Part a – facts of the matter /
spring 2013 – 9th grade
Mysteries
fortsetter på neste side 
TErminprøver engelsk1
informasjon
Engelsk terminprøve – forberedelse
Bokmål:
Forberedelse og prøve
Tekstsamlingen er delt inn i to deler: Part A: Facts of the matter og Part B: The stories I have heard.
Begge delene er obligatoriske. På prøvedagen vil du få oppgaver knyttet til både part A og part B.
Forberedelsestiden skal du bruke til å jobbe med tekstsamlingen. Du kan både lese, bearbeide og sortere
ukjent stoff. Du kan ta notater som er knyttet til temaet. Du kan samarbeide med andre elever, snakke
med læreren og bruke lærebøker og andre kilder. Under forberedelsen er alle hjelpemidler tillatt, inkludert
bruk av internett. På prøven kan du ikke bruke internett og andre verktøy som tillater kommunikasjon, eller
oversettelsesprogrammer. Alle kilder du benytter deg av på prøven, direkte eller indirekte, skal oppgis slik
at det går an å finne fram til kilden. Dersom du har med deg utskrifter og sitater fra nettsider, må du oppgi
adresse og nedlastingsdato.
På prøvedagen skal du svare på tre oppgaver, to som krever kortere svar (Task 1 og Task 2) og en
langsvaroppgave (Task 3A, B, C eller D). Du skal svare på engelsk.
Nynorsk:
Førebuingsdel og prøve
Tekstsamlinga er delt inn i to delar: Part A: Facts of the matter og Part B: The stories I have heard.
Begge delane er obligatoriske. På prøvedagen vil du få oppgåver knytt både til part A og til part B.
Førebuingstida skal du bruke til å jobbe med tekstsamlinga. Du kan både lese, studere og sortere ukjent
stoff. Du kan ta notat som er knytte til temaet. Du kan samarbeide med andre elever, snakke med læraren
og bruke lærebøker og andre kjelder. Under førebuinga er alle hjelpemiddel tillatne, inkludert bruk
av internett. På prøven kan du ikkje bruke internett og andre verktøy som tillèt kommunikasjon, eller
omsetjingsprogram. Alle kjelder du brukar på prøven, direkte eller indirekte, skal oppgjevast slik at det går
an å finne fram til kjelda. Dersom du har med deg utskrifter og sitat frå nettsider, skal adresse og dato for
nedlasting oppgjevast.
På prøvedagen skal du svare på tre oppgåver, to som krev kortare svar (Task 1 og Task 2) og ein
langsvaroppgåve (Task 3A, B, C eller D). Du skal svare på engelsk.
2
contents
Perspectives on mysteries
Ever wondered why mysteries fascinate us so much? In this issue we
would like to present you with some of the world’s greatest unsolved
mysteries: crop circles, the lost city of Atlantis, the escape from Alcatraz
and the world’s most famous serial killer. And there’s a card trick for you
to try out. We have some stories for you too – an excerpt from a short
story and an urban legend to give you the goose bumps. And get ready
to meet the living dead in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Enjoy the read!
PART A
PART B
FACTS OF THE MATTER
Pranks with planks, weather or UFOs:
Crop circles in fields still a mystery
4
The Lost City of Atlantis
7
Alcatraz escape still surprises, 50 years on
9
Why is Jack the Ripper still so famous?
11
World’s simplest trick
13
THE STORIES I HAVE HEARD
Kid Kill
15
Urban Legends: A Mother’s Plea
20
Thriller
22
3
Part a – facts of the matter / pranks with planks, weather or ufos
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Pranks with planks,
weather or UFOs:
Crop circles in fields still a mystery
By Ross McGuinness
Suddenly it appears! An intricate pattern in the middle of a field.
But who made it? And is there a hidden message? Crop circles
continue to astonish and fascinate British farmers.
A fantastic pattern based on the Tibetan Buddhist symbol of the
endless knot has cropped up in a wheat field.
But who put it there? This is the question raised every time bizarre
designs spring up in our nation’s countryside. Thousands of crop circles
have been reported in Britain in the past 30 years and the crop circle
capital is Wiltshire.
