"Wake up !

"

I jumped out of bed so violently that I almost knocked my mother down.

"What's wrong with you ?" Mother asked with concern. "These days, you have been acting so
weirdly. You walk around in a doze and you have nightmares every night !

"Eh ... oh... nothing, Mother," I stammered, hoping to think of a better excuse to appease her.
"I must have been eating too much before bedtime and so I have not been sleeping well. I
guess that's why I am so tired in the day too." I cast my eyes downwards, not daring to meet
her gaze.

"In that case, no more food for you after nine." She gave me another concerned look and left
the room.

I could not tell her what was bothering me. No one would believe me or they would think it
was a figment of my imagination. Ever since I started reading this book called 'Read On if
you Dare !' by an anonymous writer, I had been experiencing strange things while I was
awake and in my sleep.

I felt as if I was being watched all the time. Sometimes, I could feel its presence so close that
my hair would stand on end. I tried to shake off this paranoia but I continued to feel its eerie
presence around me. Sometimes, this strange formless entity would pursue me as I ran to get
away from it. At night, I dreaded to go to sleep because of this recurring nightmare that did
not make sense to me at all.

Throughout this time, I could not stop reading this book. I felt drawn to it in a mysterious
way. There was a strange force pulling me towards it and forcing me to flip the pages and
read on. Finally, I could not bear this madness any more. I went to seek the help of an old
man. Old Man Li, as he was known in my neighborhood, was rumored to be a witch doctor.

My first encounter with him was frightening. His house was dark and gloomy. It smelt of
burning incense. He recited a few chants and performed an unusual ritual. He sprinkled some
magical dust on the book that he claimed would dispel the evil spirit that resided within its
pages. After a few more visits, my nightmares stopped and I did not feel its presence any
more. I could not thank Old Man Li enough. As soon as I got home, I burnt the storybook
although its memory would forever be engraved in my mind.
Answer the following questions using complete sentences
1. Why do you think the writer cast his eyes downwards and did not want to meet his
mother's gaze ?

2. Why did the writer not tell his experiences to his mother ?

3. What was strange about the writer's behavior ?

4. What does an 'anonymous writer' mean according to the passage ?

5. What was the 'paranoia' (paragraph &) the writer was referring to in the passage ?

6. Why do you think the writer sought the help of Old Man Li and not anyone else ?

7. What was the unusual ritual Old Man Li performed ?

8. Explain in your own words why Old Man Li performed this ritual.

9. Was Old Man Li successful in his attempt ? Support your answer with evidence from
the passage.

10. What did the writer mean by 'its memory would forever be engraved in my mind'
(paragraph 9) ?