Dusk

A stranger on a park bench. A dead phone, no wallet, nowhere to sleep. Would you give him twenty pounds?

B1 · B2 · phrase: fall for it

The story

Dusk had settled over Hyde Park. Norman sat on a bench, deciding what sort of person everyone was.

The woman hurrying past was late for something. The silent couple had run out of things to say years ago. They were only guesses. Norman usually believed them anyway.

It had been a bad day. His girlfriend had ended things that afternoon. By text.

At the other end of the bench sat an old man in a clean but tired-looking coat. A shopping bag rested at his feet.

Probably living alone, Norman decided. Probably no one waiting for him.

The old man picked up his bag and walked away.

Another whole life understood in thirty seconds.

A minute later, a young man sat down on the bench with a sigh. Smart trousers. Work shoes. No coat. No bag.

He pulled out his phone and pressed the button. Nothing. He tried again. Still nothing.

"Unbelievable," he said quietly.

Norman looked at him. "Are you all right?"

The young man gave a tired little laugh. "Yeah. Sorry. Just having one of those days."

He held up the dead phone. "I'm down from Leeds for work. Big meeting tomorrow morning. I had a hotel booked, but when I got there, they'd given my room away. Overbooked."

Norman raised his eyebrows.

"So I stood on the pavement and booked the first hotel I could find on my phone. One of those places with no front desk — they just text you a code for the door."

He looked down at the phone. "I checked in, put my bag down. My phone was running low, so I reached into my bag for my charger. And guess where it was?"

He paused. "At home."

Norman almost smiled.

"So I went out to buy a charger. I didn't even think about my wallet. I'd been paying for everything with my phone all day."

He shook his head. "But the first shop was closed, so I found another one on the map. Bought the charger… and on the way back, my phone died."

He pressed the button again, as if there were still some chance it might come back to life.

"The hotel name, the door code — it's all on there. My wallet is in my bag. In a room I can't get into."

He looked back towards Bayswater. "And every street back there looks exactly the same."

For the first time, Norman felt sorry for him. It was exactly the kind of stupid little disaster that could happen to anyone. One thing went wrong. Then another. And suddenly a normal evening had turned into a complete mess.

"That's bad luck," Norman said.

"You could say that." The young man rubbed his face. "I've got a meeting at nine tomorrow morning. My laptop's in there. My clothes. Everything."

Then he seemed to realise he had been talking for too long. "Sorry. You don't need all this. I'll figure something out."

He looked down at the path. Norman waited. The young man said nothing.

And that was when another memory came back to him. A man outside Paddington station, two years earlier. Dead phone. Couldn't access his train ticket. Needed ten pounds to get home. Norman had believed him. A week later, he'd seen the same man outside the same station, telling the same story to somebody else.

Here it comes.

Norman waited for the young man to ask. Ten pounds. Enough for a taxi. Anything.

But the request never came.

"Couldn't you charge it somewhere?" Norman asked.

The young man nodded. "I've tried. A café, a pub, even a shop. Nobody's letting me sit there and use a socket without buying something."

Norman looked at him.

It fitted almost too well.

But perhaps that was unfair. Real disasters often sounded ridiculous when you explained them. One small problem led to another, and afterwards every part of the story seemed unlikely.

Still, the memory of Paddington would not leave him. Norman had to ask.

"Sorry, I have to ask… could I see the charger?"

For a second, neither of them moved.

Then the young man reached into one trouser pocket. Then the other. He frowned. He stood up and checked again. Front pockets. Back pockets. Nothing.

Norman watched him.

The young man stopped searching. "Right." He straightened. "Fair enough. You don't know me."

"I didn't say—"

"No. It's fine." He put his hands into his pockets. "Sorry for bothering you."

Then he walked away down the path. His head was up. His steps were light. Almost cheerful. He didn't look back.

Norman watched him go.

That is not how a man with nowhere to sleep walks.

And suddenly Norman saw the whole story differently.

It all fitted too well. That was the problem.

