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S H A H E D D A V O U D I P O U R’S

Streamline Graded ReadersLevel 4

Save The GoldfishCarol Christian

Series Editors:Bernard Hartley and Peter Viney

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS1988

OXFORD is a trade mark of Oxford University Press

ISBN 019 4219143© Oxford University Press 1988

Illustrated by: Clive Goodyer

Printed in Great Britain byThomson Litho Ltd, East Kilbride, Scotland

Joe Jenkins worked in a small office in a small town. The signon the window outside said PARKER, ESTATE AGENTS.Mrs Parker was the boss. Pictures of houses filled the window.

Joe sat in front of the office computer most of the time. Onthe computer he kept information about all the houses thatwere for sale.

Mrs Parker's secretary, Linda, thought he was wasting histime. 'What's wrong with a typewriter?' she used to say.

Oxford University PressWalton Street, Oxford OX2 6DP

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Joe just smiled when Linda said this. 'You don't understandcomputers,' he told her. 'They're wonderful when you knowthem.'

Joe was really interested in the computer and enjoyed usingit. Really, he wasn't very interested in anything else. He was aquiet, shy, young man. He had always worked in the sameoffice and lived in the same small flat in the poor part of thetown.

'You should be more ambitious, Joe,' Linda used to say.'You'll never become an estate agent if you sit in front of thatcomputer all the time.'

It was true. Joe was not very ambitious. Sometimes he tookcustomers out to look at houses, but he rarely sold one. Whenthe customers said, This house is too large' or 'The traffic istoo noisy', he usually agreed with them and they went away.Now Mrs Parker only sent Joe with customers when she wasvery busy. He usually visited the houses and put theinformation about them on the computer.

Joe couldn't understand why so many people wanted tochange their houses, anyway. 'Why don't they just stay wherethey are?' he wondered. He couldn't understand why his wife,Isabel, wanted a house. The flat he and Isabel lived in wassmall, but it was big enough for two people. They were bothout at work most of the time. Isabel worked for a lawyer andoften came home late.

When Isabel was late, Joe played computer games. Heplayed them after work when Linda and Mrs Parker had gonehome. He knew that Isabel was still working, so he amusedhimself for hours at the computer. If he went home, he justused to sit and watch the television.

One morning Joe said to Linda, 'Shall I show you my newcomputer game? We can play it during our lunch hour. It'scalled SAVE THE GOLDFISH. You have to get the goldfishout of the pond and into the goldfish bowl. I haven't done ityet. You have to be quick. It's a really good game.'

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'Oh, no!' groaned Linda. 'Not a computer game! Must I?'But she agreed to play the game with him in their lunch hour.

When Mrs Parker returned to the office after lunch, Joe andLinda had been playing SAVE THE GOLDFISH for half anhour.

'I don't think it can be done,' Linda told her. 'The goldfishhas so many enemies. You can't possibly save it! It's not onlythe blue fish and the green fish and the red fish with whitespots. There's also a big black cat and a bird with long legs.Even Joe can't do it. And he thinks he's so clever at computergames!'

'It's the most difficult game I've ever played,' said Joe. 'Theytold me at the shop that it wouldn't be easy.'

'Let me try,' said Mrs Parker. But, before she could catch thegoldfish in the net, it was swallowed by the red fish with whitespots. The next time the big black cat caught it. She tried againand again, but she couldn't do it.

'That's enough,' she said. 'What a terrible game! Let's notwaste any more time. We have to do some work!'

At five o'clock Linda put on her coat. 'Will you lock theoffice door and turn off the lights?' she asked. Linda asked thesame question almost every evening. She never stayed a minutein the office after five o'clock. She put on her coat at exactlythat time. Her boyfriend was always waiting for her at thecorner of the street.

'Yes, all right. Leave it to me,' said Joe.Usually he asked her why she was in a hurry, or made a joke

about her boyfriend, but today he just smiled at her. He wasglad that she was going. Mrs Parker had gone out with acustomer and was not coming back. Joe wanted to be alone.He really wanted to play the goldfish game again. He was notin a hurry. He knew that Isabel was working late.

