Instituto Rivadavia Sur

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Index

Frank’s last case ................................................................................. P3

True Beauty..........................................................................................P10
Love me, Love me not…………………………………………………….P17

The Black Cat……………………………………………………………….

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Sergeant Frank Spike has 'a nose for crime'.

Will his last case be a success?

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Pre-reading questions

1. Look at the title. What do you think the story is about?

2. Look at the picture. How would you describe Sergeant Frank´s personality? Do you
think he likes his job?
3. Based on the description that is below the picture. What do think “a nose for crime”
means?
4. How would you feel about someone else taking a position you worked so hard for?
5. Will Sergeant Frank’s last case be success?

Vocabulary task
Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).

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 Frank’s last case

Sergeant Frank Spike sat behind his desk and looked out of the window. Outside, cars
moved slowly in the cold, grey rain. He looked down at the grey hairs on his arms. His
round stomach pushed against the desk. This was his final month before he retired from
the police. For Frank, his last day couldn't come too soon.
Frank felt angry as he thought about the money he would get when he retired. It wasn't
enough money to pay for a short holiday on the cold and rainy east coast of England
where he lived. It certainly wouldn't pay for his dream holiday – a luxury, round-the-
world cruise.
Just then, Inspector Spencer came to Frank's desk. Spencer had perfect white teeth and
he was always smiling. Three years earlier, Spencer had been promoted. Now he was an
inspector at the young age of forty. Frank wasn't so lucky. He had worked for the police
for forty years and he was still a sergeant. Frank knew he wasn't as handsome or as
friendly as Spencer, sorry, Inspector Spencer. But Frank was a better policeman. Frank
had 'a nose for crime' and Spencer didn't. That 'nose' meant Frank could think like a
criminal and solve the most difficult crimes. As a result, the younger man often asked for
Frank's help. In fact, it was the only time Spencer spoke to him.
'Hey, Frank, can I ask you something?' asked Spencer.
Frank wasn't surprised.
'Do you know who the Babbingtons are?' Spencer continued.
Everyone knew who the Babbingtons were. Ronald Babbington was the super-rich owner
of Babbington Oil, and his wife Tabitha was a model. Together they loved showing how
rich they were. They often appeared in magazines like Hello!, with their beautiful house
and their collection of cars. Last month, Ronald had bought an enormous diamond for
Tabitha. The diamond sat in a large gold and glass case at the end of a long, red carpet.
There was an alarm system to keep it safe.
Spencer continued to explain.
'Someone told us about a plan to steal the Babbington diamond!'
Frank tried to look as though he was surprised.
'Peggy, the owner of the Dog and Duck pub, heard two local criminals making the plan,'
Spencer said. 'She asked us to keep her name secret, of course.'
'OK,' Frank said. He waited for the question he knew would come.
'So?' Spencer asked. 'What should we do? They haven't committed a crime yet.'

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Frank looked out of the window. He remembered his retirement money. He didn't want
to be alone in his retirement, but the money wouldn't even be enough to buy a cat.
The sound of a car outside brought him back to the conversation with Spencer. He put his
fingers together under his chin to look as if he was thinking. In fact, he was, but not in the
way Inspector Spencer expected.
'Listen, do this the clever way,' said Frank. 'Let them steal the diamond. If you catch them
with the diamond, you can arrest them, no problem.'
'But, Frank,' said Spencer, 'we would need the Babbingtons to agree. And there are laws
against trying to trick criminals like that, you know!'
'That's why you let them steal the diamond. Then, as if by chance, you stop them for
driving too fast as they escape. Search the car and find the diamond. You don't need to
tell anyone that we knew about their plan. And they'll go to prison.'
'Hmmmm. OK.' Spencer was uncomfortable with the idea Frank was suggesting. But he
knew it would work.
Frank continued, 'Of course, the officer who arrests them needs to be reliable.'
Spencer understood immediately.
'Are you sure you want to do it, Frank? It could be dangerous.'
'I'll take two young officers with me. But, yes, of course I want to do it.'
'Why?' asked Spencer. 'You're going to retire soon! Don't you want to take it easy?'
'That's exactly why I want to do it,' Frank replied. 'My last case will be my best!'
*****
A few days later, Frank visited the Dog and Duck pub after work.
'Did you get it?' he asked Peggy as she gave him his drink.
'Yes. I have now got a perfect copy of the Babbington diamond,' she said. 'I told the
glassmaker I was a big fan of the Babbingtons. And I said that my boyfriend wouldn't buy
me a diamond of my own.'
'You need a new boyfriend,' said Frank. 'If I were your boyfriend, I'd buy you a diamond
ring and take you on a long luxury cruise.'
'Oh, really?' she said and smiled.
*****
Frank was sitting in the back seat of the police car. The car was hidden in a small road
next to the Babbington house. In the front seats were two strong, young police officers.
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At 23.30, a message came in on the police radio. The thieves, a man and a tall woman,
had met outside the Dog and Duck pub. At 23.37, they got into a car. The man started the
car and drove away from the pub.
At midnight, the thieves passed the hidden police car on the way to the Babbingtons'
house. At 00.13, the woman climbed over one of the garden walls. A second hidden
police team watched her climb over, while the man waited in the car.
At 00.20, the woman climbed back over the wall. She had an excited smile on her face.
She ran back to the car. Smiling, the man waited for her to jump in and then they drove
away.
*****
Almost immediately, the thieves passed Frank's car. The young police officer in the
driver's seat switched on the blue lights and followed them.
Inside the car, the thieves were afraid.
'What are they doing here?' the man shouted. 'You said you turned off the alarms!'
'Relax, I did,' she replied. 'Remember, the police don't know what we've done. Just be
normal! We can walk away from this with the diamond.'
The man stopped the car and opened his window.
'Is there a problem, officer?' he asked. His face was red and shiny because he was so
nervous.
'You were speeding. We'll need to give you a ticket. Can you both get out of the car,
please?'
The man still looked nervous. One officer wrote the speeding ticket and the other stood
close in case they ran away. Frank began to search the car.
'Hey! What's he doing?' the woman said. But she knew the game was over.
Frank breathed heavily as he started looking under the seats. His hand felt something
smooth, hard and cold under the front passenger seat. The Babbington diamond! He took
the diamond and put it in his jacket pocket. At the same time, with his other hand, he
took something very similar out of his trouser pocket. He held it up.
'OK, you two!' he said. 'You are under arrest for stealing this diamond!'
****
While the young police officers arrested the criminals, Frank held the evidence up for
everyone to see. In the light from the moon, it shone every colour.

