Shadowing Practice: The Secret Memory - English Story for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
I stand in front of the old house.
256 sentences
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I stand in front of the old house.
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My legs do not move.
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My hands are cold.
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The house looks old and broken.
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The walls are gray like ash.
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I smell something burnt.
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Maybe it is only my memory.
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Maybe it is only my mind.
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My name is Jackie.
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I am a woman who carries a heavy weight.
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I carry it every day.
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I carry it alone.
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I look at the front door.
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It is old and rusted.
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Perry used to open that door for me.
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He always did.
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He was gentle like that.
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He was always gentle with me.
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Perry is my brother.
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He was my brother.
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He is not here now.
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He is gone because of me.
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I have not had a drink in 730 days.
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I count every day.
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Same morning.
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Same silence.
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Same number.
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730. It sounds like a big number,
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but it does not feel like freedom.
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Not yet.
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I walk inside.
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The floor makes a loud sound under my feet.
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The air is thick with dust.
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I cough into my arm.
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The inside of the house is dark.
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It feels like night, even in the middle of the day.
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I walk slowly.
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I look at everything.
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I remember everything.
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And I remember nothing.
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Both things are true at the same time.
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I find the living room.
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I sit on the floor.
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The walls are green and old.
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The paint is falling off in small pieces.
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I look at the wall in front of me.
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and I see it.
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A fireplace.
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Something moves in my chest.
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Something warm.
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I remember sitting here as a child.
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Perry was next to me.
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We ate marshmallows.
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We watched movies.
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We drank hot apple cider that our mother made.
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She called it Apple Schnapple.
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We laughed at that name.
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We always laughed.
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I talked to the empty room.
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Perry, do you remember this?
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He does not answer.
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He never answers now.
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But I remember his laugh.
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I remember his face.
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He had a small scar on his cheek.
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That scar came from me,
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from the night I was drunk and drove my car into a tree.
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Perry was in the car.
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He screamed at me to stop.
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I did not stop.
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I could not hear him.
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The drink made me deaf.
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Perry died that night.
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I did not.
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I sit with that truth every day.
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Same morning, same guilt, same name inside my chest.
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Perry.
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Perry.
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Perry.
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I look at the fireplace again,
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and then something strange happens.
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I look harder and the fireplace is not there.
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Only a wall.
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A plain green wall with old paint.
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There was never a fireplace.
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I made it.
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Inside my mind, I made a good memory to cover a bad one.
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I close my eyes.
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I see my mother.
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She walks into the living room.
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She has a cigarette in her mouth.
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She has a bruise on her face.
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She holds two warm cups.
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She smiles at us, but the smile is not real.
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Behind her, my father sits at the table.
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His head is down.
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A bottle is next to him.
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Empty.
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I open my eyes.
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My hands are shaking.
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I used to say my parents died and that is why I drank.
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I told myself that story for many years.
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It was easier.
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It felt cleaner.
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But it was not true.
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The truth is harder.
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The truth is that my father gave me my first drink.
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I was only a child.
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He called it our special time.
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I wanted him to love me.
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So I drank.
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I drank, and then I could not stop.
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My mother saw it.
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She looked away.
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She always looked away.
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I did not start drinking because they died.
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I started before that.
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I just didn't want to see it.
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A lot of pain lives inside a house like this.
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A lot of silence.
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A lot of looks that said nothing and everything.
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A lot of mornings with empty bottles on the table.
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I stand up.
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My knees are weak.
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I walk up the old stairs.
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I do not know why.
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My feet just go.
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At the top of the stairs, I see a room.
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Light comes through the door in one thin line.
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I walk towards it.
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I go inside.
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The room is empty, but I feel Perry here.
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I feel his warmth.
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I feel his laugh.
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I feel his arms around me,
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the way they always were when I cried.
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And then I hear it.
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His voice.
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Just five words.
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Jackie, stop the fucking car.
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I fall to my knees.
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I do not run this time.
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I do not look away.
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I stay on the floor.
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I breathe.
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I let the memory come.
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All of it.
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The car.
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The tree.
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The sound.
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The silence after.
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I killed my brother.
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I am the woman who did that.
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I live with it every day.
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Same morning, same truth, same weight.
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I open my eyes.
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The room around me is white, clean, bright.
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I am not in the old house anymore.
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I am in the hospital.
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I pull the small wires off my face and my arms.
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My gown is wet.
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My heart beats fast.
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Dr. Lascaux sits across the room.
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He is my doctor.
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He has been my doctor since the accident.
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He is a quiet man with kind eyes.
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He is patient with me even when I am not patient with myself.
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He was Perry inside my mind, inside the simulation.
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Every time we do this, he becomes Perry.
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He walks like Perry.
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He talks like Perry.
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He gives me what Perry used to give me.