He played SAVE THE GOLDFISH again and again, withoutsuccess. After several hours he turned off the computer. Theblue fish, the green fish and the red fish with white spots had

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all caught the little goldfish. The big black cat and the birdwith long legs had caught it, too. Joe was very quick, but hecould not save the goldfish.

'What a terrible game!' he groaned. He had played manycomputer games that were difficult, but this one wasimpossible! Or maybe he wasn't clever enough!

Joe got up from his desk. He checked that the windows wereshut. Then he turned off the lights, went out, and locked thedoor behind him.

Every evening that week Joe stayed in the office after thetwo women had gone home, but he still couldn't save thegoldfish. He couldn't stop playing the game until he won, andhe hadn't won it once. Joe was annoyed. He had never founda game that was too hard for him.

On Friday Joe stayed in the office during his lunch hour toplay the game. But he still couldn't save the goldfish. He wassitting with his head in his hands when Linda got back fromlunch.

'Are you still playing that silly game?' she asked. 'You mustbe crazy, Joe! You're just wasting your time, you know. You'llnever win!'

At four o'clock Mrs Parker sent him out. She wanted someinformation about a house that was for sale. When he got backto work, it was a quarter past five and the office was empty.

'I'll just play the game a few times before I go home,' he saidto himself. 'Isabel won't get home until seven.'

He turned on the computer and began to play. He lost thegoldfish once, twice, ten times, thirty times, fifty times .. .Then, suddenly, he caught the goldfish in the net, lifted it outof the pond and dropped it into the goldfish bowl.

The goldfish swam round and round the goldfish bowl, safeat last. Then it swam towards Joe. It grew larger and larger on

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the screen, and its mouth was opening and shutting. Thewords on the screen said:

Joe couldn't believe his eyes. He stood up and shouted, 'I'vedone it. I've done it at last!' He threw his arms in the air anddanced round the room. 'That's amazing ... fantastic ...wonderful,' he cried. 'I've saved the goldfish.'

He was very excited. He forgot that the goldfish was stilllooking at him. It was still opening and shutting its mouth.When he looked back at the screen, there was anothermessage:

Joe laughed. This game was very different from any othercomputer game that he had played. Usually they said, TRYAGAIN', or told you how to make the game more difficult.

'Dear goldfish,' he said. He was still laughing. 'I am gladyou're safe at last. That's my reward.'

But the message remained on the screen. Joe tried to thinkof something. What could he ask for? He stared down at thefloor, and he noticed that his shoes were very old. He typed inthe words, 'I NEED SOME NEW SHOES.'

The goldfish was still opening and shutting its mouth. Nowthe words on the screen said:

Joe breathed deeply. Then he typed in the message, 'I WANTA PAIR OF SIZE 10 SHOES'. He whispered to himself, 'If youask a crazy question, you'll get a crazy answer. Nobody has

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ever asked a computer for shoes!' But the message on thescreen had changed again:

Joe was sure the goldfish was smiling. He smiled back.

When Joe reached home, he was still smiling. He sang tohimself as he got some food out of the freezer for dinner.

'You sound happy,' said Isabel, when she came in. 'Haveyou sold a lot of houses? Did you have a good day?'

'Yes,' Joe laughed. 'I didn't sell any houses, but I did save agoldfish. It's safe in the goldfish bowl.'

'What? What are you talking about?''I saved a goldfish,' Joe laughed again. He was pleased with

himself. 'I've just won the most difficult computer game I'veever played. It's called SAVE THE GOLDFISH. You have tocatch the goldfish in a net before its enemies can catch it.'

Joe was rushing around the kitchen. He was preparing thedinner while he was talking. Isabel followed him.

'Oh, really, Joe! I've never heard anything so silly in my life!You're crazy! If you spend your time in the office like that, I'mnot surprised that Mrs Parker doesn't pay you much!' Shelooked in the pans. 'What are you cooking? I'm hungry. Isdinner almost ready?'

'No, I'm afraid it isn't. I got home late.' Joe was annoyedwith Isabel, but he knew it was his own fault. 'I couldn't stopplaying the game until I won. And then a funny thinghappened. When I caught the goldfish and put it in the bowl,it offered me a prize.'

