295. The Signalman - part 2 (B2 story)

You can read the transcript here at my website: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-295.htm

The B2 words I study today are these:

 ·  without hesitation 
She accepted the job offer without hesitation because it matched her skills perfectly. 

 ·  take pride in something 
He takes pride in his work and always tries to do his best, even under pressure. 

 ·  talk this over 
Let’s talk this over tomorrow when we’re both calmer and have more time. 

 ·  I shivered (with fear) 
I shivered with fear when I heard footsteps behind me in the dark street. 

 ·  from time to time 
From time to time, I like to turn off my phone and spend the evening reading. 

 ·  haunted 
She was haunted by the memory of the accident and found it hard to move on. 

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

Transcript

 The signalman explained to me that every signal had to be written down, with the exact time. Even during the quietest hours of the night, he had to remain watching. 

 As he spoke, the bell rang sharply . 

 He stopped mid-sentence, moved quickly to the wall, and rang back without hesitation . Then he returned to the desk and carefully wrote the time and signal in his book. 

 ‘You see?’ he said. ‘ Accuracy is everything. A single mistake can have serious consequences .’ 

 We continued talking, but twice he suddenly stopped, his face turning pale . Each time, he opened the door and stared towards the tunnel, though the bell had not rung. 

‘Did you hear something?’ I asked.

‘No,’ he said. ‘But I thought I might.’

 When I stood to leave, I said, ‘You sound like a man who once took pride in his work.’ 

 ‘I did,’ he replied quietly. ‘Before the trouble started.’ 

 I returned the following night, exactly as arranged . I did not call out. He was waiting for me, holding his white light steady. 

 ‘I’m glad you came back,’ he said. ‘I need to talk this over with somebody .’ 

 We sat by the fire, and he leaned forward, speaking in a low voice. 

‘One night,’ he began, ‘I was sitting here alone when I heard a voice cry, ‘Hallo! Below there!’’

 Without wanting to, I shivered . 

 ‘I went to the door,’ he said, ‘and I saw a figure near the danger light. One arm was waving wildly , as if in warning. The other arm was held across the face.’ 

‘What did you do?’ I asked.

‘I ran towards it,’ he said. ‘I believed an accident had happened.’

‘And then?’

‘It disappeared.’

 He told me that within hours, there was a terrible accident on the line. Trains were stopped. People were injured. Some were killed. 

 ‘I told myself it was a coincidence ,’ he continued. ‘But months later, the figure returned. It said nothing. It stood with both hands before its face, like someone in deep sadness .’ 

‘And that same day—’ I said.

‘A young woman died on a passing train,’ he finished.

 I tried to convince him of my point of view . I spoke of stress, imagination, and long hours alone. 

 ‘I wish I could accept that,’ he said. ‘But the figure keeps coming back.’ 

‘How often?’ I asked.

 ‘ From time to time . Sometimes nights pass without it. Sometimes it appears again and again.’ 

‘And the bell?’ I asked quietly.

 ‘It rings,’ he said. ‘Not like a normal signal . It’s a strange vibration . I feel it more than I hear it.’ 

 We stepped outside together. The tunnel lay dark and silent. The danger light burned steadily . 

‘It’s not here now,’ he said.

‘But you believe it will return?’ I asked.

 ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘And I don’t know what action I’m supposed to take.’ 

His voice shook.

 ‘If I send warnings without proof ,’ he said, ‘I’ll lose my position. If I stay silent, more people may die.’ 

 His anxiety was painful to watch. 

‘Follow the rules,’ I said gently. ‘That’s all anyone can do.’

The next evening, I arrived early. From above, I looked down towards the tunnel.

 There was a group of men talking down below. I had the sensation something terrible had happened. I ran down the path as fast as I could. 

‘What has happened?’ I asked.

‘The signalman was killed this morning,’ one of the men replied.

 ‘But, I knew him,’ I whispered . ‘How did it happen?’ 

‘He was struck by a train. The driver tried to warn him.’

 ‘I am the driver,’ said another man. ‘I am so sorry for what happened. I came through the tunnel at great speed. There were no warning signals. I had no reason to drive slower. I suddenly saw the signalman up a ladder adjusting the red warning light. I shouted down to him ‘Hallo! Below there!’ I shouted it again and again. I waved this arm wildly like this, and I put my other hand across my face like this so as not to see the horrific accident I could not avoid. It was as though he didn’t hear neither the train nor me. 

 Hallo. Below there: the same words, I thought to myself. The same words that had haunted him these past weeks. Even the same words I had used myself on my first visit to the signal box. 

 I have written this story for others to decide what actually happened in that cold and lonely place. Is coincidence believable ? Perhaps some supernatural force was involved – attempting to warn the signalman of his approaching death. I leave the reader to make up their own mind.