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'Wow!' said one of the young police officers. 'I've never seen a real diamond up close.'
'Imagine if someone gave you that as a present!' said the other.
'Just imagine,' Frank agreed. He carefully put it into an evidence bag. Half an hour later,
back at the station, he gave it to Spencer. Spencer took it from him carefully, as if it was a
new baby.
*****
Five weeks later, Frank was sitting in his new armchair and drinking a glass of the best
champagne. His expensive new cat sat at his feet.
He picked up the local newspaper. The two thieves had got six years in prison. The photo
in the newspaper was of the Babbingtons. They were standing next to the diamond inside
its new, extra-strong glass case. Frank looked closer at the photo of the diamond.
Only an expert would notice anything strange about the Babbington diamond. And only if
they saw the diamond up close.
Frank put the newspaper down and picked up one of the travel magazines on his
beautiful new coffee table.
'Peggy?' he said. 'Would you like to go to the Bahamas or the Maldives?'
Peggy put down her own champagne glass. A small diamond ring on her finger shone in
the light. 'Why not both?' she smiled.
'I did promise you a long cruise,' he said.
'You did!' she replied. 'I'm so glad I called you first when I heard them planning to steal
the diamond.'
'Me too, Peggy,' he said. 'Me too.'
Life now he had retired was a wonderful thing after all.

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After Reading questions
1. Did you like the story?
2. Is it OK to do what Frank did? Would you have done the same?
3. Were you ever fooled by Frank and Peggy’s plan?
4. What role does money play in the story? Can you mention any themes?
5. What do you think is the message behind the story?

Reading Comprehension Activities

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 With a new app,
a photo can show your true beauty…

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PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. Look at the title. What do you think the story is about?
2. What does “True Beauty” mean to you?
3. Look at the picture. Can you describe what is happening?
4. What do you think about Instagram and its filters? Do you use them?
5. Do filters produce any harm to young people’s mind?
6. Do you care what people think about your pictures?

VOCABULARY
Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).

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 True Beauty

Steph was looking at Instagram. There were #blessed yoga photos and #SundayBreakfast
pictures. She saw photos of fresh bread and coffee with hearts in the milk.

*****

On the other side of the city, Matt was doing the same thing. His Instagram was full of
#FitBody gym selfies and #beachlife holiday photos.

*****

Steph put some flowers next to her breakfast and took a photo of it. Her eggs and coffee
were cold now, but the plate looked good. The plate was from an expensive art market.
She had 'borrowed' the flowers from her neighbour's garden. Probably only ten people a
day walked past old Mrs Robinson's garden. Flowers are for everyone to enjoy, aren't
they? she thought. If she put the picture on Instagram, more people would see the
flowers.

Steph changed the colours on her picture to make the orange juice more orange and the
pink roses brighter. She was choosing an Instagram filter when she noticed TrueBeauty.
She had downloaded it the day before and then forgotten about it. Her picture looked
perfect with that filter. She posted the photo for her 15k followers. She hoped some of
them would feel jealous of her life. Then she threw the food on her plate into the bin. She
didn't want to eat it now that it was cold.

*****
Matt was ready to give up. He had worked out for an hour and he had put cooking oil on
his skin so that it would look shiny. But the photos still didn't look good. He only wanted to
be fit so that he could put photos on social media. He looked at his Instagram again. He
hoped to see some ideas he could copy. Then he noticed an ad for TrueBeauty.

Pictures as beautiful as you are. See the real you with TrueBeauty. Available in your app
store for £0. Because True Beauty is free.

That's what he needed. He downloaded the app. In minutes, he had the perfect selfie. In
the photos, his body looked amazing. He posted the photo for his 27k followers. Then he
got in the shower to wash off all the cooking oil. He remembered reading about all the fat
under the city, in the sewers. Millions of people lived in his city. Most of them washed
their cooking oil down the sink. The oil went to the sewers. It made a disgusting mess and

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some poor worker had to clean it. Or did the oil go into the ocean and kill dolphins? He
couldn't remember. But it wasn't his problem, was it? It was someone else's problem.

