Shadowing Practice: 5 True Intimidating Horror Stories Animated - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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My name is Emily, and this is how I finally broke free from the man who was sucking the life out of me.
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It was a Tuesday evening in early fall, the kind where the leaves were just starting to turn, but the air still hung heavy with summer's regret.
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David and I were sitting at our kitchen table, the one I'd bought with my bonus from the marketing firm where I worked 60 -hour weeks.
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He had his usual mug of Earl Grey in front of him, steam curling up like the endless stream of words pouring from his mouth.
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You know Em, I was thinking about that investment opportunity I told you about last week.
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The guy's got this app idea.
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It's like Uber, but for dog walkers.
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Revolutionary, right?
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I just need a little seed money to get in on the ground floor.
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I nodded faintly, stirring my own tea, watching the spoon clink against the porcelain.
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I'd heard variations of this pitch a hundred times.
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David hadn't held a job in years, not since his startup failed spectacularly, leaving us, me, with the debt.
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He lived off my salary, my savings, my everything.
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I was the one climbing the corporate ladder, dealing with asshole bosses and endless Zoom calls, while he lounged around the house, networking on his phone.
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Pathetic leech, that's what he was.
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I'd whispered it to myself in the mirror for months, feeling the resentment build like poison in my veins.
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That night, I'd finally had enough.
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I'd slipped the rat poison into his sugar bowl earlier.
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Just a pinch, enough to make it look like a heart attack.
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The doctor had warned him about his blood pressure, after all.
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I sipped my tea slowly, listening to him drone on about his big plans.
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And once it takes off, we'll be set, babe.
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No more of this nine -to -five grind for you.
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We'll travel.
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Paris, Rome, you name it.
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Uh -huh, I murmured, my eyes fixed on the clock.
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He took another gulp, oblivious as always.
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He never noticed how quiet I'd become, how I barely looked at him anymore.
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Why would he?
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I was just the ATM in a skirt.
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We finished our cups at around the same time.
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I set mine down gently, stood up without a word.
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He paused mid -sentence, his eyes glazing over, drooping like he was fighting sleep.
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Em, you okay?
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His head thudded against the table, a dull sound that echoed in the empty kitchen.
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I waited a beat, and then I leaned over and pressed my fingers to his neck.
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No pulse.
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Nothing.
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Just silence.
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Finally.
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I cleared the table methodically, washed the cups, wiped down the surfaces, tucked the sugar bowl back into the cabinet.
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And then I grabbed the suitcase that I'd packed that morning, hidden in the hall closet.
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Goodbye.
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I said it was slumped form and walked out the door.
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The cool air hit my face like a baptism.
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I drove straight to O 'Hare, caught a red eye to New York, and never looked back.
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The police ruled it a natural death.
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High cholesterol.
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Stress from unemployment.
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They bought the story that I'd planted with his doctor visits.
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I sold the house remotely, transferred the money, and started over in Brooklyn.
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A fresh start, I told myself.
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At 32, I was still young enough to rebuild.
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I got a job at a boutique ad agency, the kind with ping -pong tables and free kombucha.
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For the first time in years, I felt alive.
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Dating was supposed to be the fun part.
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I'd download the apps, Bumble, Hinge, even Tinder for the thrill.
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I'd swipe on young, handsome guys, the ones with abs and startup jobs of their own.
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My first date was with Alex, a 28 -year -old software engineer with dimples and a laugh that made my stomach flip.
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We met at a trendy bar in Williamsburg, sipping craft cocktails under string lights.
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So, what do you do for fun, Emily?
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He asked, leaning in close.
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I smiled, feeling the spark.
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Travel, yoga, the usual.
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But lately just exploring the city.
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What about you?
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Oh man, I love hiking upstate.
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We should go sometime.
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Get away from all this noise.
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It was going well.
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Really well.
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Until I glanced at his face mid -sentence.
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And there it was.
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David's features overlaying Alex's, like a glitch in reality.
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The drooping eyes.
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The slack jaw from that final moment.
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My heart pounded.
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Vial rising in my throat.
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I...
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I have to go.
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I stammered, grabbing my coat.
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Wait, what?
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Did I say something wrong?
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No, it's me.
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Sorry.
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I bolted, hailing a cab outside, tears streaming down my face.
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It happened again and again.
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With Jake, the artist from Soho.
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You're amazing, Emily.
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Tell me about your job.
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Poof.
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David's ghost.
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With Ryan, the finance bro.
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Let's grab dessert at my place.
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Nope.
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Husband's face.
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Trauma hitting like a truck.
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I'd leave them confused mid -conversation.
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My phone buzzing with unanswered texts.
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What happened?
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Did I offend you?
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I couldn't explain it.
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The guilt.
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The memory.
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It haunted me.
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I started therapy, but even my shrink couldn't make it stop.
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PTSD from the loss, she said.
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Yeah, right.
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Months dragged on.
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I was exhausted.
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Lonely.
