A VERY UNUSUAL EXCURSION

Chapter 1: The Creature

Lake Ullswater is in the north-west of England. It’s in a well-known area called the Lake District. It is a popular place for families to visit. People often go there to take photos. They also go to enjoy nature in the summer season.
The Lake District is a region with very mild weather. It’s often cloudy and summers aren’t very hot. Because of this, hikers love Lake Ullswater. Sylvia is one of these hikers. She lives near Lake Ullswater. She loves nature and she loves hiking. She often goes hiking in June and July. The weather is warm, but not too hot. Every weekend, she puts her things in a backpack and hikes in the woods near the lake.
Sylvia’s good friend George likes hiking, too. He often goes with Sylvia. Last weekend, they decided to go for a hike near Lake Ullswater. But in the end, it became a very unusual excursion!
Sylvia and George met at the start of the walk. ‘Hi, Sylvia!’ George shouted from far away.
‘Hello, George!’ answered Sylvia.
‘I’ll be right there!’ shouted George. He ran towards Sylvia.
‘George, slow down. You’ll get tired.’
‘Don’t worry, I brought energy drinks for the hike,’ said George. He pointed to his large backpack and laughed.
The two friends were very happy to see each other. They talked a little.
Then they started their excursion.
After a few miles, the path changed. It split into two paths.
Which direction should we go?’ asked Sylvia. ‘To the left or the right?’ ‘Let’s go left,’replied George.
‘Well, um … I think I’d prefer to go right.’
‘Why?’
Sylvia looked at the woods near the left path. Then she answered, ‘There are stories about that path. Some people saw a big hairy creature there….’
‘Really? Do you believe those stories?’
‘Um … I don’t know. I guess, we could go that way …,’ said Sylvia. She looked worried.
‘Come on, Sylvia. Let’s try it!’ George encouraged her. Sylvia gave him a worried look. Then they walked down the left path.
An hour later, George and Sylvia were still on the path. There were trees all around them. It was late afternoon. Sylvia asked George, ‘Do you think there are strange creatures in these woods?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Why not?’
‘Well, I’ve never seen a strange creature. Have you?’
‘Not in these woods.’
‘Right. So that means we’re safe!’
Sylvia laughed. ‘I guess so!’ They continued their hike.
Several miles later, the two friends were still walking. The sun was low in the sky. Suddenly, they walked out of the woods. In front of them was the lake.
George and Sylvia looked around. Near the lake was a house. The house was made of wood and it looked very old. ‘Look, George,’ called Sylvia. ‘Look over there!’
‘Where?’ replied George.
‘There! There’s a house! It’s made of wood.’
‘Oh! I can see it. Let’s go and have a look!’
‘What? But what if someone’s there?’
‘Don’t be scared, Sylvia. I’m sure no one will be there.’
The two friends walked towards the house. Before they went in, they looked around the place. ‘The house looks like it was built a long time ago,’ said Sylvia. ‘Look at the state of the windows! The glass is very old. And the wood is really old, too!’
‘Yes,’ replied George. ‘I’d say that it’s at least 50 years old. But I wouldn’t say it’s ugly. There’s something that I like about it.’
George looked around. Suddenly he called, ‘Hey, Sylvia! Come here!’ Near the lake there was a small boat. It was old and made of wood. It was standing in the water near the shore. George looked at Sylvia. ‘Let’s get in it!’
‘Are you kidding?’ replied Sylvia. ‘Why?’
‘We can go to the middle of the lake!’
‘I don’t know ….’
‘Come on! Let’s go! It’ll be fun!’
‘OK …,’ said Sylvia. She didn’t sound happy.
Sylvia and George got into the boat with their backpacks. They slowly rowed to the middle of the lake. Sylvia looked around. ‘It’s so nice here!’ she commented.
‘Yes, I know. There are lots of trees. And we can still see the sun perfectly.’
‘I’m so happy we came out here. Let’s have something to eat. Do you want something?’
‘Of course! What do you have?’
Sylvia took several cookies and sandwiches out of her backpack. George took out the energy drinks.
‘What do you want?’
‘The sandwiches look good ….’
‘Sure! Help yourself.’