*****
Both Steph and Matt were surprised to get so few likes. And they weren't prepared for the
negative comments they received.
susieQ ‘Remind me never to get breakfast at your place!’
gymguy21 ‘Ewww, disgusting!’
The rest of the comments were even worse.

Both social media influencers looked again at the pictures they had posted.

Steph's picture showed horrible, green eggs with flies all over them. The flowers were
dead, and the coffee looked disgusting and grey. In Matt's picture, his body was covered in
something that looked like dirty butter. It was in his hair and in his nose. And, worst of all,
his hands were really dirty. It looked as if he had been digging in the garden – or worse.

They both tried to delete the photos, but they couldn't. The negative comments kept
coming. In a way, it was Steph's most popular post. And 50 people had shared Matt's post
already.

Just then, everyone who had installed the TrueBeauty filter received a message from the
person who had created it. Steph and Matt read:

Dear User,

Thank you for making TrueBeauty such an amazing success! Fifty million downloads in the
first 24 hours! Wow, it's more than I ever hoped for. Honestly, guys, I am so #blessed.

I know that each of you really, truly cares about showing yourself as you really are. Are you
as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside? If you want your pictures to show the
real you, it's time to be as beautiful in real life as you are on your social media.

Have a truly beautiful day, beautiful people!

Love,

TrueBeauty

PS. You can't remove the filter or delete the pictures you posted using it. #SorryNotSorry

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PPS. By the way, after the first time you use TrueBeauty, it will change all your photos from
that moment on!

For the next 24 hours, not many people posted photos online. There was only one way
people could see if the filter was still destroying their photos: they had to post pictures
first and then see how they looked.

The results were not pretty.

A few of the biggest influencers offered a reward. They joined together to offer a million
pounds for the first person to remove the filter. But they couldn't post a picture of
themselves holding the money because the pictures were so ugly. So they had to stop
advertising the reward. It didn't matter anyway. The person who developed TrueBeauty
was too clever and no one could remove the filter.

Steph stopped trying to take pictures after five more horrible pictures. She couldn't
remove the TrueBeauty filter. The only thing she could do to hide the ugly pictures was to
make her account private. Now, no one could see anything she had ever posted in her life.
She felt depressed. She didn't want to do anything if she couldn't post photos of it.

She went downstairs, past Mrs Robinson's garden. The flowers were more beautiful than
ever. She noticed the smell for the first time. Lovely! She stopped and smelled a large,
purple rose.

'Hello,' said Mrs Robinson. Steph was surprised because she didn't know Mrs Robinson
was there.

'Oh, sorry!' said Mrs Robinson. 'I was just putting water on the plants. At this time of year,
there's always so much to do.'

Steph looked around. She hadn't realised it was hard work to make a garden look nice. In
fact, she had never really spoken to Mrs Robinson. She had a new thought.

'Do you want some help?' Steph asked. After all, she didn't have anything else to do.

'Oh, thank you, dear! That would be lovely!' Mrs Robinson looked delighted. Steph actually
felt happy for the first time since the whole TrueBeauty nightmare had started.

A couple of hours later, to be honest, Steph didn't think the garden looked very different.
But Mrs Robinson said she had been a great help. Steph had enjoyed herself a lot. Mrs
Robinson had been an actor in the past and she had some amazing stories to tell.

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'Take a picture of us, dear,' said Mrs Robinson as Steph was leaving. 'One of those selfies
everyone loves.'

Steph almost said no. What could she do with photos now? But Mrs Robinson would be
happy with an ordinary picture. Steph supposed she could take one. She took a quick
picture of the two of them. They were standing together in front of the roses, smiling and
looking a little bit shiny and hot.

Later that evening she looked at the picture on her phone. She changed the colours a little
bit. But the roses looked beautiful anyway, with or without any changes. And nothing
could improve the smiles on her and Mrs Robinson's faces.

That's a really beautiful picture, she thought. It's a shame TrueBeauty will destroy it if I
post it.

But then she had a thought. She went back and read TrueBeauty's message again.

And then she posted her picture. When the picture went online, it looked exactly the
same! She made her account public again. Then she added some text to the photo.

Me and my neighbour in her garden #TrueBeauty #BeautyIsOnTheInside

*****

One of Steph's followers, Matt, saw her photo. At first, he was just pleased to see a nice
photo for a change. He hadn't been to the gym for two days. He supposed he was kind of
depressed. Maybe he felt bad because he hadn't exercised. Or maybe it was because of all
the horrible, ugly photos he'd seen.

Then he had an idea as he read @Steph's post. Maybe it wouldn't work, but it was worth
trying. He picked up all the paper, plastic and glass in his house. He put it into three
different piles. Then he looked again at @Steph's picture. He went and knocked on his
neighbour's door. He asked her if he could take her rubbish to the bins. The young mother
who answered the door was surprised at his offer of help, but she said yes.

*****

While Matt was at the recycling bins, he took a photo of himself next to the green glass
bin. He posted the smiling selfie with the hashtag #TrueBeauty. He saw that #TrueBeauty
was the fifth most popular hashtag. His picture, like many of the others, was nothing
special. It was just a smiling guy, a guy who was doing something ordinary after helping his
neighbour. It was a truly beautiful photo.

