The Blanket

By Floyd Dell
 Basım Yeri: ERTEM BASIM YAYIN DAĞITIM SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ.
Başkent Organize Sanayi Bölgesi 22. Cadde No: 6 Malıköy-Sincan/Ankara
Sertifika 16031 Basım Tarihi: 2019
 The Blanket

It is a fine September night. There is a beautiful white

moon over the valley. Peter is eleven years old. He lives with his
father and grandfather in a small house near the town.

Peter is in the kitchen. He doesn’t see the moon. He

doesn’t feel the cool September breeze. It is blowing into the
kitchen. He is looking at a red and black blanket on the kitchen
table.

The blanket is a gift from his father to his grandfather. It is

a going-away gift. Peter’s father says that grandfather is going
away... that’s why they call it “going-away” gift.

Peter doesn’t really believe his father is sending

grandfather away. But there it is, the “going- away” gift. He
understands that it is his last evening with his grandfather.

Together the old man and the young boy wash the dinner
dishes. Dad is outside the house. He is talking with a young
woman. Peter thinks his father wants to marry that woman.
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 The old man and the boy finish washing up the dishes and
go outside to sit in the garden and watch the beautiful moon.

“I want to play my harmonica for you,” the old man says.

“Do you want to listen to some old melodies?”

“Oh, yes, Grandfather! Please!” the boy says. They both love
music.

Grandfather goes into the house and comes back in a few

minutes. But instead of the harmonica, grandfather brings out
the blanket. It is a big double blanket. It is for two people.

“Now, isn’t that a fine blanket?” says the old man. “Your
father is a kind man. He gives an old man a blanket like this to
go away with. It costs a lot of money. Look at the wool in it! It is
very good for the cold winter nights. There is no other blanket
like this in the house.”

“Oh, yes, it’s a beautiful blanket,” Peter says. He gets up and

goes into the house. He is very sad. He begins to cry, but he
doesn’t want grandfather to see his tears. He gets grandfather’s
harmonica.

The blanket drops on the floor as the old man takes the
harmonica. It is their last night together. They are both sad, so
they don’t talk much.
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 Granddad plays a few notes and then says, “Do you
remember this one?” “And this one?”

Peter nods and says “Yes, Grandpa. I remember them all.”

He is sad because he thinks “This is the last time. I can’t hear
grandpa play his harmonica again.”

The music ends, and they sit silently for a few minutes.
Then, grandfather speaks. “You don’t like the sad melody. OK,
here is something happier. Let me play it for you.”

Peter is listening to his grandfather’s music, and he is

thinking. He is looking at the moon over the valley. He is
thinking about the young woman. His father wants to marry
that woman. So, she is going to be his stepmother. Can she be
a good mother to him?

Suddenly, grandfather stops playing the harmonica and

says, “It is a fine girl your father’s going to marry. He feels
young again with a pretty woman like Linda. They don’t want
an old man like me around the house... an old fool with all the
talk about backaches and pains and illnesses. I am not useful
for them!”

He takes a deep breath and continues. “They can get

married and have babies. I am an old man. I don’t want to
listen to the babies’ cries all night long. No, it’s best to leave.
Well, one or two more tunes, then we can go to bed to get
some sleep. In the morning, I can get my new blanket and
leave the house. Listen to this. It’s a bit of a sad tune but a nice
one for a night like this.”
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 Dad and the young woman are coming from a walk
around the neighbourhood. They are on the road in front of
the house. Grandfather hears the woman’s laugh and stops
playing the harmonica.

Jim, the father, doesn’t say a word, but Linda walks up to

grandfather and says, “Maybe I can’t see you in the morning, so
I want to say goodbye to you now.”

“It’s very kind of you,” says grandfather. He is looking down

at the floor. He sees the blanket there at his feet. He bends
down to pick it up.

“Do you see this?” he says. He looks and sounds like a little
boy. “It is a fine blanket. It is my son’s gift to go away with.”

“Yes,” the young woman says, “it’s a fine blanket.”

She takes the blanket in her hands and feels the wool. “A
very nice blanket indeed,” she says.

Then she turns to Jim and says to him coldly, “Is it an

expensive blanket? I think it is very expensive!”

Jim clears his throat. “I... I always want him to have the
best... He is my dad!”
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 The young woman looks at the blanket again and says
“Mmmm... it’s a double one too!”

“Yes,” the old man says. “It’s a double one... an expensive and
fine double blanket for an old fellow to go away with.”

The boy doesn’t want to listen to this talk, so he goes into

the house. He can still hear the young woman talking about
the expensive blanket. He hears his dad slowly getting angry.

A few minutes later, Linda goes into the house. When he

hears this, Peter comes out of the house.

Suddenly, Linda turns back and shouts at Jim. “I don’t care

about what you say. Your father doesn’t need an expensive
double blanket!”

Jim only looks at her. He doesn’t say a word.

“She is right, Dad,” Peter says. “Grandfather doesn’t need a

double blanket!”

They all look at the boy. They are all surprised. The
young woman is happy to hear these words from Peter. The
grandfather is sad; he doesn’t want to listen to them anymore.

Peter goes back into the house and brings a pair of

scissors. “Cut it, Dad... cut the blanket in two!” he says.
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 “That’s not a bad idea,” says grandfather happily. “I don’t
need such a big blanket. You can cut it into two.”

“Yes,” the boy says, “a single blanket is enough for an old

man. Let’s keep the other half. It can be useful later one day.”

His father turns to Peter. “Now, what do you mean by that?

When can half of a double blanket be useful?” he asks.

“What I mean is this,” says Peter slowly, “I can give the other
half to you one day. When you are old, and I’m sending you
away...”

There is silence after Peter’s words. Then, Jim goes over to

his father and stands in front of him. He cannot say a word.

Grandfather puts his hand on Jim’s shoulder. Peter is

watching them. He hears grandfather whisper softly, “It’s all
right, Son. Don’t worry, I can take care of myself. I can live
alone.”

“No, Father. Please, forgive me, Father. Don’t leave, please.”

says dad. “This is your house. Please stay with us!”

Peter runs and hugs his father and grandfather. All three
begin to cry. They feel very happy together.
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 ACTIVITIES
A. Write T (True) or F (False).
…… 1) Peter is living with his father and grandfather in a big
house near the town.

…… 2) The blanket is a gift from his grandfather to Peter.

…… 3) The old man and the young boy wash the dinner dishes
together.

…… 4) Peter and grandfather are both sad because it is the last

night they are having together.

…… 5) Dad and the pretty little woman are coming from a walk
around the neighbourhood.

…… 6) The young woman walks up to grandfather to listen to his

harmonica.

…… 7) The young woman thinks that grandfather doesn’t need a

double blanket.

…… 8) Grandfather brings a pair of scissors to cut the blanket into

two.

…… 9) Peter wants the half of the blanket to give it to the woman.

…… 10) The young woman wants grandfather to stay in the house.

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B. Answer the questions.

1) Where does Peter live?

2) Why is Peter unhappy?

3) What is the “going- away” gift for grandfather?

4) Who is the young woman?

5) What instrument does grandfather play?

6) Does Linda want grandfather to leave the house?

7) What does Linda think about the blanket?

8) Why does Jim get angry with the young woman?

9) What does Peter bring from the house to cut the blanket?

10) What is Peter planning to do with the half of the blanket?

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