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I threw myself into work, climbing to senior director.
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Then, one rainy afternoon, I ran into Harold at the corner deli in my neighborhood.
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He was in his late 60s, silver hair, kind eyes behind bifocals.
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We'd nodded at each other before.
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He lived a few doors down, a retired accountant or something.
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Emily Wright, nasty weather out there, he said, holding the door for me.
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Yeah, feels like it'll never stop.
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How have you been, Harold?
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Oh, same old.
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Picking up some bagels.
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Care to join me for drinks sometime?
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No pressure, just neighborly.
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I hesitated, but what the hell?
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He wasn't young or handsome.
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No risk of the ghost appearing.
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Sure, why not?
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Tomorrow at the Spaniards?
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We met the next day.
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Harold was charming in a grandfatherly way.
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full of stories from his youth.
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Over wine, he opened up.
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You know, I had a good life.
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Traveled the world.
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Played golf every weekend.
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My wife, God rest her soul, she was the breadwinner.
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Corporate lawyer.
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Always in meetings.
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I stayed home.
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Managed the house.
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It worked for us.
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I sipped my wine, intrigued.
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Really?
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Most men I know would have hated that.
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He chuckled.
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Ha ha, nah, I loved it.
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She's slaved away, and I reap the benefits.
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Lazy, maybe, but she never complained.
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Died too young.
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Heart attack at 55.
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His words hit close, but no ghost, no David, just a strange sense of kinship.
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Sounds familiar, I muttered.
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Harold's words sinking into me like a stone She slaved away and I reaped the benefits My stomach churned This man,
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with his kind eyes and gentle smile, was just another David Another leech, living off a woman's hard work Proud of it,
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even I could barely look at him His silver hair catching the bar's light like some halo he didn't deserve
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Disgust crawled up my throat.
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Sounds like you had it made, I said, forcing a tight smile, my voice flat.
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I pushed my chair back a little, the screech of wood on tile louder than it meant to be.
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Harold chuckled, oblivious.
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Oh, I did.
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Margaret was a firecracker.
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Always working, always moving.
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I just kept the home fires burning, you know?
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Yeah, I know, I muttered.
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my fingers tightening around the glass.
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I couldn't do this.
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Not again.
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Not with another man who thought that a woman's sweat was his free ride.
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Excuse me, Harold, I need to hit the restroom.
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Sure thing, he said, waving a hand, already reaching for nachos like nothing was wrong.
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I'll be here.
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I grabbed my purse and headed to the back, my heels clicking on the floor.
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Each step a countdown to getting the hell out.
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In the bathroom, I locked the door and leaned against the sink, staring at my reflection.
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My face looked tired.
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The lines around my eyes deeper than they should be at 32.
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I'd left David behind, burned my old life to the ground.
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But here I was, sitting across from his echo.
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Pathetic.
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I wasn't sticking around for this.
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I'd ghost Harold, block his number, Avoid the deli for a month.
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Done.
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I splashed cold water on my face, ready to slip out the back if I had to.
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Then, the door creaked open.
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I froze.
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I locked it, hadn't I?
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Harold stood there.
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Harold, what the...
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I started, stepping back, my purse slipping to the floor.
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You seemed upset, he said, his voice low, almost calm.
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Thought we should talk.
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This is the woman's bathroom, get out!
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But he didn't.
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He moved fast, too fast for a man his age, grabbing my arm and spinning me around.
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My hands hit the sink, the cold porcelain biting into my palms.
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Harold, stop!
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I yelled, but his grip tightened.
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I froze, my breath catching, panic flooding my veins.
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Shh, Emily, he whispered.
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You want this, I can tell.
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I wanted to scream, to claw his eyes out, but my body betrayed me,
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a sick twist of heat curling low in my stomach as he moved.
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Tears stung my eyes, spilling down my cheeks my reflection in the mirror a mess of fear and something else.
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Something I hated myself for feeling.
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I was trapped, caught between disgust and a twisted, unwanted thrill.
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And then I saw it.
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In the mirror, Harold's face shifted.
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His silver hair darkened, his jaw sharpened, his eyes drooped into that familiar, lifeless gaze.
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David.
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It was David's face staring back at me.
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His ghost leering through Harold's body.
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My knees buckled, a scream lodged in my throat.
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The world spun, and all I could see was him, my dead husband, back to haunt me.
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He will never let me live.
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I was 19, stumbling through my first semester at a community college in this sleepy suburb outside Chicago.
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Mom and I lived in a cramped two -bedroom apartment that always smelled like her cheap lavender candles, the kind that she bought in bulk from Walmart to cover up the stale air.
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She was a single mom, working double shifts at the diner downtown,
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always coming home with grease stains on her uniform and that exhausted smile that she plastered on for me.
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Dad had split when I was five, and she'd raised me alone ever since, dating a string of losers who never stuck around.
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I guess that's why I turned out the way I did.
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Nerdy.
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Awkward.
