Last Chance

I ' l l l l I II' HIJ R R O W S

A110 M A R K I O S T E R
‘ Com e in here!’ says M ik e’s boss. H e is angry —again.
M ike is a cam eram an and he w orks for S F X N ew s. H is
boss, M r Frank, is angry w ith him. It is the second time
this week.
M ike w alks slow ly into the office. He is in big trouble.
‘ C lose the d oor,’ says M r Frank. There is a video in his
hand.
‘This is b ad ,’ thinks M ike. ‘H e doesn’t like my w o rk .’

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 Last Chance

M r Frank looks at M ike. ‘Are you a news cam eram an?’

he asks.
‘Yes, o f course,’ says M ike.
‘Well, this isn’t new s.’ He throws the video at the door.
‘It’s . . . it’s . . . I have a three-year-old son. He can do
better. G o away and find some news. I want a film that
hits me here.’ M r Frank puts his hand on his heart.
‘And M ike
‘Yes, Boss?’
‘ This is your last chance.’

2
M ike walks slow ly out o f M r Frank’s office. His face is
red.
‘ He can’t talk to me like that,’ he thinks. ‘I’m a good
cam eram an. I’m unlucky, that’s all. But I can’t be angry
with him because I need my jo b .’
M ike sits on his chair and looks out o f the window. He
sees an old man sitting in his garden. He feels tired. ‘Am
I too old for this job?’ thinks M ike. ‘A m I too tired?’

3
There is a new spaper on M ik e’s desk. H e picks it up and
reads it. There is a volcano in H aw aii. The volcano is
erupting and people are leaving. M ike sees a photograph
o f the volcano. It looks dangerous. ‘H m m . M aybe . . .’
he thinks.
M r Frank w alks past. ‘Reading the newspaper?’ he
says. ‘Rem ember —this is your last chance.’
M ike feels very angry but he says nothing. ‘This is b ad ,’
he thinks. ‘ I must go to H aw aii and make an exciting
film .’

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 Last Chance

M ike gets in his car and quickly drives home. H e has a

nice car. It is fast and he loves it. It is also expensive. He
needs to work.
M ike stops the car next to his house. H e goes in the
house. ‘W hat do I need?’ he thinks. He puts some clothes
in a bag and picks it up.
‘ One more thing,’ he thinks. ‘ M y video cam era.’ He
picks up his cam era and gives it a kiss. ‘We can do it, old
frien d ,’ he says.

5
Later that day, M ike takes a plane to H aw aii. There are
only seven people on the plane. He looks out o f the
window. ‘H aw aii is beautiful!’ he thinks. There are big
waves on the sea. ‘ I would like to go surfing,’ thinks M ike.
‘Perhaps another tim e.’
But as the plane gets closer, the sky is very dark.
A t the airport lots o f people are running. Some people
are crying. ‘The volcano is erupting,’ they say to M ike.
‘Why are you here?’
‘ I’m here because I’m a news cam eram an. A good news
cam eram an,’ he tells them. He can see the volcano. It is a
long w ay away. There is black smoke and red fire. ‘Is this
a good idea?’ thinks M ike.

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 Last Chance

Some news people are leaving H aw aii. They are getting

on a plane. M ike talks to them. A girl tells him that the
volcano is very dangerous.
‘I think my friend Jenny is there. She wants to make a
film , too. Is she alive or dead? I don’t know,’ says the girl.
‘You must come with us,’ she says, ‘You can’t go to the
volcano.’
‘ I want to leave the islan d,’ thinks M ike. ‘I don’t want
to die, but . . .’
‘ I can’t go w ith you. I have w ork to d o ,’ he says.

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 Last Chance

‘ O K ,’ says the girl. ‘L oo k out for my friend Jenny. She has

big blue eyes. Please tell her to leave the island.’
‘ O K ,’ says M ike. He says goodbye to the girl. He
watches the plane leave. ‘ This really is my last chance,’ he
thinks.
 Last Chance

Ju st then the volcano makes a big noise. A dog runs

quickly past. A n old wom an starts to cry. M ike looks at
her. He wants to say something but he can’t. The sun is
hot but suddenly he is cold. He is afraid.
‘I can’t be afraid ,’ he says. H e looks at his cam era and
says, ‘L et’s go, old frien d .’
M ike w alks through the town. The sky is getting
darker. The red fire over the volcano is getting bigger and
bigger. M ike is feeling more afraid.

