Linda loves going to the cinema. She usually goes there with her friends or her boyfriend, but most of the time she loves going to the cinema on her own.
Her friends know about this Linda’s hobby. Very often, when they celebrate something together, they all go to the cinema together to watch a good movie.
One day her friend Sandy and Linda met in a coffee shop. Sandy told her about a present which she got from one of her friends. Sandy’s friend worked in a cinema and because he liked her, he gave her a free ticket. Now Sandy gave it to Linda and asked her to use it or give it to somebody else.
‘But why don’t you want to go to see the movie?’ Linda wanted to know. She couldn’t understand why Sandy didn’t want to go to the cinema, when she didn’t have to pay for it.
‘Well, there is only one ticket, and I don’t like going to the cinema on my own,’ she said. ‘Besides, the ticket is for a horror movie and I really hate horror movies as you know.’
‘Yes, I know,’ replied Linda. Now she understood why Sandy was giving her the ticket. ‘OK then, I will take it and I will go to see the movie. I don’t mind watching a horror movie, although it is not my favourite kind of film, either.’
And so, she arrived at the cinema on the day of the movie. She looked for the movie room, which was printed on her ticket. The boy at the door checked her ticket and asked her to go in and take her seat. He just looked at the ticket, but he didn’t want to touch it. Linda didn’t understand why.
Linda had a very strange feeling, but she walked into the cinema room. The room was empty. And that was strange too because the film was going to start in just ten minutes. But there were no people in the room. She was there on her own.
She looked at her ticket and went to take her seat. She went to the row 13 and then she started to look for her seat. She came to number 10, then number 11, and then 12. But the next number was 14! There was no seat with number 13!
‘What’s going on?‘ said Linda aloud. ‘What does this mean? Why is there no seat with number 13?’
Linda was beginning to be afraid.
Someone closed the door. There was no one in the room, and everything was quiet.
Linda was in the cinema room completely alone.
Then the lights went off.
Glossary:
on her own (= by herself = alone) – sama
celebrate /ˈselɪbreɪt/ – oslavovať
besides /bɪˈsaɪdz/ – okrem toho
although /ɔːlˈðəʊ/ – hoci
take a seat = to sit – sadnúť si na miesto
empty /ˈempti/ – prázdny
What’s going on? – Čo sa (to) deje?
completely /kəmˈpliːtli/ – úplne, celkom
© Sparrow’s English Reader / Level 2, English Reading
Sparrow's English Reader 