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This switcher only changes the instructions — the reading is always in English.
In bold: key vocabulary. Tap any word in the text to see its definition.
Hugo moved into the old house on a Tuesday, and he spent the whole day carrying boxes. By eight in the evening, he was exhausted, and he had only found the kitchen and the bed. He made a cup of tea, looked at the plans of the house that the estate agent had given him, and promised himself that tomorrow he would explore.
The plans showed everything: four bedrooms, a kitchen, a garden, and a small pantry under the stairs. There was no basement. That was why he frowned when, around ten, he heard three soft knocks. They came from somewhere below him, slow and patient, tap, tap, tap. Then there was silence.
He checked the pipes, and he opened every cupboard. The knocks came again, louder this time, and he followed them to the pantry. He pushed aside the shelves, which were full of dusty jars, and behind them, he found a narrow door painted the same gray as the wall. It had no handle and no keyhole, only a small brass lock.
"That's not on the plans," he said aloud, and his voice sounded strange in the empty house. He ran his fingers along the frame. Stuck to the wood, there was an envelope, yellow with age. Inside, written in thin ink, were four lines: "To the next owner: the sounds are only the old pipes. Do not open the door after midnight. The key is not needed."
Hugo laughed, but without much conviction. It was a quarter to twelve. He thought about going to bed, but he could not leave the pantry, and the knocking had started again, tap, tap, tap, almost like a greeting. He put his ear to the wood. There was a sound on the other side, very faint, like somebody breathing slowly.
The clock in the hall began to strike. One, two, three. He counted twelve strikes, and with the last one, the knocking stopped. The house was so quiet that he could hear his own pulse. Then something slid across the floor, from beneath the door, and stopped against his shoe.
It was a small brass key, cold and old. Hugo stared at it for a long time, and then at the lock in front of him. It was exactly the right size.
