#The_Crown
#part_13
Paxton looked behind him. Was there a man in the trees? A dark shadow? No, of course not!
Paxton started to work again. The spade was heavy now, and it was a difficult job. He wanted to sleep, but he wanted to find the crown, too.
And then it was there. The crown! Paxton smiled. He put his hands on it. Suddenly, there was a noise behind him again. It wasn't the wind, and it wasn't an animal. It was the noise of a man an angry man.
Paxton looked behind him. Again, no man was there. But wait! Did a shadow move? Paxton didn't know, but he was suddenly very afraid. He quickly put the crown in his bag and started to go back to the hotel.
But now the shadow was with him. It was always behind him. Paxton looked back, and the shadow always moved quickly away. But then it came back. Sometimes it was near him and sometimes it was far away.
Paxton was very afraid. Who -or what - was the shadow? And what did it want from him?
To be continued...🌀
far away/(adv) We never visit them because they live far away from here.
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#The_Crown
#part_15
There's a man. He's watching us from those trees! I know it!'
We looked and looked at the trees. There wasn't a man there now. But I was afraid. What did I see? Was it Paxton's shadow? Perhaps his story wasn't wrong... I didn't like this.
'Let's be quick,' Paxton said. "The shadow knows about us. He's watching us.'
We arrived at the hill. Paxton didn't wait. He started to work with the spade. Long and I only watched.
'Can I help now?' I said to Paxton, but he didn't stop.
'This is my job,' he said.
Then he said to us, 'Give it to me.'
We put the bag on the ground near him, but we didn't open it.
Paxton did that. I looked at the crown for the last time in Paxton's hands. He finished the job quickly.
'Is it in the ground?' I asked him.
'Yes.'
I smiled, but Paxton didn't smile.
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_16
'Let's go back to the hotel,' Long said. 'It's very late and our beds are waiting for us!'
We started to walk down the hill. Suddenly, Long said, 'Remember your coat, Paxton! It's up on the hill.'
I looked up the hill behind us. Long was right. Paxton's long, dark
coat was there on the ground. But our new friend didn't move.
'What's wrong, Paxton?' I asked.
His face was white. His mouth moved, but he didn't talk.
'Are you OK?' Long asked.
'I ... I didn't bring my coat,' Paxton said. 'It's in my hotel room.' The dark thing on the hill wasn't his coat! But what was it?
I looked again. It wasn't there now!
We went down the hill very quickly. We didn't talk. We only listened to the noise of the sea.
Sometimes, I looked behind us. Was that a shadow behind the trees? Did a shadow move in the church garden? Was there a dark shadow behind the gravestones?
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_17
I didn't know, and I didn't want to know. I wanted to be in my bed. No, I wanted to be far away from this cold, dark place. I wanted to be at home.
We arrived at the hotel at twelve o'clock. A hotel worker opened the door for us. He looked at the three of us.
'It's a cold night,' he said.
I was afraid, but I smiled. 'Yes, it is.'
The hotel worker looked up the road behind us.
'Did you meet any people on the road?' he asked.
'No,' Paxton said. 'We were the only people in Seaburgh.'
'But there was a man behind you...' the hotel worker said.
Paxton looked back into the night with big eyes. The shadow wasn't there now.
The three of us went to our room. Paxton went to the window.
'It's OK now,' I said to him. 'The crown is in its place again. You're not in danger now.'
Paxton's eyes stayed on the night.
'Perhaps,' he said.
He went to the door. He said, "Thank you' to Long and me, and then he went to his room.
'Good night,' I said. 'Sleep well.'
To be continued...🌀
danger/(n) Those long knives are a danger to children!
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#The_Crown
#part_18
I don't know about Paxton, but sleep didn't come to me for a long time that night. And then I didn't sleep well. It was a long, long night.
I opened my eyes in the morning and went to the window. The sun's light came into the bedroom. It was late. I looked at the trees. It was a beautiful April day.
I washed and went down. Long was in a big chair with his newspaper and some coffee.
'Do you want some food?' He asked.
'Yes!'
A man was at our table. It was Paxton.
'How are you today?' Long asked.
'I'm OK,' our friend answered.
'Did you sleep well?' I asked.
'Yes, thank you. I didn't see the ...' He stopped. 'There wasn't a problem all night.'
'Good!' I smiled. 'Long and I are going for a walk this morning. Please come with us.'
'No, thank you,' Paxton answered. 'I want to stay in the hotel this morning. I'm going to write some letters.'
'This afternoon?' Long said.
'Yes, thank you.'
'Good, good! Let's meet at three o'clock,' Long said. 'Come to our room.'
We said goodbye to him.
Long and I had a good morning. Then we had some food in a café in a town near Seaburgh.
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_14
Paxton stopped. 'That's my story,' he said. 'Do you believe me?'
I didn't believe it, but I didn't say that to Paxton.
'You believe it,' I answered, and that's the important thing.' But then I remembered the shadow near the door to our hotel room.
'What can I do now?' Paxton asked.
I looked at Long, then at Paxton.
'OK,' I said. 'We're going to help you. We're going to come with you and put the crown back in its place under the ground. Let's go!' Paxton smiled, but it wasn't a very happy smile. 'Thank you!' he said. He went to his room.
I looked at the window. It was a dark night. Long and I put on our coats and went to the hotel door. Paxton was there in front of the hotel. He had the black bag and the spade in his hands.
It was cold and we walked quickly. We walked near the church. I put my head down and didn't look up. I didn't want to see the gravestone of William Agers that night.
'Are we near the place?' Long asked. (My friend Henry Long likes walking, but he doesn't usually walk very quickly.)
