A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT

CHAPTER 1
wicked – zły
to fly open
– otwierać się
gwałtownie
to burst out –
wypadać
vivid – jaskrawy
yard – boisko,
podwórko
slightly – trochę
to adjust –
poprawiać
strap – pasek
for the umpteenth time – po
raz n-ty
to head
– kierować się do
raven – kruk
lodge – loża, klub
vial – fiolka
to grab – chwytać
leash – smycz
driveway –
podjazd
to make sure
– dopilnować
czegoś
to let off – spuszczać (ze smyczy)
6
Tom Law THE ROTTEN TOWN
1
A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT
Something wicked was in the air that day.
Mid-afternoon, the school doors flew open and hundreds of teenagers burst out. The hard October light made the vivid colors of
their clothes shine. Minutes later, the school yard was empty and
the last of the noisy voices had been blown away by the cool wind.
Then, the doors to the school opened again. Natalie Davies
stepped out. She was wearing grey trousers, slightly pointy shoes
and a purple jacket that her mother had recently bought her. She
adjusted the strap of her heavy school bag for the ump-teenth
time and headed home. A raven sitting in a leafless tree looked
down and its eyes followed her down the street.
Natalie lived in a small house at the end of the street, just where
the large forest began. As she unlocked the door, her little York
Terrier puppy called Todd jumped up at her, then ran around her
ankles, excitedly. She went to the kitchen. There was a note: “I’ve
gone to my meeting. We’re voting for Lodge Leader tonight and my
chances are good! Keep your fingers crossed. There’s some tofu sausage and chips in the fridge. See you tonight around 9. Love, Mum.”
Natalie’s mum was always going to her meetings. That’s why the
neighbors didn’t like the Davies very much. Once, a girl at school
had called her mum a witch. Well, Natalie knew her mum wasn’t
a witch, even if the kitchen cupboards had more bottles and vials of
fluids and powders than it did cans of beans or boxes of cornflakes.
After heating her dinner in the microwave and eating in front of
the TV, she grabbed the leash and called out: “Toddy! Let’s go for
a walk, boy.”
It was one of those beautiful autumn afternoons. The sky was
a darkening blue, the air smelled of falling leaves and mushrooms.
The path to the forest led directly off the driveway, and with Todd
on his little leash, they headed into the shadows.
Todd loved the forest, but Natalie made sure never to let him off
his leash. There were other dogs in this forest too, big dogs, dogs
big enough to eat the little York in a single bite. That didn’t stop
Todd from pulling like mad anyway. He wanted to run. He wanted
to check out that rabbit hole. Well, Natalie was the same way and
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CHAPTER 6
search party
– ekipa poszukiwawcza
the following –
kolejny, następny
to send out
word – ogłaszać,
rozpuszczać wici
to set up a tab –
założyć rachunek
blow horn –
megafon
dozen – tuzin
huddle – skupisko, gromada
leaflet – ulotka
file – rząd
to holler –
wrzeszczeć
authorized –
upoważniony
motley – różnorodny, rozmaity
to prod – popędzać, mobilizować
to coax – namawiać, nakłaniać
devilled egg –
jajko na ostro
to trade – handlować
to throw in –
dorzucić
to murmur –
szeptać
40
Tom Law THE ROTTEN TOWN
6
THE DISCOVERY
The search party was organized to meet at The Ace In the
Hole Tavern at 1 pm the following afternoon. Word had been sent
out that everyone who participated would get a free box lunch, and
the police department set up a $500 tab for drinks at the tavern.
People were encouraged to bring their dogs and their kids – it was
going to be a regular autumn-time picnic.
Mortimer Green stood in the middle of the street, waving his
arms from time to time, or barking instructions into his blow horn.
A real crowd had gathered. There was the boy’s basketball team
from the school, the people from the local fire department, the jogging club, the swimming club and the Nordic Walking club. There
were five members from The Barbershop Quartet and about 12 ladies from the local Chapter of The Beautiful Ladies’ Horticultural
and Natural Medicine Society.
Everyone stuck with their groups, so there were a dozen or so
huddles of different people. Leaflets had been handed out with
Natalie’s picture.
There were simple written instructions on what to do: “Walk in
an extended file, about 3 meters between people. Look for anything
unusual. No need to shout or holler unless you find something. If
you do, don’t touch it, but call for help from an authorized person.”
Mortimer Green led the motley groups of searchers to the Davies
house. From there they went into the forest and spread out according to instructions, helped by the prodding and coaxing of the
three policemen who were running the show.
They started walking into the forest. “Too fast there! Hey you,
slow down over there! Got something? No, what about you? No.
What kind of sandwiches you get? Deviled egg, and you? Ham and
cheese, want to trade? Yea, maybe, if you throw in the Mars bar.”
The ladies of The Beautiful Ladies’ Horticultural and Natural
Medicine Society held hands as they walked. They were murmuring low. Grace Davies was in the middle of the extended line, with
her two best friends, Susan Tracy and Barbara Hallowell, on either
side of her.