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After Reading questions
1. Did you like the story?
2. Do you think TrueBeauty is a good app?
3. How would you feel if something like that happen to you?
4. Can you mention any themes?
5. After reading this, what is your opinion on what filters do to young people?
6. What do you think is the message behind the story?

Reading Comprehension Activities

Task 2
Write an alternative ending.

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 Two people fall in love.
But is their experience real?

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PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. Look at the title. What do you think the story is about?
2. Look at the picture. Do you think that love is like a drug?
3. Do you thing that love lasts forever?
4. Is it difficult to keep a relationship going?
5. Is the concept of marriage outdated?

VOCABULARY

Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).

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 Love me, Love me not

Kate looked around the room at the other people: ten men and ten women all around
the same age.
'Thank you for coming today and offering your time to help with our research! Limeren,
the medicine we're testing, is in the final stage of testing. Previous human trials have
shown us that Limeren is completely safe ...'
Kate stopped paying attention. She'd read the information the medical research company
had sent her, so she knew that Limeren had already been approved for sale and that they
were not testing to see if there were side effects. She didn't know any of the other
people in the group. She guessed that none of them had jobs either or they wouldn't be
earning money by testing medicine. But otherwise it was impossible to know if she had
anything in common with any of them. She hoped so, or four days in the research centre
would feel like a very long time.
'... as side effects, we know that some people experience stronger emotions and a feeling
of general happiness,' the head researcher said. 'We'll be interviewing each of you and
doing tests during the day and night. So if you can all sign the forms, we can start.'
Kate signed her form without reading the information. Hopefully, this was going to be a
very easy way to make money.
'I hope the food's better than last time,' said the guy sitting next to her as he gave in his
form.
Kate smiled.
'I'm Michael.'
'Kate,' she said. 'Have you been here before?'
'I do these trials as often as they'll let me!' He laughed. 'It's such an easy way to make
money!'
She smiled back. Here was someone she had something in common with.

….
A few hours later, Kate was eating dinner. She had taken her second Limeren tablet
before dinner. She was feeling really relaxed. Maybe it was the vitamins, or maybe it was

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just because she had so much free time and there was nothing she needed to do. There
were books to read, films to watch and even board games and puzzles. At home, she had
to send out job applications. Or she had to go to stressful job interviews. After more than
twenty applications she still didn't have a job.
She looked up and saw Michael smiling at her. 'Do you want to play a board game?' he
asked. His eyes were really dark brown, Kate thought. She hadn't noticed that earlier. She
felt her cheeks go red. 'Sure,' she replied. 'But I like to win,' she warned.
'Perfect,' he said. 'Me too!'
Was it her imagination or did his cheeks look a bit pink too?

...
For the next two days, Kate and Michael spent hours and hours playing games, chatting
and watching films.
'I feel as if I've known you for months, not days,' she said. She already knew he lived
nearby, that he was a student studying for his PhD and that he had dimples in his cheeks
when he smiled and a cute way of putting a pen behind his ear when he was reading. She
wasn't sure, but she thought he was trying to sit next to her for meals and spend time
with her whenever he could. Or maybe she was the one who was always looking for him.
'So, do you think you're feeling any side effects?' he asked her one evening. They were
sitting on the sofa, watching a film. Michael's knee was almost touching her leg, and if his
hand moved just a little, it would be touching hers. Her heart beat faster and all she could
think about was being near enough for his skin to touch hers. Her face was red again, she
knew it.
'Any what?' she asked, trying to concentrate on their conversation instead.
'The side effects of Limeren that they told us about at the presentation,' he said, moving
his hand away. Her skin immediately felt cold, as if his hand had been making the air
between them warm.
'Oh, I wasn't really listening,' she said. 'We still get paid anyway, don't we?'
And then he did it. He moved his hand so that it covered hers. A nice feeling travelled all
the way through her fingers and across her skin. She turned her hand over and held his
hand. He smiled and moved his face towards hers.

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'Can everyone come and get their next Limeren, please?' called a nurse. Michael dropped
her hand and followed the rest of the group to the nurse's room. Kate couldn't remember
ever feeling so happy.

...
'Thank you everyone for taking part. You're now free to go,' the head researcher said the
next morning as the trial ended. 'Any side effects will disappear over the next few days. If
you have felt any strong feelings, and happiness, those feelings will decrease.
Fortunately, we don't expect anyone to become depressed. However, we will keep in
touch with all of you in the next few days to make sure everything is fine.'

'We can have our first date now,' Michael said to Kate. 'Breakfast?'
Over breakfast, they talked and talked. Kate knew she was in love. It was stupid, but it
was true. Michael said it first.

'I can't believe I met you. I've never felt like this about anyone before.'
'This does feel amazing,' Kate said. But she had been worried about something since the
beginning of the trial. She hadn't wanted to think about it but now she had to ask him a
serious question.

'You don't think …?'

'What?'
'What if it's the Limeren making us feel like this? What was it he said about strong
feelings?'
'There's only one way to find out!' he said. 'If you don't want to be my girlfriend any more
after a few days, we'll know it was just the Limeren.'
She smiled at the word 'girlfriend.' 'Maybe your side effects will go away first!'
'Maybe!' He laughed. 'But I don't think so. This feels real to me.'
'Me too,' she said.
...

