The Wind On Haunted Hill (Prose)

Unit 2 – Prose

The Wind on Haunted Hill

Warm Up

1. Find the hidden words in the pictures.
   One has been done for you.
2. CAT

7. Solve these riddles.

S. No	Question (Who am I?)	Answer
1	I have a face but no eyes, hands but no arms.	___
2	I sit in a corner while travelling around the world.	___
3	I go up when rain comes down.	___
4	I have a head and a tail but no body.	___

Section I – Reading

Pre-reading tasks

a. Underline the words or phrases that tell you what the wind does to the village.
b. Write the names of the characters in this story.
1. __
2. _
3. ___

The Wind on Haunted Hill

Who-whoo, Whooo, cried the wind as it swept down from the Himalayan snows.
It hurried over the hills and passes, and hummed and moaned in the tall pines and deodars.

On Haunted Hill there was little to stop the wind – only a few stunted trees and bushes, and the ruins of what had once been a small settlement.

On the slopes of the next hill there was a small village. People kept large stones on their tin roofs to prevent them from blowing away. There was nearly always a wind in these parts. Even on sunny days, doors and windows rattled, chimneys choked, clothes blew away.

Three children stood beside a low stone wall, spreading clothes out to dry. On each garment they placed a rock. Even then the clothes fluttered like flags and pennants.

• Usha, dark-haired and rose-cheeked, struggled with her grandfather’s long loose shirt. She was eleven or twelve.
• Her younger brother, Suresh, was doing his best to hold down a bed-sheet.
• Binya, a slightly older girl, Usha’s friend and neighbour, was handing them the clothes, one at a time.

Once they were sure everything was on the wall, firmly held down by rocks, they climbed up on the flat stones and sat there for a while, in the wind and the sun, staring across the fields at the ruins on Haunted Hill.

“I must go to the bazaar today,” said Usha.
“I wish I could come too,” said Binya. “But I have to help with the cows and the housework. Mother isn’t well.”
“I can come!” said Suresh.
“No, you can’t,” said Usha. “You must help Grandfather chop wood.”

Their father was in the army, posted in a distant part of the country, and Suresh and his grandfather were the only men in the house. Suresh was eight, chubby and almond-eyed.

“Won’t you be afraid to come back alone?” he asked.
“Why should I be afraid?”
“There are ghosts on the hill.”
“I know, but I will be back before it gets dark. Ghosts don’t appear during the day.”

“Are there many ghosts in the ruins?” asked Binya.
“Grandfather says so. He says that many years ago – over a hundred years ago – English people lived on the hill. But it was a bad spot, always getting struck by lightning, and they had to move to the next range and build another place.”

“But if they went away, why should there be any ghosts?”
“Because Grandfather says, during a terrible storm one of the houses was hit by lightning and everyone in it was killed. Everyone, including the children.”

“Were there many children?”
“There were two of them. A brother and sister. Grandfather says he has seen them many times, when he has passed through the ruins late at night. He has seen them playing in the moonlight.”

“Wasn’t he frightened?”
“No. Old people don’t mind seeing ghosts.”

Usha set out on her walk to the bazaar at two in the afternoon. It was about an hour’s walk. She went through the fields, now turning yellow with flowering mustard, then along the saddle of the hill, and up to the ruins.

The path went straight through the ruins. Usha knew it well; she had often taken it while going to the bazaar to do the weekly shopping, or to see her aunt who lived in the town.

Wild flowers grew in the crumbling walls. A wild plum tree grew straight out of the floor of what had once been a large hall. Its soft white blossoms had begun to fall. Lizards scuttled over the stones, while a whistling-thrush, its deep purple plumage glistening in the soft sunshine, sat in an empty window and sang its heart out.

Usha sang to herself, as she tripped lightly along the path. Soon she had left the ruins behind. The path dipped steeply down to the valley and the little town with its straggling bazaar.

Work in pairs

Read the story above and find the answers to these questions.

1. What were the children doing beside the stone wall?
2. What did Suresh ask Usha? Why?
3. Who told the children the story about the ghosts on Haunted Hill?
4. What did Usha see while walking to the bazaar?

Glossary – Section I

• moaned – make a long, low sound
• haunted – possessed
• ruins – decayed, collapsed building or place
• terrible – fearful
• saddle – low point on a ridge between two summits
• crumbling – breaking apart into small pieces
• scuttled – ran with short quick steps
• whistling-thrush – a small singing bird
• straggling – spreading out in different directions

Section II

Take turns and read this aloud.

Strangely, the wind had dropped. The trees were still, not a leaf moved. The crickets were silent in the grass. The crows flew round in a circle, then settled down for the night in an oak tree.

