Red Line 2, Coursebook

The man was short and had short grey hair. He didn’t speak and he never even smiled. “Two rooms on the east side of the house,” the woman said. “We want to see the Loch.” She did not say “please”. “Oh yes, the Loch is beautiful in the morning,” said Mum. “Breakfast is from seven until nine o’clock. Here are your keys.” The woman took the keys, but she did not say “thank you”. Dad asked, “Are you going fishing?” The woman looked at Dad with her crocodile eyes. “Fishing?” “Yes, all those things in your van. I hope you catch something.” The woman smiled for the first time, but it was not a nice smile. “If there is something to catch in the Loch, Mr McArthur, we will catch it. You can be sure!” They went upstairs and we did not see them again until the next morning. “That van is weird, Stella,” said Sandy. “Our new guests are weird, too,” I said. “You can say that again! What does S.A.M. mean? It’s on the van doors.” “I’ve got no idea,” I said. “I’d like to know what’s inside. And look at those things on the roof. That looks like part of a telescope.” “Yeah, and what’s this? A microphone?” I asked. 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 116 one hundred and s i xteen “I don’t know, but they don’t look like fishing things,” said Sandy. It was true. They looked more like the things we use in science class. “Those two are not normal tourists,” I said. “You’re right. Come on, Stella. Let’s find out who our guests really are.” The next morning, the woman and the man were sitting in the breakfast room. They weren’t eating breakfast. They were just drinking cup after cup of coffee. Black coffee. Mum and Dad were telling them about nice places to visit, like Urquhart Castle and the gardens. “You can hear great concerts at the castle,” said Mum. “Last night, we heard Scottish bagpipes.” But our guests weren’t really listening. They only listened when we told them about Loch Ness. “It’s the largest lake in Britain, and it’s very deep, too,” said Sandy. “A lot of people come here just to try and see Nessie.” The woman put down her coffee cup. She looked at Sandy. “Nessie?” “You know,” laughed Dad, “Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. That’s what they call the creature in the Loch.” e A story Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv