It was a cold and rainy November evening. Emma sat alone on the train, tired and hungry after a long day at work. She was looking forward to getting home and relaxing in her warm apartment. The train was quiet. Only a few people were inside.
Soon the train stopped at a small station, and a tall man in a long black coat stepped into the carriage. He wore a wide hat that hid most of his face. Slowly, he walked down the aisle and sat down in the seat across from Emma. He didn’t smile. He didn’t speak. He just stared at her.
A couple of minutes later, the train started moving again. Outside, everything was dark. The man didn’t move. He kept looking at Emma. Emma took out her phone and pretended to text. But there was no signal. She felt alone and afraid.
A few minutes later, the lights on the train flickered. Then the train stopped again—in the middle of the forest.
Emma looked around. The other passengers were gone. Only she and the man were left.
The man stood up slowly and moved towards her. Emma’s heart beat fast.
“Don’t be afraid,” the man said in a deep voice.
“I’m not,” Emma replied, but her voice shook.
He opened his hand and held out a small wallet.
“I think you may have dropped this,” he said. Emma looked down. It was hers! She had not even noticed it was gone.
“Oh! Thank you,” she said. The man nodded and walked back to his seat.
A few seconds later, the lights came back on. The train started moving again. Emma looked around. The other passengers were back in their seats, and the carriage was now full.
She looked at the seat across from her, but the man had disappeared.
Puzzled, she asked the woman next to her, “Did you see the man in the black coat?”
The woman looked confused. “What man?”
“The tall man who gave me my wallet,” Emma said.
The woman looked down at her wallet. “I didn’t see anyone in a black coat. That wallet was on the floor. I picked it up and put it on the seat a few minutes ago.”
Emma froze. “Are you okay?” the woman asked.
Emma nodded. “Yes… I think so.”
But she didn’t feel okay. She looked out of the window, holding her wallet tightly to her chest.
📒 Key vocabulary
- carriage – a part of a train where passengers sit.
- aisle – a walkway between seats in a train, plane, or building.
- flickered – past tense of ‘flicker’, to flash or blink unsteadily, usually used for lights.
- shook – past tense of ‘shake,’ often used to show fear or nervousness.
- froze – past tense of ‘freeze’, to suddenly stop moving, often due to fear or shock.
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