Chapter 1: A Strange Meeting John Taylor is walking home from his office as usual.

It is a cold dark and snowy evening and there are not many people walking on the narrow streets in the Thirteenth District of Budapest at that moment. Suddenly, in a very dark part of one street, John hears the loud sound of a door shutting from inside a building and a person running. The street door opens abruptly and a man runs into him. John falls down and shouts at the man. The man apologises in Hungarian and then quickly walks away. John finds it strange as the man looks exactly like him. Exercise : There are 8 events that occur in chapter 1. Arrange the sequence of events correctly. He saw a man who looked exactly like him He heard a door shutting loudly inside a building. Thought about the argument with one of the Hungarians at work. Started to snow heavily. He heard someone running. A man ran straight into him. He was walking home from his office. He hoped that Andrea would prepare him one of her nice hot soups.

Chapter 2:

Getting to Know Me

John Taylor is a 34-year-old Englishman who is presently working in Budapest as a computer programmer. He learns to speak Hungarian from a pretty teacher named Andrea whom he falls in love with and later marries. They live in the Thirteenth District on the Pest side of Budapest. Andrea teaches Hungarian to foreigners in a number of schools and companies as well as to some students at home. Exercise : Complete the following descriptions

From the eight events that occur, which one do you think is the most important? Give a reason for your answer. EVENT: REASON:

Chapter 3: A Search John Taylor wonders where the man who looks like him has gone. He notices just in time as the man turns right at the next corner. John runs after him and sees him entering the doorway of a wine cellar under a block of flats. Upon reaching the door, John is confused when he does not see any of the mans footprints in the snow. He decides to go into the wine cellar to look for the man. John asks the barman whether he has seen anyone entering the cellar but there is no such a person. John then checks the toilet but to no avail. When he gets home, he lies to Andrea about what he has been doing and does not tell her about his strange encounter. Exercise A: Read the statements below and answer the following questions

Chapter 4: Felka Utca The next day after work, John goes back to the same place where the strange encounter occurred. The door is number 7 Felka utca. The street is flanked with blocks of flats that had been built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. They still display gunshot holes that were made during the fights in either World War II or the 1956 revolution. However, John waits in vain and is unable to gather any enlightening information. John then walks along Felka utca and goes into the bar of the previous night in Gergely utca. The barman says that he does not see anyone who looks like John. That night, John has a strange dream about the man and that frightens him. Exercise A: Based on Chapter 4, determine whether the statements are true or false

1.

I went out for some coffee with Peter

a. Who was the speaker? ________________________________________________________________

NO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

STATEMENTS John met Peter to discuss about a difficulty he had on that day. John had lunch at a restaurant. People were telling that John looked ill. John left the office at six oclock. The blocks of flat were built between 19 and 20 century. The holes made by the gunshots were visible on the door. The blocks were 4 storeys high. The weather was sunny and warm. Felka utca and Gergely utca are opposite of one another. The owner bought the bar six years ago. John watched the beginning of the news. The note from Andrea was found on the refrigerator. The door was shutting very slowly inside Johns dream. John dreamt that the man was running out of the building. John was feeling very afraid.
th th

TRUE/FALSE

b. To whom were these words spoken? ________________________________________________________________ c. Where did this conversation take place? ________________________________________________________________

d. Who is Peter? ________________________________________________________________ e. Was this statement true? Explain your answer? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

2.

He wasnt someone who looked like me. It was me that I saw.

a.