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The kind of guy who buried himself in sci -fi books and old video games instead of parties or girls.
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College was supposed to be a fresh start.
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But it felt like high school all over again.
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I'd shuffle into the building every morning, my baggy hand -me -down jeans sagging, my faded hoodie hiding the fact that I hadn't bothered with a haircut in months.
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Head down, I'd pass groups of guys laughing and shoving each other, their snickers following me like shadows.
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Look at that freak, one would mutter, just loud enough for me to hear.
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I'd pretend not to notice, eyes glued to the cracked linoleum floor.
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In lectures, I'd sit in the back, scribbling notes on quantum physics or whatever, but mostly doodling aliens in the margins.
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Lunch was me alone in the corner of the cafeteria, picking at a soggy sandwich, whispering to myself about plot holes in Star Wars.
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No one talked to me.
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Why would they?
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I didn't make eye contact, didn't join clubs.
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I was invisible.
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A ghost haunting the halls.
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After classes, I'd head straight home, lock myself in my room, and stare out the window at the gray Illinois sky.
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God, I wish I had a friend.
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I'd mumble to the empty air, my voice cracking a little.
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Mom would knock sometimes, her voice tired through the door.
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Honey, dinner's ready.
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You okay in there?
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I'd yell back that I was fine, but she knew I wasn't.
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Her face always looked so worried.
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Lines dutched deeper from years of scraping by.
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One afternoon, everything changed.
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It was a Thursday, I think overcast, the kind of day where the wind bites through your clothes.
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I left campus early, cutting through the path that skirted the wooded area behind the old mill.
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The trees loomed like silent giants, their leaves crunching under my sneakers.
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And that's when I saw him, a scruffy mutt bounding out of the underbrush, tongue lolling, tail whipping like a helicopter.
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He dropped a bone at my feet.
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Big, knobby, like from a deer or something, and he shook off the dirt, spraying me with mud.
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Hey boy, I said, kneeling down, my heart pounding with this weird excitement.
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No one ever approached me like that.
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I reached out, and he let me pet his wiry fur, leaning into my hand.
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For a second, I felt happy.
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normal.
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Then he barked sharp, grabbed my pant leg in his teeth, and tugged hard before darting back into the woods, bone clamped in his jaws.
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Wait, come back, I shouted, scrambling after him without thinking.
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The sky darkened as I plunged deeper, branches snagging my clothes.
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The dog vanished, and suddenly I was lost, heart racing, the air thick with the smell of damp earth.
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I tripped over a root, or what I thought was a root, and face planted into leaves.
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Groaning, I pushed up and saw it.
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A pile of bones scattered haphazardly, white and weathered.
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And, sticking out of the dirt, the top of a skull, small and round, like it belonged to someone my age.
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Curiosity hit me like a wave.
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I dug with my hands, dirt caking under my nails until I pulled out the skull.
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It stared back with empty sockets, but it didn't scare me.
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It felt familiar.
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A little ways off, under a mound of leaves, I spotted a faded backpack, half buried.
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Glancing between the bones and the bag, a smile crept onto my face.
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This was meant for me.
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I unzipped the backpack.
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Inside, some moldy clothes, a water bottle, and a notebook with Austen scrawled on the cover in Sharpie.
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Austin, I whispered, like saying it made him real.
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I gathered the bones, ribs, femurs, whatever I could find, stuffing most into the backpack, the rest into mine.
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They clattered softly as I shouldered both bags and retraced my steps.
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Somehow, the woods spit me back out onto the path in minutes, like they had been waiting to release me.
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Mom was pacing when I got home, her apron still on from work.
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Where the hell have you been?
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It's almost dark!
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I was about to call the cops!
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I just grinned, this goofy smile that I couldn't wipe off.
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I was with my friend, Austin.
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Her eyes widened, confusion mixing with relief.
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A friend?
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Really?
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Oh, honey, that's great!
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She hugged me quick, smelling like fryer oil, before I bolted upstairs.
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In the room, door locked, I pulled out the bones.
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Using wire from my desk drawer and a hanger from the closet, I assembled him like in my biology textbook.
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Skeleton hanging there, skull perched on top.
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Hey, Austin, I said, stepping back.
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Welcome home.
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For the next few days, life felt different.
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I'd wake up smiling, chat with Austin while getting ready.
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College sucks, man, but at least I got you now.
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At the college, I still kept to myself, but I didn't feel so alone.
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Mom noticed, too.
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Over breakfast one morning, she said, You seem happier.
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Tell me about this Austin kid.
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He's cool, I replied, shoveling cereal.
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We hang out after class.
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Talks a lot about adventures.
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She beamed.
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I'm so glad, sweetie.
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You deserve friends.
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One afternoon, I came home to screams echoing from upstairs.
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I dropped my bag and ran up, hard in my throat.
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Mom was in my room, backed against the wall, pointing at the closet.
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What the f* is that?
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Oh my god, what have you done?
