Vocabulary

bush	turn on	quitting time
at last	all I want	I can’t wait
hardly	look like	traffic jam
toy	half-way	country (2)
doll	drive off	pick up (3)
prison	get back	notice (2)
view	approach	rear-view mirror
tail	out loud	considered
blink	overtake	headlights
knock	get out	murder/murderer
wait	tailgate	blow/blew/blown
frantic	horn (2)	blow its horn
follow	past (2)	Oh my God
weigh	scream	driveway
try	escape	announcer
pray	atheist	run down (2)

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Quitting Time!

5:00 p.m. At last, it’s quitting time!

Heather got into her car and drove off . . . and into the Friday afternoon traffic jam.

It had been a long, hard week at the office where she worked as a content writer for her company’s website.

‘I can’t wait to get home,’ Heather thought. All she wanted to do was take a nice, hot bath, and just sit on her nice sofa, watch her favorite TV show and relax.

Country Road

Finally, she got out of the city and onto a country road that led to her home in a village. It was beginning to get chilly and there were now hardly any other cars on the road.

Heather turned on the radio and listened to some hit songs.
 
 

 
 
 
 

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Half-Way Home

About half-way home Heather thought she saw something about 10 meters to the side of the road.

It looked like a little baby!

So he stopped her car, got out, and walked towards it.

But as Heather got closer, she saw that it was just a toy doll. She picked it up and threw it behind some bushes.

‘There, now no one else will be startled by it,’ she said to herself.

Re-entering her her warm car, she drove off.

A Moment Later

A moment later Heather noticed another car through her rear-view mirror. A big, black vehicle, it approached her rather quickly. The car and came closer and closer until it was right behind her.

It was tailgating her.

“Why don’t you just overtake me,” Heather said out loud.

Then the car blinked its headlights.

Faster

Heather drove a little faster, but the black car went faster too, still blinking its headlights.

So she drove faster still, but again the black car behind drove faster. And continued blinking its headlights. “Overtake me, you jerk!” Heather nearly shouted.

The Evening News

Just then the evening news began on the radio. “The police are looking for a murderer who had escaped from the state prison last night,” said the announcer. “He is considered very dangerous . . .”

The car behind kept tailgating her and blinking it lights — and even blew its horn!

“OH MY GOD!!!” screamed Heather. “What am I going to do now!?!”

Heather’s Village

Heather drove into her village with the black car directly behind her.

She went past her own house and into her neighbor’s driveway. Opening the car door, she jumped out and ran towards the front entrance of the neighbors’ house.

The black car stopped right behind hers. A man got out and ran towards Heather. He stood about 190 centimeters tall and probably weighed 120 kilograms (Heather was 161 cm tall).

The Big Man

“Wait!” he shouted.

Heather frantically tried to open her neighbor’s door, but it was locked! She pounded on the door and screamed, “Margaret! Ken! Open up!”

Then she remembered that they had gone on a vacation to the Seychelles. Heather began to pray — even though she was an atheist.

I have to tell you . . .

“I have to tell you . . . ” the big man said to her.

Heather began running towards her house.

“There is someone in the back of your car!” he shouted.

Heather stopped, turned and looked at her car.

Suddenly the back door opened. Another man leapt out and ran down the driveway, onto the road and out of the village.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Questions

1. Heather lived and worked in a big city. Is this correct or incorrect? What was her job?

2. After work, did she meet her friends in a pub (bar) and drink cocktails? What did Heather do after work? What did she want to do?

3. The story took place mostly in the city. Is this right or wrong?

4. Did Heather see anything odd or unusual on her way home? Did she continue driving?

5. She was the only one driving on the road. True or false? Did she only hear her favorite songs on the radio?

6. Heather drove straight to her home. Yes or no? Do you think she was married, single or divorced?

7. “Heather began to pray, even though she was an atheist.” What does this mean?

8. What happened in the end?

9. What can you say about the story? How do you explain things?
 
 
 
A. Have you ever been a victim of a crime?

B. Have any of your classmates, friends or colleagues ever been in prison or committed a crime?

C. Is there much crime in your city or is it fairy safe? What are the most common types of crimes?

D. People have to commute long distances to work. Yes or no?

E. Do you sometimes hear about prison escapes or riots in the news?

F. Do you sometimes see and hear “wanted by the police” announcements? How do they describe suspects?

G. How can crime be reduced?