Through the last three or four decades, many researchers have been
convinced they are not made by human hands, leading to theories
attributing their formation to wind and soil. There are also those who
believe they are created by extra-terrestrial life. On the other side
of the argument are the very human hands who claim to have been
intricate
intrikat / innvikla
a pattern
et/eit mønster
a crop circle
en/ein kornsirkel
to astonish
å forbløffe
a knot
en/ein knute
cropped up
dukka opp
wheat
hvete/kveite
a decade
et/eit tiår
convinced
overbevist / sikker på
fortsetter på neste side 
4
Part a – facts of the matter / pranks with planks, weather or ufos
making them for years. Yet all are agreed on one thing: the intriguing
power of crop circles.
‘Crop circles are so very inspiring,’ said Francine Blake, founder of the
Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group (WCCSG), who has visited 500 crop
circles during her research.
‘They take us outside the box, bring us back to nature and make us
reassess our understanding of the nature of our reality.’
She said the patterns found in crop circles, such as ancient symbols
and maths theorems, offer a ‘different vision about the kind of world
we live in’.
She added: ‘I have always liked science fiction and this is science
fiction for real.’
Stuart Dike, from the Crop Circle Connector website, said the circles,
formed by the flattening of the crop, normally occur between April and
September and appear in oilseed rapeseed, wheat and corn harvests.
‘Nobody needs any introduction to crop circles, they are really
embedded into English culture now,’ he told Metro.
‘People’s beliefs and theories still vary dramatically. My personal
opinion is that we have a combination of people making them.
However, there is an intrinsic interaction with the real phenomena as
well.
‘The genuine phenomenon is still with us, however in a different form
now. It remains part of the landscape, although we are now receptors.’
One of the people making them is artist John Lundberg, founder of
Circlemakers. He is part of a core team of four who create designs in
fields in the middle of the night. He said the process takes between
four and six hours and up to 12 people can be involved, using a stalk
stomper to flatten the crop and surveyors’ tape to measure the
geometry of the design.
He said art was ‘the only sane explanation for the crop circle
phenomenon’, although he conceded some may be natural.
‘I think some very simple rough circles may well be created by wind
vortices, but the very large complex designs you see in the fields
around Wiltshire have nothing to do with the wind and everything to
do with human creativity,’ he said.
attributing
tillegge / tilleggje
formation
her: formasjon
soil
jord
extra-terrestrial life
utenomjordisk liv /
utanomjordisk liv
a founder
en grunnlegger /
ein grunnleggjar
to reassess
å vurdere på nytt
ancient
eldgammel / eldgammal
vision
syn
to add
å legge/leggje til
oilseed
oljefrø
rapeseed
raps
corn
mais
harvests
her: åkrer/åkrar
intrinsic
virkelig/verkeleg, egentlig/
eigentleg, reell
a receptor
en mottaker / ein mottakar
a stalk
en/ein stilk
surveyors tape
landmåler-tape /
landmålar-teip
to concede
her: å innrømme
vortices
virvelvinder/virvelvindar
fortsetter på neste side 
5
Part a – facts of the matter / pranks with planks, weather or ufos
Author Michael Glickman, however, who has been researching crop
circles for 23 years, is adamant they cannot be man-made.
‘This is an intervention on Earth from a non-earthly source,’ he said.
‘We do not have the ability to make the crop circles.’
Despite his years of experience in the area, he doesn’t pretend to
know any of the answers.
‘It remains a total mystery,’ he said. ‘I think this is the most important
phenomenon on the planet. I think this is contact from non-earthly
intelligence.’
© Metro, UK. Used by permission.
Links: http://www.ukcropcircles.co.uk/
6
adamant
her: skråsikker
Part a – facts of the matter / the lost city of atlantis
Getty Images/Hemera
The Lost City of Atlantis
www.kidsworld.com
Around 350 BC, Plato wrote about a beautiful island in the
Atlantic Ocean that went under the ocean waves in one day and
one night. It took two books to describe the history and details of
this almost magical island. For years people have been looking for
this mysterious lost city, Atlantis.