Norman felt a small sense of satisfaction. He had been right to ask. At least this time he hadn't fallen for it.

Norman stayed on the bench for another minute. Then he stood up to leave.

Something white beneath the bench caught his eye. He bent down. A small box had been pushed a little way underneath, half hidden in the shadow. He reached under and pulled it out.

A phone charger. Still in its box.

Norman stared at it. Then he looked down the path.

Of course. It must have fallen out of the young man's pocket when he sat down.

Norman felt his face grow hot.

The head held high. The light steps. That wasn't a man who didn't care. That was a man trying to hide his embarrassment.

And Norman had stood there feeling clever while someone who was already having a terrible day walked away with nowhere to go.

Idiot.

He ran.

The young man had almost reached the park gate when Norman saw him. "Wait!"

The young man turned sharply. For a moment, there was something almost defensive in his face. Then he recognised Norman.

Norman held up the box. "I owe you an apology."

The young man's eyes moved to the charger.

"You must have dropped it by the bench."

He took it. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry," Norman said. "I got you wrong."

"It's all right."

"No. It isn't."

Norman reached for his wallet and pulled out a twenty-pound note. "Here."

The young man looked at it. "No, really. I can't—"

"Buy a coffee. Charge your phone."

He hesitated. Then he took the money. "Thank you." His voice caught slightly. "Really. Thank you."

Norman nodded. "Just get yourself back to your hotel."

"I will."

The young man turned and hurried towards the gate.

Norman walked back slowly, feeling lighter. Perhaps one bad experience had taught him the wrong lesson.

Maybe I'm not as good at reading people as I thought.

For once, it felt good to have been wrong.

The old man from earlier was back, bending down beside the bench.

Norman stopped. "Have you lost something?"

The old man straightened. "Yes. A phone charger. Still in its box. It must have fallen out of my bag."

Adapted from "Dusk" by Saki (1914).

Words worth keeping

• one of those days — a day when several things go wrong. In the story: "Yeah. Sorry. Just having one of those days." — "Sorry I'm late — it's been one of those days."

• figure something out — to find a solution, or decide what to do. In the story: "Sorry. You don't need all this. I'll figure something out." — "I'm not sure how to get there yet, but I'll figure it out."

• fall for it — to believe a trick and be fooled by it. Norman is sure he hasn't fallen for it — five minutes later, he does. — "The text said my parcel was waiting. I nearly fell for it."

Words you’ll need

dusk

the time in the evening when it is becoming dark

dusk had settled over Hyde Park

overbooked

a hotel has taken more bookings than it has rooms

they’d given my room away — overbooked

front desk

the place in a hotel where staff welcome guests

one of those places with no front desk

door code

a set of numbers that unlocks a door

they just text you a code for the door

run low

have only a small amount left

my phone was running low

Full word list 71 words & phrases

Everything worth knowing from this story, in the order you meet it. The three expressions explained in the video are highlighted. Verbs are usually shown in their base form, so the wording may differ slightly from the story.

Words from the story

bench

A long seat for two or more people, often found in a park.

guess

An opinion formed without knowing all the facts.

run out of things to say

To have nothing more to say in a conversation.

dusk

The time in the evening when daylight is fading and it is becoming dark.

unfair

Not treating or judging someone in a reasonable way.

end things

To end a romantic relationship.

sigh

A long breath out, often showing tiredness, sadness or frustration.

smart (clothes)

Neat and suitable for work or a formal occasion.

your phone dies / a dead phone

Your phone stops working because its battery has no power left.

one of those days in the video

A day when several things go wrong.

book a hotel

To arrange to stay at a hotel before you arrive.

give someone’s room away

To give a room that someone has booked to a different guest.

overbooked

Having accepted more bookings than there are rooms available.

pavement

The path beside a road where people walk; British English.

front desk

The place in a hotel where staff welcome guests and deal with questions.

check in

To register your arrival and gain access to your hotel room.

run low

To have only a small amount of something left; here, not a lot of battery power left.

