A magazine has asked its readers to send in stories (120-180 words) about a nasty experience. Use the pictures in Ex. 9 to write the story. Follow the plan. Plan Para 1: set the scene: characters, when/where, weather (One hot day, Matt & .... After they...) Paras 2/3: events in order they happened & climax event (By the time they got .... Dark clouds.... All of a sudden, ...) Para 4: what happened in the end, feelings (Before long.... Everyone sighed with relief.)

One hot day, Matt and Zoe rode to the riverside park, hoping for a quiet break from the city. They spread a striped blanket under a willow, poured cold drinks, and started planning a lazy afternoon by the water. Then they rented a tiny rowboat and pushed off. By the time they got beyond the first bend, dark clouds gathered, turning the sky leaden and the lake dim. A sudden gust whipped the surface into white-capped trouble. All of a sudden, the boat lurched; the oars splashed away, and the boat toppled upright in the chop. Matt grabbed Zoe’s hand as water filled the boat, the current dragging them toward the reeds, rain hammering their faces. Before long, a jogger onshore shouted, another boat came to help, and they were hauled back to shore, soaked and shivering but safe. Everyone sighed with relief afterwards, grateful for small mercies and the warmth of a shared, stubborn smile.