英語でストーリーを読みながらリーディング力を伸ばしたいと思ったことはありませんか？
このシリーズでは、初心者でも読みやすい英語で、少し不思議で少し怖い話を紹介します。
今回紹介するのは、私が子どもの頃に実際に体験した出来事です。今でも「あれは何だったのだろう」と考えることがあります。
The Two Children I Still Remember
私が今でも覚えている二人の子ども
When I was an elementary school student, some of my friends came to my house to play.
At some point, someone suggested telling ghost stories.
I wasn’t brave enough to enter haunted houses, but I loved listening to scary stories. Everyone turned off the lights, sat in a circle, and started telling their stories one by one.
While one of my friends was talking, she suddenly stopped.
She kept looking toward the window.
The shutters were closed, and it was impossible to see outside.
There was nothing on the window.
Then she quietly said,
“There are two children standing outside.”
Everyone froze.
I looked at the window, but I couldn’t see anything.
My friend looked frightened.
A few moments later, my mother came into the room after hearing us scream.
She opened the shutters and looked outside.
“There isn’t anyone here,” she said.
Nothing else happened that day.
Eventually everyone went home, and little by little I forgot about the whole thing.
Years passed.
One night, I was sleeping alone in our Japanese-style room.
I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.
When I was little, I always slept with my head under the blanket.
Normally I would peek outside to check the time.
But that night…
For some reason…
I didn’t want to come out from under the blanket.
After a while, I gathered my courage and opened only a tiny gap.
Just enough to look outside.
Two children were standing right in front of me.
A boy.
And a girl.
They were holding hands.
Neither of them said a word.
They were simply looking at me.
The moment I saw them, I remembered what my friend had said years before.
“There are two children standing outside.”
I pulled the blanket over my head immediately.
I don’t remember falling asleep.
When I woke up the next morning, they were gone.
Nothing like that has ever happened again.
It was only that one night.
But there is one thing I still cannot explain.
How did I know they were a boy and a girl?
How did I know they were holding hands?
I had only looked through a tiny opening in my blanket.
I shouldn’t have been able to see that much.
At most, I should have seen their feet.
Even today, I don’t know whether it was a dream or reality.
But I remember those two children as clearly as if they had been standing there yesterday.
Sometimes people who claim to have seen ghosts can describe them in surprising detail.
Maybe…
When we see something that shouldn’t exist…
We receive more than just what our eyes can see.
Today’s Words
- shutter（雨戸）
- blanket（掛け布団）
- peek（のぞく）
- freeze（固まる）
- gather one’s courage（勇気を出す）
- hold hands（手をつなぐ）
- stare at（じっと見る）
- reality（現実）
Today’s Phrase
For some reason, I didn’t want to…
「なぜか〜したくなかった」
例）
- For some reason, I didn’t want to open the door.
- For some reason, I felt scared.
Reading Check
① Where were the two children first seen?
② Why couldn’t the narrator explain what happened?
③ What is the strangest part of the story?
＋ワンポイント：話す力を伸ばすなら声に出す練習を！
英語表現を“知っている”だけでは、実際の接客ではなかなか口から出てきません。
今回のようなフレーズも、声に出して何度も練習することで初めて使える英語になります。
「話す練習をする時間がなかなか取れない」「一人だとアウトプット練習ができない」という方には、スマホでスピーキング練習ができるアプリもおすすめです。
- 1回5分のスキマ時間から練習可能
- 音声認識で発話をチェックできるので、何度でも繰り返し練習可能
- 薬局で使える接客フレーズも、“覚えるだけ”から“口で出せる”へ変わる
※3日間は全機能が無料でお試しいただけます
実際に口に出して練習することで、外国の方への接客もスムーズに。
小さな練習の積み重ねが、薬局での英語対応力アップにつながります。
まとめ
英語のストーリーを読むことで、自然な表現や過去形、情景描写をまとめて学ぶことができます。
そして、この話には今でも答えがありません。
本当にそこに誰かがいたのか。
それとも夢だったのか。
でも一つだけ、今でも不思議に思うことがあります。
なぜ私は、ほんの少ししか見ていないはずなのに、「男の子と女の子が手をつないで立っていた」と確信できたのでしょうか。
それは今でも説明できません。
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