TALES

2 © Strange Messages

Anna was at her best friend Julia's house. She often went there to do homework with her. It was their last year of school, and they always had a lot of homework.

Anna, what are you going to do when you leave school: asked Julia. Are you going to go to college: '

'Perhaps. I don't really know.' said Anna.

Anna didn't want to tell Julia. but she had a wonderful ambition: she wanted to go up into space.

'One day.' she thought. `1'm going to be an astronaut.' Anna wrote a letter to NASA in America. She wanted to work there. She said nothing to her mother and father about it. 7'hey didn't understand.

‘Anna's going to be a doctor.' her mother said to all their friends. When she heard that. Anna smiled. She didn't want to be a doctor. She had different ideas.

One day. Anna's uncle Bob carne to her house. Anna liked uncle Bob. He was different from her mother and father. He knew about Anna's ambition.

'Hello. Anna. Would you like this old computer? I have a new one now. You can do your homework on it.'

'Oh, yes. Thank: you. uncle Bob.'

Anna put the computer in her bedroom. That night, she went to bed and dreamt about going into space. At two o’clock. in the morning she suddenly woke up. The computer was on.

'That's strange.' she thought, but she soon went back to sleep.

The next night Anna woke up suddenly 'the computer was on again. This time there was a message on it.

`Hello, Anna. It's me. Follow your dream.' 'Perhaps it's uncle Bob,' Anna thought. The next day she phoned him.

'Thanks for the computer message, Uncle Bob!' `What message: ' asked uncle Bob.

'So who sent the message: ' thought Anna. Anna told Julia about the message.

'Wow!' said Julia. `What an interesting computer! 13ut Anna ... do you have a dream'

' Well, yes ... I do,' said Anna. And she told Julia all about the letter to NASA, and about her mother and father.

'I can't tell them about my ambition.' she said. "`Only boys want to be astronauts," they think. and "Our daughter wants to be a doctor," they say'

'O)h dear! What are you going to do, Anna%'

A fez^, days later. Anna got a letter from NASA. It told her all about a good college in America.

After 1 go there 1 can work for NASA,' she told Julia. `13ut that college is in America,' said Julia. `What are you going to say to your mum and dad:'

`Oh. I don't know, Julia.'1'hey don't understand.'

That night there was a new message on the computer. `Hello. Anna. It's me. Follow your dream.'

Anna sat at the computer. She wrote: 'Who are you?

The message on the computer said: 'I had a dream like you. You can do it Anna. You can be an astronaut.'

For the next three nights, Anna sat at her computer and 'talked' to her new friend. Every time she sent a message, a new message came back. The messages were all about being an astronaut.

On the third night, the friend wrote: `Do it Anna. Be happy. I was happy, and you can be happy too.'

With the message there was a picture. It was a photo of a young woman, with dark hair and a friendly smile.

'I know her!' Anna thought. But she couldn't remember her name. She phoned Julia and told her about the photo. `What do you think, Julia: '

°Your computer friend is right. You must follow your dream. But when are you going to tell your mum and dad?'

The next evening, Anna was with her father in the living room.

'Dad. Can I talk to you about something?'

°Of course. Anna, but let's watch TV first. There’s something on it tonight about space. Are you interested' `Yes. Let's watch it,' said Anna.

The TV had a picture of some astronauts on it. One was a young woman with a big smile - the woman on Anna's computer! Anna suddenly felt very cold.

'Who's that woman, Dad?' she asked.

An astronaut. She died in space ten years ago.'

`What? She died?' Anna looked at the TV.  The happy young woman looked back at her.

`What did you want to talk about ? her father asked. 'It doesn't matter, Dad. Forget it.'

That night, Anna couldn't sleep. She wanted to read the next message on the computer. but nothing happened. For a week, Anna watched the computer and she only slept for two or three hours every night. But there were no more messages.

At first, Anna felt sad. Then she phoned Julia. Tm going to tell Mum and Dad about NASA.'

`Oh, good, Anna! You're doing the right thing,' said Julia. The next day Anna told her mother and father, and Uncle Bob talked to them. At first, they didn't like the idea, but they talked to Anna's teachers and read the letter from NASA. In the end, they said to Anna: `Of course you must follow your dream'.

So Anna went to college in America, and after five years she went to work for NASA. She took Uncle Bob's computer with her, and she never forgot the strange messages from space.

1 © The Real McCoy

'It isn't true!' said Gordon.

Gordon and his friends - Duncan. Fiona and Heather -were in a very old castle in the west of Scotland. The castle was now Fiona's uncle's hotel. Fiona and her friends were there for the weekend. After dinner. they sat in the living room and talked.

'It isn't true.' Gordon said again. 'There isn't a real ghost here.'

'There ;s a ghost. Gordon,' said Fiona. 'Look at that picture of Lord McCoy by the door. He died in the bedroom next to the stairs and his ghost walks there every night, they say. Nobody sleeps there now.'

