Footprints in the Snow PDF

3 0 Footprints in the Snow My name's Sally. When was fourteen years old, my farnily I and I lived in an old house near the hills in New Ze...

3 0 Footprints in the Snow My name's Sally. When was fourteen years old, my farnily I and I lived in an old house near the hills in New Zealand. There was me, Milln, l)ad, my brother Richard, and my Gran. My Gran was old — nearly eighty-two years old — and sometimes she told us strange stories. She loved talking o about our grandfather, George. He died before I was born. 'I-IC's always here with us,' she told rne. 'l sometilnes t- hear hiln at night. He walks about in the garden.' Of course, I didn't believe her stories. 'I-low do you know?' I asked her. 'Perhaps it's an animal. 'Because I can see his footprints,' Gran told me. 'George had very big feet. We always laughed about his big feet.' 0 But we never saw the footprints. 'She's old and she can't Gran (informal) see very well.' we all thought. grandmother believe to think that something is When winter came, there was snow everywhere, and it true was very cold. 'Good tnorning, everybody. I Oh! VVhat s all this?' 'What's all this?' footprint the hole that One morning I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Everybody helped to put away the kitchen things. When someone's foot makes in soft But when I opened the kitchen door and walked into the we finished, Dad looked in the fridge for something to eat. ground when room, I screamed. There were things all over the floor, and 'Look at this!' he said. they walk snow something the kitchen window and the fridge door were open. Everything in the fridge was suddenly old and bad. The soft, white cold and Mum came into the kitchen after me. milk was yellow and the bread was green. kitchen the room 'Oh, dear! What's this?' she said. She called Dad. 'Look at 'I don't believe it!' said Mum. 'It was 0K yesterday. What in a house where people make all this! Who did it?'. is happening?' things to eat 'Perhaps it was the children,' Dad said, and he looked at floor the place in a room where you me. That night, we were all very tired and everybody went to stand and walk 'Don't look at me, Dad. I was in bed!' I said. bed early. It was not a good night. At three o'clock in the fridge a cold box for things to eat Just then, Gran walked into the kitchen. morning, my brother Richard ran into my room. 15  'Come quickly!' he cried. 'There's sornebody in my room!' 'Be careful!' called Mum. ground we walk on this I ran after him, and Mutn and Dad followed. The lights went out again, and there were more strange earthquake Richard's room looked bad. I-lis computer was on the noises. We were all very scared by now. when the ground moves suddenly floor and his books were everywhere. 'Follow Dad!' Mum screamed. So we all ran out into the fall (past fell) to 'I heard somebody in Iny room, Dad,' said Richard. 'They garden. Just then, the ground began to move under our go down quickly took all the things off my table and put thenl on the floor!' feet. Then there was a very big noise. 'I'm going to phone the police,' said Dad. 'Perhaps there 'It's an earthquake!' screamed Dad. are some bad people in the hills near our house.' But, when 'I'he ground moved again and again. We stopped the police came, they didn't know about any bad people in running and looked back at our house. It suddenly fell to the hills. the ground in front or our eyes. Nothing strange happened for two days. But on the third After the earthquake finished, we all stood quietly for some day, the radio began to make unusual noises. Then the TV minutes. Then Gran spoke. broke down. And when we all sat down for dinner, the 'Well, we lost our house, but we're all alive! It was lights suddenly went out. George. He helped us,' she said quietly 'He took us out of Mum screamed, but Dad got angry. the house. Look, there are his footprints in the snow.' 'What is going on?' he asked. We all looked down at the ground. It was dark, but we 'Perhaps it's George,' said Gran. could see some footprints in the snow. They were the 'Oh, Gran,' said Dad. 'We don't believe in ghosts.' footprints of very big rect. could see some Later that night, I heard some very strange noises. They 'Thank you, Grandad,' I said quietly. 'Thank you for footprints in the came from the living roorn. helping us.' snow. 'Somebody's moving the table and chairs,' I thought. Quickly, I went into Richard's room. 'Listen,' I said. 'Someone's downstairs.' We ran down to the living room and opened the door. Nobody was there. But the chairs were all up on the table, the pictures, the radio and the TV were all on the floor, and the door to the garden was open. policemen and women who stop Mum, Dad and Gran soon came downstairs, too. people doing bad things 'Someone's in the garden.' said Dad. 'I'm going after him.' 16 17