The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl

THE UMBRELLA MAN
by Roald Dahl

The umbrella man is an excellent short story by Roald Dahl, a very clever writer with wonderful ideas, who published several books and wrote a number of screenplays. He was born in 1916 in England and he died in 1990. He made films like 'Matilda' and 'Charly and the Chocolate factory' that were magnificent and so popular.

The main characters in The Umbrella Man are a twelve-year-old girl, her mother and an old, polite well-dressed man.

The story takes place in the streets of London. The girl and her mother are in a café. Suddenly, when they go out, they bump into an old man who asks for money to pay for a taxi to return to his house. He explains that his wallet is in his house and he can't walk under that heavy rain as he is too tired. The woman, leaving her suspicious ideas aside, gives him some money. The old man thanks the lady and starts running away into the streets.

What happens then? What does the man do with the money?...

The mother and her daughter decide to chase the man to find out what he is up to.

After a few minutes, they see him going out of a pub, where he uses the money to buy an expensive Whisky and then goes to other pubs. He is a small and clever man that tricks people quickly an wittily.

I would recommend this gripping story because it is very interesting and realistic. It can happen to anyone at any moment when they go out. So take care!. It's a great story to read alone or with friends.


Celeste Vilela - Pre-FCE 2 - Melipal