A Very Tidy Apartment

/ə vɛri tajdi əpɑrtmənt/

I rang the bell beside the door of Apartment 716 and waited. There was no answer. I rang again
/aɪ ræŋ ðə bɛl bəsaɪd ðə dɔr əv əpɑrtmənt 716 ænd wetəd//ðɛr wəz no ænsər aɪ ræŋ əgɛn
but there was still no answer. Then I took a small square piece op plastic out of my pocket. I looked
bət ðɛr wəz stɪl no ænsər//ðɛn aɪ tʊk ə smɒl skwɛr pis ɑp plæstɪk awt əv maɪ pɑkət aɪ lʊkt
around. I was alone. I pushed the piece of plastic into the space between the door and the door frame
ərawnd//aɪ wəz əlon aɪ pʊʃt ðə pis əv plæstɪk ɪntu ðə spes bətwin ðə dɔr ænd ðə dɔr frem
and moved the plastic up and down. In a minute the door opened and I went into the flat.
ænd muvd ðə plæstɪk əp ænd dawn//ɪn ə mɪnət ðə dɔr opənd ænd aɪ wɛnt ɪntu ðə flæt/

I stood still and listed. There was silence. I switched on the light and looked around. It was a
/aɪ stʊd stɪl ænd lɪstəd//ðɛr wəz sajlən//aɪ swɪtʃt ɑn ðə laɪt ænd lʊkt ərawnd//ɪt wəz ə
modern apartment. I was standing in the living room. Through an open door on my left, I could see the
mɑdərn əpɑrtmənt//aɪ wəz stændɪŋ ɪn ðə lɪvɪŋ rum//θru æn opən dɔr ɑn maɪ lɛft aɪ kʊd si ðə
bedroom, which was very neat and tidy. I looked in the wardrobe; it was almost empty.
bɛdrum wɪtʃ wəz vɛri nit ænd taɪdi//aɪ lʊkt ɪn ðə wɔrdrob ɪt wəz ɒlmost ɛmpti/

‘That’s funny,’ I thought. ‘People who disappear don’t usually take most of their clothes with
/ðætz fəni aɪ θɒt//pipəl hu dɪsəpɪr dɑnt juʒəwəli tek most əv ðɛr kloðz wɪθ
them. They only take their clothes if they’re been planning their disappearance for a long time.’
ðɛm//ðe onli tek ðɛr kloðz ɪf ðer bɪn plænɪŋ ðɛr dɪsəpɪrəns fɔr ə lɒŋ taɪm/

I walked back into the living room and searched it carefully. But I found nothing to explain Elaine
/aɪ wɒkt bæk ɪntu ðə lɪvɪŋ rum ænd sərtʃt ɪt kɛrfəli//bət aɪ fawnd nəθɪŋ tu ɪksplen əlen
Garfield’s disappearance. Then I went into the kitchen. The kitchen was also very clean and tidy. There
gɑrfildz dɪsəpɪrəns//ðɛn aɪ wɛnt ɪntu ðə kɪtʃən//ðə kɪtʃən wəz ɒlso vɛri klin ænd tajdi//ðɛr
were no dirty plates or cups. There was no old milk in the refrigerator. Everything was in its place.
wər no dərti plets ɔr kəps//ðɛr wəz no old mɪlk ɪn ðə rəfrɪdʒəretər//ɛvriθɪŋ wəz ɪn ɪts ples/

‘Well,” I thought, ‘there’s only the bathroom left to search now.’

/wɛl aɪ θɒt ðɛrəz onli ðə bæθrum lɛft tu sərtʃ naw/

The bathroom, too, was empty and clean. I walked quickly around the flat making sure that I
ðə bæθrum, tu, wəz ɛmpti ænd klin//aɪ wɒkt kwɪkli ərawnd ðə flæt mekɪŋ ʃʊr ðæt aɪ
hadn’t forgotten anything. I wiped everything I had touched with my handkerchief because I didn’t want
hadən fərgɑtən ɛniθɪŋ//aɪ wajpt ɛvriθɪŋ aj hæd tətʃt wɪθ maj hæŋkərtʃəf bɪkɒz aɪ didn wɑnt
to leave any fingerprints. Then I switched off the lights and opened the door to leave.
tu liv ɛni fɪŋgərprɪnts//ðɛn aɪ swɪtʃt ɒf ðə laɪts ænd opənd ðə dɔr tu liv/
 But I didn’t leave. There were two men standing outside the door. One of them was short and
/bət aɪ didn liv//ðɛr wər tu mɛn stændɪŋ awtsaɪd ðə dɔr//wən əv ðɛm wəz ʃɔrt ænd
had red hair and nasty smile. The other was quite tall and was wearing a hat pulled down over his face.
hæd rɛd hɛr ænd næsti smaɪl//ðə əðər wəz kwajt tɒl ænd wəz wɛrɪŋ ə hæt pʊld dawn ovər hɪz fes/
The one with the hat was holding a gun and the gun was pointing at me.
/ðə wən wɪθ ðə hæt wəz holdɪŋ ə gən ænd ðə gən wəz pɔɪntɪŋ æt mi/