“I must get home before dark,” said Usha to herself, as she hurried along the path.

But already the sky was darkening. The clouds, black and threatening, looked over Haunted Hill. This was March, the month for storms.

A deep rumble echoed over the hills, and Usha felt the first heavy drop of rain hit her cheek.

She had no umbrella with her; the weather had seemed so fine just a few hours ago. Now all she could do was tie an old scarf over her head, and pull her shawl tight across her shoulders. Holding the shopping bag close to her body, she quickened her pace. She was almost running. But the raindrops were coming down faster now. Big, heavy pellets of rain.

A sudden flash of lightning lit up the hill. The ruins stood out in clear outline. Then all was dark again. Night had fallen.

“I won’t get home before the storm breaks,” thought Usha. “I’ll have to shelter in the ruins.”

She could only see a few feet ahead, but she knew the path well and she began to run.

Suddenly, the wind sprang up again and brought the rain with a rush against her face. It was cold, stinging rain. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

The wind grew in force. It hummed and whistled. Usha did not have to fight against it. It was behind her now, and helped her along, up the steep path and on to the brow of the hill.

There was another flash of lightning, followed by a peal of thunder. The ruins looked up before her, grim and forbidding.

She knew there was a corner where a piece of old roof remained. It would give some shelter. It would be better than trying to go on. In the dark, in the howling wind, she had only to stay off the path to go over a rocky cliff edge.

Who – whoo – whooo, howled the wind. She saw the wild plum tree swaying, bent double, its foliage thrashing against the ground. The broken walls did little to stop the wind.

Usha found her way into the ruined building, helped by her memory of the place and the constant flicker of lightning. She began moving along the wall, hoping to reach the sheltered corner. She placed her hands flat against the stones and moved sideways.

Her hand touched something soft and furry. She gave a startled cry and took her hand away. Her cry was answered by another cry – half snarl, half screech – and something leapt away in the darkness.

It was only a wild cat. Usha realized this when she heard it. The cat lived in the ruins, and she had often seen it. But for a moment she had been very frightened.

Now, she moved quickly along the wall until she heard the rain drumming on the remnant of the tin roof.

Once under it, crouching in the corner, she found some shelter from the wind and the rain. Above her, the tin sheets groaned and clattered, as if they would sail away at any moment. But they were held down by the solid branch of a straggling old oak tree.

Usha remembered that across this empty room stood an old fireplace and that there might be some shelter under the blocked-up chimney. Perhaps it would be drier than it was in her corner; but she would not attempt to find it just now. She might lose her way altogether.

Her clothes were soaked and the water streamed down from her long black hair to form a puddle at her feet. She stamped her feet to keep them warm. She thought she heard a faint cry – was it the cat again, or an owl? – but the sound of the storm blotted out all other sounds.

There had been no time to think of ghosts, but now that she was in one place, without any plans for venturing out again, she remembered Grandfather’s story about the lightning-blasted ruins. She hoped and prayed that lightning would not strike her as she sheltered there.

Thunder boomed over the hills, and the lightning came quicker now, only a few seconds between each burst of lightning.

Then there was a bigger flash than most, and for a second or two the entire ruin was lit up. A streak of blue sizzled along the floor of the building, in at one end and out at the other. Usha was staring straight ahead. As the opposite wall was lit up, she saw, crouching in the disused fireplace, two small figures – they could only have been children!

The ghostly figures looked up, staring back at Usha. And then everything was dark again.

Sequence the events

Two scary events from this section are listed here. Write the events that take place in between in the correct order.

1. The black clouds were threatening.
5. The ghostly figures were staring back.

Glossary – Section II

• forbidding – unfriendly or frightening
• foliage thrashing – hitting leaves and branches
• flicker – shine
• startled – frightened
• remnant – what was left
• crouching – bending down
• groaned and clattered – banged together and made a loud noise
• puddle – pool of water
• blotted out – hid
• streak – line
• sizzled – hissed like something hot on a frying pan

Did you know?
The Bermuda Triangle is one of the greatest unsolved mysterious spots in the world. It is a triangular shaped area in the North Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds of people and numerous boats, ships and planes have disappeared inside this triangle. The reason for these disappearances still remains a mystery.

Section III

Read this section carefully.

Usha’s heart was in her mouth. She had seen, without a shadow of a doubt, two ghostly creatures at the other side of the room, and she wasn’t going to remain in that ruined building a minute longer.

She ran out of her corner, ran towards the big gap in the wall through which she had entered. She was halfway across the open space when something – someone – fell against her. She stumbled, got up and again bumped into something. She gave a frightened scream. Someone else screamed. And then there was a shout, a boy’s shout, and Usha instantly recognized the voice.

