2. Pablo’s favourite
subject is
games. He likes
playing football.
He is very good
and he scores
lots of goals.
3. Today Pablo isn’t
very happy. It’s the
English exam.
Pablo doesn’t like
English. He always
gets bad marks
and his parents are
always angry with
him.
4. Lola, the English
teacher, is
waiting at the
door. She’s got
some papers in
her hand.
5. “Are you ready?” she
asks Pablo with a
smile.
Pablo doesn’t
understand.
He looks at the floor.
His friends laugh.
“Why does she
always speak to me
in English?” he thinks.
6. It’s three o’clock.
Pablo and his
classmates go into
the exam and sit
down. Pablo looks
at the questions.
He chooses
question 3: Imagine
you are a young in
England.
7. Pablo thinks of his
brother. His brother
is ten years old. His
name is Juan.
Pablo imagines
Juan having fun
with his friends.
“Perhaps they’re playing
football,” he thinks.
8. It’s a hot day and
Pablo is sleepy.
What can he write?
Pablo picks up his
pen and plays with
it. He still can’t
think of a story.
9. Pablo puts his head on the
desk. He can hear the
clock on the classroom
wall.
He closes his eyes.
He feels very sleepy.
Suddenly his hand
begins to move and the
pen starts to write.
10. My name is John. I’m ten years old. I live in
London with my parents and my big brother,
Paul. I’ve got blue eyes and blonde hair.
11. Today I’m with some friends. We usually play
football, but not this afternoon. This
afternoon we are playing hide-and-seek at
home.
12. I hide and my friends look for me.
I go upstairs and run into my bedroom. I open
the cupboard doors and climb into the
cupboard.
13. It’s a good hiding place. I cover myself
with sweaters and shirts and lie quietly
under them. I don’t make any noise.
14. My friends are looking for me, but they can’t
find me. I can hear them downstairs. “John!
John!” they are shouting.
15. I don’t say anything. It is dark in the cupboard
and I am uncomfortable. But I wait and
wait. Five, perhaps ten, minutes pass.
Then I hear my friends again.
16. “John! John! There’s a fire! Come out!”
“There isn’t a fire,” I think. “This is a
trick!” And I stay in the cupboard.
17. Suddenly I feel very hot. I can hear strange
noises and there’s a horrible smell. I can’t
breathe. The room is full of smoke and big
red flames are eating the cupboard.
18. The bell rings. Pablo’s pen falls onto the floor.
Pablo wakes up. The exam is over.
Pablo runs to the door. “Come back!” Lola
shouts. “Give me your paper, Pablo.”
19. Lola is angry. She goes to Pablo’s
desk and picks up his exam paper.
She starts to read it.
20. Pablo runs out of the school. He keeps on
running. He runs home as fast as he can.
He turns the last corner and sees thick
black smoke over his house.
21. A group of people are standing in front of his
house. Pablo sees Juan’s friends. They are
talking about Juan. They can’t find him.
22. Pablo sees his mother.
She is shouting Juan’s name.
She is crying.
23. Pablo runs past the
people in the street
and into the house.
The people try to
stop him, but he
doesn’t listen to
them.
24. He runs up the stairs.
He runs past the
bathroom, past his
parents’ bedroom,
past his bedroom.
Finally he comes to
his little brother’s
bedroom.
25. “Juanito! Juanito!”
Pablo shouts.
“I’m coming.”
There is no
answer. Pablo
runs straight to
the cupboard.
26. He pulls out all the
clothes. At last, in
the corner, he
sees a little hand.
Pablo pulls his
brother out of the
cupboard.
27. He takes him in his
arms and tries to
carry him
downstairs.
There are flames
all around the
two brothers.
28. Juan feels very
heavy. Pablo is
sweating. He
covers his mouth
with his hand, but
he can’t stop the
smoke.
29. Pablo pushes open
the door with his
foot. He steps
outside. Then he
falls to the
ground.
30. Pablo opens his
eyes. There is a
small boy in the
next bed.
“It’s Juan,” he
thinks. “My
brother is safe.”
31. Suddenly the door
open. Pablo’s
parents run
towards him.
They hug him
and ask him lots
of questions.
32. Pablo smiles, but he
doesn’t answer
their questions.
Pablo can’t explain.
He wants to talk
about Paul and
John and a family
in London.
33. He can’t remember
much about them,
but he knows that
they’re important.
The next day another
visitor comes to the
hospital. She looks
very happy.
34. “Hello, Lola,” Pablo
says. “I’m very
sorry about my
English exam.”
“What do you
mean, Pablo?”
Lola asks.
35. “You are very clever.
What a lovely story
about that English
boy and the fire!
You’ve got the best
mark in the English
exam.”
36. “Oh, thank you,”
Pablo says.
“But your story hasn’t
got an ending.”
Pablo smiles. “Yes, it
has!”
