Episode 24: From Spooky Attic to Cozy Guest Room — 5,000 Core English Words

📖 This lesson is part of the comprehensive series 5,000 Common English Words Through 46 Real-Life Conversations by Echo Stories English.

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Chapter twenty-four. The attic.

It is a cloudy Sunday at the end of summer. Rain is falling on the roof, and the wind is moving the branches of the big tree. Ryan and Emma have a new dog, Feather, who is asleep by the door. There is nothing to do outside, so they finally climb the narrow stairs to the attic.

Listen to how they describe an old, dusty room, how they report a problem on the phone, and how they plan a bedroom for guests.

Emma: Is there a light?

Ryan: There's a string. Pull it. There.

Emma: Oh, wow. Look at the dust. Nobody has been up here for years.

Ryan: Walk carefully. Some of these boards are loose. And watch your head on that wood.

Emma: It's bigger than I thought. It's the whole square of the house. And look, a round window at the end. You can see the hill, and the pond, and that farm with the sheep.

Ryan: On a clear day, you could see for miles.

Emma: It's terrible and beautiful at the same time. What's that smell?

Ryan: I don't know. It's not pleasant. It's a bit disgusting, actually.

Emma: Ryan. Don't move. There's something by your heel.

Ryan: What? Is it a snake?

Emma: It's a rope. Sorry. I thought it was a tail.

Ryan: My heart. You're cruel. Wait. Did you notice that? In the corner. Something moved.

Emma: It's a nest. Look, under the roof. Dry leaves, bits of fur, and a hole to the outside.

Ryan: Birds?

Emma: I don't think so. There's no beak in there. I think it's squirrels. A whole family. They've made a shelter for the winter.

Ryan: So that's the noise at night. I thought the house was talking.

Emma: It was. In squirrel.

Agent: Good morning, Green Valley Wildlife Control. How can I help you?

Ryan: Hi. I think we have squirrels in our attic. We found a nest this morning.

Agent: Okay. Have you seen the animals themselves, or just the nest?

Ryan: Just the nest. But we hear them at night, and there's some damage to the wood near the roof.

Agent: That's very common at this time of year. They emerge in the morning to look for food, and come back in the evening. Is there a hole where they get in?

Ryan: Yes. About the size of my hand. A branch from a tree touches the roof right there.

Agent: That's how they do it. We can help. We don't hurt them. We put in a little door that only opens one way. They go out, and they can't come back in. Then we close the hole.

Ryan: That sounds good. How soon can you send someone?

Agent: I have an opening on Wednesday morning, between eight and ten. Will someone be at home?

Ryan: Yes, I will. How much does it cost?

Agent: The visit is ninety dollars. If you go ahead with the work, that's included in the price. It's generally between two and three hundred.

Ryan: That's fine. Is there anything we should do before then?

Agent: Just keep the attic door locked, so your pets can't get in, and don't touch the nest. And I'd cut that branch back. Otherwise the next family will take over the territory.

Ryan: I'll do that. Thank you very much.

Agent: You're welcome. Can I get your name and address?

Emma: While you were on the phone, I found a trunk. Come and look.

Ryan: What's inside?

Emma: Somebody's whole youth. Photographs. A purple dress, a kind of dancing outfit. An old make-up box. And letters. Look at this man. Who is he?

Ryan: He's in every picture. Here he's a bartender. Here he's standing in front of a factory.

Emma: There's a newspaper too. It says he was an engineering student, the son of a coal worker, and that he built a machine to extract water from deep wells. He sold it to a big competitor and became very rich.

Ryan: A billionaire? In our attic?

Emma: Not quite. But rich. Then it says he spoke publicly against racism in the developing cities of the time. He gave money to schools. He's the creator of the library downtown.

Ryan: And he lived here?

Emma: I think his sister did. These are her letters to him. Listen to this expression: "You are the bright wave in a flat sea." That's a lovely metaphor.

Ryan: She was able to write. I couldn't write that with a year of practice.

Emma: I'm deeply moved. We should give all this to the library. It's their history. A distant one, but theirs.

Ryan: Agreed. As a reward, they might put our name on a chair.

Emma: Okay. Stand here, and imagine. A bed under the round window. White walls. A separate little bathroom where that old tank is.

Ryan: A guest room. For your aunt, and my parents.

Emma: And for my cousin, and her kids. Right now they sleep on the sofa, and it's unbearable for everybody.

Ryan: It's boiling up here in summer, though. I'm already covered in sweat.

Emma: Then we need a window that opens, and a fan with big blades. A temperature-controlled room. And in winter it will be the warmest place in the house, so we'll save on fuel.

Ryan: The structure looks solid. We'd need a survey first. Someone has to check the roof. Nothing severe, I hope.

Emma: The roof is fine. I looked. One cracked board, a few drops of water in the corner when it snows, and nothing more.

Ryan: You're increasingly good at this. You transform every room you walk into.

Emma: It's my general nature. I can't see an empty space. My self won't allow it.

Ryan: I don't know if I have the money for another project. The bidding for the studio work was not cheap.

Emma: We'll do it slowly. Paint first. I'll do it myself, with my students. They love to get dirty.

Ryan: And the squirrels?

Emma: They'll find a nice tree. A diverse garden needs them. I'll even plant something in the soil for them, by the greenhouse.

Ryan: We don't have a greenhouse.

Emma: Not yet.

Ryan: Emma. One room at a time.

Emma: I know, I know. Come down. I'm thirsty, you're lazy, and Feather wants a walk before it gets dark. This breed needs to run.

Ryan: She's not a breed. She's a little of everything. Like this house.

Emma: Then she's home. Look at the beauty of that. An upward road, a passing cloud, and peace.

Ryan: And a mate for life who talks to squirrels. What an environment.

Emma: You love it.

Ryan: I do. Mind the landing. The appearance of that last step is a lie. It's the root of all my pain.

That is the end of chapter twenty-four. They found a nest, a trunk full of letters, and the place where a guest room will be.

Keep these with you: "I think we have squirrels in our attic." "How soon can you send someone?" "Will someone be at home?" "Is there anything we should do before then?"

In the next chapter, they realize that they have not had a real vacation for two years, and Ryan has to ask his boss for time off.

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