A Dream of Fire Chapter 1 - Can Dreams Come True? Jen wanted to hit her boyfriend. Thanks to him, everyone sitting at the table was looking at her. She gave Ben a dirty look. He just smiled at her in response. Sarah, Jen’s best friend, looked at Jen with a small smile, Jaime, who was Sarah’s boyfriend and Ben's best friend, had a look of shock and curiosity on his face, Eric and Lisa were friends with all of them and they seemed cutious, too. ‘Why does Ben have to tell everybody about my dreams? Jen thought. Finally she tuned to her friends and said, ‘Yes, it's true.’ She gave Ben another dirty look and began explaining. ‘I sometimes have dreams about unimportant things and the dreams come true the next day, It's almost always about six hours after I wake .en happening for as long as I can remember, /ays just for really stupid little things —never ig important.’ Like what?! Eric asked. ‘Well, when I was four yeats old, Ihad a dream about spoon falling off table and making a loud sound on the floor,’ Jen said. “The next day my father was giving a speech at a patty and someone dropped a spoon on the floor. Of course, it made a really loud sound and startled everybody, The dream came true.’ Choy ~ Con Dieoms Come True? 3The group of friends laughed. They were really surprised, Jaime looked at Jen carefully and then said with a smile, ‘But that seems like mote of a coincidence than anything’ "That's what [ thought at first,’ Ben interrupted, speaking quickly with excitement. ‘But then Jen told me her other dreams and I started believing. Then tested her and saw it actually happen! “You tested her?’ Jaime asked. ‘How?’ ‘A few months back I waited until she woke up and made her tell me the last dream she remembered,’ Ben, sald, ‘She told me she had dreamed about someone sneezing 17 times and everyone laughing about it. Then | waited until six hours later and, sure enough, while we were eating lunch, some woman across the room started sneezing. If it had only been a couple of sneezes, | don’t think anyone would have noticed, But the woman Just kept sneezing and sneezing, so I started counting, She sneezed exactly 17 times. When, she was done, the whole restaurant started laughing. It was so funny!’ ‘Yeah, and the poor woman was so embarrassed that she got up and left the restaurant,’ Jen said, hitting Ben on the shoulder. ‘Oh, stop it!’ Ben said. ‘I think it’s amazing! | like to tell people about it. ‘t's not a party trick, Ben,’ Jen sald. ‘You know 1 don't like to talk about it with anybody. People hear about it and they think I'm weird.’ 4 ADreom ‘Tdon’t think it’s weird!” Lisa said. ‘I think it’s pretty cool, actually.” "Yeah, me too,’ Eric said. ‘Me too,’ Sarah sald shyly, smiling at Jen. ‘ve always ‘wanted to be able to do that ‘Have your dreams ever stot come true?’ Lisa asked, ‘All the time,’ Jen said, ‘The really scary ones never come true. Or any time I dream about something really big happening - like winning the lottery or something, The only dreams that come true are the unimportant ones. It’s really annoying, honestly.’ ‘There was a long pause as everyone thought about what Jen had said. Then Jaime spoke up. ‘But couldn’t you use it to predict the future or something?’ he asked. Jen shook her head before anyone could say anything. ‘It doesn’t work like that,’ she said, ‘I never know if a dream is going to come true until right before it happens.’ ‘But how do you know these dreams come true after six hours?’ Jaime asked. ‘When I was ten, I started keeping a journal,’ Jen, said. ‘I would write about my dreams and then make a note if they came true. I started realizing that they came true around the same time of day. When I did ‘the maths I realized it was six hours ... well, 6 hours, 17 minutes and 29 seconds, to be exact.’ ‘Wait ..." Ben said. ‘You never told me that. You know exactly how long it takes for a dream to come true?” CChapler 1 Can Dreams Come Tue? 5‘T thought T did when I was ten,’ Jen said. ‘But that ‘was a long time ago. And it wasn't really a scientific experiment or anything. ‘The group laughed again. Jaime looked at Jen with a smile, ‘So, there's no real way to tell the future?’ he asked, ‘Nope,’ Jen said. ‘Sometimes something will trigger a memory from a dream. That tells me the dream is going to happen. But the most warning I've ever hhad was about an hour ahead of time, and that only happened once, Most of the time I just get a funny feeling about five minutes before it happens. Then I just kind of sit and wait for it to happen. Like I said, it’s abit annoying. I can’t really control anything about it.” ‘The silence returned, and Jen smiled at the looks on her friends’ faces. She knew they would be watching her from now on to see if her unusual ability would show itself, Ben meant well, but he didn’t understand. It really made her uncomfortable to have people watching her and wondering about her dream thing. It was just weird. The dinner party broke up shortly after that and everyone went home. Ben usually stayed later after a party to talk, but he couldn't that night. He had to ‘work early the next morning and his job site was on the other side of town, He was an electrician and he'd recently been hired to work in a new office building on the north side of the city. & ADieam of Fhe Jen was really proud of Ben and she was excited about how their relationship was developing, They had been dating for over a year now and she had fallen deeply in love with him, She was certain he felt the same for het, That night, as she got ready for bed, she thought about how amazing it would be to have Ben as a husband. As she fell asleep, she quietly hoped that the special moment when Ben proposed would come soon. Chapter | ~ Can Dreoms Come Tus? 7Chapter | Review Summary Jen and her boyfriend Ben are having dinner with friends. Ben tells their friends that Jen’s dreams sometimes come true. AS people ask questions, Jen explains what happens with her dreams, She also adds that nothing important ever comes true, She says It’s only little things, like dropped spoons or sneezes, The friends ask a lot of questions and Jen becomes Uncomfortable, The party ends and Ben goes home. He is an lan and has an early job across town. Jen falls asleep dreaming of Ben asking her to marty him, Vocabulary dirty took a facial expression that shows dislike or anger response an answer ora reaction shock a strong and unpleasant reaction you have when something bad happens that you do not expect _arlosity the feeling of wanting to discover facts about something startle to sucldenly frighten or shock someone ‘colnelelence when two things happen at the same time by chance sneeze to suddenly blow out air from your nose and mouth in a way that you cannot c embarrassed locking or feeling ashamed or stupid ‘weird very strange predict to say that you think something will happen Journal a book in which someone viites what they have done each day ‘experiment a test or tial to find out something unknown oF prove something {trigger something that causes something else to happen 8 A Dream of Fe ‘lectriclan someone whose job equipment Propose (marriage) to ask someone to marry you Comprehension Questions Select one answer only for each question. 1) Who is Ben? a. Jen’s brother b, Jen’s boyfriend «Jen's dad dd. Jen’s best friend repair elec 2 Why doesn’t Jen get excited about her power to predict dreams? a. The dreams never affect her. b. The dreams never come true. . Only small things from her dreams come true 4, She wants to keep ita secret from Ben, 3) Who does Jen like talking to about her dreams? a. only with Ben b, only with her friends . everyone d. nobody 4) How old was Jen when she started keeping a dream journal? a. 10 years old b. 6 years old 6.17 years old 7 years old Chopler 1~ Can Dreams Come Tue? 95) How long after Jen wakes up do her dreams come true? a, exactly 16 minutes bb, about 6 days . about 6 hours 4d. exactly 16 hours 10 A Dreom of Fie Chapter 2 - A Bad Feeling Jen woke up the next morning in a sweat with a strange ringing sound in her ears. The dream she'd had was one of the worst she could ever remember. Ben had been caught in a fire at the building where he worked and he couldn't find a way out. He and two others were trapped in what looked like a storage cupboard, The smoke and heat from the fire had been terrible! And then there had been a loud metallic tinging sound as something heavy had collapsed on ‘them, Jen gasped for air and tried to calm her racing heart, She looked at the clock. It said 7:05 a.m. Ben ‘was probably already at work, but she wanted to call him anyway. ‘Hello?’ Ben answered after the second ring. ‘Hi, it’s me,’ Jen said. ‘I just wanted to hear your voice. You OK?" ‘m great, babel” he said. ‘Just getting ready to start the day. This is a big job, which is good. I'm going to need some extra money pretty soon ... if you know what I mean.’ Jen’s heart jumped. Had he just suggested that he needed money to buy her a wedding ring? She smiled. ‘Llove you, Ben," she said. ‘Llove you too, Jen,’ he said. ‘Ill see you after work, OK? ‘OK,’ she replied. ‘Be safe today.” Chapter 2~ A Bod Fesling 11‘always,’ he said, and then hung up. Jen put the phone down and tried not to think about the dream from last night. Tt wasn't the first time she'd had a bad dream, and she knew het bad dreams never came true. Jen got out of bed and began getting ready for the day. An hour lates, she was drinking her coffee and driving to work. She was still thinking about the dream. Ben’s new job was in a building on the other side of town from the elimic where she worked as a nurse. It took an hour to get through traffic from one side of the city to the other so there was no way she could check up on Ben until later that evening, She trled not to think about the dream, but she couldn't help but worry. At the clinic, it was flu season, so there was a steady stream of children with fevers that morning. Jen had no time to think about dreams or anything else, When her lunch break came at noon, she was glad for a moment of peace. A couple of the other nurses were in the break room, too. They all were simply enjoying the silence ... until Sherry dropped a spoon she'd been using to eat her soup. It made a loud ‘metallic ringing on the table. ‘The ringing sound triggered one of the strongest sense memories Jen had ever experienced, It was ‘the same sound she'd woken up with in her head that morning. The same sound that had come with that terrible dream of Ben being in a fire and something collapsing on him! 12 ADiaam of Fe Jen looked at the clock. It sald 12:07 p.m. She thought hack to the time on the clock when she'd ‘woken up: 7:05 a.m. Her bad dreams had never come ‘rue, but the feeling Jen had deep in her heart at that moment wasn’t something she could ignore, What if this was the one time that a bad dream was going to ‘come true? What if this was why she'd had so many dreams all het life? What if all the dreams had been building to this moment? The clock now said 12:08 p.m. Jen did some quick figures and realized she had 1 hour and 14 minutes to do something, She jumped up, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the break room. ‘Jen? one of the other nurses called after her. ‘Is everything OK?’ Jen ignored her and ran out of the building to the car park. When Jen got in her cat, she dialled Ben’s number with one hand while she started the car with the other. His phone rang and rang and finally went to ‘voicemail as she drove down the street. ‘Ben, it’s me,’ Jen said quickly, weaving through traffic, ‘Call me when you get this, please.’ She hung up just as she turned onto the motorway. It was lunchtime, so traffic was a little heavy, but it was not as bad as tush hour at the end of the day. Still, it would likely take a full hour to get to Ben's building. Jen looked at the clock in her car. It said 12:16 p.m, ‘She picked up her phone again and dialled Ben’s friend Jaime’s number, He picked up after the third ring. Chopler 2~A Bad Feeling 13‘Hi, Jaime, it’s Jen,’ she said. ‘Hi, Jen!” he replied. 'What’s up?” ‘Have you heard from Ben this morning?” she asked. 'No,' he said. ‘Last time I talked to him was last night. Why? What's up?” ‘I hope nothing,’ she said. ‘He just didn’t answer when I called him at work just now. ‘Hal I wouldn't worry about it Jaime sald. ‘That building he's working in has pretty thick concrete, He probably doesn’t get any phone service.’ ‘You're probably right,’ Jen said. ‘All the same, if you hear from him, can you let me know?" ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Everything OK, Jen? You sound like something is wrong." Jen couldn’t decide whether or not to say anything to Jaime about het dream. After a long pause she decided to be honest. ‘I had a dream that Ben was caught in a fire in that building,’ Jen said. ‘I know I told you last night that my bad dreams don’t come true, but this one Is really bothering me. And now I can’t get hold of him and I’m freaking out a little bit.’ ‘Whoa!’ Jaime said. ‘I can see why. OK ... well huh,’ ‘Huh? That's all you have to say? Jaime, you live on that side of town, “Yeah, OK,’ Jaime said. ‘Right. I'll go over there and see if I can find him.’ “Thanks, Jaime,’ Jen said. ‘I hope it’s nothing.’ ‘Me too,’ Jaime said, ‘Don't worry, he'll be OK, Jen.” Jen hung up and looked at the clock again. It was 12:22 p.m. 14 ADieam of Fre ‘The traffic wasn’t bad and Jen was able to keep moving for the first 30 minutes of the drive to Ben's building. Then, about five miles from the building, the traffic stopped completely. She tried Ben’s phone again, but there was still no answer. She texted Jaime, but he didn’t answer right away. She looked at the clock, It was 12:54 p.m, She had 28 minutes before the dream might come true. Up ahead, the next motorway exit looked clear, but she didn’t know if taking smaller roads would be faster or slower. She took a chance and pulled over and used the edge of the road to get to the exit. At a red traffic light, she put the address of the building into her car’s navigation system. A map appeared on the screen showing the new route. However, it twisted and tumed its way through back toads. As the light turned green, Jen raced off as fast as she dared. She got stopped at a roadworks at one point, but she made it through and finally artived at Ben’s building. She looked at the clock - 1:12 p.m, She had ten, minutes, She ran towards the door to the lobby. As soon as she walked in, she could smell it - smoke! Her heart sank, and she began to panic. It was real. ‘There was a fire! Her dream was going to come true! CChopier 2 ~ A Bod FaeChapter 2 Review ‘Summary has a very bad dream. In it, her boyfriend Ben is trapped . She trles not to think about the dream and goes to i work, While at work, something happens that reminds her of the dream. She realizes that there is just over an hour before the dream could come true, She calls Ben, but he doesn’t answer, She decides to drive over to check on Ben. On the way, Jen calls Jaime and asks him to check on Ben as well. across town but she doesn't have much time and traffic causes problems, When she artives, she smells smoke and knows the dream will come true any minute. Vocabulary In a sweat covered withthe salty skin when you are hot trapped If you ore trapped, you cannat escape a bad place or situation storage cupboard (An, Eng, storage closet) a smal room for keeping tings ‘metallic looking, sounding or tasting tke metal collapse if «building or structure collapss, it falls down because too weak or because itis damaged take a short sudden breath in through your open mouth shocked, surprised, or ae fighting to breathe that comes out of your clinte a place where people can see doctors to get medical treatment and advice traffic the number of vel on a road flu season a time of year when many people are sick 16 A Diaom of Fe ‘steady stream a large number of something arriving ata regular pace ‘sense memory information or thoughts of an experience that are associated with a feeling ignore to not pay attention to someone or something, (do) figures to add, subtract, multiply or calculate numbers rush to move or to do something quickly and suddenly votcemall a system on a telephone that takes messages from callers concrete a strong, hard building material made by mixing sand, ‘cement (grey powder), small stones and water freak out (slang) to suddenly become very angry or upset about something navigation system (4m. fg, GLP / global positioning system; ing. satnav) satelite navigation; a piece of equipment especially used in cars somewhere ‘twist if a road oF river twists, it has a fot of curves init roadworks (Am. fig. construction zone) a section of road being repaired or worked upon lobby a room just inside the main entrance of (have one’s) heart sink if so disappointed or expect that som panic to have a sudden strong feeling of fear or worry that makes you unable to think calmly Comprehension Questions Select one answer only for each question. tell the driver how to get ©) What time does Jen wake up? a. 7:55 am, b. 7:15 am. ©. 7:05 a.m. 4. 7:45 am, Chopter 2- A Bad Fesling 17°7) Where does Jen work? a.ata construction site b. ata restaurant c.at.a coffee shop data clinic 8) What happens to trigger Jen’s sense memory of the dream? 1, Someone drops a spoon. b. The phone rings. cc. She tastes something funny. d. She looks at a clock 9) Who does jen call when she can't reach Ben? a, Sarah b. Jaime . Erle d. Usa 10) Find these bolded expressions in the story. Which set of ‘words or expressions does NOT have a similar meaning? a. to freak out / to worry b. to be in a sweat / to panic c. to have one’s heart sink / to ignore d. to gasp / to breathe heavily Chapter 3 ~ Rescue! Jen stood in the lobby, She didn’t know what to do, ‘There was actually a fire in Ben’s building - he was in danger! Suddenly she heard someone yelling her name. She turned to look and Jaime ran up to her. ‘Jaime!’ she said, relieved that he was there, ‘It’s true! My dream is true! Do you smell the smoke? “Yes, but calm down,’ he said, leading her out the ling. 