Living in Atlantis
Plato describes the Atlantians as great engineers and architects. There
were palaces, harbours, temples and docks. The capital city was built
on a hill and surrounded by rings of water, which were joined by
tunnels large enough for a ship to sail through. A huge canal connected
the outer rings of water to the ocean. On the outskirts of the capital
city there were huge fields where farmers grew the city’s food. Past
the fields there were mountains where wealthy villagers lived. Plato
goes into great detail about the amazing buildings – complete with hot
and cold fountains, shared dining halls and stone walls covered with
precious metals.
an engineer
en/ein ingeniør
harbours
havner/hamner
docks
havner/hamner
wealthy
velstående/velståande
fortsetter på neste side 
7
Part a – facts of the matter / the lost city of atlantis
Atlantis – Just a Story?
For over two thousand years the story of Atlantis was just a story. Then, in the
late 1800s, an American named Ignatius Donnelly became fascinated with the
story and wrote a book called Atlantis, the Antediluvian World, which became
a bestseller. Ignatius studied flood history from Egypt to Mexico and believed
that Plato was recording an actual natural disaster. Since then, several books
have been written about the lost city.
© Kidzworld Media, Canada. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.aquiziam.com/lost_city_atlantis.html
http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Atlantis:_The_Lost_Empire
8
Part a – facts of the matter / alcatraz escape still surprises
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Alcatraz escape still
surprises, 50 years on
By Alastair Leithead, BBC News, Los Angeles
Located on the island of Alcatraz, in the San Francisco Bay, was the
inescapable prison known as “The Rock”. Though notorious for being
impossible to get away from, three men are known for making it off
the island. But did they ever reach the shore or did they drown?
Those who ran Alcatraz liked to say nobody ever escaped alive. But
that hasn’t stopped US marshals from continuing the search for three
men who made it off the island 50 years ago. According to the official
version, Frank Morris and the brothers John and Clarence Anglin were
presumed drowned in the cold and choppy waters of San Francisco Bay.
There are plenty of people who think they did make it ashore and have
been in hiding ever since.
Papier-maché heads
Most prisoners who tried to flee The Rock, as it became known, were
captured, killed or drowned. But this was one of the most daring and
intricate escapes in the notorious prison’s history – involving spoons,
papier-maché heads and rubber raincoats.
notorious
berykta
shore
land
to drown
å drukne
a marshal
en polititjenestemann /
ein polititenestemann
according to
ifølge/ifølgje
presumed
antatt /anteken
choppy
her: høye bølger / høge
bølgjer
papier-maché
pappmasjé
to flee
å flykte
fortsetter på neste side 
9
Part a – facts of the matter / alcatraz escape still surprises
The prisoners began by digging away at the concrete around the air
vents in their cells with spoons and a drill-like device fashioned from a
vacuum cleaner. Accordion practice muffled the sound of the drilling,
and cardboard was carefully used to cover each hole as it grew. Soap
became a substitute for removed rivets.
When the time came, they squeezed through into a utility corridor
and headed for the roof. Guards doing their rounds periodically
checked on the faces of their prisoners. The three escapees appeared
to be sleeping soundly, the guards were unaware they were papiermaché heads with real hair, harvested from the prison barber shop.
The three made it up to the roof, and despite the searchlights,
headed over high barbed-wire fences. At a watchtower blind-spot
they used improvised bellows to inflate a raft fashioned from rubber
raincoats. Remnants of the raft were found washed up on a nearby
island, but the men were never seen again.
Open case
“I think there’s a good possibility that they survived,” US Marshal
Michael Dyke says. “It’s hard to say. We have to keep the case open
since no bodies have been found.”
But the uncertainty over their fate created a legend. Books and
documentaries continued to question whether they drowned, or in fact
made it to shore. Clint Eastwood played Frank Morris in the 1979 film
Escape from Alcatraz. One TV show re-enacted the escape in similar
conditions and concluded they could have survived.
“I still receive leads once in a while regarding the case and there
are still active warrants,” Mr Dyke says. He has personally been
investigating for almost 10 years.
“Because it’s an open case we have to go looking for them. Most leads
aren’t really that good or credible. Generally 99 percent aren’t true.”
