Page 60 - PowerE-L05-D

Lesson 15

Ghosts

This is my ghost story. My hometown is famous for this white lady who walks at night. In my

hometown, there is a military academy famous for it’s rigorous training for military officers. In every
academy, there are traditions that govern everything, even military weddings. So it happened on
this night that some well dressed cadets and officers awaited the arrival of the bride, who would

drive from the city. This is how it’s done: the groom in his full military attire awaits in the chapel, and

the bride in her white wedding gown, comes to meet him. When the clock strikes twelve midnight,
the bride would ascend the stairs, lock arms with the proud groom, the music would play and the

wedding would start. So the clock ticked by and the hands met at twelve, and the bells rang, but no
bride ascended the stairs. But the bride and his entourage waited some more, but no bride came.

Meanwhile, the bride lay dead, in a pool of blood, her white gown turned crimson. She lay on a lonely
road dead.This is how the tragedy was reconstructed. As she was driving along the tree lined bou-

levard three miles from the academy on her way to her wedding, she was held up by bad men. She

was forced out of her car, and raped. She fought for her life, but her life was taken away. After being
done with her, the ruffians dumped her in a ditch and went off in her car. Three days later, she came

back, but not alive. A friend of mine met her fateful day. Driving at night on this stretch of highway, my
friend’s car suddenly died. The engines just quit and all lights died at once. As my friends surprise

started to arise, fear grabbed her throat. For floating in the windshield was the dead woman, all in
white. The white lady with the wedding dress. It’s been ten years since this horrible deed occurred,

and the bride was buried and the groom remarried. But she still walks the night. Dressed in white,
blood streaks on her face, she walks the night, on this lonely tree lined boulevard, wailing. Looking

for love lost and perhaps - revenge?

Comprehension

1. Why was the bride not able to come to her wedding?
2. What time was the bride supposed to lock arms with her groom?

Questions

1. Do you have a ghost story to tell? Tell me.
2. If not, tell me what you heard.
3. Tell me about Korean famous ghosts.

Vocabulary & Expressions

Swap: to make an exchange
Reconstructed: To construct again; rebuild
Ruffians: A thug or gangster
Streaks: a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color, or the like
Floating: having little or no attachment to a particular place
Life was taken away: was killed

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