‘Thank you, Sylvia!’
The two friends ate their sandwiches in the middle of the lake. Suddenly, they heard a noise.
‘Did you hear that?’ George said.
‘Yes, I did,’ Sylvia replied. She sounded scared.
‘I think it’s coming from the house.’
‘So do I!’
‘Let’s go and look!’
Sylvia looked at George in surprise. ‘Seriously?’ she said.
‘Yes! Come on!’
George and Sylvia rowed back to the shore. They put their backpacks on. Then they slowly walked to the old wooden house.
‘Sylvia, I want to go in the house.’
‘Why? Aren’t we supposed to be hiking? Out in the clean air? Not in houses?’
‘Well, yes. But in the woods there are lots of interesting things. I like to explore interesting things.’
‘I’m not sure ….’
‘Come on. Let’s go into the house,’ George suggested again. Finally Sylvia agreed.
Sylvia and George took a few steps towards the house. They opened the door and went in. Everything inside the house was very old. No one had lived in it for a very long time. There was dust everywhere.
‘Sylvia, look at this,’ called George. His voice sounded strange.
‘What?’
‘Here, next to the window.’
Sylvia looked. On the floor, in the dust, there were several very large footprints.
‘What do you think these footprints could be?’ asked George.
‘I think they’re bear footprints!’ answered Sylvia.
‘A bear, Sylvia?! There aren’t any bears around here! The closest bears are hundreds of miles away!’
‘Then I have no idea. But let’s get out of here!’
Suddenly, the two friends heard a noise in the kitchen. Sylvia and George ran to the room. They could not believe their eyes. A big hairy creature was standing in the kitchen! It quickly turned, went out the back door and ran away. The creature made a lot of noise. It even broke the door as it left!
George and Sylvia stood still. The creature disappeared into the woods. Sylvia couldn’t speak. ‘What was that?’ George asked.
They didn’t know.

Chapter 2: The Search

‘Did you see that, Sylvia?’ George said.
‘Yes!’ answered Sylvia. ‘What was it?’
‘I don’t know! But it was very big and very ugly!’
‘Yeah … like some kind of creature!’
George looked at Sylvia and said, ‘Let’s go after it!’.
‘Are you kidding?’ answered Sylvia. ‘No way!’
‘Come on! We’re here to explore! Let’s follow it!’
‘Oh, George! I don’t know about this …’
George and Sylvia left the old house. They followed the creature’s footprints into the woods. They looked around. Finally, George said, ‘The creature could be anywhere. We have to split up.’
‘Split up?’ said Sylvia in surprise. ‘Are you crazy, George? There’s a strange creature out here. And we don’t know where it is!’
‘I know,’ George answered. ‘But we could take a picture of it. We might be on the news.’
‘What?’
‘Come on, Sylvia,’ said George. ‘Maybe it’s a special animal! Maybe it was never photographed before!’ He looked at Sylvia and continued, ‘They might write an article about us! Maybe I’ll be interviewed for the TV news!
We could …’
‘Stop! You’re so crazy, George. I shouldn’t encourage you, but fine. Let’s split up then.’
George went one way. Sylvia went the other. Sylvia saw no sign of the creature. She thought more about it. In the end, she came to the simplest conclusion. She and George imagined the creature. It was not real.
A few minutes later, Sylvia saw George in the woods. It was almost dark. She told George about her conclusion. She told him the creature was not real. George disagreed. He was certain it was real. They just needed to prove it.
Suddenly, George saw a thicket of trees. He wanted to see if the creature was inside. He told Sylvia to wait. As he went into the thicket, George smiled and waved.
Sylvia waited for George to come out. She waited several minutes. No George. She waited nearly half an hour. Still no George!
Sylvia looked at her mobile phone. It had no service. She couldn’t even call for help. At this point, she was scared. But she couldn’t just leave George!
Suddenly she thought, maybe he went back to the house! Maybe this is all a joke!
Sylvia walked back to the old house. She looked around. Still no George. She decided to wait. If he was joking, she could joke, too. She planned to act normally. She would act as though it was no big deal that he was missing. Ha! That would be fun!