I tried to close the door but the red-haired man put his foot out to stop the door closing. I let
/aɪ traɪd tu klos ðə dɔr bət ðə rɛd-hɛrd mæn pʊt hɪz fʊt awt tu stɑp ðə dɔr klozɪŋ//aɪ lɛt
go of the door. The door opened and both the men came in. the one with the hat was in front and he
go əv ðə dɔr//ðə dɔr opənd ænd boθ ðə mɛn kem ɪn//ðə wən wɪθ ðə hæt wəz ɪn frənt ænd hi
was still carrying gun.
wəz stɪl kæriɪŋ gən/

‘Hold your hands up in the air,’ said the man with the gun.
/hold jɔr hændz əp ɪn ðə ɛr sɛd ðə mæn wɪθ ðə gən/
Then he turned to the red-haired man.
/ðɛn hi tərnd tu ðə rɛd- hɛrd mæn/
‘See if he’s got a gun on him, Jo.’
/si ɪf hiz gɑt ə gən ɑn hɪm dʒo/

Jo, the red-haired man, came over towards me. I waited. When Jo was between me and the man
/dʒo ðə rɛd-hɛrd mæn kem ovər təwɔrdz mi//aɪ wetəd//wɛn dʒo wəz bətwin mi ænd ðə mæn
with the gun, I jumped. I jumped forward and caught Jo around the neck. I held him in front of me. The
wɪθ ðə gən aɪ dʒəmpt aɪ dʒəmpt fɔrwərd ænd kɑt dʒo ərawnd ðə nɛk//a ɪ hɛld hɪm ɪn frənt əv mi ðə
man with the gun couldn’t shoot me because he would hit his friend.
mæn wɪθ ðə gən kʊdənt ʃut mi bɪkɒz hi wʊd hɪt hɪz frɛnd/

‘Right,’ I said to the man with the gun. ‘Get out of the way. I’m leaving now and I’m taking your friend
/rajt aɪ sɛd tu ðə mæn wɪθ ðə gən//gɛt awt əv ðə we//aɪm livɪŋ naw ænd aɪm tekɪŋ jɔr frɛnd
with me.’
wɪθ mi/

Holding Jo in front of me, I walked slowly towards the man with the gun. Then something went
/holdɪŋ dʒo ɪn frənt əv mi aɪ wɒkt sloli təwɔrdz ðə mæn wɪθ ðə gən//ðɛn səmθɪŋ wɛnt
wrong with my plan.
rɒŋ wɪθ maɪ plæn/
The man with the gun started to laugh. He put the gun back in hi pocket and stood laughing.
/ðə mæn wɪθ ðə gən stɑrtəd tu læf//hi pʊt ðə gən bæk ɪn haj pɑkət ænd stʊd læfɪŋ/

‘Why are you laughing?’ I asked.

/waɪ ɑr ju læfɪŋ aɪ æskt/

‘I’m laughing because you’re so stupid,’ the man with the gun said and walked up to me.
/aɪm læfɪŋ bɪkɒz jur zo stupəd ðə mæn wɪθ ðə gən sɛd ænd wɒkt əp tu mi/
‘Stop,’ I said, ‘or else I’ll…
/stɑp, aɪ sɛd, ɔr ɛls aɪl/

‘What will you do?’ asked the man with the gun. ‘You can’t do anything. I’m the one with the gun.’
/ wət wɪl ju du æskt ðə mæn wɪθ ðə gən//ju kænt du ɛniθɪŋ//aɪm ðə wən wɪθ ðə gən/

As he said this, the man leaned forward. He pulled Jo out of my hands and hit me in the face. I
/æz hi sɛd ðɪs, ðə mæn lind fɔrwərd//hi pʊld dʒo awt əv maj hændz ænd hɪt mi ɪn ðə fes//aɪ
must say that I was expecting to be hit in the face. It hurt. It hurt even more when he hit me again and I
məst se ðæt aɪ wəz ɪkspɛktɪŋ tu bi hɪt ɪn ðə fes ɪt hərt//ɪt hərt ivən mɔr wɛn hi hɪt mi əgɛn ænd aɪ
feel on the floor. I lay still on the floor hoping that the two men would go away. But they didn’t go away.
fil ɑn ðə flɔr//aɪ le stɪl ɑn ðə flɔr hopɪŋ ðæt ðə tu mɛn wʊd go əwe//bət ðe dɪdənt go əwe/
Instead, they picked me up and hit me hard on the head. Everything went black. I lay on the floor – I was
/ɪnstɛd, ðe pɪkt mi əp ænd hɪt mi hɑrd ɑn ðə hɛd//ɛvriθɪŋ wɛnt blæk. aɪ le ɑn ðə flɔr aɪ wəz
unconscious.
ənkɑnʃəs/
 ENGLISH PHONOLOGY
/ ɪŋglɪʃ fənɒləʤi /

Sigit Santoso

0901065273

Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas

Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka
Jakarta