Isabel was hanging up her coat in the hall. 'What do youmean?' she asked. She came back into the kitchen. Isabel likedprizes. She often filled in the forms in newspapers that offered

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you something for nothing. She always entered competitions.Joe waited for a moment before he answered. 'It said, 'YOU

HAVE SAVED MY LIFE. YOU HAVE WON A PRIZE.WHAT DO YOU WANT?'

'It didn't, did it? Did the goldfish really speak to you?' Isabelsounded more interested. 'What did you ask for?'

'Oh, I don't know ...' Joe wasn't brave enough to tell her.No intelligent person asks a computer for anything. If shelaughed at him, he would feel like a fool. 'What could I askfor? I don't need anything. Anyway, what could a computergive me?'

Isabel looked at him carefully. 'I don't know. If you ask,you'll find out.'

Joe didn't answer. He thought he had found out already. Helooked down at his shoes. They were the same comfortable oldshoes he'd put on that morning. He had been wearing themnearly every day for the last year.

Isabel was silent during dinner. She picked up her spoon andfinished her soup without a word. She stared at her plate as sheate her spaghetti.

'Well, did you enjoy that?' Joe asked her.'Yes.' She smiled at him. 'I was hungry.'She waited until they were drinking their coffee. Then she

said, 'Joe, I've been thinking. Why don't you play that gameagain and ask the goldfish for a nice little house? You knowhow much I want one.'

At first, Joe just stared at her. Then he said, 'You're notserious, are you, Isabel ?' It wasn't like Isabel. She didn't believein magic.

'Of course I'm serious. Look at this flat. It's too small for us.We can't turn round in it! Look at the furniture. It's all old.You say you don't need anything. I think we need a lot ofthings. Next time, when you win the game, say you want ahouse.' She certainly sounded serious.

Joe was surprised. He looked at his wife. 'Now who's

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crazy?' he asked. 'What could a computer give you, exceptanother game, perhaps?'

Isabel looked straight back at him. 'Promise me,' she said.'Promise me, Joe. On Monday, when you go into the office,you'll play the goldfish game again. When you win, it'll askyou what you want. Tell the goldfish that you want a nice littlehouse.'

Joe didn't say anything for a moment, but he knew when hewas beaten. He nodded. 'OK, Isabel. I promise. But the wholeidea is crazy. It's only a game.'

Isabel smiled. 'I know it's only a game, but what can welose? Oh, and Joe ...'

She got up and went into the hall. When she returned amoment later, she was carrying a paper bag. 'I forgot to tellyou. My brother brought these into the office just before Icame home. He bought them a few months ago and has neverworn them. They're too small for him. He thinks they may beyour size.'

Joe took the bag and opened it. Inside, he found a pair ofsize ten shoes.

On Monday Linda went out early for lunch. Joe was stillworking at the computer when Mrs Parker went out, too.

When she had gone, he took out the computer game. He feltlike a fool but he knew he had to do it. He had promised Isabel.He had to play the game and win. Then he had to ask for hisreward.

He could not believe his eyes when the goldfish swamstraight into the net. The blue fish, the green fish and the redfish with white spots did not get near it. The cat and the birdwere left at the side of the pond.

He lifted the goldfish out of the pond and dropped it into thegoldfish bowl. The goldfish swam round and round the bowl.

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Then it swam towards Joe. It was opening and shutting itsmouth. The message on the screen said:

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Joe scratched his head. 'Dear goldfish,' he said, 'I have becomequite fond of you. Please don't be angry with me. I'm afraidI'm going to ask for a really big prize this time.'

He breathed deeply and then slowly typed the message,'I WANT A NICE LITTLE HOUSE.' To himself he added,'I hope the neighbours will be friendly.' It was all so strange.He had to make a joke of it. A moment later he saw that hismessage had been accepted:

When Joe reached home that evening, there were a lot ofboxes and bags in the hall of the flat. Isabel was in thebedroom, but she rushed out when she heard him.