© BBC News. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47782343/ns/us_news-life/t/escapealcatraz-years-later-mystery-remains/
https://www.alcatraztrips.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island
10
captured
tatt til fange / teken til fange
rubber
gummi
concrete
betong
a vent
en/ei lufteluke
a device
en/ei innretning
a vacuum cleaner
en støvsuger / ein støvsugar
an accordion
et trekkspill / eit trekkspel
muffled
dempa
cardboard
papp
substitute
erstatning
rivets
nagler/naglar
barbed-wire
piggtråd
a fence
et/eit gjerde
a bellow
en/ein belg
to inflate
å fylle luft i
a raft
en/ei flåte
remnants
rester/restar
fate
skjebne
a warrant
en etterlysning /
ei etterlysing
credible
troverdig/truverdig
Part a – facts of the matter / why is jack the ripper still so famous?
NTBscanpix/The Granger Collection
Why is Jack the Ripper still
so famous?
By Richard Jones
If you ever go to London, there is a good chance you will come
across the name of Jack the Ripper. The infamous London serial
killer from 1888 is still remembered after all these years. What is
the fuss all about?
The Jack the Ripper murders occurred in the East End of London in
1888 and, although the Whitechapel Murderer was only a threat to
a very small section of the community in a relatively small part of
London, the murders had a huge impact on society as a whole.
One of the things that puzzles many people about this particular longago murder spree is quite why the crimes are still so famous, even though
over a hundred and twenty years have elapsed since they occurred.
If, as is generally believed, Jack the Ripper had only five victims then
he wasn’t a particularly prolific murderer compared to many who have
come since, and the fact that his so-called reign of terror lasted a mere
twelve or so weeks means that he wasn’t at large for a particularly
long period of time. Yet there is little doubt that he is the world’s most
famous serial killer. Why should this be?
fuss
oppstyr
to occur
å finne sted/stad
community
lokalsamfunn
impact
innflytelse/innverknad
to puzzle
å forundre
a spree
en/ein raptus, en/ein rangel
to elapse
å forløpe / å gå
prolific
produktiv
mere
kun/berre
fortsetter på neste side 
11
Part a – facts of the matter / why is jack the ripper still so famous?
Several factors combined to help make this series of crimes famous
all over the world. Not least amongst them was the fact that the
newspapers of the day gave a huge amount of coverage to the crimes
and provided their readers with daily updates on them with the result
that Jack the Ripper effectively became a menacing media figure.
Secondly, the area in which the killings occurred was perceived as
being a hotbed of vice and villainy, and a breeding ground for social
unrest, squalor and disease. The Whitechapel Murderer, in the eyes of
the wider Victorian society, came to be seen as the personification of
all the evils with which the East End of London was associated.
Finally, there was, of course, the name by which the killer came to
be known – Jack the Ripper. It was this name – which was probably the
invention of a journalist – that had the effect of turning five sordid East
End murders into an international phenomenon and of catapulting the
unknown miscreant responsible into the realm of legend.
Letters from hell
One of the more bizarre aspects of the Jack the Ripper case is the
number of letters that the police, newspapers, authorities and notable
citizens received from anonymous members of the public either
offering information on the best way to apprehend the killer, or else
purporting to come from the murderer himself.
Jack the Ripper suspects
The number of Jack the Ripper suspects now runs to well over a
hundred. Some of them are highly possible contenders for the mantle
of Jack the Ripper, others are just downright ridiculous.
Each year several books come out claiming that the authors have
managed to crack the case and have solved the world’s greatest
murder mystery. Some of them, admittedly, have managed to unearth
fascinating little nuggets of information and, in so doing, have added an
extra little piece to the jigsaw puzzle.
But the majority tend to twist the facts to fit their particular theory as
opposed to looking at the theory and demonstrating how it stands up
against the known facts about the case.
