• A secret pistol

Chapter 3:
Danger on the river

The steamship Karnak travels slowly along the calm blue Nile. The sun shines brightly in the sky, and the yellow desert mountains stand tall in the distance.

Hercule Poirot sits in a corner, watching everyone with his sharp green eyes. The famous detective notices every small detail:

• Linnet and Simon sit close together, but Linnet keeps looking over her shoulder. Her eyes are full of fear.
• Jackie sits alone near the back of the boat. She holds a small leather handbag tightly in her lap. Her eyes never leave Simon.
• Other passengers talk in quiet voices. Everyone feels the cold anger between the three young people.

In the afternoon, the boat stops near an ancient temple. Big stone statues stand against the sky.

The passengers walk off the boat to visit the ruins. Linnet and Simon walk together under the huge stone walls.

„Look up, Linnet,“ Simon says, pointing at a large carving high above them.

Linnet looks up. Above her, a heavy stone block rests on the wall.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoes through the ruins: CRACK!

„Look out!“ a voice screams.

Simon reacts instantly. He shoves Linnet hard. They both fall to the hot sand.

A giant stone crashes to the ground, landing with a loud BANG! right where Linnet was standing seconds ago. Dust fills the air.

Linnet sits on the ground, shaking with terror. „Someone tried to kill me!“ she cries.

Simon looks up at the top of the wall. He sees a shadow moving away quickly.

„Was it Jackie?“ Linnet whispers, her body trembling.

Simon shakes his head. „No. Look over there.“

Jackie is standing near the river, hundreds of meters away from the stone wall. She is talking calmly to Poirot. She could not drop the heavy stone.

Later that evening, Poirot walks up to Jackie on the quiet deck.

„Mademoiselle Jackie,“ Poirot says in his soft Belgian accent. „You are playing a very dangerous game. Deep anger is like poison in your heart. Let the past go.“

Jackie looks at Poirot. Her eyes shine with dark determination. She opens her leather bag just a few centimeters.

Inside the bag, Poirot sees something shiny and silver. It is a small pistol.

„I love Simon,“ Jackie whispers, her voice cold and trembling. „And Linnet took him from me. One day, I will put a bullet in her heart.“

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Key words to learn

1. Tension (noun) – A feeling of fear, anger, or nervousness between people.
2. Ruins (noun) – The broken parts of very old buildings or temples.
3. Pistol (noun) – A small gun held in one hand.
4. Tremble (verb) – To shake quickly because of fear or cold.
5. Poison (noun) – Something that makes people sick or kills them if eaten or drank.

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Comprehension questions

1. How does Linnet feel while sitting on the top deck of the boat?
2. What dangerous event happens at the ancient temple?
3. How does Simon save Linnet?
4. Why is Jackie NOT the person who dropped the stone?
5. What does Poirot see inside Jackie’s bag at the end of the chapter?

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1. How does Linnet feel while sitting on the top deck of the boat?
   (Answer: She is afraid and keeps looking over her shoulder.)
2. What dangerous event happens at the ancient temple?
   (Answer: A huge stone crashes down, almost hitting Linnet.)
3. How does Simon save Linnet?
   (Answer: He pushes her hard so they both fall to the sand.)
4. Why is Jackie NOT the person who dropped the stone?
   (Answer: She was far away talking to Hercule Poirot.)
5. What does Poirot see inside Jackie’s bag at the end of the chapter?
   (Answer: He sees a small silver pistol.)

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Put into corrrect order:

Exercise 1: the main story arc

Put the main events of the story in chronological order (1–5):

• [ ] Linnet and Simon walk together under the huge stone walls.
• [ ] Poirot tells Jackie to let the past go.
• [ ] The steamship Karnak travels along the calm blue Nile.
• [ ] Jackie opens her bag to show Poirot a small silver pistol.
• [ ] A giant stone block falls and crashes to the ground.

Exercise 2: the falling stone scene

Put the events surrounding the near-accident in order (1–5):

• [ ] A voice screams, „Look out!“
• [ ] Simon points at a large carving high above them.
• [ ] Simon shoves Linnet hard onto the hot sand.
• [ ] A loud CRACK! echoes through the ruins.
• [ ] A giant stone crashes to the ground with a loud BANG!

Exercise 3: Jackie’s timeline of actions

Order Jackie’s actions from the beginning of the story to the end (1–4):

• [ ] Jackie speaks calmly to Poirot near the river.
• [ ] Jackie opens her handbag just a few centimeters.
• [ ] Jackie sits alone near the back of the boat staring at Simon.
• [ ] Jackie whispers that she will put a bullet in Linnet’s heart.

Exercise 4: immediately after the crash

Order what happens right after the stone hits the ground (1–4):

• [ ] Simon looks up and spots a shadow moving away quickly.
• [ ] Linnet asks if Jackie was the one who tried to kill her.
• [ ] Dust fills the air as Linnet sits on the ground shaking with terror.
• [ ] Simon points out that Jackie is standing hundreds of meters away by the river.

Exercise 5: evening conversation on deck

Put the actions from the final evening scene in order (1–4):

• [ ] Poirot tells Jackie that deep anger is like poison in her heart.
• [ ] Jackie whispers, „I love Simon, and Linnet took him from me.“
• [ ] Poirot sees something shiny and silver inside her bag.
• [ ] Poirot walks up to Jackie on the quiet deck.

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Answer key

• Exercise 1: 2, 4, 1, 5, 3
• Exercise 2: 3, 1, 4, 2, 5
• Exercise 3: 2, 3, 1, 4
• Exercise 4: 2, 3, 1, 4
• Exercise 5: 2, 4, 3, 1

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>>Chapter 4

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___________________________________

Remember how babies
learn a language:

Babies learn a language by listening.
They use their ears to hear sounds.
Their brain remembers these sounds.
Babies connect sounds with people and things.
They listen to their parents.
Then they copy the sounds they hear. They imitate words.
Slowly, babies learn to speak.

So,
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN………………

SMFrockZ@gmx.at