'Joe, you clever, clever man! How did you do it? Isn't itwonderful!' She gave him a big hug and kiss. 'I've been to seethe house and we're moving immediately. We can sleep theretonight. I've never been so excited in all my life!'

Joe kissed her again, for luck. He was glad that she washappy. 'What happened?' he asked. He couldn't think ofanything else to say, but Isabel didn't notice.

'I came home early this afternoon,' she continued, 'and Ifound a card in the door. It was a business card and it said,"You have won a nice little house". It gave the address. It'swhere they're building all those new Hacket Homes. So I wentthere right away. It's lovely! It's wonderful! Call a taxi, willyou, Joe? We're going there now. I've put a lot of things inbags and boxes, and we can get the other things tomorrow.'

'What about the furniture?' asked Joe. 'We can't sleep therewithout furniture.'

'It's already furnished!' cried Isabel. 'You must know that.It's one of the show houses. Everything in it is new. And it hasa wonderful, modern kitchen, just like the ones in magazines.I just love it, Joe!'

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'That's great!' said Joe.'You thought you could fool me, didn't you? That story

about a goldfish! A computer game! You knew all the timethat we had won the competition in The Daily News. I'dforgotten about it myself. I filled in the form in the newspapermonths ago.'

Joe looked serious. 'That wasn't a story about the goldfish,'he said. 'It was true.'

Isabel stared at him and he stared back. For a moment theyboth felt frightened. Then Isabel frowned and said, 'I don'tbelieve it. We've had good luck, that's all. Call the taxi, Joe.'

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For a few months, Isabel was happy. 'Of course, the houseis very small,' she said. 'The rooms aren't much larger than theones in the flat, and the furniture's cheap. But you can't haveeverything. The neighbours are friendly.'

Joe had a difficult time in the office. Mrs Parker and Lindadid not believe that Isabel had won their new Hacket homeand all the furniture in a newspaper competition. 'Whatcompetition?' they asked.

'Isabel thinks you probably helped us, Mrs Parker,' Joe toldhis boss. 'You know a lot of people in the Hacket Homescompany.'

Mrs Parker looked shocked. 'That's not true, Joe. I didn'tknow anything about the competition, and I didn't knowIsabel had filled in a form.

'You said the wrong thing that time, Joe,' Linda said later.'She's really angry. You're very lucky, Joe. Maybe you don'tneed a job any more!' She stood up and said, 'Anyway, Iwouldn't want to win a house, if I couldn't win it honestly.'

'You know, Joe, I've been thinking,' said Isabel one evening.'This house is very small, and the furniture is cheap and nasty.We still own the flat. Let's sell this house and the flat, and buya bigger house.'

'No,' said Joe.'Then,' Isabel went on, 'if we have any money left, we can

buy some new furniture. Could you find us a house?''Certainly not!' said Joe. 'I like this house. It's our home

now, and the neighbours are friendly. I won't sell the flat andI don't want a bigger house. This one is big enough. It'sbeautiful. Everything in it is new.'

Isabel gave him a hug and kiss. 'Dear Joe, you never change.You've never been ambitious and you never will be. I want abigger, better house. If you won't sell the flat,' she laughed,'you'll have to ask the goldfish.'

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Joe groaned. He didn't play the goldfish game any more. Hefelt frightened when he thought about it. He never joked aboutit. 'I don't want to do that,' he said, 'I don't want to ask thegoldfish for anything more.'

'No, but you will,' said Isabel. 'You would be silly if youdidn't. Think about it.'

Joe thought about it for a long time. When he didn't thinkabout it, Isabel talked about it. She didn't let him forget theidea.

At last, one evening in the summer, he pulled the computergame out of the drawer of his desk. He hadn't forgotten howto play it. Soon the fish was in the bowl and he was invited toask for his reward.

'Poor little goldfish,' said Joe. 'I know you've done a lot forus already, but we need something more.'

He typed in the words, 'I WANT A BIGGER HOUSE ANDBETTER FURNITURE.' He felt guilty. He and Isabel werebecoming really greedy. But the fish didn't look surprised. Itjust opened and shut its mouth. Then the words 'MESSAGEUNDERSTOOD' appeared on the screen.