© Jack the Ripper History, UK. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.jack-the-ripper.org/
12
coverage
pressedekning /
pressedekking
menacing
truende/truande
vice
her: uanstendighet/usømd
villainy
ondskap / vondskap
unrest
uro
squalor
skitt/skit
sordid
simpel, skitten/skiten
miscreant
skurken
apprehend
pågripe/fakke
purporting
gir seg ut for
a contender
en utfordrer / ein utfordrar
admittedly
riktignok / rett nok
a jigsaw puzzle
et puslespill / eit puslespel
Part a – facts of the matter / world’s simplest trick
NTBscanpix/Hans Berggren
World’s Simplest Trick
www.goodtricks.net
Ever dreamt of being a magician performing spectacular tricks in
front of an astonished audience? Why not start with something
easy? But don’t be fooled by this trick’s simplicity, it really works!
Effect: You take out a deck of cards and ask the spectator to shuffle it
thoroughly. You then ask him to name any two cards (just the name of
the card, without the suit). After the spectator names two cards, you
put your hand on the deck of cards, and concentrate hard on it. After a
minute or so, you ask the spectator to turn over the deck of cards and
fan through it. Astonishingly, the cards that he names are right next to
each other.
You Need: A deck of cards.
spectacular
spektakulær/
oppsiktsvekkjande
simplicity
enkelhet/enkelheit
a deck of cards
en/ein kortstokk
a spectator
en tilskuer / ein tilskodar
to shuffle
her: å stokke (kort)
thoroughly
grundig
suit
her: farge (ruter, hjerter/
hjarter, kløver, spar)
probability
sannsynlighet/sannsyn
Nothing! You really don’t do anything! If I have to say, the only thing
you have to do for this trick is to act like you are really concentrating
very hard on the cards when you put your hand on them. That’s all!
This trick simply works! All by itself! This trick works by probability.
fortsetter på neste side 
13
Part a – facts of the matter / world’s simplest trick
When the spectator names two cards (remember to tell him not to
name the suit), let’s say Ace and Ten, he is really naming four cards of
each kind since the suit is not specified.
The theory is that out of those eight cards (Ace of Spades, Ace of
Hearts, Ace of Clubs, Ace of Diamonds, Ten of Spades, Ten of Hearts,
Ten of Clubs, Ten of Diamonds), at least one of the Aces in the deck will
be next to one of the Tens.
Don’t believe this? Try it out! About 10 % of the time, there may
be a card between the Ace and the Ten. If that happens, simply tell
the spectator that you are not concentrating hard enough. When you
repeat the trick, it will work. You can never find a trick that’s easier
than this one!
Note: This trick can be done to the same spectator a few times, but if
you do it too many times, they will eventually figure it out. So, don’t
overdo this one!
© www.goodtricks.net
Links:
http://www.goodtricks.net
http://www.davidcopperfield.com
14
Ace
ess
spades
her: spar
clubs
her: kløver
diamonds
her: ruter
Part b – The stories i have heard / kid kill
All Over Press/thislife pictures/Alamy
Kid Kill
By Ed McBain
Some cases are worse than others, even for experienced police
officers. When a kid has been accidentally shot and killed by his
brother while playing together, Ed and Art are sent to investigate.
How did it really happen?
The attic had been fixed as a playroom, with plasterboard walls and
ceiling. An electric train lay-out covered one half of the room. In the
other half, covered with a sheet lay young Roald Owens. I walked over
and lifted the sheet, looking down at the boy. He resembled the older
Jeffrey a great deal, except that his hair was brown. He had the same
light eyes, though, staring up at me now, sightless. There was a neat
hole between his eyes, and his face was an ugly mixture of blood and
powder-burns. I put the sheet back.
“Where’s the gun?” I asked Connerly.
“Right here, sir.”
He fished into his pocket and produced the Lugar wrapped carefully in
his handkerchief. I opened the handkerchief and stared at the German
gun.
“Did you break it open, Connerly?”
an attic
et/eit loft
plasterboard
gipsplater
a ceiling
et/eit tak
to resemble
å ligne / å likne
wrapped
innpakka
a handkerchief
et/eit lommetørkle
fortsetter på neste side 
15
Part b – The stories i have heard / kid kill
“Why, no, sir. A patrolman isn’t allowed to …”
“Can it,” I said. “If you broke it open, you’ll save me the trouble.”
Connerly looked abashed. “Yes sir, I did.”
“Any shells in it?”
“No sir.”
“Not even in the firing-chamber?”