'I got stuck in traffic and just got here a few minutes ago. [ran around the back of the building and there's fire and smoke coming out of the top windows. I called the fire department and they'll be here soon. Don’t worry, I'm sure they'll get him ou At that moment the fire alarms began to blare. What took them so long? thought Jen. The people had to get out. Ben had to get out! Jen looked at her watch - 1:13 p.m, 'The fire department won't get here soon enough,’ she said. ‘Ben has less than ten minutes!” ‘Calm down, Jen,’ said Jaime, ‘We need to think, What exactly do you remember from your dream?" ‘I... [don’t know,’ cried Jen, ‘Come on now, think!’ ‘OK, OKI’ she said. ‘He was stuck in a storage cupboard or something, “That's it? Nothing else?” Jen closed! her eyes and tried to remember what she had seen in her dream. A picture of an electricity Chopier 3~ Rescue! 19box on the wall formed in her mind. She remembered the number three at the top. ‘There's an electti box in the cupboard. It has the number three on it,” she said opening her eyes, ‘That's it’ Jen looked at Jaime with fear in her eyes. “Third floor! It's got to be the third floor,’ Jaime sai ‘Come on!" Jen and Jaime raced through the front doors into the lobby. Just then, a huge group of people came running out. Jen and Jaime were pushed back away from the building. Finally, a break in the stream of people opened and they rushed in, Jen tan for the elevators, but Jaime pulled her towards the stairwell. ‘The elevators won't work during a fire,’ he said, ‘The stairwell is better” When they opened the stairwell door, another ctowd of people pushed them back, Jaime stumbled. and fell with a yell, ‘Jaime? Are you OK?’ Jen called. "My ankle!’ he shouted, ‘I hurt it pretty badly.’ ‘As the crowd running down the stairs thinned, Jaime tried to climb the stairs, but after one step he fell to the ground again. ‘Aahhh!" he exclaimed. ‘It hurts! It’s no good, Jen. I'll never get there quickly enough. You'll have to go on your own.’ ‘what?! ‘Go! You can do it. I'll get help. Jaime pushed Jen towards the stairs and then limped back towards the lobby, yelling ‘Help!’ as he 20 ADreom of Fire went, Jen gave him one last look and raced up the staits, She looked at het watch again ~ 1:18 p.m. Ben had four minutes, When Jen reached the third floor, she opened the door. Thick black smoke filled the hall. She dropped to her hands and knees and started crawling, The smoke and heat were thick, and she could hear a roaring sound above her. She kept going, tears coming from her eyes, seatching frantically for any sign of a storage cupboard. Moments later, Jen found the cupboard she was, Tooking for, It was almost all the way down the hall from the stairwell. She pounded on the door. ‘Bent’ she yelled. ‘Ben, are you in there?” ‘Jen?’ Ben replied. ‘What are you doing here? Never mind, Get ts out of here! I’m with the building managers. We're stuck! The security lock turned on when the fite alarms went off.’ ‘OK, hold on,’ Jen said, looking at the lock on the door, It was one of those top-level electric security locks, Jen had no way of opening it. She looked around for something to break the door. At last, she spotted an axe in a fire box on the opposite wall, She ran to the box, broke the glass and pulled out the axe, The smoke was very thick now and she began coughing. Jen crawled back to the cupboard as quickly as she could, She took a deep breath, stood up and slammed the axe into the door handle once, twice, three times. She kept hitting the door, over and over again, but nothing was happening. Chapter 3 ~Rescuel 21Jen started to panic. She slammed the axe down one more time and suddenly the door handle fell off. She dropped the axe and slammed her shoulder into the door. It opened! She fell to the floor, but a moment later was picked up by Ben's strong arms. "I've got you,’ he said. ‘Well done, Jen. But how ...2" Jen looked down at her watch. Through the smoke, its light shone up at her - 1:21 p.m, ‘Not now, Ben!” she yelled. ‘We only have one minute!’ She dropped to her hands and knees and quickly began crawling to the stairwell, Ben and the two building managers followed closely behind, Within seconds, they heard a loud metallic ringing sound and then a crash. The roof of the storage cupboard had collapsed! The group continued to craw! down the hallway, but at this point the smoke was too thick to find the staitwell, Jen cried out in panic. ‘I can’t see!’ she yelled. ‘can’t see where to go! ‘Me neithes! replied Ben, Then suddenly Jaime’s voice called out from below. ‘I can hear yout’ he said. ‘I’m in the stairwell, Follow my voice!” Jen crawled towards Jaime’s voice. The smoke was so thick and she could barely breathe and the heat was burning her along her back and legs. It felt like she ‘was on fie! At last they found the stairs. She coughed and coughed, but as she eased down the stairs, one hand after another, there was less and less smoke. It seemed to take forever to get down the stairs. Finally, the group made it to the bottom. 