To whom does the word me refer to? _________________________________________________________________

Exercise B: Answer the following question. 1. What is 7 Felka utca and why is it important?

b. What had happened to the speaker? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5: I Tell Andrea John lingers outside number 7 Felka utca and hangs out in the bar everyday for a week without explaining things to Andrea. He is even afraid to go to sleep because of the recurring dreams of his strange encounter. That Friday, when John gets home, he finds Andrea in tears because she cannot understand what is happening, so he finally tells her everything. Andrea proves to be a very understanding wife and she promises to go with John to help him investigate the mysterious man the next day. Exercise: Now that you have read Chapter 5, look at the strips in the envelopes. Separate them according to: i. Johns thought before the sharing of burden ii. Andreas thought before the sharing of burden iii. Johns and Andreas thought after the sharing of burden. BEFORE THE SHARING OF BURDEN JOHNS THOUGHT ANDREAS THOUGHT

Chapter 6: Talking to the housekeepers John has a good nights sleep after telling Andrea about the man. The next day, they go to number 7 Felka utca. They question two housekeepers regarding the man. But the housekeepers claim that they have never seen such a person. Then, the couple goes for a drink in the bar at Gergely utca. John believes the man whom he has seen is actually himself; he wonders whether that man is someone who is still alive or dead. Exercise: Complete the sentences below with correct information

1.

Johns recurring dreams about _______________ himself had stopped for nearly a week.

2.

In this chapter Andrea decided to go to _________________ with John to help him speak to some people in the building.

3.

The first person that they spoke to was an old lady who lived on the _______________.

4. 5.

The old lady had worked there for ________________ years. Inside the building they also talked to a ________ in the fifties who had worked there for 12 years.

6.

When they did not get any useful information, John started to think that he was _______________ everything.

7. 8. 9. AFTER THE SHARING OF BURDEN JOHNS THOUGHT ANDREAS THOUGHT

The bar was situated in _________________. The barman welcomed them with a ______________ smile. Out of frustration John said he felt like someone who was ______________.

10. Although Andrea was trying to understand her husband but she said it was very _______________.

Chapter 7: Doppelganger Johns recurring dreams seem to have stopped and he does not go to the bar as often. Soon, John and Andrea receive good news that Andrea is pregnant. The next day however, Andrea loses her biggest teaching job with an international bank. Zsolt, the owner of the wine cellar bar offers her a job to give the place a womans touch. Andreas ideas to give the place a different look helps bring in more customers and women start going to the bar as well. Despite the changes in their lives, John still has not forgotten his encounter and he also finds out that his double is called a doppelgnger. Exercise A: Answer the questions given below A. Based on the second paragraph in chapter 7, what do you understand by the ups and downs of life? What does John mean by this? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ B. These are evidence to show the ups and downs in Johns and Andreas life. Complete the diagram below to show those ups and downs. The first one has been done for you.

Chapter 8:

A Holiday

In August, Andrea stops working for Zsolt to prepare for her delivery. On 16 September, a baby girl named Kati is born. John is so busy that he forgets about the incident at Felka utca. Then, John and his family travel to England to celebrate Christmas. At the village pub, John meets up with his old friend Paul Harris, a journalist. He believes in Johns story about the doppelgnger but warns him to be careful. At the end of December, John and his family fly back to Hungary to celebrate their New Year holidays there. John starts thinking about his doppelgnger again and Andrea gets angry when John is distracted and starts to neglect his family.

Exercise: Complete the crossword puzzle below

Ups Andrea was expecting a baby

Downs Andrea lost her job

Exercise B: Answer the following question 1. What is doppelganger? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Across 1.The place where they celebrated their Christmas. 3.The time when Liz left Paul. 6.Not paying much attention to Andrea and Kati 8.How many times have Andrea been to Johns parents house? 9.Another name for Pauls job. 11.The place they spent their remaining holiday. 12.Johns father attended a party organized by his ____________ Down 2.People give these for Christmas. 4.Paul obtained information on doppelganger from this source 5.How did they go back to Hungary? They took a _________. 7.Andreas feeling towards John when he became obsessed with doppelganger 10.Paul and John went to the same _________ when they are young. 13.The journey from Swindon to the __________________ is about an hour.