9
In the town M ike meets a man. The man is leaving with
his family. ‘H ow can I get to the volcano?’ M ike asks.
‘ C ars don’t go to the volcano,’ says the m an. ‘The
drivers are afraid. You must w a lk .’
‘Is it far?’ asks M ike.
‘N o ,’ says the man. ‘But the fire is hot. Take lots o f
w ater with yo u .’
There is a television in a shop window. It is not showing
pictures o f the volcano. ‘I am the only news person here,’
M ike thinks. ‘I have a chance to make the only film about
the volcano. I must go .’
The road in front o f him is very long. His legs feel tired
but he begins to walk.

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 Last Chance

A fter two long hours, M ike is on the volcano. There is a

lot o f smoke and a lot o f fire. M ike can’t see any people.
‘ I must be quick,’ he thinks. M ike film s the smoke and
the fire. A big rock nearly hits him but he film s it. ‘This
film is go o d ,’ he thinks.
H e is afraid but happy. ‘H ow can M r Frank be angry
now ?’ M ike thinks. H e is taking lots o f film.

11
Another rock almost hits him. M ike feels hot and tired.
‘It’s time to go ,’ says M ike. ‘ G ood jo b !’ he says to his
camera.
A bigger rock goes over his head. ‘I don’t like this. I
must go now,’ he says. M ike can smell the smoke. H e can
feel the fire.

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 Last Chance

M ike puts his cam era under his arm . He starts to run.
Ju st then the volcano makes a noise. M ike runs faster.
Suddenly, he hears a different noise.
‘Is that a w om an?’ thinks M ike. ‘It can’t be. There is
nobody here.’
H e starts to run again, but then . . .
‘ H elp!’
‘It is somebody. They need m e,’ he thinks. ‘ H ello ,’ he
says. ‘Where are you?’ M ike looks everywhere, but he
can’t see anybody.

13
 M ike sees something behind a rock. It moves. H e goes
to the rock and sees a young wom an there. She can’t move
her leg because it is under the rock.
‘ Oh, thank you. T hank yo u ,’ she says to M ike. She
begins to cry. ‘M y leg. I think it’s broken.’

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 Last Chance

‘W ait a m inute,’ says M ike. ‘ I can help.’

H e pushes the rock. It is too big. There are sm all rocks
in front. He pushes them away then pushes the big rock
again. It moves a little. He pushes harder. It moves a little
more.
‘A arg h ,’ cries the wom an.
Suddenly the rock moves down the volcano.
The w om an’s face is white. She smiles slowly.

15

■ I
 Last Chance

‘Are you Jen n y?’ M ike asks.

‘Yes, I am !’ she says. ‘H ow do you know ?’
‘ It doesn’t matter now. M y name is M ike. I have to
carry you, Jenny. But f i r s t . . .’
M ike has a tripod. He ties it to Je n n y’s leg. ‘D oes that
feel better?’ he asks.
Jen n y smiles again. ‘T hank you, M ik e,’ she says. She is
very tired. ‘I’m usually very careful —but not today.’
‘ Com e on. We have to get o ff the volcano,’ says M ike.

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 Last Chance

‘ Put your arm around m e,’ M ike tells Jenny. He puts down
his cam era. Jen n y gets up slowly. H er leg is very bad.
‘Take it easy,’ M ike says. They start to w alk very
slowly.
‘It’s okay,’ he says. ‘You’ re okay.’
M etre by metre they move down the volcano. They are
alm ost hit by rocks. Black smoke is in their mouths. H ot
fire is close behind them. But they are alive.

17
‘M ike - w ait,’ says Jenny suddenly. ‘Your cam era!’ She
stops walking. Her face is black with smoke. Jen n y’s blue
eyes look at M ike.
M ike looks back at Jenny. ‘Y ou’ re more im portant than
my cam era,’ he tells her.
‘But the volcano . . . I can w ait here. You go back. It’s
not too late.’
M ike says nothing.
They keep w alking slowly down the volcano - and
away from M ik e’s camera.