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Four months later
A few months later, Kate was thinking about the beginning of their relationship. She had
to admit, nothing could ever be as perfect as those first days together. Real life had to
start again. She got a job a few days after the trial ended. Michael went back to the
library and his books and research projects. She didn't have to worry about money any
more but they could no longer spend all day, every day together. They were no longer at
that exciting stage of falling in love. But they saw each other when they could and they
met each other's parents. Everyone expected them to get married. When he finally asked
her to marry him, she felt that old excitement again.
...
Three years later
'I really don't have time for this!' Kate shouted. She hated doing the weekly shopping.
Why couldn't he do it?

'Fine, I'll go then,' she said, closing the door hard so that it made a loud noise.

Kate felt as if these kinds of arguments were happening more often. As she walked
around the supermarket, she thought about how they'd been before, when they were in
love. 'Can it ever feel like that again?' she wondered.
Walking into the health section, she recognised a word on a box of medicine. Limeren.
The vitamin's name reminded her of a special time, a time when she was really crazy
about Michael. She picked up a box and put it in her basket.
...
When she got home, Michael was already in bed so she ate dinner alone, taking her
Limeren with a big glass of water. The next morning, she woke up early as usual, but
instead of jumping straight in the shower, she joined Michael downstairs for breakfast.
'Good morning!' she said. To her surprise, she suddenly wanted to kiss him on the cheek.
So she did, and sat down next to him at the table. He was eating in front of a big pile of
books, looking cute with a pen behind his ear. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm applying for money for my next research project,' he said.

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'Oh, good luck! What's the project about?'

After breakfast, she thought how nice it had been to see him talking about something he
cared about. She'd forgotten how cute his dimples were when he smiled, she thought. Or
maybe she hadn't seen him smile much recently. Anyway, she decided to have breakfast
with him every day, since it had been such a lovely start to the day. It couldn't hurt to
make a bit more effort, could it?
…
Two years later
The baby hadn't stopped crying for two hours, but now her little face was peaceful as she
slept. Kate felt annoyed. Where was Michael? She went downstairs and found him filling
bottles with milk for the baby.
'Well done!' Michael said. 'That didn't sound easy.'
'No!' she said angrily. 'It isn't!'
'You're doing an amazing job,' he said. 'OK, so, I've washed all the clothes, made your
lunch for later and I'm going to come home early this afternoon so that you can have
some time for yourself.'
Kate managed to smile and say thank you. He really was being very sweet, even if she
was too tired to feel grateful or to be nice back. As soon as he had left for work, she
picked up the box of Limeren. By the time he came home, Kate felt able to smile back
when he smiled at her.

One year later

Kate was putting clothes away while the baby slept. She picked up one of Michael's
favourite jumpers and held the soft material next to her cheek. She missed him and he
had only been out an hour. Putting it back, she noticed something hard under the rest of
the jumpers in the drawer. It was boxes and boxes of Limeren.
They weren't hers! She was shocked to see these boxes. She took Limeren every day, it
was true, but Michael? She thought of Limeren as an easy way to those feelings she'd
always had for Michael. And it was working. Every day she felt madly in love with her
wonderful husband. Everyone said marriage was hard work, but she just didn't have time

23
or energy for the job of marriage as well as her part-time job and a young baby. When
she took Limeren, she made more effort to do small things that made their life together
enjoyable. If he did something nice for her, she said thank you, but most of all she
actually felt grateful. If he wore a new shirt or his hair looked good, she told him he was
handsome. She asked him about his day and remembered things that were important to
him. She'd seen nothing wrong with doing this. Until now, that is. Now she knew why he
had always been so good at doing those same things for her. It was all fake!
Instead of smiling at Michael when he got home, she was angry. Clearly the Limeren only
had a limited ability to make everything perfect because nothing felt perfect right now.

'What are all these?' she asked. She pointed to the Limeren packets she'd taken from the
drawer and put on the kitchen table.
Michael moved closer and tried to read the small writing on the boxes. 'They're vitamins,
aren't they?'
'Don't act as if you've got no idea why I'm asking!' said Kate, even more angry. 'These
boxes,' she said, picking one of the packets up, 'are our relationship.'

'Oh!' he said. 'It's Limeren!'

'Yes, it's Limeren,' she said. 'I know exactly what they are.'

He looked confused. 'So why are you asking me what they are? I remember the name
now you've said – from the place we met, right? – but I've not taken those for years.'

'What?'

'I just ... I don't know. It's better to get vitamins from fruit and vegetables, isn't it?' he
said. 'The research company sent us boxes and boxes of them years ago, but I put them
away somewhere and forgot to throw them away. We eat a healthy enough diet so
there's no need to take vitamins.'

24
'What about ...' She felt her voice getting louder and louder, but also something made
her feel less sure about the words she planned to say. Her idea sounded stupid. 'What
about the falling in love part? The side effects! You're always so wonderful, the perfect
husband. And now I know why!'

'Er ... thanks?' He laughed. 'I know they told us there were some side effects, but we
were just joking when we said we fell in love because of the medicine, weren't we? Also,'
he added, turning the box over in his hands, 'they must have changed the ingredients or
something because it doesn't say anything on the box about side effects. See?' He held it
out for her to look. 'Maybe they changed the recipe after we did that trial. Who knows?'