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: The Date Gets Closer Again On 11 January, John wakes up in the morning feeling afraid. He has had the dream again. He checks his diary and realises that the strange meeting had happened on 18 January the year before. He decides to go to Felka utca on that same date. Andrea is very upset that John is still obsessed with the doppelgnger but when John persuades her to accompany him to witness any incident that might occur, she obliges him. Petra, Andreas old friend agrees to babysit Kati. That night, John has the same dream again and again. Exercise: Based on chapter 9, answer the following questions 1. Give 2 pieces of evidence to show that John was troubled by his dream. i. ii. 2. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ____ ____ ____

18 January

That Sunday John and Andrea walk along the streets of the Thirteenth District. At 6.30 p.m., they are standing opposite 7 Felka utca. There is nobody in sight. Suddenly John hears a noise, then a door is shut. A man runs out and knocks him over. It is the same situation all over again. John sees his double at the same place exactly a year later. But Andrea does not see his double. She just sees John falling over and yelling. Exercise : The following events are not listed in the correct order. Rearrange the sentences and write them in the correct sequence ____ ____ The man has Johns face. John and Andrea go for a walk on Margaret Island to pass the time. Andrea tells John that she sees him falling over by himself and shouting at no one. Andrea looks surprised and cannot seem to understand what is happening. They go home in silence and that night, John has the same dream again. They walk into the streets of the Thirteenth District and wait outside number 7 ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ Felka utca. John notices that the bar is closed and there are no footprints in the snow. John hears a noise and suddenly a man comes running out and bums into John. John goes after the man but he has disappeared into the wine bar. The man apologises and goes off quickly

How does John keep track of his activities? ______________________________________________________________

3.

What is important about Monday 18 January? ______________________________________________________________

4.

Give 2 reasons why John wants Andrea to go with him to Felka utca i. ii. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

5.

Who will look after Kati when they go to town? ______________________________________________________________

6.

What reason do they give her so that she will agree to babysit for them? ______________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

7.

On what day does John expect to see his doppleganger again? ______________________________________________________________

8.

At the beginning of the story, Andrea was patient and understanding about Johns doppelganger. In Chapter 9 however, she is angry with him. In your own words, explain why she is so. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Chapter 11:

A little bit of history

Chapter 12:

Looking for the truth

The next day, John goes to the Budapest City Library. He wants to find out what happened in the Thirteenth District on every 18 January in the past. He reads the old newspaper carefully. He goes to the library each afternoon. He reads about a young woman and child killed when a bomb hit a cellar. The bomb did not explode but the cellar was destroyed. The womans name was Mrs. Szabo. The cellar is now none other than Zsolts below -ground caf. When John gets home, Andrea is angry. She asks John where he has been as she had called the office and he was not there like he said he was. Exercise: State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F) 1. 2. 3. John applied for leave to look after his sick wife and baby. Johns boss gave him leave from work a week or two. Newspaper from as far back as ten years ago can be obtained from the Budapest City Library. 4. A bomb was set off in the Thirteenth District to celebrate the end of the war between the Germans and the Russians. 5. A bomb went off and killed a mother and her daughter in a Gergely utca building. 6. 7. Andrea called Johns office to check on him. Although Andrea read the newspaper story that John showed her, she still did not want to help him. 8. The fighting between the German soldiers and the Russians in Pest ended on 18 January 1945 9. The husband of the victim who was killed in the bomb hit was at work when the incident occurred. 10. John claimed that his doppelganger ran out of the building in Felka utca and ran around to Gergely utca. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

John too leaves the flat. He walks round to Gergely utca. He meets the housekeeper again. He asks her if she knows of the Szabo family but she does not. At 7 Felka utca, he asks the housekeeper if there are people who have been living there for a long time. He is told about Mrs. Fisher on the fourth floor. He goes to her flat. She tells him that she has been living there since 1937. She remembers the Szabo family. Janos Szabos story is a sad one. He used to live there with his wife and small daughter during the war. Then his wife and child died in the cellar that was destroyed by the bomb. After that, he seemed to lose the will to live and died while fighting in the streets in 1956. Janos Szabo was a broken man. John finally knows the identity of his doppelganger. Exercise : Imagine you are a newspaper reporter who is reporting the tragedy in Budapest. Fill in the newspaper report below with information from Chapter 12. Tragic End for Mother and Child by (1) __________________

Budapest, Mon: A (2) _________________ and her baby were killed in a shocking (3) _________________ - related incident in a cellar in (4) __________ utca on Monday, (5)

_________________, 1945.
The fighting between the (6) ____________ soldiers and the Russians have ended but tragedy still hangs in the air for (7) ____________ , husband and father of the tragic victims. At the time of the unfortunate incident, he was down in the (8) ____________, the small outdoor area where children played. He was talking to a few (9) ____________ when a man suddenly ran in shouting that something had

happened in the cellar shop.