“Suresh!”
“Usha!”
“Binya!”
“It’s me!”
“It’s us!”

They fell into each other’s arms, so surprised and relieved that all they could do was laugh and giggle and repeat each other’s names.

Then Usha said, “I thought you were ghosts.”
“We thought you were a ghost!” said Suresh.

“Come back under the roof,” said Usha.

They huddled together in the corner chattering excitedly.

“When it grew dark, we came looking for you,” said Binya. “And then the storm broke.”
“Shall we run back together?” asked Usha. “I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
“We’ll have to wait,” said Binya. “The path has fallen away at one place. It won’t be safe in the dark, in all this rain.”
“Then we may have to wait till morning,” said Suresh. “And I’m feeling hungry!”

The wind and rain continued, and so did the thunder and lightning, but they were not afraid now. They gave each other warmth and confidence. Even the ruins did not seem so forbidding.

After an hour the rain stopped, and although the wind continued to blow, it was now taking the clouds away, so that the thunder grew more distant. Then the wind too moved on, and all was silent. Towards dawn the whistling-thrush began to sing. Its sweet broken notes flooded the rain-washed ruins with music.

“Let’s go,” said Usha.
“Come on,” said Suresh. “I’m hungry.”

As it grew lighter, they saw that the plum tree stood upright again, although it had lost all its blossoms. They stood outside the ruins, on the brow of the hill, watching the sky grow pink. A light breeze had sprung up.

When they were some distance from the ruins, Usha looked back and said, “Can you see something there, behind the wall? It’s like a hand waving.”
“I can’t see anything,” said Suresh.
“It’s just the top of the plum tree,” said Binya.

They were on the path leading across the saddle of the hill.

“Goodbye, goodbye…”

Voices on the wind.

“Who said goodbye?” asked Usha.
“Not I,” said Suresh.
“Not I,” said Binya.
“I heard someone calling.”
“It’s only the wind.”

Usha looked back at the ruins. The sun had come up and was touching the top of the walls. The leaves of the plum tree shone. The thrush sat there, singing.

“Come on,” said Suresh. “I’m hungry.”

“Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye….”

Usha heard them calling.
Or was it just the wind?

Discuss with your partner and complete the table.

S. No	Question	Who asked this?	Who answered?	What was the answer?
1	Shall we run back together?	___	___	___
2	Can you see something behind the wall?	___	___	___
3	Who said goodbye?	___	___	___
4	Was it just the wind?	___	___	___

Glossary – Section III

• stumbled – lost one’s balance
• giggle – laugh lightly
• huddled – crowded together
• excitedly – feeling great eagerness

Read and Understand

A. Choose the most appropriate option.

1. The wind hurried and passed through the _____.
   a) apples and mangoes
   b) pines and deodars
   c) berries and cherries

2. The market was ______ away from the village.
   a) 3 miles
   b) 7 miles
   c) 11 miles

3. Usha went to visit her ______ house after shopping in the market.
   a) Grandfather’s
   b) aunt’s
   c) cousin’s

4. Usha took shelter in the ______.
   a) ruins
   b) caves
   c) dens

5. At dawn, the ______ began to sing.
   a) cuckoo
   b) linnet
   c) thrush

B. Think and answer

1. Why was it a struggle for the children to dry their clothes?
2. What story did grandfather tell them about the haunted hill?
3. What did Usha buy in the market? List them.
4. What scared Usha during the dark rainy night?
5. How did the children react when they met each other at the ruins?

C. Discuss in class

“Was it just the wind?” – What do you think Usha thought it was? Why?

Vocabulary

D. Unscramble the sound-describing words from the text.

1. noam – ___
2. murebl – ___
3. lowh – ___
4. mobo – ___
5. cohe – ___
6. nogra – ___

E. The Detective’s Dictionary!

Choose the correct word from the box and fill in the blanks.

| evidence | clue | detective | suspect | victim |

1. A _____ is someone who investigates a crime.
2. A _____ is someone who suffers the effect of a crime.
3. Someone who might have committed a crime is a _____.
4. A _____ is an idea or fact that helps us solve a mystery.
5. An _____ is information we have that proves that something is true.

Language Check

Don’t say	Say	Note
I am here since last week.	I have been here since last week.	A situation that started in the past and continues to the present has to be in the present perfect tense.
When I woke up my roommate left the room already.	When I woke up my roommate had left the room already.	When two actions occurred in the past, the first action has to be in the past perfect tense.
My mom has called me yesterday.	My mom called me yesterday.	The present perfect tense cannot be used with an expression of past time.

