Reading Wider World 2 SBp61

A ghost story

I woke up because I heard a cat. I was surprised because my grandmother doesn’t have a cat. It was dark so I switched on the lamp. I listened really carefully but I didn’t hear anything. Maybe it was a dream, I thought. The next night I heard the noise again but this time there was a black kitten on the bed. It jumped to the floor and ran quickly outside. I followed it along the narrow corridor, through the large hall and upstairs into the attic. I switched the light on. The room was very messy. There were old carpets, curtains, chairs and paintings. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find the kitten. It was a mystery. In the morning I told Gran about the cat. ‘Don’t be silly, Tom,’ she said impatiently. That night, a girl came to my room. She was beautiful with long brown hair and soft green eyes. ‘You have to help me,’ she said. She spoke quietly. It was hard to hear her voice. She took my hand and I followed her to the garden. She pointed to the roof. I looked up. The kitten was near the chimney. When I turned back, the girl wasn’t there. In the morning I told Gran about the girl. She turned slowly and took an old photo from the wall. It showed a woman sitting in a cosy armchair in an old-fashioned room. At her feet was a small black cat. Next to her was a beautiful girl. ‘These people lived here a hundred years ago,’ Gran explained. ‘They sold the house after something terrible happened.’ ‘What?’ I asked. ‘The girl fell from the roof and died. She was only thirteen years old.’