He gave her a big hug. 'This perfect husband is all natural, don't worry.'

He went upstairs to kiss the baby and then she heard him in the kitchen as he started to
make dinner. She looked carefully at the boxes and it was true. There was nothing on the
box about side effects, or even on the information inside. They were just vitamins after
all. Limeren wasn't an easy way to love and it never had been.

25
After Reading questions
1. Did you like the story?
2. Was their experience real or was it just effect of the medicine they were taking?
3. Would you have done the testing trials like Kate and Michael?
4. Can you mention any themes?
5. What do you think is the message behind the story?

Reading Comprehension Activities

26
 The Black Cat
and Other Stories

EDGAR ALLAN POE

Level 3

Retold by David Wharry

Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter
 Introduction

How can I explain this fear? It was not really a fear of something evil . . .
but then how else can I possibly describe it? Slowly, this strange fear grew
into horror. Yes, horror. If I tell you why, you will not believe me. You will
think I am mad.

`The Black Cat' is one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous stories.
Why is the man in the story afraid of his own black cat? Why
does he kill it? And how does the cat punish him for his evil
ways?
In The Oval Portrait' a man finds a portrait of a beautiful
young woman in a lonely house. Who is this woman? Who
painted her? And why is the man so frightened of her picture?
What terrible secret does it hold?
In 'Berenice', a madman wants to marry his sick cousin with
the beautiful teeth. He cannot stop thinking about those teeth!
What really happens to Berenice in the end?
In The Mask of the Red Death', Prince Prospero tries to shut
his door against the face of Death. How does the 'Red Death'
get into his large and beautiful house? What will happen to him
and all his friends when they meet the stranger with the death
mask?
Four horror stories from the strange and terrible mind of
Edgar Allan Poe. Four stories that will stop you sleeping at night.
Four stories that you will never, never forget .. .

No writer knew more about pain and horror than Edgar Allan
Poe. He lived most of his life afraid of the things in his own mind.
And he wrote some of the most frightening horror stories ever
written.
He was born Edgar Poe on 19 January 1809 in Boston, USA.
When he was two years old his mother died and his father died
or left the family (nobody knows exactly what happened to
him). Poe went to live with a rich family called the Mans in
Richmond, Virginia. Mrs Allan loved him like a real son, but her
husband never understood Poe and was unkind to him. The
family moved to England for five years from 1815 to 1820, and
Poe went to one of the best schools in the country. In 1826 he
went back to Virginia and went to university there. But when he
was a student there his life started to go badly wrong. John Allan
refused to pay for his university education because the boy was
spending too much money. This hurt Poe very deeply. The
dislike between him and John Allan grew and in 1827 he left the
Allans' home for ever.
Poe became a successful soldier for a few years, and then went
to Baltimore to earn money by writing for newspapers and
magazines. He also worked on a magazine in Richmond,
Virginia but he didn't go back to his old home. In 1835, when
Poe was twenty-six, he married his young cousin, Virginia
Clemm, who was fourteen years old. Their married life
together was difficult. Poe worked hard but he didn't earn
much money and never stayed long in one job. He was a
nervous man, he drank too much all his life, and he believed
that he was mad.
In 1847, Virginia died after a long illness. Poe's home life
ended and he began to drink more than before. In September
1849, he disappeared and was later found in a street in Baltimore.
He was taken to hospital, where he died on 7 October 1849.
He was buried in Baltimore, next to his wife.

Poe had a very unhappy life, and when he died he was still a poor
man. But by the end of his life he was beginning to be a very
popular and successful writer. Many people were starting to read
and enjoy his stories and poems — stories like The Raven (1845).

vi
However, he never made any money from his writing when he
was alive. Since his death, Poe has become one of the most
funous of all American writers. His stories and poems are now
read by people all over the world.
Poe's stories, like the four in this book, are frightening stories
of horror and imagination. People read them in American
magazines from 1831, and in books called Tales of the Grotesque
and Arabesque (1840) and Tales (1845). Some of his most famous
stories are in this Penguin reader. Other famous stories are 'The
Fall of the House of Usher', 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue',
and The Pit and the Pendulum'.

Poe had a strange imagination and one of the saddest lives in all
of literature. His terrible stories touch our deepest human fears
and are difficult to forget.

vii
This is a true story, as true as I sit here writing it — as true as
I will die in the morning.
 The Black Cat

You are not going to believe this story. But it is a true story,
as true as I sit here writing it — as true as I will die in the
morning. Yes, this story ends with my end, with my death
tomorrow.
I have always been a kind and loving person — everyone will
tell you this. They will also tell you that I have always loved
animals more than anything. When I was a little boy, my family
always had many different animals round the house. As I grew
up, I spent most of my time with them, giving them their food
and cleaning them.
I married when I was very young, and I was happy to find
that my wife loved all of our animal friends as much as I did.
She bought us the most beautiful animals. We had all sorts of
birds, gold fish, a fine dog and a cat.
The cat was a very large and beautiful animal. He was black,
black all over, and very intelligent. He was so intelligent that my
wife often laughed about what some people believe; some
people believe that all black cats are evil, enemies in a cat's
body.
Pluto — this was the cat's name — was my favourite. It was
always I who gave him his food, and he followed me every-
where. I often had to stop him from following me through the
streets! For years, he and I lived happily together, the best of
friends.
But during those years I was slowly changing. It was that
evil enemy of Man called Drink who was changing me. I was
not the kind, loving person people knew before. I grew more
and more selfish. I was often suddenly angry about unim-
portant things. I began to use bad language, most of all with my