A (10) ____________ bomb had hit the (11) ____________ above the cellar
shop in Gergely utca. It did not (12) ____________ , but it was heavy enough to (13) ____________ the cellar. Both mother and child were killed instantly. At the time of this report, Mr. Szabo is still nowhere to be seen. Neighbours who saw him earlier immediately after the (14) ____________ seem to be the (15) ____________ man. He seems to have said that he did not (16) ____________

wanting to live. He kept muttering to himself that he wanted to (17) ____________ and

that he had nothing left to (18) ____________ for.

Chapter 13:

Problems at home

Chapter 14:

Another year goes by

When John gets home and tells Andrea the story, she is furious. She does not want to listen any more. They do not talk much after this. John keeps on thinking about the information he has just received. The man, Janos Szabo, lived at Felka utca. On 18 January 1945, his wife and child died in the cellar what was bombed. What does it all mean? Exercise: STATEMENTS Its him I see every January (page 47) And that you need some help from a doctor. (page 48) FACT/FICTION Fiction REASONS A doppelganger doesnt exist.

The year passes quickly. John and Andrea become distant with each other. Johns preoccupation with his doppelganger has affected the marriage. Andrea plans to go back to work and sends Kati to a school for young children. Towards 18 January, John starts to have the strange dreams again. He wakes up frightened. He has a strong feeling that the dream has something to do with Andrea and Kati and he is very scared. Exercise: Read chapter 14 and complete the crossword puzzle below

all I saw was you falling over and shouting (page 48)

This man Janos Szabo my doppelganger was there for a reason (page 48)

My doppelganger seemed to be building a wall between us (page 48) Across 3. John Taylor thinks he sees this entity on 18 January 5. The type of exercise that Andrea does 6. The name of street where John Taylor stumbles upon his other entity 7. John Taylor's daughter 10. Szabo's first name Down 1. The capital city of Hungary where John Taylor lives and works 2. The name of street where the bar is located 4. John Taylor comes from this country 6. The type of house that John Taylor and family live 8. John Taylor's wife 9. The owner of the bar

We often spent evenings without talking much, or my wife went to bed early, saying she was tired after a day looking after Kati, and I stayed up watching old films on the TV until the early hours of the morning (page 48) A man called Janos Szabo had lived at number 7 Felka utca. On 18 January 1945, his wife and daughter had been killed in the cellar shop that was now Zsolts bar.

Chapter 15:

I discover some more facts

Chapter 16:

It all happens again

One day, John is walking along a street. He sees a sign above an old shop. It says Szabo in green lettering. It means tailor in English which sounds like Taylor. This sparks off something in Johns head. Janos is the Hungarian name for John. He then realizes that he and his doppelganger share the same name! he goes to see Mrs. Fisher again. She tells him that Janos Szabos wife and daughter were also named Andrea and Kati. John needs to find out one more thing. He goes to the Public Records Office. There he finds out that Janos Szabo has the same birth date as his. By now, he is sure that his doppelganger is trying to tell him something. He decides to wait and see if he can meet his doppelganger again on 18 January. Exercise: The excerpts below are taken from Chapter 15. Each excerpt has one error. Underline the errors and give the correct answers. The first one has been done for you. No. 1. 2. DIALOGUES Janos the tailor. John the tailor. John Tailor. Do you remember I came to ask you about Janos Szabo, Mrs. Fisher? I was asking myself if I should go to meet my doppelganger, Janos Szabo for the second time on 18 January. And do you know something you look so like her, too. CORRECTION