22 ADreom of Fre Jaime was waiting for them with a group of firefighters in oxygen masks guiding people out of the building. One of the firefighters picked up Jen and carried her through the lobby and outside, She looked over her shoulder and saw Ben being helped by another firefighter, Jen and Ben were left at an ambulance. They were each getting an oxygen mask when Jaime limped over and sat down beside them to wait for help with his ankle, After a few minutes of deep breaths, Ben took off his mask and looked around. ‘What were you guys even doing here?" he asked. Jaime looked at Jen and smiled, ‘Jen called to tell me she had a dream about a fire and you were in it,’ he said. 'We decided to check up on you.’ Ben looked at Jen, who smiled weakly and reached for him. He wrapped her in his arms and said, ‘Well Y'm glad you did!’ Then he looked at Jen, ‘I love you, Jen," he said, wiping some dirt away from her face. ‘You saved my life, And now I know for sure that I want you to be a part of that life forever. Will you marry me?! It took Jen a second to realize what Ben had just said, When she did, she pulled away and looked at him in surprise. ‘WHAT2" she said. "You want to Propose now? Look at me!’ she exclaimed, pointing at her dirty clothes and face. ‘This is supposed to be a special moment! This is a special time! You can’t ... 1 can't believe ..." Jaime and Ben started to laugh. Jen looked up and then she couldn’t hold back her laughter elther, She Chapler 3 - Rescue! 23stopped talking and smiled at the love of her life as, she went in for a kiss. A second later they were both coughing and rushing to put the oxygen masks back on theit faces. Then, Jen briefly lifted the mask from her face and looked at Ben, ‘Your timing ts terrible,’ she said with a smile, ‘But yes, I will marry you." 24 ADrocm of Fire Chapter 3 Review ‘Summary Jen Is at Ben’s work site. There is really might come true, Jai department. Jen doesn’t think the firefighters time so they go to find Ben. Then Jen remembers the number three from her dream. They plan to go to the hurts his ankle, so Jen goes to the third floor alone. She finds Ben and two building managers locked in a storage cupboard. She breaks down the door to get them out. The group crawls down the hall and follows Jaime’s voice to safety. Late, as they rest, Ben asks Jen to marry him. Jen says yes but jokes that Ben’s timing is very bad. Vocabulary yell to shout something loudly blare to make a very loud and unpleasa electrleity box a small box or contall and her dream sound f, usually on a wall, in ‘stumble to almost fall while you are walking ankle the place where your foot joins your leg ‘exclaim to say something suddenly and loudly because you are surprised, angry, etc. limp to walk with difficulty because your leg or foot hurts ‘crawl to move on your hands and knees roaring sound a loud, deep sound frantically in a panicked or frightened way security lock a special lock that is very hard to get into (fire) axe a tool for cutting through wood or doors Chaplet 3 ~ Rescue! 25‘slam to put something somewhere or shut something quickly with aloud noise take forever (expression) to take a very long time ‘a special device that one puts over the nose to get into the body belefly for a short amount of time ‘Comprehension Questions Select one answer only for each question, 11) What time do Jen and Jaime discuss what to do? 12) Which of the fo not an opinion? a. ‘fm sure they'll get him ou b. The elevators won't work during a fire.” «. ‘It fel ke she was on firt? 4. It seemed to take forever to get down the stars.” ing lines from the story is a FACT and ? 13) Why cartt Jaime go up the st ‘8, He has hurt his ankle, b, He is trapped in the lobby. . There are too many people. d. Jen told him to stay behind and get help. 14) How does Jen free Ben from the storage cupboard? a, She unlocks the door, b, She breaks the door open with an axe. ©. She kicks the door open. 4. She calls the firefighters 15) Which Is the correct sequence of events? ime hurts his ankle, Jen finds Ben in the cupboard, the firefighters ative, Ben asks Jen to marry him. Jaime hurts his ankle, the firefighters arrive, jen finds the cupboard, Ben as , Ben asks Jen to marry him. Jen finds Ben in the cupboard, the firefighter Jaime hurts his ankle, Ben asks Jen to marry hi Chapter 3 ~ Rescue! 27