Скачать или смотреть The Vanishing Passenger (B1 LEVEL)

"Hello and welcome to the Mind English Podcast. The place where you improve your English through the power of stories.

I am your host. Today, we are going on a journey to the year 1924. A night train, a mysterious stranger, and a disappearance that cannot be explained.

If you are ready, sit back, relax, and let’s open your mind. This is... 'The Vanishing Passenger'."



It was a stormy night in November. The Midnight Express was traveling from London to Edinburgh. The rain was hitting the windows heavily.Click-clack, click-clack. The sound of the train was hypnotic.

Mr. Arthur Pendelton was sitting alone in his compartment. He was tired. He just wanted to sleep. Suddenly, the door slid open.

A woman entered. She was wearing a long, red coat and a wide hat that hid her face. She looked nervous.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked. Her voice was trembling.

"No, madam. Please," Arthur replied.

She sat down opposite him. She didn't remove her coat. She kept looking at the door, as if someone was following her. Arthur noticed a strange ring on her finger—a silver snake with emerald eyes.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked gently.

She looked deep into his eyes and whispered, "They are watching. Don't trust anyone on this train."



Before Arthur could ask who "they" were, the lights in the train flickered and went out. Total darkness.

The train entered a long tunnel. Whoosh.

For two minutes, there was only silence and the smell of coal smoke.

When the train exited the tunnel, the lights came back on. Arthur blinked his eyes.

The seat opposite him was empty. The woman in the red coat was gone.

Her luggage was gone. Even the wet footprints on the floor were gone. It was as if she had never existed.

Arthur ran to the corridor. It was empty. He found the train conductor.

"Where is the lady? The lady in the red coat from my compartment!" Arthur shouted.

The conductor looked at him with confusion. "Sir, you have been alone in that compartment since London. No one entered your room."

"Impossible!" Arthur cried. "She was there! She had a silver snake ring!"

The conductor’s face turned pale. White as a sheet.

"A silver snake ring?" the conductor whispered. "Sir... that description matches Lady Margaret. But that is impossible."

"Why?" Arthur demanded.

"Because Lady Margaret died on this train... exactly ten years ago tonight."



Arthur returned to his seat, shaking. He sat down heavily. He thought he was losing his mind. Maybe he was dreaming?

He reached into his pocket to find his handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

But instead of a handkerchief, his fingers touched something cold and metallic.

He pulled it out.

There, in the palm of his hand, lay a silver ring. Shaped like a snake. With emerald eyes.

Arthur looked out the window into the dark night. The train whistled, a long, lonely sound.

And somewhere in the reflection of the glass, for just a second, he saw the lady in red smiling at him.



What a chilling story. Now, let’s wake up from the mystery and focus on your English. Let’s look at some key vocabulary from the story. Repeat after me.

1. Trembling : Shaking slightly because you are afraid, nervous, or cold.Example: "Her voice was trembling with fear."

2. Compartment Definition: A separate section or room on a train.Example: "He was sitting alone in his compartment."

3. Pale Definition: Having less color than usual, often because of fear or illness.Example: "The conductor's face turned pale."

4. To Flicker Definition: To shine with a light that is not steady.Example: "The lights flickered and went out."



Did you enjoy the mystery of The Midnight Express? Do you think it was a ghost, or was Arthur hallucinating? Let me know in the comments below.

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See you in the next story. Goodbye.

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