“No sir.”
“One bullet, then. That’s strange.”
“What’s so strange about it?” Ed wanted to know.
“A Lugar’s magazine fed, that’s’ all,” I said. “Eight slugs in a clip. Strange
to find only one.” I shrugged, handing the pistol back to Connerly. “Let’s
see what else is around here.”
We started rummaging around the attic, not really looking for
anything in particular. I think I was just postponing the talk I had to
have with the young kid who’d shot his own brother.
“Bunch of books,” Ed said.
“Mmmm?”
“Yeah. Few scrap-books. Old newspaper clippings.”
“Here’s something,” Connerly cut in.
“What have you got?”
“Looks like a box of clips, sir.”
“Mmmm? For the Lugar?”
“Looks that way, sir.”
I walked over to where Connerly was standing, and took the box
from the shelf. He had carefully restrained from touching it. The box
was covered with a fine layer of dust. There were two clips in the open
box, and they too were covered with dust. I lifted one of the clips out,
running my eyes over the cartridges. Eight. The second clip had only
seven cartridges in it.
“Only seven here,” I said.
“Yeah,” Connerly said nodding. “That’s where the bullet came from, all
right.”
“One of these is about the older brother,” Ed said looking up from
where he squatted on the floor.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Scrap-book, Art. All about the soldier. He was quite a hero.”
“That’s right?”
“Lots of stuff on the way he died. Nice collection.”
abashed
skamfull
shells
her: hylser
bullets
kuler
magazine-fed
magasinmatet/magasinmata
shrugged
trakk på skuldrene /
trekte på skuldrene
to rummage
å rote igjennom,
gjennomsøke /
søkje gjennom
to postpone
å utsette/utsetje
a clipping
et/eit utklipp
dust
støv
cartridges
patroner/patronar
nodding
nikkende/nikkande
to squat
å sette/setje seg på huk
fortsetter på neste side 
16
Part b – The stories i have heard / kid kill
“Anything else there, Ed?”
“Few other loose newspaper clippings. Nothing really – hey!”
“What’ve you got?”
“Geez, that’s strange as hell,” Ed said.
“What? What is it?”
He got to his feet and walked over to me, holding a clipping in his big
hand. “Take a look at this, Art.”
The clipping was scissored from one of the tabloids. It was simply the
story of a boy and a girl who’d been playing in their backyard. Playing
with a Colt.45 that was a war souvenir. The.45 had gone off, blowing
half the girl’s head away. There was a picture of the boy in tears, and a
heart-rending story of the fatal accident.
“Some coincidence, huh, Art?”
“Yeah,” I said.
I put the box of clips back on the shelf. “I think I’d better talk to the kid
now,” I said.
We left the attic, and Connerly whispered something about the way
fate sometimes works. He called Mrs Owens, and she came up to lead
me to the boy’s room on the second floor of the house.
She rapped on the door and softly called, and then a muffled, “Yes?”
“Some gentlemen would like to talk to you,” she said.
The sobbing stopped, and I heard the sound of bare feet padding to the
door. The door opened and Jeffrey stood there drying his face. He was
thinner than the photograph had shown him, with bright blue eyes and
narrow lips. His hair hung over his forehead in unruly strands, and there
were streaks under his eyes and down his cheeks.
“You’re policemen, aren’t you?” he said.
“Yes, son.”
“We just want to ask a few questions,” Ed said.
“Come in.”
We walked into the room. There were two beds in it, one on either side
of the large window. There was one dresser, and I imagined the two
boys shared this. Toys were packed neatly in a carton on one side of the
room. A high school pennant and several college pennants decorated
the walls, and a model airplane hung from the ceiling.
Mrs Owens started into the room and Ed gently said, “If we may talk
to him alone …”
Her hand went to her mouth and she murmured, “Oh. Oh, all right.”
Jeffrey walked to his bed and sat on it, one leg tucked under him. He
stared out of the window, not looking at us.
17
fatal
dødelig/dødeleg
a coincidence
et sammentreff /
eit samantreff
sobbing
hulking
unruly
ustyrlig/ustyrleg
a carton
en/ei eske, en/ein boks
pennant
vimpel
fortsetter på neste side 
Part b – The stories i have heard / kid kill
“Want to tell us how it happened, son?”