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Austin hung there, wire glinting in the light.
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Mom, that's Austin, my friend.
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She whirled on me, face pale, tears streaming.
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That's a skeleton!
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Human bones!
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Where did you get this?
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Are you insane?
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No, he's real!
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I found him in the woods!
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He's my only friend!
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I was crying now, snot running, voice breaking.
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Please don't take him away!
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Get rid of it!
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Now!
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She shrieked, grabbing my arm.
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This is sick!
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You're crazy!
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You need help!
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I yanked free, rage boiling up.
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She wanted to take him?
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After everything?
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You don't understand.
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You've got your boyfriends coming and going like I'm not even here.
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Jamie, that asshole from the bar.
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Yeah, I know about him.
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Don't you dare!
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Get that thing out or I'm calling the police!
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I stormed to my desk and yanked open my laptop.
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Fine.
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But look at this first.
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I pulled up the folder, hidden deep, encrypted.
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Videos that I'd secretly recorded over the years.
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There she was with Jamie, going wild, screaming his name.
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Mom gasped, hand over her mouth.
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How...
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I've got more, I said, voice cold.
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With Mike, with that guy from work last year.
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Whole library.
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I'll upload them all to Reddit.
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Tag your name, your work.
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Everyone will see what a freak you are.
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She collapsed onto the bed, sobbing.
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Please, no, I'm your mother.
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Why would you do this?
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Because Austin stays, I snarled.
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He's all I have.
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You take him, I ruin you.
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She looked up, broken.
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Okay, okay.
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He stays.
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Just delete them.
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I won't.
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Insurance.
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I closed the laptop, heart pounding, but triumphant.
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Things settled after that.
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Uneasy peace.
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Mom avoided my room, her eyes hollow when she looked at me.
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But she didn't fight.
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A week later, we sat at dinner.
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Spaghetti she had made, her hands shaking as she served.
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Austin was there, too, propped in a chair at the table, skull grinning blankly.
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Pass the salt, Austin?
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I said, chuckling to myself.
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I've been a yoga instructor for six years.
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I love it.
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I work in a rural area, so I have a small but loyal group of customers.
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I feel like I really get to know them all.
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On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I have my beginner class.
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Until recently, that group was my favorite.
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It was mostly older women who took their health very seriously, but weren't afraid to joke around.
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The whole vibe changed though when I got a new client, Nina.
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She was in her mid -twenties, decades younger than anyone else there.
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She was in much better shape too, but because of her work schedule, the beginner class was the only one she could take.
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Our cycles were much too easy for her, so she would constantly complain if we went too slow or laugh at the other women if they needed extra help.
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I had to speak with her several times, but she never changed her attitude.
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A few women transferred to another group just to get away from her.
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It got so bad I had to kick her out.
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If she couldn't behave herself, she wasn't welcome.
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Well, you're the only yoga studio in town, so I'm going to keep coming.
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You can either accept my money or not.
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I wasn't going to call the cops on her, so I just dropped it.
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In our next class, she came back just as bitchy as ever her.
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After a while everyone got used to ignoring her comments.
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Now that she didn't get any reactions, she started behaving herself, more or less.
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And then we got another student, the only male in the group.
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He was a Chinese man in his 50s, wonderful guy.
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Everyone called him Mr. Li.
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He was a gentleman, very soft spoken.
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He said he joined the class in honor of his late wife Lily.
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She recently died when a drunk driver hit their car.
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With her dying words, she made him promise to take care of himself after she was gone.
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It was a very heavy story to share on his first class.
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Everyone offered him sympathy except for Nina, who pretended to cry but was actually giggling.
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I didn't scold her because Mr. Lee didn't realize she was laughing at his tragedy
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and I didn't want to make the situation worse.
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Mr. Lee attended the classes for several weeks, easily making friends with everyone except Nina.
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He brought potted plants and homemade food as gifts, which I guess is traditional in his culture.
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For the most part, Nina behaved herself, though she'd still scoff at him and make snide remarks at his limited flexibility.
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And then, during one class, he brought mooncakes for everyone to try.
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He said it was a mid -autumn tradition, and this was his first year making them himself.
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I know they won't be as good as lilies, but this is my way to honor her memory.
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I thought it tasted wonderful.
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Everyone did, including Nina.
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I could see the satisfaction on her face as she ate it.
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But just to be a bitch, she acted like it was disgusting.
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Maybe try someone else's recipe next time.
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Your wife adds way too much flour.
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Mr. Lee immediately started crying and ran into the changing room.
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That one little insult really got to him.
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I felt terrible.
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I demanded that Nina go into the back and apologized to him.
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She grumbled like a child but did as I said.
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I had a feeling she was going to be her usual nasty self
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so I told the other ladies to keep warming up and I followed her.
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I waited outside the door trying to listen in hoping that Nina would act like an adult
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but what I heard through the door horrified me.
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Mr. Lee, I am so so sorry for what I did.
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You know, you're a very handsome man.
