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Coraline

Coraline encounters her "other mother" in her family's new home, who looks similar to her real mother but has button eyes and long sharp nails. The other mother tells Coraline she is her new family and invites her to stay for lunch. Coraline is hungry and enjoys the delicious chicken lunch more than any meal her real parents have cooked. She is then invited to play with rats upstairs, an activity her real parents would never allow, making this strange new family seem more intriguing to Coraline.

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Ilyza Nadine Soriano
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16 views1 page

Coraline

Coraline encounters her "other mother" in her family's new home, who looks similar to her real mother but has button eyes and long sharp nails. The other mother tells Coraline she is her new family and invites her to stay for lunch. Coraline is hungry and enjoys the delicious chicken lunch more than any meal her real parents have cooked. She is then invited to play with rats upstairs, an activity her real parents would never allow, making this strange new family seem more intriguing to Coraline.

Uploaded by

Ilyza Nadine Soriano
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Coraline [Excerpt]

by Neil Gaiman (England) “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time,”
said Coraline’s other father.
It sounded like her mother. Coraline went into
the kitchen, where the voice had come from. A woman “For me?”
stood in the kitchen with her back to Coraline. She
looked a little like Coraline’s mother. Only… “Yes,” said the other mother. “It wasn’t the
same here without you. But we knew you’d arrive one
Only her skin was white as paper. day, and then we could be a proper family. Would you
like some more chicken?”
Only she was taller and thinner.
It was the best chicken that Coraline had ever
Only her fingers were too long, and they never eaten. Her mother sometimes made chicken, but it was
stopped moving, and her dark red fingernails were always out of packets or frozen, and was very dry, and
curved and sharp. it never tasted of anything. When Coraline’s father
cooked chicken he bought real chicken, but he did
“Coraline?” the woman said. “Is that you?” strange things to it, like stewing it in wine, or stuffing
it with prunes, or baking it in pastry, and Coraline
And then she turned around. Her eyes were big would always refuse to touch it on principle.
black buttons.
She took some more chicken.
“Lunchtime, Coraline,” said the woman.
“I didn’t know I had another mother,” said
“Who are you?” asked Coraline. Coraline, cautiously.

“I’m your other mother,” said the woman. “Of course you do. Everyone does,” said the
“Go and tell your other father that lunch is ready,” She other mother, her black button eyes gleaming. “After
opened the door of the oven. Suddenly Coraline lunch, I thought you might like to play in your room
realized how hungry she was. It smelled wonderful. with the rats.”
“Well, go on.”
“The rats?”
Coraline went down the hall, to where her
father’s study was. She opened the door. There was a “From upstairs.”
man in there, sitting at the keyboard, with his back to
her. “Hello,” said Coraline. “I – I mean, she said to say Coraline had never seen a rat, except on
that lunch is ready.” television. She was quite looking forward to it. This
was turning out to be a very interesting day after all.
The man turned around.

His eyes were buttons, big and black and shiny.

“Hello Coraline,” he said. “I’m starving.”

He got up and went with her into the kitchen.


They sat at the kitchen table, and Coraline’s other
mother brought them lunch. A huge, golden-brown
roasted chicken, fried potatoes, tiny green peas.
Coraline shoveled the food into her mouth. It tasted
wonderful.

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