They looked up at Lord McCoy. He was in a kilt, or Scottish skirt. His face was white. his eyes were a cold blue, and there was no smile on his thin red mouth. Under Lord McCoy's picture there was a big. old sword.

'He doesn't look very nice’ said Heather. 'He had three wives and they all died young’ said Fiona ‘Perhaps he killed them^’

^‘Look at his eyes’, said Duncan. ‘They look angry’

'He’s an old man in a picture, that’s all’. Said Gordon

The ghost is a stupid story for visitors. It makes the hotel more interesting.

'OK, Gordon. So why don't you sleep in Lord McCoy's bedroom tonight?' Duncan laughed.

That's a good idea! Do it, Gordon!' said Fiona. Are you scared, Gordon?' asked Heather.

'No, I'm not/ Gordon answered. Tm going to do it! I'm going to sleep in Lord McCoy's bedroom. Ifs nearly eleven 0'clock. Let's go upstairs now.^'

The four friends went up the stairs. Gordon opened the door of Lord McCoy's room and they all looked in. The only things in the dark room were a big, old bed and two chairs

Gordon went into the room and sat down on the bed. It's a nice bed. I can sleep very well here. Goodnight everybody! See you in the morning!' he said.

Duncan, Fiona and Heather said goodnight, closed the bedroom door, and went downstairs again.

'Gordon is going to see a ghost tonight.^’ said Duncan when they were back in the living room.

'What? But there isn't really a ghost,' said Heather. 'The Lord McCoy story isn't true, you know.^'

'I know! Gordon's going to see me', said Duncan. ‘I’m going to be Lord McCoy. I'm going to wait for two hours, then I’m going to go to McCoy's room and have a laugh^'.

'Oh, yes! I want to see this!^’ laughed Fiona.

'Me too!' said Heather. 'Wake us up at one o’clock, Duncan. We want to go with you!'

Soon after that the three friends went to bed. Gordon was on the bed in Lord McCoy's room. The room was cold and the big, old bed wasn't very nice. It was very dark. The rain hit the window. Gordon remembered the face of Lord McCoy in the picture. After half an hour, Gordon's eyes closed and he slept.

But in his sleep. Gordon saw Lord McCoy once more. He came towards Gordon and he laughed. He had a big sword in his hand. Gordon was scared. He wanted to run, but he couldn't move. Gordon could see McCoy's white face. It came nearer and nearer. McCoy's sword was over his head now. Gordon wanted to scream. He opened his mouth but he couldn't speak.

Suddenly Gordon woke up. His mouth was open and he felt very thirsty. He felt scared, too. Then he laughed. It was only a dream. He must forget the stupid stories about old

MacCoy.

The room felt colder than before. Suddenly, he heard a noise. What was it? Gordon listened carefully. He sat up. It was dark and he could see nothing. But there was a noise.

he waited and listened. The noise wasn't there now. He closed his eyes again and slept.

This time his dream was different. There were three young women in it. One of the women looked at something behind Gordon. screamed and began to run away. Then someone behind him laughed. Was it Lord MacCoy's laugh? Gordon woke up suddenly.

Just then. he heard a new noise. This time it came from the door. Gordon sat up and looked towards it. He could see

nothing, but he could hear the big old key in the door. Gordon listened and didn't move.

'()h no! Someone's locking the door!' he. thought.

Now something moved at Gordon's feet. There was something on the bed! Gordon was very, very scared by now. The thing on the bed began to move slowly towards him. First it was on his feet and then it moved onto his legs ...

Gordon jumped out of bed and ran towards the door. Behind him, someone laughed. Quickly, his hand found the key and he opened the door. He ran out of the room. There was someone behind him! He saw the sword over his head. He jumped down all the stairs to the door of the living room. Someone was behind him. He looked back slowlv. It was Duncan.

Are you all right, Gordonr'

'Duncan! It was you! Yes, I'm Ok now. How did you do that thing with the key? That was very good!'

Just then, Fiona and Heather arrived.

`What a noise!' said Heather. 'Cordon! What are you doing here: You didn't wake us up, Duncan! We didn't see you go into McCoy's room!'

Duncan looked at the girls. His face was white.

`It wasn't me. [ didn't wake up at one o'clock. 13ut later I heard a lot of noise downstairs, so 1 carne down.'

`What: ' said Gordon. 13ut it was vou. Duncan. You came into my bedroom.'

'No. I didn't,' said Duncan.

`You locked the door, and ran after me with a sword.' 'What sword? asked Duncan. 'What are you talking about? '

'Lord McCoy's sword! Look up there, under the picture!' 'They^, all looked under the picture of Lord McCoy. But there was no sword there now.

'There's nothing there.' said Fiona.

`Look at the picture,' said Heather. 'That sword wasn't there before!'

They looked at the picture. On the right, next to the old man there was a table. and on it there was a big sword. 'Yes, that's it,' said Gordon slowly.

The four friends looked at the picture without speaking. Lord McCoy looked back at them. There was a smile on his white face now - a very cold. dark smile.

'So the ghost in my room was "the real McCoy" after all!' said Cordon.