“It was an accident,” he said. “I didn’t mean to do it, honest.”
“We know,” Ed said. “We just want to know how it happened.”
“Well, we were upstairs playing with the trains, and then we got sort of
tired. We started kidding around, and then I found Perry’s – that’s my
other brother who was killed in the war – I found Perry’s Lugar and we
started foolin’ around with that.”
“Is that the first time you saw the gun, son?”
“No, no.” He turned to look me full in the face. “Perry sent it home long
ago. Before he was killed, even.”
“Um-uh. Go on, son.”
“Well, then we found the bullets in the box. I …”
“You didn’t know the bullets were there before this?”
“No.” Again Jeffrey stared at me. “No, we just found them today.”
“Did you know where the gun was?”
“Well – yes.”
“You said you found it, though. You didn’t mean that, did you, son?”
“Well, I knew it was in the attic some place because that’s where Mom
put it. I didn’t know just where until I found it today.”
“Oh, I see. Go on, please.” Ed looked at me curiously, and then turned
his interest back to the boy.
“We found the bullets, and I took one from one of the magazines, just
to fool around. I stuck it into the gun, and then all at once the gun went
off – and – Ronnie – Ronnie …”
The kid turned his face away, then threw himself on to the pillow.
“I didn’t mean to do it. Honest, honest. The gun just went off. I didn’t
know it would go off. It just did. I loved my brother. I loved my brother.
Now there’s just me and Mom, just the two of us. I didn’t want it to
happen, I didn’t, I didn’t.”
“Sure, son.” I said. I walked to the bed and sat down beside him. “You
liked your brother a lot. I know. I have a brother, too.”
Ed gave me another curious look, but continued to pat the kid’s
shoulder.
“Yes,” Jeffrey said. “I did like him. I liked Perry, too, and he was killed.
And now – now this. Now there’s just me and Mom. They’re all gone.
Dad, and Perry, and – and – Ronnie. Now we’re all alone.” He started
bawling again. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t wanted to play with that old
gun …”
curiously
her: nysgjerrig
to pat
å stryke
bawling
gråte
fortsetter på neste side 
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Part b – The stories i have heard / kid kill
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “Accidents happen. They happen all the
time. No one could possibly blame you for it.”
His tears ebbed slowly, and he finally sat up again. “You know it’s not
my fault, don’t you?” he asked solemnly.
“Yes,” I said. “We know.”
He tried to smile, but failed. “It was just an accident,” he repeated.
“Sure,” I said. I picked up myself off the bed and said, “Let’s go, Ed.
Nothing more for us here.”
At the door, I turned to look at Jeffrey once more. He seemed
immensely relieved, and he smiled when I winked at him. The smile
was still on his mouth and in his eyes when we left him.
© Constable & Company Ltd. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.edmcbain.com/
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to ebb
her: å ebbe ut, å slutte
solemnly
alvorlig/alvorleg
immensely
umåtelig/umåteleg
to wink
å blunke
Part b – The stories i have heard / urban legends
All Over Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Urban Legends:
A Mother’s Plea
An urban legend is a modern fairytale. Some of them are meant
to be funny, while others are meant to scare you, and they can be
really creepy! Just like the one you are about to read now.
On a dark summer night, a couple was on their way home from the
movies. Driving down the same stretch of road they always took to get
to their house, they came across a woman who was on the side of the
road. The woman stumbled out into the street and flagged them down.
The couple pulled over and rushed to her aid. She seemed to be
badly injured and with tears in her eyes, told the couple that she had
just been in a horrible car accident and her baby was trapped in the
backseat.
The man told the woman to stay with his wife and he would go and
free the baby. As the man approached the mangled vehicle, he heard
the baby crying in the back seat. Relieved that the baby was still alive,
he rushed to the car, got in the back seat and freed the baby. As he
lifted the child, he noticed the dead couple in the driver and passenger
plea
bønn
to stumble
å snuble
flagged them down
her: fikk dem til å stoppe /
fekk dei til å stoppe
injured
skada/skadd
trapped
fanga
mangled
ødelagte/øydelagde,
lemlesta
vehicle
kjøretøyet/køyretøyet
fortsetter på neste side 
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Part b – The stories i have heard / urban legends
seat. He got out with the baby and went back to where his wife and the
woman were waiting, but as soon as he got there he noticed that his
wife was by herself.
