Coral necklace or a prophecy
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (10 класс)

Coral necklace or a prophecy

A boy of about eleven sat on a bollard and admired the sea. More precisely, he was admiring the sunrise, and white clouds floating somewhere off into the distance, and flocks of seagulls hovering above the sea surface, and the ships standing on the raids. Every morning he fled here through the narrow streets of a small seaside town. He sat and dreamed.

- Jules, what are you sitting here? Come and play! - His brother called him, - Look, what a beautiful picture the girls made out of stones! - He pointed on the pebbles under his feet, - come to us.

The dreamer was distracted from his thoughts for a few moments, looked at his brother with a distant look, at the picture made out of the gravel, and returned his gaze to the far horizon.

- I wonder what is there beyond the horizon? - He asked his invisible interlocutor, and often answered himself: - There are far, beautiful islands! - While his eyes began to light up, - There are blue seas and endless oceans! I will grow up and will definitely go there one day.

If you could watch this boy when he sat on the beach in the mornings and evenings, you would notice that his lips moved, his eyes rounded with surprise, then they squinted as if he tried to look more closely at something. In those moments, dreams took Jules far, far away from his town.

- He's some kind of strange, your brother, said Caroline.

Caroline was one of the girls who, together with her sister and parents, came to this small seaside town for the first time to visit relatives. She was ten years old, not more, but the ability to flirt and the manner of holding herself betrayed her noble origin.

- Jules, what are you sitting here on this piece of iron? - Caroline once approached him while the other kids ran along the beach here and there.

-This is not a piece of iron, the boy replied seriously.

- Why? - The girl was surprised.

- This is a bollard.

- Well, it's iron! It is made of iron, - the girl persisted, and in the tone of her voice, one could hear indifference.

Jules did not argue. He turned away to the sea, but it was no longer possible to continue dreaming.

- If you lay this inner circle with light stones, the picture will turn out more beautiful, - Jules showed with his hand to the picture, which the children laid out on the beach sand.

- Let's go! Let’s go to look for light pebbles, - Caroline offered him and smiled coquettishly.

“What a beautiful smile”, Jules thought, - Let's go, - he agreed.

- Come on, let’s see who can find more? - The girl suggested.

- We need them of same size, - the boy reminded.

The children began to run cheerfully around the beach and look for light stones.

- I have nine already, - Caroline boasted.

Jules surreptitiously watched her as the girl ran around and collected light stones. Her movements seemed graceful and light to him.

“Beautiful hairstyle”, the boy continued watching her, - “and the color of the dress matches her too”.

The picture turned out more beautiful. It was like either an intricate labyrinth, or a big beautiful star, with diverging rays.

- Well done boys! - Suddenly the children heard someone else's female voice.

The embankment was located above the line of the beach where the children were playing. An elderly woman stood at the edge of the parapet and watched the children play with interest.

Days went by. Jules continued to come every day to his favorite place by the sea to dream. However, thoughts about Caroline started more and more distract him from his dreams.

“Well, if I were friends with such a girl,” the boy thought every night before going to bed, “it is so pleasant to look at her...”

In the meantime, Caroline’s parents’ leave was coming to an end. There were only a few days before departure. After breakfast, the children continued to run to the embankment every morning. And the weather did not let them down: the days were without rain and there was the bright sun in the clear blue sky.

- Let's be friends? - He once suggested to her.

- Friends? - The girl was surprised - and how are we going to be friends?

In the girl's voice Jules felt some disappointment. But he did not understand why Caroline was indifferent to his proposal. Thoughts rushed in his child's head. He wanted to surprise the girl. He wanted to offer her something unusual.

- I'll gift you a coral necklace.

- Really?

Jules got his way - the girl was surprised.

- And where will you get it? - in the tone of her voice he felt a smirk.

- I will go aboard the ship and bring it to you from India, - the boy’s eyes blazed with violent fantasy.

- Who will let you go there? - Caroline didn't believe him.

- I'm already grown up. Next year when you come to us you’ll see, - Jules       continued to parry.

- Caroline, - came the voice of her mother, - it's time to get ready. The crew will come for us soon.

The guests left for Paris after lunch. The boy with sadness in his eyes escorted their crew to the very turn of the street, which led towards Paris, and the girl did not even give him a farewell.

The next morning…

Next morning Jules came to the harbor as usual.

        But he was looking for a big ship.

                He ran along the coast line when he read the name: Coralie.

It was a three-mast ship which was going to India!

        “What to do? How to persuade the captain, so he could get me on board?”

That was a lucky day for Jules – he saw a young boy of  his age.

• How much do you earn?
• Per week? Per month? – asked in reply the cabin boy.
• I’ll give you the money but you won’t need to work. What do you think?

• Really? – The boy was surprised.
• I’ll substitute for you this trip, ok? – offered insistently Jules.

• Double pay!
• Deal!

Coralie was leaving for India next day.

Jules picked up at home most necessary things for the voyage and next morning was on his way to the port!

When he was passing by an old lady who was sitting on a bench, probably near her house, she addressed to him:

• Young man, don’t do that.
• What?

An old lady seemed not to hear his question and went on:

• You need not go anywhere. Your name will be famous all around the world, but the girl’s name will be known only due to your name. Believe me.

Jules did not catch her. He would recall her words many years later.

Jules was on board.

        He was then closer to his dream, to the coral necklace. He promised it to Caroline and he wanted to keep his word.

In the evening, when the ship stopped in Paimboeuf, the last town on the way to the Atlantic Ocean, a well-dressed gentleman ran aboard the ship and asked loudly:

 - Where’s he?

• Who?
• My boy.

        All the crew of the ship was amazed when they found out why the boy left for India. The sailors saw the boy off the shore applauded.

        The father returned Jules back home.

• Son, please, promise, from now on you’ll be travelling only in your dreams.

• I promise, Dad.

Dad hugged his son tenderly.

• How could you leave us not saying a word?

 - Mom and me could go mad, don’t you understand that?

- Now I do.

And the boy kept his word.

           He became Jules Verne – one of the most popular fantasy writers in the world.

           He wrote 66 novels, more than 20 stories, etc. and among them such masterpieces like: “Around the world in 80        days”, ‘20000 lieu under the sea”, etc.

But what about Caroline? An inquisitive reader will ask.

        Well, later she married a man of her circle and… would never recall Jules and the necklace he promised.

                She was absolutely indifferent…