There was an old bed in the main room. She sat down and took out a sandwich. She ate it and thought about George. Where was he? What could she do?
As Sylvia thought, she became sleepy. Her head could not function. What a day! I’ll just wait for George here and … That was her last thought as she went to sleep.
Sylvia woke up early the next day. George still wasn’t there! She had hoped the whole experience was a dream. But now she realized it wasn’t. She was really worried. Maybe this wasn’t a joke.
Sylvia decided to go to the nearest town. She walked back along the same path. At last she came to a small town. Although it was a Sunday, there were several people around. Sylvia tried her mobile phone again. Still no service. None! She needed a phone now!
Sylvia went to a nearby restaurant. There were a lot of people there. Sylvia didn’t know what to say. It was a very unusual situation! Finally, she decided not to say anything. She went to the owner and said, ‘Hello. Can I use your phone, please?’
‘Of course you can. It’s on the wall over there.’
‘Thank you very much.’
First Sylvia rang George’s number. His mobile didn’t ring. Maybe there was a problem with it? Next she decided to call George’s house. The phone rang once, twice, three times. Why didn’t anybody answer? George’s brother was normally home in the morning. Not today. Sylvia called again but there was no answer. She left a message. ‘Where are you, George!?’ she asked.
Sylvia left the restaurant. She stood on the street for several minutes and thought. Sylvia was an independent woman. She was a woman who thought things through. Right then, she thought. Let’s figure this out! Maybe George got lost in the thicket. And when he came out, I was gone. So he went home. That must be it!
Sylvia had to get back to George’s house. She ran back to the restaurant and called a taxi. After 30 minutes, she arrived at George’s house. ‘That’s nine pounds,’ said the driver.
‘Here’s ten pounds,’ said Sylvia. ‘Keep the change.’
‘Thank you. Have a good day.’
Sylvia got out of the taxi and walked towards George’s house. The house was very big and beautiful. It had two floors and a garden. It was in a very nice neighbourhood. There were big houses and shops all around. George’s car was parked outside the house. Was George inside? Had he called his family?
Sylvia checked her mobile phone. She had service now, but there were no messages. She called George again. She left another message and said she was worried. She asked him to contact her right away.
I don’t understand, she thought. George drove his car home. So why didn’t he call me? Sylvia rang the doorbell. There was no answer. She rang three times but no one answered.
Sylvia was concerned. She went to the house of her two friends Claudia and Veronica. Her friends weren’t at home either. She tried calling. Their phones were turned off! Something strange was going on. She just didn’t know what. All her friends had disappeared!
Sylvia didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to contact the police. She knew George was safe because his car was home. There were no friends around to ask for help. Sylvia decided to do something. She would find George herself!
At this point is was late afternoon so Sylvia took another taxi back to Lake Ullswater. She took the path into the woods near the cabin. After a few minutes, she saw the old wooden house. But this time, she noticed a difference: there were lights on in the house!

Chapter 3: The Surprise

Sylvia could not believe it. ‘There are lights on in the house!’ she cried. She followed the path down to the lake. She went over to the house.
It was late afternoon, but she definitely saw orange lights inside. She walked around the outside of the house. She wanted a view of who was inside. It must be George!
‘Hello?’ she shouted. ‘It’s Sylvia!’ No one answered. Suddenly, a noise came from within the house. OK, George, thought Sylvia. This isn’t funny anymore! Sylvia went to the door and opened it. She was totally unprepared for what she saw.
Everyone she knew was there! There were so many people inside the house! Her mother was there, other family members, even her friends Claudia and Veronica!
‘Sylvia!’ her mother shouted. ‘I’m so glad you’re here!’
‘Hello,’ Sylvia said cautiously. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Well,’ said her mother. ‘Sit down. Let me explain.’
Sylvia sat down on the old bed. ‘What’s happening?’ she finally said. Everyone around her looked worried. No one said anything. ‘Where’s Dad?’ she asked her mother.
‘He’s at work. He’s coming soon,’ her mother answered.
Sylvia looked around the room. ‘Can someone please tell me what’s going on?’ she asked.
Sylvia’s mother stood up and started to talk. ‘We think George is missing. We believe a creature took him.’
