1.
define
It is sometimes difficult to define success, because it means different things to different people.
2.
an act of will
Finishing the marathon after injuring his ankle was purely an act of will.
3.
upside down
When I turned the map upside down, I finally realized I had been reading it the wrong way.
4.
What on earth happened?
The kitchen was covered in flour and broken plates—what on earth happened while I was out?
5.
something daring
She decided to do something daring and quit her stable job to start her own business.
6.
stare in disbelief
He could only stare in disbelief when he saw his small village on the international news.
7.
Don’t talk nonsense!
Don’t talk nonsense! Of course you can pass the exam if you prepare properly.
George was standing at the bar, arguing loudly with a man named Toddy Beamish.
'Miracles are impossible!' George said firmly . 'They go against the laws of nature. They simply can’t happen.'
'So you say,' replied Beamish calmly.
This annoyed George. He regarded the answer as ridiculous.
'Let’s define a miracle,' George continued. 'A miracle is something done by an act of will, something that wouldn’t happen naturally.'
'So you say,' Beamish repeated.
George pointed at a lamp hanging from the ceiling.
'That lamp couldn’t burn upside down, could it?'
'You say it couldn’t,' said Beamish.
'Well, it couldn’t!' George cried. 'And if I stood here and said, ‘Turn upside down and keep burning!’—'
He stopped speaking.
The lamp had turned upside down.
It hung in the air, its flame pointing downwards, burning calmly.
Everyone stared.
Miss Maybridge, the barmaid, screamed.
George’s face turned pale . 'I—I can’t keep it up!' he cried.
The lamp fell, hit the bar, smashed on the floor, and went out.
There was silence.
Then the landlord shouted, 'You fool!'
George didn’t argue back. He was too shocked. He went home in confusion. His mind sorting through these strange events.
In his small bedroom, he sat on his bed and whispered, ' What on earth happened?'
Suddenly, he had a thought. What if he had truly willed it?
He looked at his candle and pointed.
'Be lifted up,' he said.
The candle rose into the air.
George’s mouth opened in amazement. Then the candle fell and broke on the carpet.
'It did happen,' he whispered.
He searched for a match but found none. Then he thought of something daring.
'Let there be a match in my hand.'
A match fell into his palm.
He stared at it in disbelief .
He lit the candle by simply saying, 'Be lit.'
It worked.
Then he began to experiment . He turned water pink and then green. He created a snail and then made it disappear. He even gave himself a new toothbrush.
By one in the morning, fear had slowly turned into excitement.
'I must have a special kind of will ,' he said proudly.
Finally, he said, 'Let me be in bed.'
At once, he was in bed.
'Comfortably asleep,' he added.
And he was.
The next morning, George wondered if it had all been a dream. But at breakfast he created a fresh goose egg in secret , just to be sure.
At work, he found concentration on his work tasks very difficult. His thoughts became more creative . He imagined wealth , fame , and power. He even made a new suit for himself—but quickly changed it back to his old one when someone walked past.
'This gift needs care,' he told himself. 'I must think things through.'
That evening he went out into a quiet lane to practise.
He pushed his walking stick into the ground and said, 'flower!'
It became covered in roses. Then he said 'go back'. What he had meant was 'turn back' but the rose bush raced backwards along the lane. Then there was a shout.
'Who threw that at me?'
It was Constable Winch.
George panicked.
'I was working a miracle ,' he said weakly.
'Don’t talk nonsense!' Winch replied. 'You’re the one who doesn’t believe in miracles!'
George felt confused and in the end he just lost his temper.
'Go to Hell!' he shouted.
Winch disappeared.
George stood alone.
'Oh dear,' he whispered. 'That was a bit too much.'
Feeling guilty, he quickly sent Winch to San Francisco instead.
'That must be safer than being in Hell,' he muttered to himself. Although, if the truth be told, George had no idea what San Francisco was like.
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