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Don't you think it's time you moved on?
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Do you like me?
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What the hell?
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He charged out of the room and ran past me.
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He was gone before I could stop him.
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And Nina was still standing inside the changing room, smirking proud of herself.
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What?
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He's cute.
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And you told me to make it up to him.
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I canceled the rest of class and gave everyone their money back.
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I was not in the right headspace for yoga.
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None of us were.
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The next class, I was prepared to physically throw Nina out if she came back.
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But when Mr. Lee arrived, looking relaxed and happy, he told me not to worry about it.
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All is forgiven.
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When Nina arrived, she put her mat right next to his.
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She kept giving him flirtatious glances, but he ignored her completely.
448
I could tell he had a plan to get back at her.
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Good for him.
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After class, he pulled her aside and asked her out on a date.
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She didn't notice the suppressed hatred in his eyes like I did it.
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Nina gladly accepted and went into the changing room to get ready.
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I approached Mr. Lee and asked him what he was up to.
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Just making sure that justice is served.
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My wife always believed in karma.
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He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a big smile as he walked out with Nina.
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Neither of them showed up to the next class and I got really worried.
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I didn't think Mr. Lee was capable of anything dangerous or illegal, but you never know.
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The next week he came back.
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He was in a great mood.
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I asked him if Nina was coming and he said yes.
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He also told me to prepare myself.
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Our class might get interrupted.
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I had no idea what he meant.
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Nina arrived a few minutes later.
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She greeted Mr. Lee with a hug and acted really pleasant.
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I was very curious about what was going to happen but I had to get the class started.
468
We got through about 10 minutes of yoga before two police officers burst in.
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Everyone looked shocked except for Mr. Lee.
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There she is, officer.
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That's the driver!
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Nina started screaming as the cops grabbed her and read her her rights.
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What's going on?
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I didn't do anything!
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Mr. Lee waved goodbye as they dragged her out of the room.
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Then he strolled over to me.
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Sorry for derailing the class, but I wanted everyone to see.
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I asked him what she was being arrested for.
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She's the drunk driver who killed my Lily.
480
She's finally been caught.
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I couldn't believe it.
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This whole time he knew that he was in class with the woman who ruined his life.
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I had so many questions.
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Why did it take you so long to call the police?
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Mr. Lee made sure that no one else could hear him.
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He looked so proud of himself.
487
I needed time to plant the evidence on her car.
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I could never get over my grief because the real driver was never caught.
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But Nina deserves this.
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I feel better already.
491
My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter while I was elbow deep in dinner prep.
492
Spaghetti sauce simmering.
493
It was my little brother, Jake, texting me out of the blue.
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He'd been saving up for months, scraping together every dollar from his part -time gig at the coffee shop
495
and now he had 700 bucks burning a hole in his pocket.
496
He wanted a computer, something decent for gaming and college stuff.
497
Sis, found this guy on Craigslist, his message read.
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Says it's a beast of a machine, worth like a grand but he's letting it go for 600.
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Can you come check it out with me?
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I sighed, wiping my hands on a dish towel.
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Jake was 18, technically an adult, but to To me, he'd always been that scrawny kid who hid behind my legs during thunderstorms.
502
I was 28, married with two little ones of my own, and my schedule was a nightmare.
503
Work at the hospital as a nurse, plus mom duties.
504
Can't, buddy, I texted back.
505
Shift starts soon.
506
But send me the link, I'll look it over.
507
He did, and I scrolled through the ad on my break.
508
The PC sounded legit high -end graphics card, fast processor, all the bells and whistles.
509
The seller, some guy named Mike, seemed straightforward in his description.
510
No red flags like blurry photos or sketchy wording.
511
Jake was nervous though.
512
What if it's a scam? he messaged. Or worse.
513
I rolled my eyes.
514
But I got it.
515
Craigslist could be a minefield, especially for someone as anxious as Jake.
516
He'd always been the jumpy type, jumping at shadows since we were kids growing up in that creaky old house in suburban Ohio.
517
Tell him to do a Skype call, I suggested.
518
Show you the PC running.
519
Open it up so I can see the components.
520
I'll join if I can.
521
A few hours later, and, great, a hot gun call from the neighborhood.
522
Mike, which is very good girl, and, first, buddy and he did the camera guy.
523
The PC lit up like a Christmas tree.
524
Bang, bang, right, bang.
525
Pop the side camera up and showed the guy.
526
Tiny metal gear.
527
Gram, six, turn, and high five, got to be back.
528
Boxing for everything, back to you.
529
I said, he said, he put it in.
530
I said, he put it in.
531
I did it myself over here.
532
He was on top.
533
Looks good.
534
I said, he'll cut it.
535
If you can grab it, go to.
536
Just feed in a public spot.
537
Like a Walmart customer.
538
Impacting you again.
539
He'll do it.
540
Excited.
541
I finished my trip, picked up the kitchen data, and he crashed on the top of the guy.