‘What? How do you know that we saw a creature?’
‘George sent us a message. He said he needed help. Then, his mobile went dead. We’re here to look for George.’
‘Now?’ Sylvia asked with surprise.
‘Yes, now.’
Everyone picked up their backpacks. They turned on their torches. They were ready to go and look for George. They left the house and formed groups.
Sylvia stopped for a moment at the door. She stood there for a while. I just don’t understand, she thought. George wouldn’t go off alone. He wouldn’t want to scare me. And why would he send a message to Mum? Why not me? And why are all my friends here? Not his? She shook her head. Something just doesn’t add up …
After a moment, Sylvia looked around. She couldn’t see the groups! She couldn’t see anyone! ‘Where are you?’ she called. ‘Hello? Can anyone hear me?’
Sylvia walked towards the woods. Maybe they’re all there, she thought. As she walked, she took a torch from her backpack. She turned it on. It was getting dark again.
‘Where are you all? Is anyone there?’ she shouted. No one answered. I don’t understand! she thought. She looked around the dark woods. Suddenly, she turned around. It was better to wait in the old house than to walk in the woods in the dark!
Sylvia went back to the house and sat on the old bed again. She waited for a few minutes. No one came. Suddenly, Sylvia heard a noise coming from the kitchen.
She got off the bed. She walked slowly towards the kitchen. She tried not to make any noise. She wanted to see what was going on. Maybe it was her friends? Her mother?
She turned on the torch. Then she saw it – the creature! It was very ugly, and it was coming towards her!
Sylvia shouted and ran from the house. ‘Help! Help!’ she cried. No one was there. She ran as fast as she could. But the creature was quicker than she was. It was soon right behind her. Sylvia turned to see it. She fell to the ground in a panic. She was really scared so she started kicking. The creature had her legs. She couldn’t get away!
Sylvia kept fighting. But suddenly, the creature stopped and got up. It reached down. It wanted to help Sylvia stand up! What is going on here? thought Sylvia.
Suddenly, Sylvia saw movement around her. All of her friends and family came out of the woods. They had their torches on. But they had something else in their hands, too – candles! And they were singing something. It was a song she knew well.
At that moment, Sylvia understood everything. The creature took off its costume. It was her father! ‘Happy birthday, Sylvia!’ he said. Then he joined in the singing.
‘Happy birthday to you!’ everybody sang around her. Sylvia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
‘Dad, were you the creature?’ Sylvia asked in surprise. ‘Was it you this whole time?’
‘Yes, my love. It was me all along. I had a great time playing the role!’ he laughed. Then he continued, ‘We planned the party for yesterday. But then there was a development at your mother’s office. So we had to move the party to today. George came up with a great idea. He suggested we play a trick on you. He did it to get you to the cabin for two days.’
‘Really? Yes, that was some trick,’ said Sylvia as she looked around.
‘And where is George?’
George came out from behind a tree. He was completely clean and completely safe.
‘I’m sorry, Sylvia,’ said George. ‘We played a pretty bad trick on you. But we wanted it to be a birthday to remember! And you are getting a really great present!’
Sylvia’s father handed her a birthday card.
‘For that trick? It must definitely be a great gift!’ said Sylvia, laughing. She opened the card. In it there were several papers. ‘What is this?’ she asked and looked around.
Sylvia’s friends and family picked her up. They carried her to the front of the house. ‘We bought you this old house, honey! The house is your birthday present!’ said her mother.
Sylvia’s father joined them. ‘We're going to renovate it together,’ he added. ‘It’s going to be your summer house!’
Sylvia started to laugh. Then she started to cry with relief. George was safe. She was safe. And this crazy old cabin was hers!
Finally, Sylvia was able to speak again. ‘Well,’ she began, ‘I want to thank you all for the birthday surprise. And Mum, Dad, I can’t believe this house is mine, thank you!’ Then she looked at her father and George. ‘Dad, that was quite a performance. I just want to give the creature one important piece of advice. He is not welcome as a visitor any more!’
The group laughed and then sang some more. Then they went into the cabin. It was time for coffee and cake. It was also time for a long rest for the birthday girl!