“Where’s the woman?” the husband asked.
“She went back to the car to help.” his wife said, also relieved that the
baby was still alive and OK.
He gave the baby to his wife and went back to the car to look for the
woman. When he got there, he called out for her but there was no
answer. He walked around toward the front of the car. As he glanced
through the broken windshield at the dead couple inside, his face
turned pale and he lost his breath. The dead woman who was in the
passenger seat was the same woman who had flagged them down.
© UrbanLegendsOnline.com
Links:
http://urbanlegendsonline.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_legend
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windshield
frontruta
pale
blek/bleik
Part b – The stories i have heard / thriller
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Thriller
Written by Rod Temperton and performed by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson introduced the modern music video to the world
when “Thriller” was released in 1984. Graveyards, midnight,
moonlight, darkness, screams, doors slamming shut and zombies
– these lyrics contain everything a horror movie needs.
It’s close to midnight something evil’s lurkin’ in the dark.
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart.
You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it.
You start to freeze, as horror looks you right between the eyes, you’re
paralyzed
a graveyard
en gravlund / ein kyrkjegard
lyrics
sangtekst / songtekst
to contain
å inneholde / å innehalde
paralyzed
lamslått
‘Cause this is thriller, Thriller Night, and no one’s gonna save you from
the beast about to strike.
You know it’s thriller, Thriller Night, you’re fighting for your life inside a
killer, thriller tonight, yeah!
You hear the door slam, and realize there’s nowhere left to run.
You feel the cold hand, and wonder if you’ll ever see the sun.
You close your eyes, and hope that this is just imagination.
Girl, but all the while, you hear a creature creepin’ up behind, you’re
outta time!
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fortsetter på neste side 
Part b – The stories i have heard / thriller
‘Cause this is thriller, Thriller Night, there ain’t no second chance to
fight the thing with the forty eyes, girl! (Thriller) (Thriller night) You’re
fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight.
Night creatures call and the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There’s no escaping the jaws of the alien this time (They’re open wide)
It’s the end of your life.
to possess
å eie / å eige
a dial
her: ein fjernkontroll
to cuddle
å kose, omfavne/omfamne
a screen
en/ein skjerm, et/eit lerret
a corpse
et/eit lik
They’re out to get you, there’s demons closing in on every side.
They will possess you, unless you change that number on your dial.
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah, all through
the night I’ll save you from the terror on the screen, I’ll make you see.
That this is thriller, Thriller Night, ‘Cause I can thrill you more than any
ghost would ever dare try.
(Thriller) (Thriller night)
So let me hold you tight, and share a killer, diller, chiller thriller here
tonight.
‘Cause this is thriller, Thriller Night, girl, I can thrill you more than any
ghost would ever dare try.
(Thriller) (Thriller night)
So let me hold you tight And share a killer, thriller.
I’m gonna get you tonight.
Darkness falls across the land.
The midnight hour is close at hand.
Creatures crawl in search of blood.
To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood,
and those whoever shall be found,
without the soul for getting down.
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse’s shell.
I’m gonna thrill you tonight (Thriller, thriller).
I’m gonna thrill you tonight (Thriller night, thriller).
I’m gonna thrill you tonight Ooh, babe, I’m gonna thrill you tonight,
Thriller Night, babe!
fortsetter på neste side 
23
Part b – The stories i have heard / thriller
The foulest stench is in the air,
the funk of forty thousand years.
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb,
are closing in to seal your doom.
And though you fight to stay alive,
your body starts to shiver,
for no mere mortal can resist
the evil of the thriller.
a stench
en/ein stank
a ghoul
her: en/ein person som er
tiltrukket/tiltrekt av det
makabre
a tomb
et/eit gravkammer
mortal
her: dødelig/dødeleg
© Sony Music. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA
http://www.michaeljackson.com
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