The new house had a lot of large rooms and bathrooms. Itwas another show house and it was like the house of a filmstar. It was full of useless and expensive objects and flowersthat were not real. There was a television in every room. Therewere two garages, but Joe and Isabel didn't own a car. Therewas a large garden, with fruit trees and plenty of flowers. Joewalked around it like a visitor in a film studio. He wasastonished. He could not believe it was real.

'There! You see?' said Isabel. 'Isn't it fantastic? I said you

were a clever man, didn't I? Now we have a really beautifulhome, and we still have money in the bank.' She gave him asmall kiss.

Joe smiled. He was beginning to agree with Isabel. He wasclever. Very clever. He had done it all. He had won a verydifficult computer game and received his reward. He feltexcited. He had a lot of power.

Isabel put her hand on his arm. 'I knew you only had to askthe goldfish.' She laughed. 'It will be easier next time.'

There won't be a next time,' said Joe.'Oh yes, there will,' said Isabel.'Aren't you satisfied?' he asked her. 'What do you want?

You've got everything.''Oh Joe, don't you see? Our life is different now. We can't

ride on buses. We'll need two cars, one for you and one for me.And who's going to clean all those rooms and bathrooms?We'll need servants. And who will cut the grass and water theflowers? You won't want to do it. We'll need a gardener.'

'I see,' said Joe. It was true. Their life had changed.'But we don't have to ask the goldfish right now,' said Isabel.

'We can wait. We may think of more things we want.'

Mrs Parker and Linda joked about Joe and his wonderfulhouse. They called him 'Mr Money Bags'. Joe knew they werelaughing at him and he didn't like it. He began to go into theoffice late and leave early. He forgot appointments. It wasn'ta very good job, anyway. It was only a small estate agent'soffice.

Isabel was busy. She was making plans. 'You won't need ajob, Joe,' she announced one day. 'We're not going to ask foranything small this time. We'll ask for a beautiful big house inthe country, an old castle, perhaps. We'll become landowners.We'll have farms and lots of workers. We won't need to work.'

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Joe didn't argue with her. He wasn't happy in the office. Hedidn't like the house, either. The neighbours weren't friendly.Neither of them wanted to stay in that house and they couldgo anywhere they wanted. He promised to speak to thegoldfish.

It was a Sunday evening and Isabel went with him. Heunlocked the office door with his key and started to play thegame.

He saved the goldfish easily. He could not lose the gamenow. When the goldfish asked what he wanted for his prize,Isabel told Joe what to say. He began to type the list, and it gotlonger and longer. The goldfish's mouth opened and shut.

It was getting late. 'Have you finished?' Joe asked Isabel.'Have you asked for everything you want?'

'Yes. Just say that you want to keep it all forever,' shereplied. The computer was beginning to make strangecrackling noises, but Joe typed those words in, too.

The crackling got louder and louder. Red and white lightsflashed. Lines and circles chased each other round the screen.The goldfish seemed frightened. It swam away anddisappeared. In its place there was a message:

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Joe got angry. 'What does that mean?' he shouted. 'I typedit in correctly, what's wrong with the thing? Find my computerbook, Isabel. There's a fault somewhere.'

But the crackling got louder and the lights flashed morewildly. Flames appeared along the electric wires. A pile ofpapers began to burn.

Isabel screamed. 'Fire! Run, Joe! Run!' She was terrified.'There's going to be an explosion.' Smoke was pouring fromthe computer. The desk was on fire.

When the explosion happened, it made the loudest, mostterrifying noise either of them had ever heard. Through ashower of metal and broken glass, they raced out into thestreet. There were cuts on their faces, and they were black withsmoke. They ran till they reached the corner.

But as they ran, Joe could hear a very small voice. It waswhispering, 'Clever ... clever ...', or something like that. Hedidn't tell Isabel. She didn't seem to hear it. He knew it was thevoice of the goldfish.

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Exercises

1 Read through the story quickly and find this information.1 The name of Joe's boss.2 The kind of office Isabel worked in.3 The number of enemies the goldfish had.4 The time Linda always left the office.5 The size of shoe Joe wore.6 The person who sent Joe a pair of shoes.7 The name of the builders of Joe's first house.8 The number of garages in Joe's second house.9 The name Mrs Parker and Linda called Joe.

