By Vivien Alcock

The Author:
Vivien Alcock
Bestselling author of mystery and fantasy fiction for young adults. Born: 23 September 1924 in Worthing, England Died: 11 October 2003 in London, England Writing was only secondary to art. Attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Arts from 1940 Vivien worked as a commercial artist and it was only when Leons success began to wane that she produced her first novel.

 The story is about Lucy Beck A young, small and early

overlocked girl with a lonely O level. She graduates at the bottom of the class from Belmont Secretarial College. Lucy comes from a poor family. She lives with her hottempered mother and her uncle who is a heavy drinker. Lucy was offered a job as a secretary at Ross and Bannisters. As Lucy work alone in the office, she encounters strange incidents. No matter what she tries to type the word QWERTYUIOP keeps popping on the letter and then threaten her frighten her. Lucy discovers the existence of Miss Broome who claims to be the rightful secretary of the office.

 Lucy gets to know from Harry Darke that Miss Broome

was a former secretary of the late Mr Bannister who was forced to retire after forty three years of service. Lucy sympathies with Miss Broomes situation but she is determined to keep her job. She tells Miss Broome about Mr Bannisters passing and persuades her that her services are needed more where he is now. Finally the spirit gives in and Lucy bids her goodbye.

Setting:
Lucys house
Lucy lives in a poor neighbourhood. She lives with her mother and Uncle Bert.

The office of Ross and Bannisters

Ross and Bannisters is a small firm which is over thirty years old. It has a factory just outside the town that makes cushions and duvets. It has a office in the High Street. The office is small but airy and bright with a view of the street below. There are only two other people in the office, Mr Ross, Lucys boss and Mr Harry Drake who does all the odd jobs.

Main Character: Lucy Beck Characteristics

Plain looking A low achiever
Poor

Suffers from low esteem Determined Sympathetic Brave

Caring Insightful Quick-learner

Main Character: The ghost of Miss Broome Characteristics

Persistent Bad Tempered Vengeful Loyal and dedicated Lonely Feels unappreciated

Minor Character: Harry Darke

Characteristics Helpful Judgemental Concerned
Supportive and encouraging

Minor Character: Lucys Mother Characteristics

Patient Does not expect Lucy to get a job Compassionate

Minor Character: Uncle Bert Characteristics

An alcoholic Low self esteem Caring

Minor Character: Mr Ross Characteristics

Lucy boss Accommodating Concerned

Minor Character: Mrs Price Characteristics

sympathetic

Plot
1. At Belmont secretarial Collage
The students at Belmont Secretarial Collage have completed their secretarial course. Among them is Lucy Beck who is the weakest student in the class. She has only obtained one O level pass has a very slow typing speed.

2. Lucy want a job badly

-Lucy lives with her mother and uncle.
-If she has a job, she can get away from her alcoholic uncle. -Lucy wants a jobs because she is tired of being poor. -She is tired of eating macaroni cheese and baked beans. -She is sick of wearing second-hand clothes.

3.Lucy gets a job at Ross and Bannisters

-Lucy attends her first interview at Ross and Bannisters. -Ross and Bannisters is a small firm with a factory just outside the town making cushions and duvets. -Lucy is too excited to notice the sudden doubt in his voice or the hint of anxiety behind Mr Rosss smile. -Lucy mother is astonished that Lucy can get a job so quickly.

4. Lucys first day at work

-Lucy arrives early on her first day at work. -Lucy reports for work enthusiastically. -She meets Harry Darke, the odd-job man who has worked for the company for thirty-years. -Harry hints to Lucy that her predecessors did not last long in the position. -He is also cautious and does not reveal too much information. -He tells Lucy that the electric typewriter in the office is not an ordinary one. -He also gives Lucy a big bottle of correction fluid in anticipation of problems with the typewriter. -He then leaves her alone as he has errands to do.

5. Lucys first terrifying encounter with the typewriter

-Mr Ross has left Lucy instructions on the tape recorder to type a letter to a client. -The moment Lucy starts typing she feels something is wrong. -The word QWERTYUIOP is repeated many times. -The typewriter then starts typing funny messages but it is unless. -Lucy uses the liquid paper to erase the messages but it is useless. -Finally a threat is issued: NO ONE LIKES YOU. GO AWAY BEFORE

6. Lucy remembers Darkes warnings

-Lucy suddenly remembers all that Darke has said to her. -Lucy realises she is dealing with the supernatural. -She gets up and flees to the door.