Every night from then on John has the same frightening dream. He can hear a man shouting, and sees Andrea and Kati in his dream. Finally, it is Sunday, 18 January. After work, John gets home and sees a note from Andrea. She has gone to the caf with Kati as Zsolt needs her help. He immediately senses danger and knows that something terrible is about to happen. He runs to the caf. Suddenly, he hears a loud explosion from Gergely utca. He runs into his doppelganger on the way to the caf. Exercise: Respond to the prompts given and elaborate. My reading log Page 54 Prompt 1: What is your worst nightmare? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 55 Prompt 2: What would you do if you suddenly hear a very loud noise like a bomb? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 56 Prompt 3: What do you think will happen to Andrea and Kati in the next chapter? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.

5.

The next week, I went to the Public Library office in my lunch break. You look very much the same. The ears, the nose, the mouth This is the office where they keep information about everyone who lives in Budapest before. Can you remember the names of the wife and daughter who were killed in the storeroom? I remembered the man in my new dream last night, in the exploded cellar, looking for something. There was the owners name in red, and below it the word Zsolt in green.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 17:

We must get them out!

Chapter 18:

Unexpected help

The street is full of smoke. There is a strong smell of gas. A crowd is standing outside the caf. John shouts that his wife and child are inside. He then asks the crowd to help him get them out. As they are picking up stones from the rubble, he hears the noise of police cars. A policeman asks him to come out of the building. He is told by the fireman that it is too dangerous for him to go in. Later, John pushes his way through the crowd. He tells the police about his wife and child. He regrets not telling Andrea everything about Janos Szabo. He is certain that his wife and child have died in the explosion. Exercise: Rearrange the following statements in the correct sequences as in the text. He gets out of the van feeling terrible The policeman suggests that he goes home The people stop helping him when they hear sirens Strong hands pull him out into the street He walks on glass from all the broken windows He gives orders to everyone to form a line He is questioned by a policeman He coughs a lot so a nurse gives him something to help breathe Event

John is walking along Gergely utca very slowly, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly he bumps into somebody. It is his doppelganger. His doppelganger lifts his arms and points to two figures nearby. They are Andrea and Kati. They run to each other. Andrea tells John that his doppelganger has saved hers and Katis life. She was about to enter the caf when she saw his doppelganger standing there. At first, she thought he was John but then realized that he looked slightly different. She knew then that it was the doppelganger. He was pointing down the street. He wanted them to go away. So Andrea left with Kati. When she was home, she heard the explosion. So she came out to see what happened. She was afraid that John was at the caf. John says that it is a strange story. They walk home together. Exercise: Answer the following questions. 1. After the explosion at Zsolts bar, John feels as if he wants to die because he thinks his wife and daughter have perished in the blast. Then he meets the doppelganger who points his finger. What do you think the doppelganger is trying to tell John? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. When Andrea is about to go down the bar, she thinks she sees John standing in front of the entrance. He doesnt say anything but when Andrea tires to go down, he does not get out of her way. In your opinion, what is he trying to convey to Andrea? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Kati cries and shakes her head. Not Daddy, she said. Not Daddy. What could make her cry? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

4. 7. 8.

When Andrea realizes that it is the doppelganger, and looks at him again, he is pointing down the street. What do you think he is indicating to Andrea? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 5 I have a bad dream I wake up feeling afraid I am always tired in the morning I am not being nice to my partner I feel worse for my partner because I do not tell the truth I cannot think about the important things I do not feel good so I start to drink more I am afraid to go home I cannot understand why he has to go to Gergely utca bar every night I better go to bad earlier so I do not have to see him I will confront him after he comes back How could he hurt me like this He has changed completely I love this woman so much I feel so terrible for hurting her this way I want to help him Thank God! He is not involved with another woman I will go to Felka utca with him on Saturday This must be very serious because it makes him cry! I must get all the information from him