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Kindness without words.
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Presence without questions.
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But he is not Perry, and I know that.
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I always know that.
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I do not want to do it again, I say.
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My voice is dry and rough.
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Dr. Lasko does not speak right away.
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He walks to my bed.
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He sits next to me.
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He waits.
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You did well today, he says.
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He says it slowly.
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He means it.
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I did not feel brave, I tell him.
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Brave people never do, he says.
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I look at him.
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I see Perry's face for one second, just one.
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Then it goes away, and Dr. Lascaux is just Dr. Lascaux again.
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A man in a white coat,
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a man who comes back every day,
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who sits next to me,
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who does not give up on me even when I give up on myself.
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If you keep doing the work,
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he says, you may leave this place sooner.
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I am in a hospital and in a prison at the same time.
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After the accident, after Perry died, the law came.
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I am here now because of what I did,
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because of what I chose,
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because of the drink that I chose over everything.
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Over Perry.
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Over my own life.
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I will keep going, I say.
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My voice is small, but it is real.
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He takes my hand.
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He does not say anything.
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He just holds it.
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That is enough.
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That is more than enough.
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Later, I lie in my bed.
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The ceiling is white.
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The light is soft now.
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The room is quiet.
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I close my eyes.
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I think about Perry.
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not the Perry from the simulation,
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the real one, the Perry who laughed with a big full laugh,
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the Perry who always opened the door for me,
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who held me when I was afraid,
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who never left me even when I gave him every reason to go.
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He gave me the bigger piece always,
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of food, of patience, of love.
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I could not give him the same,
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but I can give something now.
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I can give honesty.
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I can stop hiding.
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I can look at the real memories,
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not the soft ones I invented.
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I can sit with the hard truth and not pour a drink to make it go away.
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730 days, same morning, same number,
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same woman, but maybe slowly a different woman too.
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I do not know what freedom looks like.
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I do not know if I will feel it one day,
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but I know this.
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I will show up tomorrow and the day after and the day after that,
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not for anyone else, for me.
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Because I am still here and being here is something.
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Maybe it is everything.
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I am Jackie.
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I am broken in some places and whole in others.
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I carry a grief that has no end.
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I carry a guilt that does not go away.
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I carry the name of my brother in my chest like a stone.
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But I am still here.
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I still breathe.
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I still fight.
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Same morning, same woman.
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But this time, I choose to stay.
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Thank you for listening to this story.
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If this story touched your heart or helped you learn English,
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please support my channel, Amelia Stories.
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Like this video, share it with your friends.
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Subscribe for more simple and powerful English stories.
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Your support helps me create more stories for you.
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See you in the next story.
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Context & Background
The narrative unfolds through the eyes of Jackie, who finds herself standing before an old house laden with memories. The atmosphere is thick with emotion as she reflects on her past, particularly her relationship with her brother, Perry. The setting is not just a physical space but a representation of Jackie's mental state as she grapples with guilt and the weight of her experiences. The transcript indicates her struggle for freedom from her past, particularly illustrated through her journey of sobriety that spans 730 days. This backdrop provides a rich context for English learners to engage with phrases laden with emotion and introspection, making it an excellent exercise to practice speaking and comprehension skills.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I carry it alone." - This phrase conveys a sense of solitude and personal burden, useful for expressing feelings of isolation.
- "My hands are cold." - A descriptive way to express physical sensations, applicable in various contexts.
- "It feels like night, even in the middle of the day." - A metaphor that communicates deep emotion and can help learners understand figurative language.
- "I remember everything. And I remember nothing." - This contrasts the act of remembering with forgetfulness; an excellent expression for discussing memory and emotions.
- "Something warm moves in my chest." - A poetic phrase that captures emotional warmth, useful for describing feelings of love or nostalgia.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively use this video for improving your English pronunciation, you can employ the shadowing technique. Follow these steps:
- Watch the Video First: Begin by watching the video without subtitles to get a sense of the tone and emotion in Jackie's voice.
- Listen Actively: Play the video again and focus on the way Jackie articulates each word and phrase. Pay attention to her intonation and emotion.
- Repeat and Imitate: Pause the video after each sentence or phrase and replicate what you hear. This step is crucial to improve English pronunciation as you mimic the speaker's rhythm and stress patterns.
- Record Yourself: Use a smartphone or microphone to record your attempts. Compare your recordings with the original audio to identify areas for improvement.
- Practice Regularly: Consistent practice is key. Aim to incorporate this method multiple times a week. The more you use shadowspeak, the better your speaking skills will become.
By using the shadowing technique with this emotional narrative, you will not only improve your English pronunciation but also deepen your understanding of expressive language. Learn English with YouTube through engaging stories that resonate on multiple levels, enhancing both linguistic skills and personal connections.
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.
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