Listening*

F. Listen to the news report carefully and complete the following.

1. Name of the place _______
2. What happened? _______
3. What time of the day did it happen? _______
4. What did the people say? _______
5. What do strong winds and gales carry? _______

Text for listening is on page 167.

Speaking

G. Work in pairs.
Have you ever been scared? What happened? How did you feel? Talk about it in one or two sentences with your friend. Repeat it to the class.

Picto Grammar

Present Perfect Tense

Tells us that an action is complete at this time.
Example: I have completed my homework.

Past Perfect Tense

Tells us about an action that took place before another action in the past.
Example: The train had left before he reached the station.

Future Perfect Tense

Helps to describe an event that is expected or planned to happen before a time in the future.
Example: We will have completed our project by next week.

Use Grammar

H. Frame five questions using the picture clues. Begin with “Have you ever”.

1. (write any story) – Have you ever written a story?
2. (visit the Taj Mahal) – ___
3. (cook biryani) – ___
4. (watch a horror film) – ___
5. (play ten-pin bowling) – ___
6. (go swimming) – ___

I. Fill in the blanks with the past perfect tense using the words in brackets.

1. When Usha looked out of the window, dark clouds ____ (gather) over the mountains.
2. She had no umbrella with her; the weather ____ (seem) so fine just a few hours ago.
3. All was dark again. Night ____ (fall).
4. She ran towards the big gap in the wall through which she ____ (enter).
5. Usha looked back at the ruins. The sun ____ (come) up and was touching the top of the walls.

J. Read this text and fill in the blanks with future perfect tense.

Iniya moves to Chennai to join an IAS coaching class. Tomorrow by this time, she ____ (join) the class. She ____ (undergo) training till next year. She ____ (work) very hard by the time she comes home. Her parents ____ (worry) about her health all the time. They ____ (write) many letters by the time she comes home. They will be very happy when Iniya becomes an IAS officer.

Writing

K. Nalan’s grandfather showed him an old treasure trunk. A road map was stuck on the trunk. It showed the spot where a key was hidden. Look at the road map and write five directions to reach the spot where the key is hidden. Discuss with your partner and compare your directions with those of your classmates.

Creative Writing

L. Venba was walking along the beach. When she saw a beautiful green perfume bottle that had been washed up on the shore she bent down and picked it up. There was something inside the bottle and it was calling her. When she opened the bottle….?!!!

Imagine you are Venba and act the situations in the class. Then conclude this mysterious story in your own words. Write at least five or six sentences with the help of the words given in the box.

| tiny | sing | talk | bird | free | fly | gift | thank |

Practice Practice Exercises

2.

3.

4.

5.

a). apples and mangoes.

b). pines and deodars.

c). berries and cherries.

a). 3 miles

b). 7 miles

c). 11 miles

a). Grand father’s

b). aunt’s

c). cousin’s

a). ruins.

b). caves.

c). dens.

a). cuckoo

b). linnet

c). thrush

1. Why was it a struggle for the children to dry their clothes?

2. What story did grandfather tell them about the haunted hill?

3. What did Usha buy in the market? List them.

4. What scared Usha during the dark rainy night?

5. How did the children react when they met each other at the ruins?

1. n o a m -

2. m u r e b l -

3. l o w h -

4. m o b o -

5. c o h e -

6. n o g r a -

1. A is someone who investigates a crime.

2. A is someone who suffers the effect of a crime.

3. Someone who might have committed a crime is a

4. A is an idea or fact that helps us solve a mystery.

5. An is an information we have that proves us that something is true.

1. Name of the place

2. What happened?

3. What time of day did it happen?

4. What did the people say?

5. What do strong winds and gales carry?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1. When Usha looked out of the window dark clouds open bracket gather close bracket over the mountains.

2. She had no umbrella with her; the weather open bracket seem close bracket so fine just a few hours ago.

3. All was dark again. Night open bracket fall close bracket .

4. She ran towards the big gap in the wall through which she open bracket enter close bracket .

5. Usha looked back at the ruins. The sun open bracket come close bracket up and was touching the top of the walls.

Iniya moves to Chennai to join an IAS coaching class. Tomorrow by this time, she open bracket join close bracket the class. She open bracket undergo close bracket training till next year. She open bracket work close bracket very hard by the time she comes home. Her parents open bracket worry close bracket about her health all the time. They open bracket write close bracket many letters by the time she comes home. They will be very happy when Iniya becomes an IAS officer.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1

2

3

1. What were the children doing beside the stone wall?

2. What did Suresh ask Usha? Why?

3. Who told the children the story about the ghosts on Haunted Hill?

4. What did Usha see while walking to the bazaar?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.