10 The computer's last message.

2 Are these statements true ( V ) or false (X)?1 Joe liked typewriters more than computers.2 Isabel left the office at exactly five o'clock every day.3 Joe usually took the customers out to see the houses that were

for sale.4 Joe sometimes cooked dinner.5 Linda did not have a boyfriend.6 SAVE THE GOLDFISH was an easy computer game.7 Isabel often filled in the forms in newspaper competitions.8 Mrs Parker asked the Hacket Homes company to give Isabel a

new house.9 At Joe and Isabel's first house the neighbours were friendly.

10 Joe didn't want to ask for a second house.

3 Complete the spaces in these sentences.1 Linda thought that Joe should be more ......2 On the computer Joe kept information about all the houses that

were ......3 The ..... swam round and round the bowl.4 No ..... person asks a computer for a reward.5 The first house had a wonderful, modern kitchen, just like the

ones in ......6 Joe worked in an ..... office.

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7 Isabel thought that Joe was a very ..... man.8 Isabel wanted too much. She became very ......9 It was ....., 'Clever ... clever ...', or something like that.

10 ..... appeared along the electric wires.

4 Comprehension questions1 What information did Joe keep on the computer?2 How often did Joe sell a house?3 What was Linda's job?4 What did Joe do when Isabel was late home?5 What did Linda think of the SAVE THE GOLDFISH game?6 Why didn't Joe believe that he would get a pair of shoes?7 What did Isabel tell Joe to ask the goldfish for the first time?8 Why did Isabel's brother give his shoes to Joe?9 How quickly did Joe and Isabel move into their first house?

10 Why didn't Joe and Isabel need to take their furniture to thefirst house?

11 How did Isabel think they had won their first house?12 Who did Joe think had helped them to get their first house?13 Why didn't Isabel like the first house after a few months?14 Why did Joe feel guilty when he asked for a bigger house?15 Why didn't Joe argue with Isabel when she said she wanted a

castle?16 Why didn't Joe like their second house ?17 Where did Joe and Isabel think they could go?18 How long did Isabel want to keep all the things they asked for?19 What did the computer tell Joe to do before the fire started?20 What did Joe and Isabel do when the fire started?

5 Discussion questions1 What was Joe like at the beginning of the story?2 When Isabel gave Joe her brother's shoes, how do you think Joe

felt?3 How did Joe change during the story ?4 Who do you think was greedier, Joe or Isabel? Why?5 What do you think happened to Joe and Isabel after the end of

the story?

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Glossary

amazing: very, very surprisingambitious: wanting to do or have great things in life: to be rich,

famous, important, etcany more: now, from nowat last: finally; at the endbowl: a deep, round container; a goldfish bowl is made of glasscastle: a large, old building, once used to protect a town or village

during a warcompetition: any kind of test, game, race, etc where you try to do

better than other people and win a prizecrackling: sudden, sharp noises, like the sound of something

breaking or burningestate agent: a company (or person) that sells housesfind out: to learn something for the first timeflame: red or yellow burning gas; when a fire burns, you see flamesfool: a silly person who believes anythingfor sale: offered to be soldfrown: to pull the eyebrows (the hair above the eyes) together and

make lines on the forehead; to look serious, angry or worriedfurnished: filled with furnituregoldfish: a small red or orange fish, often kept as a petgreedy: wanting more of something (e.g. food, money) than you needhug: to hold somebody tightly in your armsnet: something made of many pieces of rope, string, wire, etc; it lets

water through the holes but can catch a fish, etcoverload: to give a machine (or a person) more work than it can dopond: a small area of water, smaller than a lakeright away: immediatelyshow house: one house in a group of new houses; people can look

inside the 'show house' to see what the other houses are likeshower: a lot of small things which fall like rain or snowswallow: to move food from the mouth down the throattypewriter: a machine with keys that you press; it prints letters on a

piece of paperwire: a long, thin piece of metal to carry electricity

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