1
 I hit my wife sometimes. And by that time, of course, I was often
doing horrible things to our animals.

wife. I even hit her sometimes. And by that time, of course, I

was often doing horrible things to our animals. I hit all of
them — but never Pluto. But, my illness was getting worse — oh
yes, drink is an illness! Soon I began to hurt my dear Pluto
too.
I remember that night very well. I came home late, full of
drink again. I could not understand why Pluto was not pleased
to see me. The cat was staying away from me. My Pluto did
not want to come near me! I caught him and picked him
up, holding him strongly. He was afraid of me and bit my
hand.
Suddenly, I was not myself any more. Someone else was in my

2
body: someone evil, and mad with drink! I took my knife from
my pocket, held the poor animal by his neck and cut out one of
his eyes.
The next morning, my mind was full of pain and horror
when I woke up. I was deeply sorry. I could not understand how
I could do such an evil thing. But drink soon helped me to
forget.
Slowly the cat got better. Soon he felt no more pain. There
was now only an ugly dry hole where the eye once was. He
began to go round the house as usual again. He never came
near me now, of course, and he ran away when I went too
close.
I knew he didn't love me any more. At first I was sad. Then,
slowly, I started to feel angry, and I did another terrible
thing . . .
I had to do it — I could not stop myself. I did it with a terrible
sadness in my heart — because I knew it was evil. And that was
why I did it — yes! I did it because I knew it was evil. What did I do?
I caught the cat and hung him by his neck from a tree until he
was dead.
That night I woke up suddenly — my bed was on fire. I
heard people outside shouting, 'Fire! Fire!' Our house was
burning! I, my wife and our servant were lucky to escape.
We stood and watched as the house burned down to the
ground.
There was nothing left of the building the next morning.
All the walls fell down during the night, except one — a wall
in the middle of the house. I realized why this wall did not
burn: because there was new plaster on it. The plaster was still
quite wet.
I was surprised to see a crowd of people next to the wall.
They were talking, and seemed to be quite excited. I went
closer and looked over their shoulders. I saw a black shape in

3
I saw a black shape in the new white plaster. It was the shape
of a large cat, hanging by its neck.
the new white plaster. It was the shape of large cat, hanging by
its neck.
I looked at the shape with complete horror. Several minutes
passed before I could think clearly again. I knew I had to try to
think clearly. I had to know why it was there.
I remembered hanging the cat in the garden of the house next
door. During the fire the garden was full of people. Probably,
someone cut the dead cat from the tree and threw it through the
window — to try and wake me. The falling walls pressed the
animal's body into the fresh plaster. The cat burned completely,
leaving the black shape in the new plaster. Yes, I was sure that was
what happened.
But I could not forget that black shape for months. I even
saw it in my dreams. I began to feel sad about losing the
animal. So I began to look for another one. I looked mostly
in the poor parts of our town where I went drinking. I
searched for another black cat, of the same size and type as
Pluto.
One night, as I sat in a dark and dirty drinking-house, I
noticed a black object on top of a cupboard, near some bottles of
wine. I was surprised when I saw it. 'I looked at those bottles a
few minutes ago,' I thought, 'and I am sure that object was not
there before . .
I got up, and went to see what it was. I put my hand up,
touched it, and found that it was a black cat — a very large one, as
large as Pluto. He looked like Pluto too — in every way but one:
Pluto did not have a white hair anywhere on his body; this cat
had a large white shape on his front.
He got up when I touched him, and pressed the side of his
head against my hand several times. He liked me. This was the
animal I was looking for! He continued to be very friendly and
later, when I left, he followed me into the street. He came all the
way home with me — we now had another house — and came

5
inside. He immediately jumped up on to the most comfortable
chair and went to sleep. He stayed with us, of course. He loved
both of us and very soon he became my wife's favourite
animal.
But, as the weeks passed, I began to dislike the animal more
and more. I do not know why, but I hated the way he loved me.
Soon, I began to hate him — but I was never unkind to him. Yes, I
was very careful about that. I kept away from him because I
remembered what I did to my poor Pluto. I also hated the animal
because he only had one eye. I noticed this the morning after he
came home with me. Of course, this only made my dear wife
love him more!
But the more I hated the cat, the more he seemed to love
me. He followed me everywhere, getting under my feet all
the time. When I sat down, he always sat under my chair.
Often he tried to jump up on my knees. I wanted to murder
him when he did this, but I did not. I stopped myself
because I remembered Pluto, but also because I was afraid of
the animal.
How can I explain this fear? It was not really a fear of
something evil . . . but then how else can I possibly describe
it? Slowly, this strange fear grew into horror. Yes, horror. If
I tell you why, you will not believe me. You will think I
am mad.
Several times, my wife took the cat and showed me the
white shape on his chest. She said the shape was slowly
changing. For a long time I did not believe her, but slowly,
after many weeks, I began to see that she was right. The
shape was changing. Its sides were becoming straighter and
straighter. It was beginning to look more and more like an
object . . . After a few more weeks, I saw what the shape was.
It was impossible not to see! There, on his front, was the
shape of an object I am almost too afraid to name . . . It

6
There, on the cat's front was the shape of that terrible machine of pain
and death — the gallows!

was that terrible machine of pain and death — yes, the

GALLOWS!*
I no longer knew the meaning of happiness, or rest. During
the day, the animal never left me. At night he woke me up
nearly every hour. I remember waking from terrible dreams and
feeling him sitting next to my face, his heavy body pressing down
on my heart!
I was now a very different man. There was not the smallest
piece of good left in me. I now had only evil thoughts — the
darkest and the most evil thoughts. I hated everyone and
everything, my dear wife too.
One day she came down into the cellar with me to cut some
wood (we were now too poor to have a servant). Of course, the

* Gallows. The place where criminals are hanged.