542
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,
543
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,
544
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I got to be ready.
545
What the fuck?
546
My mind went to start to say, Did that?
547
Jake?
548
That's just, just in touch.
549
The Montevideo's age, fuddling up.
550
Jake is my baby brother.
551
The one I was protecting from bullies and fools.
552
The one who was told me crying for his first breakup.
553
This ass hole has touched me.
554
I've cracked him down myself. Did he?
555
He was driving through the night, pounding on the bridge.
556
Oh, he was grabbing and kicking off.
557
No one messaged my phone.
558
Then, the typing button.
559
He wanted to leave and the way my talking was.
560
We met up, and I got out to fill his hand, and he kicked his phone.
561
He kicked in my SUV.
562
He woke up once, and he kicked right back out. And, wait.
563
I grabbed my feet, yelling at the baby -gitter's and steal a committed self -dustration.
564
On my left, I typed back to me, don't move.
565
The drive to run out was late.
566
Fifteen minutes of white knuckle in the team, and it touched time.
567
What if I could have stopped?
568
But no, the sight -pulls came in.
569
I pulled into the rock, seeing the face of the left hand.
570
There it was.
571
The park seemed to be a massive, direct question to me.
572
I got out, same hand ready, style, yin, yin, yin.
573
That's my car, huh?
574
Mike steps around the SUV, and holy shit.
575
The guys were just flying.
576
Had to be at least 7 -52.
577
Built like a goddamn run back across with a bodybuilder.
578
Mostly judging under his feet, but arms like a seatbelt.
579
He could have been stressed my car without breaking a step.
580
No wonder Chase thinks it.
581
The poor kid probably thought that he was about to get mugged by the horse.
582
He can't be kicked.
583
He will see the kid, kid.
584
That's good.
585
Sending his hand to the center of the dinosaur.
586
He's versus seven -centers.
587
And he's quite setting well.
588
And now, so that is okay.
589
Just save himself, kid.
590
I took a chance.
591
I'm gonna get the chance and kill.
592
He's a kid.
593
He's a kid.
594
I'd play the game after.
595
He wouldn't laugh.
596
What happened to Captain?
597
He talked to him.
598
He went.
599
He pulled up.
600
I got out to say hi.
601
And thanks to the way he sees you drop.
602
I caught him before he hit the table.
603
He came up like a back of the table.
604
He's standing back.
605
He's still up.
606
He's still up.
607
He's still up.
608
He tapped me.
609
He can't wait.
610
He's still up.
611
And he turned his back to the table.
612
There it is.
613
Pull it up in the far back seat.
614
Use your step, looking like a python kitten.
615
Face, face, eyes wide and open.
616
Open your immune system.
617
Face, buddy, feel it high?
618
Face, action.
619
You thought you could have to.
620
What were?
621
You could have to.
622
And then he stepped out and went.
623
I'm just...
624
What can I do?
625
I did that and laugh.
626
I love my...
627
I mean...
628
You can't do it? But...
629
I'm just gonna lay it back.
630
Don't laugh... And then...
631
But it can't be a good job like that.
632
I'm not $700.
633
What if you wanted to steal it?
634
I don't know, touch my butt or something.
635
Kid, I build computers, not rob people.
636
Mike said, shaking his head.
637
And definitely not into that kind of thing.
638
You scared me more than I scared you.
639
Jake flushed red, scrambling out of the SUV.
640
Sorry, man.
641
I just panicked.
642
No worries, Mike replied.
643
First time someone's passed out on me like that.
644
Usually folks are excited about the PC.
645
We transferred the computer parts to Jake's car.
646
Tower, monitor, all the boxes.
647
As Jake loaded up, I chatted with Mike to ease the awkwardness.
648
So, how'd you get into this?
649
He leaned against his SUV, arms crossed.
650
Started as a hobby.
651
I'm a truck driver by day, but I watch for sales on Newegg, Amazon.
652
Buy parts piecemeal throughout the year, assemble them, sell them for a bit of profit.
653
Keeps the wife happy, extra cash for vacations.
654
You're married?
655
I said, surprised.
656
He seemed like the lone wolf type.
657
Yeah, high school sweetheart.
658
Two kids, boy and girl.
659
She's tiny compared to me.
660
Always jokes I'm her personal bodyguard.
661
He grinned.
662
You got family?
663
Yep.
664
Husband and two rugrats.
665
Nurse life keeps me busy.
666
I glanced at Jake, who was finally relaxing, plugging in the PC in his trunk to test it quick.
667
Mike nodded.
668
Tough job.
669
My sister's a nurse, too.
670
Respect.
671
We talked shop for a bit.
672
Family stuff.
673
The craziness of online selling.
674
Turned out Mike was a total teddy bear volunteered at his kid's school, loved fishing on weekends.
675
People see the size and assume I'm mean, he admitted.
676
But hey, keeps the creeps away.
677
Jake wandered over, PC humming in his car.