7. Lucy confronts the typewriter

-Lucy may be young and shy but she is not a coward. -She refuses to leave her job, so she faces her fears. -She returns to finish her letter. -Lucy discovers that the messages are coming from Miss Broome, a Former secretary to the late Mr Bannister. -The ghost of Miss Broome makes the typewriter scream and shake, snapping its keys like castanets; it is very determined to shop Lucy from continuing her work. -Lucy is adamant that she finishes her letters and immediate deletes any unwanted messages the minute they appear.

8. Darke tells Lucy about Miss Broome

-Miss Broome was old Mr Bannisters secretary. -She was forced to retire after 43 years of service. -She didnt have a family and the office was her home. -The jobs was all she lived for. -She became very depressed and died soon after. -She has since been haunting the typewriter and forcing all the secretaries to quit.

9. Lucy types a goodbye note to Miss Broome

-Lucy decides to type a letter to Miss Broome and informs her that Her services are still needed by Mr Bannister who passed away three years ago at the age of eighty-six Mr Bannister was always saying how much he missed her (Miss Broome) None of the new girls were any good -Lucys kindness and compassion help the ghost of Miss Broome to finally find peace and stop haunting the typewriter.

10. All ends well for Lucy

-Mr Ross is delighted with his new secretary. -Mr Darke admires Lucy for her bravery in facing the ghost. -Lucy is proud to be a secretary. -It is a job she likes to do and can do well.

Themes

Compassion and kindness Determination to succeed Vengeance Ghostly encounters Loneliness and rejection

Moral Values
Do not judge a book by its cover Perseverance is the key to success Do not give up easily when we are
faced with problems We must go the extra mile to help others Protect what is rightfully ours

Point of View
The story is told in the third person point of view and we only knows what Lucy knows, thinks and feels as the events unfold around her.

Language, Style and Diction

The story is told in simple language. Direct speech is used a lot and the dialogues make the story interesting. The use of literary devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration and symbol helps create the right mood and atmosphere for the story.

Diction: Good expressions used in the story

Jobs dont grow on
trees A hint of anxiety behind his smile No need to look like a frightened mouse

No one breathing
down her neck Sunlight streamed through the window goose pimples shivering her flesh

Literary Devices
Comparison
A typing speed that would make a tortoise
laugh His collapsing face seemed held together in a scarlet net of broken veins

Simile
Shot off like a scalded cat No need to look like a frightened mouse Its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth Shaking and snapping its keys like castanets Every letter she stared in the face like it was a criminal and she the judge

Metaphor
You are the new broom Youre a right little lion

Personification
The typewriter was silent lucka stranger coming late to the door#

Visual Image
it crouched like a squat ugly monster staring at her with alphabetical eyes fingers flying over the keys like white butterflies The typewriter rocked as if with laughter keys hitting her fingers from below, leaping up and down like mad children at playtime

Sound Images
He was jingling a bunch of keys Was the typewriter really humming in tune? Its keys clicking

Symbol
the rough sea of life is a symbol of the trials of life Come into the parlour, said the spider to the fly is a symbol of Lucy being a prey Brass clock is a symbol of Miss Broomes time being up

Idiom
Punctuality is the courtesy of Kings Get the chop

Alliteration
Judge and jury creates a special sound effect .

Mood
To depict a chilling and suitable atmosphere for a ghost story, the writer evokes the following images: Mr Drake (note the association of the name with dark) is portrayed as an elderly man with small dark eyes like currants. Lucy is left alone in the office The spring breeze makes the room chilly The unnatural screaming and snapping of the hysterical typewriter The ominous hints dropped by Harry with the last girl leaving so quick. Left the same day she cameShot off like a scalded cat and Lets hope you stay longer than the other ones.

Presented / Created by :

Chang Jian Cong Lee Zhi Xian Richard Lainier Bertus Low Kim Xiang

THE END