'Yes,' Paxton answered.
Suddenly, I looked left.
'What's that?' I said.
'What did you see?' Long asked.
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_19
'I like this,' Long said. 'We can have a good holiday again.'
'It's two-thirty,' I said. 'We're meeting Paxton at the hotel at three o'clock.'
Paxton was at the hotel. He had a book in his hands and
there was a smile on his face.
'Did you have a good morning, Paxton?' I asked.
'Yes, thank you,' he said. 'I did.'
Long and I wanted to wash. Paxton waited for us.
I went down again quickly, but Paxton wasn't there. Only his book was on the chair.
Long came down, too. 'Where's Paxton?' he asked.
'I don't know,' I said. 'Perhaps he's in his room."
But there was no answer at Paxton's door. We looked in the hotel garden but Paxton wasn't there. I was a little afraid now.
A hotel worker came to us. 'You're here!' she said.
'Yes,' I answered. 'Why did you say that?'
'Mr Paxton isn't here,' she said. 'He wanted to see you and Mr
Long. You were in front of the hotel. You shouted to him. He said ... '
'We didn't shout to him. We were in our room!'
We didn't shout to Paxton. Who did? I was very afraid now.
'Paxton!' I said. 'He's in danger!'
In front of the hotel, we looked for our friend.
'I can't see him!' I shouted.
The hotel worker was at the door behind us.
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_20
'He went to the beach,' she said. 'He wanted to see you and Mr Long.'
"Thank you!'
Long and I started to run. It was difficult on the beach, but we
didn't stop.
"There! I can see him,' Long said.
There was a person on the beach, but he was far away.
We shouted again and again.
'Paxton! Come back, Paxton!'
'We're here!'
But there was a lot of noise from the wind and the sea. Paxton
didn't hear us.
'What ... what's he doing?'
'I don't know. I can't see from here.' 'Look at this, Long!' I shouted.
There were footprints on the beach from Paxton's shoes.
'And look at this!'
This was a footprint, too. But it wasn't Paxton's.
'But what's wrong with it?' Long asked.
"This person didn't have shoes,' I said..
'Was it a person?' Long said. 'Perhaps it was an animal ...' The footprint was very thin.
I didn't answer. A name came into my head - William Agers. But William Agers was dead!
'Quick!' I shouted.
We started to run again. Where was Paxton now?
To be continued...🌀
Footprint/(n) There are footprints on my beautiful floor!
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#The_Crown
#part_21
We arrived at a tall old building on the beach. Long and I started to go up it.
'Where is he?' I asked Long.
Long opened his mouth, but he didn't answer. There wasn't time.
Suddenly, there was a noise. It was a person. A shout. But where did it come from?
'Who's that?' I shouted.
We looked down.
'No!' I shouted.
There was a man on the ground. It was our friend Paxton. He didn't move. His dead eyes looked up at us.
I looked at the dark sea..
'Paxton was right,' I said. 'He did it.'
'Who?' Long asked. 'I don't understand.'
'Agers protected the crown. He was dead, but he protected the crown.'
'But how?' Long said.
I had an answer, but I didn't want to say it.
It was magic. Paxton wanted to find us. He went to the old building. He started to run. Suddenly, the shadow was there. But now it wasn't only a shadow. It was William Agers, and he was angry. Paxton looked into those cold, dead eyes.
And now Paxton was dead, too.
'What now?' I asked.
'There's a police station in town,' Long said.
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_22
We walked back on the beach. The footprints weren't there now. They were under the cold waters of the sea.
I don't remember my time at the police station very well. Only questions, questions, questions:
'Why were you on the beach?'
'Who was there?'
'How did you know Paxton?'
'What did you see?'
Long and I answered all of them. Yes, there was a man on the beach with Paxton. No, we didn't know him. He was very far away. Long and I had the same story, and the police believed us.
But we didn't talk to them about the crown - or about William Agers.
To be continued...🌀
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#The_Crown
#part_23
Long and I went away from Seaburgh. That was my last visit there. I'm never going to go to Seaburgh again.
And that's my story. You don't believe me! That's OK - I understand. Before this, I didn't believe stories about magic and dead people.
But listen to this, please.
Don't go to the small town of Seaburgh.
The little church near the sea is beautiful, but don't go near it.
Don't walk up the hill near the sea and don't look for the last crown. Why? Because a person in Seaburgh is watching and waiting. He's dead, but that doesn't stop him. He has a job. The crown protects England, and he protects the crown.
He is always going to protect the crown.
And me? I'm at home again. I see my friend Long sometimes, but we never talk about our holiday in Seaburgh.
I do my job every day, and I'm happy. But at night I don't sleep very well.
In my bedroom, in the dark, I close my eyes and listen to the wind. I see a cold, dark sea. And under a hill, the last crown sits and waits.
The End.🔚
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🪴🪴
🪴
#The_Selfish_Giant
#part_1
When the giant went away for seven years, the children played in his garden every afternoon on the way back from school. It was a large and lovely garden. Beautiful flowers grew in the grass, and there were twelve fruit trees. In the spring, the fruit trees were covered with red and white flowers, and later in the year wonderful fruit grew on them. The birds sang sweetly in the trees. Sometimes, the children stopped their games and listened to them. "we are so happy here!" they said.
Then, one day, the giant came back. He saw the children playing in his garden. "What are you doing here?" he shouted in a very loud voice. The children ran away.
"My garden is my garden," said the gaint. "No one can play in it. Only me." So he built a high wall round it and put up a notice: KEEP OUT. He was a very selfish giant.
Giant/n/ a very tall, strong man in stories.
To be continued...🖊
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