678
It works great, man.
679
Thanks.
680
And sorry again for, you know.
681
Mike clapped him on the back lightly.
682
All good, kid.
683
Drive safe.
684
We said our goodbyes, and as Jake and I drove home in convoy, he spilled more.
685
Sis, when he said I got your brother on Skype, what did you think?
686
I glanced in the rear view.
687
Honestly, I was ready to kill him.
688
Thought he kidnapped you, or worse.
689
He laughed, tension gone.
690
Me too, in my head.
691
But he's cool.
692
Back home, kids in bed, I poured another wine and texted hubby the story.
693
Jake set up his new rig that night, texting me pics.
694
It was a steal.
695
Ran like a dream.
696
This story has been inspired from a real -life incident shared by one of our subscribers.
697
This is what they said.
698
My 18 -year -old brother found a $1 ,000 PC on Craigslist for $600.
699
I couldn't go, but the seller showed me everything on Skype.
700
It looked legit, so I told him to go for it.
701
That night, I get a message.
702
I've got your brother.
703
Cue instant panic.
704
Until the next line.
705
He saw me in the Walmart lot and fainted.
706
He's in my SUV, safe.
707
I drove over.
708
The cellar was a seven -foot jacked giant.
709
My brother curled up in the backseat, terrified.
710
Turns out the guy was super nice.
711
My brother just, uh, short -circuited.
712
Our friendship started and ended in tragedy.
713
I met Jane when we were freshmen in high school.
714
She was the new kid.
715
For weeks, I noticed how she awkwardly tried to join conversations and ate lunch alone.
716
She had such a sad aura so I decided to befriend her.
717
One day, I sat with her at lunch and that was that that.
718
We didn't become best friends until the party.
719
After a few months of casually hanging out at school, Jane and I were invited to an upperclassman party.
720
Only a few freshmen were invited, so we felt special.
721
We decided to go together because we didn't know anyone else who was invited.
722
I remember how desperate we were not to blow it.
723
What it was, I'm not sure.
724
Popularity, maybe.
725
We poured over what to wear for hours and then poured more hours over how to do our hair and makeup.
726
When we arrived, the party was already jumping.
727
We weaved our way through the crowd to reach the keg.
728
There we met Steve, a gentle -looking upperclassman.
729
He took to Jane right away.
730
When he looked away, Jane looked over to me and mouthed, OMG.
731
I winked at her and gave them space to get to know each other.
732
I fell into another crowd, passing around a joint.
733
I didn't know how much time had passed when I realized I didn't know where Jane was.
734
I scanned the room and she was nowhere to be seen.
735
I got up and started looking for her.
736
She was nowhere on the main level.
737
I grew more nervous each passing second that I couldn't see her.
738
It didn't seem like her to hook up with the guy, but I had only known her for a few months, or so I told myself to manage my anxiety.
739
I made my way upstairs and started knocking and opening doors.
740
When I reached the door at the end of the hall, I heard grunting.
741
I knocked.
742
No answer.
743
I opened the door to see Steve on top of Jane who was passed out.
744
I yelled at him to get off.
745
His head whipped around to face me and he got off Jane.
746
It's not what it looks like, he stammered.
747
Sure it isn't, I scoffed.
748
I pushed him to the side to check on Jane.
749
It must have slipped or something because she was barely responsive.
750
I took one of her arms around my shoulders and lifted her up.
751
We left.
752
Jane pressed charges and Steve was sent to Juvie.
753
Considering what happened later, I'm not sure Jane ever recovered from that trauma.
754
Rather, she latched onto me because after that, we were inseparable.
755
In her eyes, I was her savior and protector.
756
I think she felt like she needed me, which is why she went nuts when she started to lose me.
757
We did everything together.
758
Jane felt safe with me and I did what I could to protect her, which usually looked like defending her when she had trauma triggers during the school day.
759
When the time came to apply for colleges, Jane applied to all the same colleges as me.
760
I suggested she look into some outside my selection, but she refused.
761
She told me she wanted to go to college with me.
762
At this point, I was excited to expand my horizons, but I couldn't tell her no. We got into the same college,
763
and Jane talked about living together and how we would decorate our dorm without a formal discussion.
764
I just went along with it.
765
I figured I already knew her, and she was clean.
766
I talked to my mom about how I was scared I might feel suffocated, and she assured me that we would probably fall into different social circles due to our polar opposite majors.
767
I had plans to attend med school and Jane liked the idea of being a teacher.
768
Honestly, in the beginning it was great.
769
It was nice to have a buddy as I navigated the first few weeks.
770
Problems arose when I made plans without her.
771
It wasn't even a fun hangout.
772
We were studying and she got so angry for no reason.
773
She didn't talk to me for two days after that.
774
Her silent treatment was so icy that I had to confront her about it.
775
She told me she felt like I was intentionally leaving her out and leaving her behind for my new friends.
776
I assured her that was not the case.