7
I tried to cut the animal in two. My wife stopped my arm with
her hand. This made me even more angry.
cat followed me down the stairs and nearly made me fall. This
made me so angry, that I took the axe and tried to cut the animal
in two. But as I brought the axe down, my wife stopped my arm
with her hand. This made me even more angry, and I pulled her
hand away from my wrist, lifted the tool again, brought it down
hard and buried it in the top of her head.
I had to hide the body. I knew I could not take it out of
the house. The neighbours noticed everything. I thought of
cutting it into pieces and burning it. I thought of burying it
in the floor of the cellar. I thought of throwing it into the
river at the end of the garden. I thought of putting it into a
wooden box and taking it out of the house that way. In the
end, I decided to hide the body in one of the walls of the
cellar.
It was quite an old building, near the river, so the walls of
the cellar were quite wet and the plaster was soft. There was
new plaster on one of the walls, and I knew that underneath it
the wall was not very strong. I also knew that this wall was very
thick. I could hide the body in the middle of it.
It was not difficult. I took off some plaster, took out a few
stones and made a hole in the earth that filled the middle of the
wall. I put my wife there, put back the stones, made some new
plaster and put it on the wall. Then I cleaned the floor, and
looked carefully round. Everything looked just as it did before.
Nobody would ever know.
Next, I went upstairs to kill the cat. The animal was bringing
me bad luck. I had to kill it. I searched everywhere, but I
could not find him. I was sure it was because of my wife's
murder; he was too clever to come near me now
I waited all evening, but I did not see the evil animal. He did
not come back during the night either. And so, for the first time
in a long time, I slept well. When I woke up the next morning, I
was surprised to see that the cat still was not there. Two, three

9
days passed, and there was still no cat. I cannot tell you how
happy I began to feel. I felt so much better without the cat. Yes, it
was he who brought me all my unhappiness. And now, without
him, I began to feel like a free man again. It was wonderful — no
more cat! Never again!
Several people came and asked about my wife, but I answered
their questions easily. Then, on the fourth day, the police came.
I was not worried when they searched the house. They asked
me to come with them as they searched. They looked every-
where, several times. Then they went down into the cellar. I went
down with them, of course. I was not a bit afraid. I walked calmly
up and down, watching them search.
They found nothing, of course, and soon they were ready
to go. I was so happy that I could not stop talking as they
went up the stairs. I did not really know what I was saying.
`Good clay to you all, dear sirs.' I said. 'Yes, this is a well-built
old house, isn't it? Yes, a very well-built old house. These walls
— are you going, gentlemen? — these walls are strong, aren't
they?' I knocked hard on the part of the wall where my wife
was.
A voice came from inside the wall, in answer to my knock. It
was a cry, like a child's. Quickly, it grew into a long scream of
pain and horror. I saw the policemen standing on the stairs with
their mouths open. Suddenly, they all ran down in a great hurry
and began breaking down the wall. It fell quickly, and there was
my wife, standing inside. There she was, with dried blood all
over her head, looking at them. And there was the cat, standing
on her head, his red mouth wide open in a scream, and his one
gold eye shining like fire. The clever animal! My wife was dead
because of him, and now his evil voice was sending me to the
gallows.

10
There she was with dried blood all over her head. And there was the cat,
standing on her head.
We saw the dark shape of the roof above the forest. It was a sad and
strangely beautiful house.
 ACTIVITIES

The Black Cat

Before you read

1 Look at the pictures in this story. What type of story do you think it
is? Do the people in the pictures look kind and happy, or frightened
and angry? Does the cat look friendly?
2 Find these words in your dictionary.
evil funny happy horrible horror lovely mad
Which of the words are bad or frightening?
3 Find these words in your dictionary.
axe bury cellar object plaster servant
Now use the words to complete these sentences.
a He killed her with an ....... and then ....... her. body in the
ground.
b The ....... made the beds and cleaned the rooms.
c The ....... on the wall was wet because it was new.
d She went down to the ....... and saw a black ....... near
the door.

After you read

4 Answer these questions:
a Why does the man begin to change and become ill?
b Why does he hang Pluto, the cat, from a tree?
c How does the shape of a cat get into the new plaster?
d Where does the man find a new cat? Why is he afraid of it?
e Where do the police find the man's dead wife? How do they find
her?
5 In this story the man is afraid of the cat. Have you ever been afraid
of an animal? Talk to another student.

The Oval Portrait

Before you read

6 Look at the picture on page 15. Describe the young woman. Now
look at the picture on page 17. Describe the man.

37