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The Woman in the Water · English A2
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A2 · en-GB 8 pages

The Woman in the Water

An A2 English story for adults: a failed recovery and a woman who never leaves the sea.

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Daniel is thirty-three and chooses to enter a near Cascais. Doctors and nurses look after him there. He has taken and for years. He took his last pill shortly before he arrived. A doctor checks him and says his body is . Staff tell him not to leave at the .
1/8
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On the first morning, Daniel sits with a group. Everyone breathes slowly, closes their eyes, and small . They say, ‘We heal together.’ Daniel thinks the breathing, , and group talk are . When the begins, he walks out through the open door.
2/8
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Daniel walks for hours in the strong wind. , he reaches Guincho Beach. He sees a beautiful woman in the cold water, near the dark rocks. She looks about thirty. , he thinks she is a . He can still feel the of his last pill. He also feels strange because he has just stopped taking drugs.
3/8
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The woman's name is Inês, and she stands in the sea . Daniel asks if she wants to the cold water. Inês smiles. ‘Not today,’ she . Her smile makes Daniel think she knows a .
4/8
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The next morning, Daniel returns with two cups of coffee. His head is , and Inês is . They talk about fear, poor sleep, and decisions they later . Daniel and wants to see her again. For the first time, he really laughs.
5/8
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Daniel tells Inês about his drug problem and the recovery centre. She listens without him. ‘I cannot you,’ she says calmly. ‘You must decide if you want to return.’ Her words are hard but .
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On the third day, Daniel returns to the beach. A begins. Dark cover the beach, and high waves push water onto the sand. Daniel stays at the water's edge, but a wave . Inês offers him her hand. Under the , something large, fast, and silver suddenly moves.
7/8
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A strong storm pulls back and the sand. Daniel sees that below Inês's black dress, she has a long silver instead of legs. Inês is a .
8/8
Ending illustration
Act I complete

One more thing…

Keep reading after dark

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