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 Last Chance

Jen n y is now very tired. H er leg is badly broken. M ike

stops behind a big rock.
‘D o you want some w ater?’ he asks.
M ike has some water in his bag. Jen n y and M ike are
both thirsty. T hey drink the water.
Jenny begins to go to sleep. ‘T his is dangerous. Jenny
must stay alive,’ M ike thinks. ‘D on ’t go to sleep, Jenny.
T alk to me. Where is your home? Tell me about your
family. D o you like books?’
They walk and Jen n y talks. When she stops talking,
M ike asks another question.
They are alm ost o ff the volcano. M ike looks back.
Where is his camera? Is it in the fire?

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 Last Chance

They are o ff the volcano. M ike sits down next to Jenny.

H e puts his head in his hands.
‘W hat’s the m atter?’ asks Jenny.
‘Everything,’ says M ike. ‘I have no cam era and no film.
N o w I don’t have a job. There are no more chances.’
Jen n y puts her arm around him. ‘It’s okay.’

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 Last Chance

Two hours later, they w alk into the town. People come
out to see them.
‘Are you all right?’ they ask Jenny.
‘I have a broken leg, but I am alive,’ she says, and looks
at M ike. ‘T h an k you, M ik e.’ H e smiles.
‘There is a helicopter w aiting for you,’ says a m an in a
suit. ‘It is leaving the island. You must get on quickly.’ The
m an helps them into the helicopter.
In the helicopter, a man says to M ike, ‘D o you need
anything?’
‘M y cam era,’ he says. ‘But it is on the volcano. M y
camera is my best friend and oldest friend.’ M ike closes
his eyes and goes to sleep.

21
M ike is now at home. H e does not want to see his boss,
M r Frank. Then one m orning he hears the telephone.
‘H ello?’ he says.
‘ T his is M r Frank. You must come to w ork tomorrow.
I need to talk to you. G oodb ye.’
The next day, M ike goes to work. H is friends are happy
to see him. ‘Well done, M ik e,’ they say.
‘T h an k s,’ says M ike. H e is happy to see his friends, but
he is afraid o f M r Frank.
His boss sees him. ‘You, get in here.’
‘T his is it,’ thinks M ike.

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 Last Chance

In the office M r Frank looks at M ike. H e has som ething

in his hands. ‘D o you remember the people in the
helicopter?’ he asks.
‘Yes,’ says M ike.
‘They remem ber you. I think you need to thank them .’
He moves his hands. There is M ik e ’s camera.
‘M y cam era!’ says M ike.
‘The cam era is broken,’ says M r Frank, ‘But we have
the film and it’s very go o d .’ H e smiles.
‘M y old frien d ,’ says M ike to his cam era. He gives it a
kiss.
‘L et’s watch your video,’ M r Frank says.

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 Last Chance

They watch the film on the TV. T hey can see M ike and
Jenny. M ike moves the big rock. H e helps Jenny to walk.
Big rocks are falling out o f the sky. T he volcano makes
a noise. The fire is red and the smoke is black. It is very
exciting.
‘ N ext time, remember to turn it off. Or maybe not!’
says M r Frank. ‘T his video hits me . . . right here!’
Then M r Frank says, ‘ Oh, and M ike - we have a new
news person.’
Jenny comes into the room . She isn’t black with smoke
now. She smiles at M ike. ‘She’s beautiful,’ M ike thinks.
‘She hits me . . . right here!’

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 GLOSSARY

around all the way round

boss a person who tells workers what to do
broken in pieces or not working
camera a thing you use for taking photographs or
moving pictures
cameraman a person who films
carry to take
chance when something can happen
dangerous that can kill you
erupt to throw out gas, hot rocks, and liquid rocks
exciting making you feel very happy
film (v) to use cameras to make a movie; (n) moving
pictures that tell a story
idea something that you think
job work
kiss (v) to touch lovingly with your mouth
surfing standing or lying on a flat board when the sea
carries you back to the beach
throw to make something move from your hand through
the air
trouble problems
unlucky when something bad happens to you
volcano a mountain with a hole in the top where fire,
gas, and hot liquid rock sometimes come out

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Last Chance
'H o w can M r Fra nk be a n g ry now?' thinks
Mike happily. His film is good and he is the
only c am e ra m an on the volcano. N o w he
can go home.
,
But then he finds J e n n y and she is dying.
Rocks start to move and Mike is afraid. Can they get off the
volcano alive? And wh a t happens to Mike's cam era and film?
(Word count 1,928]

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