STRANGE MEETING

STRANGE MEETING


John Samuel Fame drove very fast along the white road. There was a full moon and there were no clouds so he could see clearly, even without the headlights. The road was straight and flat and empty.

Fame looked at his watch. The time was half past ten and Harker had told him to be there at ten o'clock. Fame realized he was already half an hour late for his appointment. He knew that Harker would be angry with him, because Harker didn't like people who were late for appoint-ments. John Samule Fame accelerated and the car roared forward down the white road.

After about ten minutes, Fame saw the turning to Harker's hut. Fame turned left and drove up a hill.
'When you get to the top, Harker had said, 'stop the car on the edge of the wood and walk until you reach the hut.' Fame stopped the car and walked into the wood.
In the moonlight it was easy to see his way, and he walked quietly between the trees.
After about three minutes he saw the hut. There was a light on inside and Fame saw Harker's car parked outside.
'When you get to the hut,' Harker had said, 'whistle three times and wait for an answer.' Fame whistled, once, twice, three times, and waited.

There was no answer. He whistled again.
There was still no answer. Where was Harker?
What was wrong? Fame whistled again. Still no answer. Something was wrong.
Fame carefully walked towards the hut.
Silently, he reaced the door. It was half open.
Fame pushed the door right open and went in-side. There was no one there.
In the middle of the room was a chair and a desk with a lamp on it. There were some books and papers on the desk, too. In one corner of the room was a small black cupboard. The cupboard door was open and there were some cups and glasses inside. On one wall there was a photograph of a young man on a horse. Next to the photograph there was a large map.

Fame crossed over to the desk. A green pen and a small note book were on the desk, among the books and papers. Fame recognized them. They belonged to Harker, but were was Harker? Fame was three-quarters of an hour late, so perhaps Harker had gone. But Harker's car was still there and his pen and his note book were still on the desk.
Suddenly, Fame noticed the shadow. It was moving backwards and forwards across the opposite wall. Fame looked up. Hanging from the ceiling of the hut, just to the left of the door, was a man. He was swinging from the end of a rope. It was Harker.

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