Jestha 13, 2078, Thursday
The Cup In The Forest - Anne Collins (2009)
[Penguin Active Reading Easystarts]
Genres: EnglishGradedReaders/ Fiction
Pages: 22
Rating: 6/10
Themes: Greed/ Ghost and the Supernatural
Opener:
“Per and his girlfriend, Nina, live in a big town in Norway. They are on holiday in the country. They are driving on a toad near a big forest.”
Summary:
The Cup in the Forest is a fictional story about a couple on holiday in the Norwegian countryside. One day they are walking in the forest when the boy, Per, finds a beautiful old cup with strange words on it. Then he sees a man in the trees, but his girlfriend Nina can’t see him. They take the cup and drive to a small town, where they stay the night in a hotel. Per can’t sleep and he sees a strange man standing in the garden, but again Nina can’t see him. The next day they take the cup to a local museum. The curator tells Per and Nina to take it back to the forest immediately. The cup belongs to an old Viking called Hakon. Back at the hotel, Per sees Hakon again. He is very frightened, but Nina just wants to make money by selling the cup in Oslo. She takes the cup when Per is not looking and drives away. When she is passing through the forest, she sees a strange man and is very afraid. The car hits a tree and falls into the river. Per is following in the curator’s car, but he arrives at the river to find Nina is dead. He sees Hakon walking away with his cup.
Verdict:
It is a neat little story. I liked that only one of the lead characters could see the ghost of the dead Viking. Perhaps one requires a conscience to see the supernatural? The other character, his girlfriend Nina, is basically blinded by her greed once they get their hand on the cup, so much so that she is willing to betray her boyfriend for it. The artwork was fabulous! Overall, I believe the story does have a valid and interesting narrative arc.