the clock. A stair creaked; a squeaky mouse ran noisily through the wall. The darkness was oppressive. After building up his courage for some time, Mr White lit a match and, taking the matchbox with him, went downstairs for a candle. 290 At the bottom of the stairs the match went out. He paused to strike another one, and at the same moment there was a knock at the door, a knock so quiet it was almost inaudible. The matches fell from his hand. He stood like a statue, his breath suspended. The knock came again. He turned and fled back to the 295 bedroom, closing the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house. ‘What’s that!’ shouted the old woman, sitting up suddenly. ‘A rat.’ Mr White’s voice shook. ‘A rat. It passed me on the stairs.’ 300 His wife sat listening. A loud knock echoed through the house. ‘It’s Herbert!’ she screamed. ‘It’s Herbert!’ She ran to the bedroom door, but her husband was faster than her. He caught her by the arm and held her tightly. ‘What are you going to do?’ he whispered. 305 Mrs White struggled to free herself. ‘It’s my boy, it’s Herbert! I forgot it was two miles away. What are you holding me for? Let go. I must open the door.’ ‘For God’s sake don’t let it in!’ cried the old man, trembling. ‘You’re afraid of your own son. Let me go. I’m coming, Herbert, 310 I’m coming!’ Gothic Short Stories The Monkey’s Paw 6 There was another knock, and another. With a sudden violent movement the old woman broke free and ran from the room. Mr White followed her to the top of the stairs and appealed to her to stop as she hurried downstairs. He heard the chain rattle back; the 315 Stiff bolt at the bottom of the door was slowly pulled open. Then Mrs White’s voice came, strained and breathless: ‘The bolt at the top! I can’t reach it. Come down!’ But Mr White was on his hands and knees, groping wildly on the floor, trying to find the paw. If he could only find it before the thing 320 outside got in! Now a continuous knocking echoed through the house. He heard the sound of a chair scraping across the passage floor as his wife pulled it against the door. He heard the creaking of the bolt as it was slowly opened, and at the same moment he found the monkey’s paw and frantically breathed his third and last wish. 325 The knocking stopped suddenly, though it still echoed in the house. He heard the chair scraping back from the door; he heard the door open. A cold wind rushed up the stairs and a long, loud wail of disappointment and misery broke from his wife. It gave him the courage to run to her side, then to the gate outside. The street lamp 330 opposite the house shone flickeringly on a quiet and deserted road.