Susan Tracy was the mother of Betty Marbles (she had the name
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EXERCISES
CHAPTER 7
1. Decide if the statement is true (T) or false (F).
1. The Tavern was thronged with people because of free beverages
being distributed.
T/F
2. Don Windmill missed concerts because he suffered
from a respiratory condition.
T/F
3. There have been reports of cannibals living in Hog Town. T / F
4. Mrs. Davies liked to frighten children on Halloween.
T/F
5. There was a lot of chatter in the Tavern that evening.
T/F
6. Cathy Lange claimed that she had come across Natalie’s
grave and was terrified.
7. The noise trailed away when the Reverend walked in.
T/F
T/F
8. The Reverend was trying to coax people into setting fire
to Mrs. Davies’ house.
9. The Reverend refused to pay for the drink.
T/F
T/F
10. The Reverend would rather Natalie hadn’t gone missing. T / F
2. Complete the sentences with the missing word.
1. You don’t have to pay – the drinks are on the h_ _ _ _ .
2. I usually avoid giving money to b_ _ _ _ _ _ since I don’t know
what they’ll spend it on.
3. The witness is r_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to confess for fear of revenge.
4. Every time I r_ _ _ an escalator I get dizzy.
5. Your writing is i_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . You‘ll have to re-write your essay.
51
CHAPTER 10
EXERCISES
2. Solve the crossword using the words from this chapter.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1. to walk slowly or with difficulty
2. depressing and monotonous
3. to walk in an awkward way; to shuffle
4.
a small garden tool for digging holes
5. not getting enough attention, time or care
6. to lower your body to the ground; to squat
7. very frightening and unpleasant
3. Match the words with their antonyms.
1.
70
ghastly
a.
cared for, taken good care of
2. dreary
b. delightful, pleasant
3. to defeat
c.
4.
d. teetotaler
neglected
exciting, interesting
5. wino
e. to lose
6. forlorn
f.
populated, crowded
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EXERCISES
CHAPTER 12
3. Complete the table with the correct word forms.
verb
noun
1.
various, varying
2.
exasperation
different,
indifferent
3.
4.
to puzzle
5.
6.
adjective
disturbance
to thicken
4. Complete the text with a correct form of the verb in
brackets.
I 1) .................................... (come) back home the other day when
I 2) ........................... (hear) a strange noise. It 3) ...............................
(sound) like the howling of a dog. As I 4) .....................................
(look) around, a small mongrel 5) ............................... (approach)
me. As soon as I 6) ................................... (see) it, I realized that
I 7) .................... (see) it before, though I 8) ............................... (not
remember) where. Later that day, when I 9) ........................... (get)
home, it 10) ......................... (dawn) on me that I 11) .........................
(meet) it when I 12) .......................... (go) to a dog shelter looking for
a puppy for my daughter.
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SŁOWNICZEK
DICTIONARY
roar – ryczeć, huczeć; ryk, huk
roaring drunk – pijany jak bela
rod – pręt, wędka
room, no ~ to swing a cat – mało
miejsca, ścisk
rot (away) – gnić, psuć się
round the corner – wyjść zza rogu
row – rząd
run off – uciec (z domu)
run your fingers over – przesuwać
palcami po
rundown – podsumowanie
run-down – zapuszczony
rung – szczebel
run-up – czas poprzedzający coś,
rozbieg
rush over – spieszyć do, pędzić
rustle – szeleścić; ~ up – pichcić coś
na szybko
rusty – rdzawy, zardzewiały
S
sack – worek, wór
safety switch – bezpiecznik (w
pistolecie)
saucer – spodek
savage – dziki, brutalny
savage – okrutny, dziki
savour – rozkoszować się
sawdust – trociny
say so – zgoda, akcept
scamper – pędzić, gnać (małymi
kroczkami)
scare the shit out of sb –
162
wystraszyć na śmierć
scoop – kopać; drążyć
scorching – upalny
scornful – pogardliwy
scratch – drapać
screech – piszczeć, skrzypieć
scrounge – sępić, zbierać
search party – ekipa
poszukiwawcza
searing (pain) – rwący
second in command – zastępca
dowódcy
seize – konfiskować, przejmować,
chwytać
send out word – ogłoszać,
rozpuszczać wici
set to sth – zabrać się za coś
set up a tab – założyć rachunek
settle into – usadowić się
settlement – osiedle
shack – szopa, chałupa
shack up with – związać się z, żyć
na kocią łapę
shady – podejrzany
shamble – włóczyć się, wlec
shear off – odcinać
shed – szopa
shed some light onto – rzucić
światło na, wyjaśnić coś
shift – przesuwać
ship off – wysyłać
shiver – drżeć; dreszcz
shortcoming – wada, słaba strona
shortcut – skrót
shotgun – wiatrówka
shove sb in – wrzucić, wepchnąć
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