777
They were my friends and I was going to hang out with them, but I had no intention of leaving her behind.
778
I asked if she had made any new friends and she shook her head.
779
I encouraged her to put herself out there to make new friends and she said, But I have you.
780
I don't need anyone else.
781
Maybe you don't need anyone else, but you still might find new people you can have fun with.
782
I can be friends with your friends.
783
It was like something wasn't computing for her, so I shrugged and said, Okay.
784
Jane didn't gel with my new friends very well, to the point that they asked me not to bring her along.
785
I listened to them.
786
After I stopped inviting her to everything, I noticed Jane's style changed.
787
She went from her usual preppy look to a more alt -goth look, which is how I dressed.
788
She borrowed my clothes without asking.
789
On multiple occasions, she copied entire outfits of mine.
790
I got my nose pierced.
791
Jane got her nose pierced.
792
I dyed my hair.
793
She dyed her hair the same color.
794
I started doing my makeup a certain way, and so did she.
795
Soon enough, I couldn't give her the benefit of the doubt.
796
Jane was definitely copying me.
797
It started getting weird when I overheard Jane talking to someone.
798
She told them one of my stories like it had happened to her, even taking my experiences and passing them off as her own.
799
Once I walked in on her sleeping in my bed.
800
I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but it was like she was trying to be me in every way.
801
She even changed her major to pre -med, but she always hated the STEM subjects.
802
The tipping point was when I started having a fling with this guy.
803
We planned to have lunch with Jane.
804
When I walked up to the table, Jane was all over him.
805
She had her arm around his and was batting her eyelashes at him.
806
Meanwhile, he was visibly uncomfortable.
807
I confronted her afterward and she acted like nothing had happened.
808
I couldn't deal with it anymore so I filed for a room change.
809
We got into a heated argument.
810
I called her out for copying me and she played dumb.
811
I told her she was suffocating me and she started crying hysterically.
812
The night after our argument, I went to bed before she got home.
813
I didn't want to sleep with her anymore.
814
I snuggled up in my blankets and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
815
At some point during the night, I woke up to a sharp pain on the side of my face.
816
Something was pinning me down, and I couldn't move.
817
I opened my eyes, and Jane was on top of me with a wild look in her eye.
818
She had a small knife in one hand.
819
What are you doing?
820
I yelled.
821
Get off of me!
822
She didn't budge, but moved the knife closer to my face.
823
Stop!
824
I shrieked.
825
I shook my arms loose from her body and pushed her off.
826
What the hell are you doing?
827
After I pushed her off, she didn't fight me.
828
Instead, she froze and stared at me like a deer in headlights.
829
Seriously, what are you doing?
830
Drop the knife!
831
She didn't drop the knife.
832
Instead, she started to crouch.
833
After a few seconds, she pounced on me.
834
She kept trying to slash my face, but I was able to hold her off.
835
I started yelling for help, and like a zombie, Jane continued her mission.
836
Finally, someone else came into the room and pulled Jane off me.
837
The cops came and took her in for questioning.
838
Jane told them she was trying to steal my face.
839
She needed it to feel safe.
840
I charged her with harassment because she scarred me for life.
841
She pled insanity and is now in a mental facility somewhere.
842
I really hope she's getting the help she needs, but I also hope she stays far, far away from me.
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Understanding the Narrative: A Closer Look at the Video's Context
The video features a first-person story of a woman breaking free from a toxic relationship, told through vivid, emotional dialogue. Set in a domestic scene, the narrative uses everyday language mixed with intense personal reflection, making it a rich resource for learning natural English expression. The conversational tone and descriptive details—like "steam curling up" and "the cool air hit my face like a baptism"—offer insight into how native speakers convey mood and tension, making it ideal for those looking to learn English with videos.
5 Key Phrases to Boost Daily Communication
- "sucking the life out of me": A vivid idiom to describe someone draining your energy.
- "seed money": Common term for initial funds to start a project.
- "nine-to-five grind": Refers to a routine, full-time job, often with a hint of monotony.
- "glazing over": Describes a person's eyes becoming unfocused, signaling tiredness or disinterest.
- "natural death": A phrase used to explain a death from health issues, not foul play.
Mastering the Shadowing Technique with This Video
The shadowing technique—repeating speech immediately after a native speaker—works well here due to the story's mix of slow, deliberate narration and conversational pauses. Here's how to practice:
- Listen first: Watch the video once to grasp the story. Note the pace changes (e.g., slow reflection vs. tense moments).
- Break it down: Focus on 10-second clips. Pause, then repeat, mimicking pronunciation and intonation (e.g., the flat tone in "Just a pinch" shows resolve).
- Focus on stress: Words like "finally" and "oblivious" are stressed to emphasize emotion—copy this to sound natural.
- Record yourself: Compare to the video to spot gaps in rhythm or shadow speech accuracy.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be set · was slumped · was exhausted |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | man who was · man who thought · guy who buried |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been · has touched · I've cracked |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.