charger

A device used to put electrical power back into a battery.

wallet

A small case for carrying money and cards.

on the way back

While returning to a place you were at earlier.

door code

A set of numbers or characters used to unlock a door.

feel sorry for someone

To feel sympathy for someone because they are having a difficult time.

disaster

A situation in which things go badly wrong; here, an everyday problem that becomes a serious mess.

a complete mess

A situation in which several things have gone wrong.

bad luck

Unfortunate things that happen to someone by chance.

figure something out in the video

To find a solution or decide what to do.

access

To open or use something; here, to retrieve a train ticket stored on a phone.

a lie

Something someone says that they know is not true.

request

An act of asking for something.

charge your phone

To put electrical power back into your phone’s battery.

socket

A place in a wall where you connect an electrical plug.

ridiculous

Seeming silly, unreasonable or difficult to believe.

frown

To move your eyebrows together because you are worried, confused or unhappy.

straighten

To stand or sit upright after bending or leaning.

fair enough

Used to show that you accept someone’s point or reason.

bother someone

To take up someone’s time or cause them trouble.

cheerful

Seeming happy and in a good mood.

satisfaction

A pleased feeling; here, Norman feels pleased because he thinks he was right.

fall for it in the video

To be tricked into believing a lie or false story.

catch someone’s eye

To attract someone’s attention so that they notice something.

beneath

Under something.

bend down

To lower the upper part of your body towards the ground.

embarrassment

The uncomfortable feeling you have when you think you look foolish.

recognise

To know who someone is because you have seen or met them before.

I owe you an apology

I should say sorry for what I did or how I treated you.

get someone wrong

To form the wrong opinion of someone.

hesitate

To pause before acting or speaking because you are unsure.

nod

To move your head up and down, often to show agreement or understanding.

hurry

To move or do something quickly.

for once

On this occasion, although it does not usually happen.

More expressions to explore

Optional. Notice how body language, feelings and reactions help tell the story.

dusk had settled over Hyde Park

Evening darkness had gradually spread across the park.

tired-looking coat

A coat that looks worn from use.

raise your eyebrows

To move your eyebrows upwards, often to show surprise or doubt.

I’m down from Leeds

I have travelled from Leeds to London.

come back to life

To start working again; here, the young man hopes his phone will switch on.

You could say that

A way of agreeing, sometimes suggesting that the situation is even stronger than the other person’s words imply.

Here it comes

Something you expected is about to happen; here, Norman expects a request for money.

It fitted almost too well

The details explained everything so neatly that Norman wondered whether the story had been invented.

the memory of Paddington would not leave him

Norman could not stop thinking about the earlier experience.

It sounded like a lie

The story was difficult to believe, even though it could be true.

feel your face grow hot

To feel your face becoming warm; here, because of embarrassment.

head held high

Holding your head upright, as if confident or determined not to show embarrassment.

light steps

Easy, lively steps that make someone appear cheerful or unworried.

turn sharply

To turn quickly and suddenly.

defensive

Seeming ready to protect yourself from criticism or a challenge.

his voice caught

His voice briefly became unsteady, as if he was emotional.

feeling lighter

Feeling less worried or troubled.

read people

To understand what people are like or how they feel from their behaviour.

Must have, can’t have

Language from the listening quiz. Must have and can’t have show a strong belief — and a confident conclusion is not always correct.

must have + past participle

A strong belief about what happened in the past. In the story: “It must have fallen out of the young man’s pocket…” This expresses Norman’s conclusion, which may be mistaken. Story and quiz

can’t have + past participle

A strong belief that something did not happen or was not true in the past. In the quiz: “The charger can’t have been the young man’s.” Quiz

on purpose

Intentionally; because you meant to do it. In the quiz: “The young man must have left it there on purpose.” Quiz

Test yourself

Five quick questions on Dusk.

Score: 0 / 5 Start again

Before you go

Forget the ending for a moment.
Would you have given him the twenty pounds?

Tell me in the comments on YouTube