An Unexplainable Occurrence Elizabeth Kibler
An Unexplainable Occurrence
Elizabeth Kibler
1My sleepy little town used to be a blip on the world’s radar screen, but recently it seems that it cannot escape from the glare of the spotlight. People throughout the state continue to talk about the so-called unexplainable occurrence that happened here.
2Two summers ago, my summer vacation commenced much like every other and I could scarcely handle the boredom. One day, I overheard some people discussing a traveling carnival that had unexpectedly arrived in our town the night before. The performers planned to put on a spectacular show that evening. I had never been to a carnival, but I welcomed a distraction from a normally dull Friday night.
3As I strolled to the carnival, I noticed that my town looked deserted. The usually hectic streets seemed lonely in the moonlight, and many of the businesses had closed so that everyone could enjoy the exhibition. The only sounds I heard were the echoes of music and cheering that arose from the park. When I got closer, I could see the gigantic shadows of animals and performers leaping across the sides of the glowing tent. The scents of cotton candy and popcorn wafted through the air.
4I peered inside the luminous tent and instantly recognized numerous people from the town. They gazed toward the top of the tent at a courageous trapeze artist who swung perilously above them. I took a seat beside the door and held my breath waiting for the next act. Crack! I almost jumped out of my seat when I heard the ringmaster’s whip splinter the air. Throughout the night, the entertainers kept the crowd engaged with a variety of wild and crazy events. Then, the carnival characters took their bows and ended their performance. Afterward, the townspeople walked wearily, but jubilantly, home.
5When I walked outside the next morning, I saw my father talking with his friend Miguel. My father’s mouth gaped open, a look of astonishment printed across his face like a glaring headline.
“But, that doesn’t make sense,” said my father. “The whole town was there. We all saw it.”
7I listened further and discovered that the local news reporter had unearthed a shocking bit of information. She started researching the traveling carnival for a piece in the newspaper, but she could not locate any information about that carnival—or any carnivals, for that matter—traveling through the area. Moreover, the park in which the performance had taken place held none of the telltale signs of a carnival. It was as though the evening had never occurred.
8Suspicious about what I was hearing, I trekked to the carnival grounds to investigate. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I saw absolutely no trace of the carnival. No holes existed where I had seen tent spikes the night before. The hay that I had seen strewn and scattered about for the ferocious animals had totally disappeared. Not so much as a single piece of spilled popcorn appeared on the grass.
9Even after two years, no one can explain the strange phenomenon that occurred in my little town. I don’t need an explanation, though. The warm summer winds are starting to blow, and I can’t wait to see what comes behind them.
- Another word for jubilantly is
- Hungrily
- Gleefully
- Emotionally
- Sorrowfully
- In paragraph 4, the word luminous means
- Bright
- Gigantic
- Noisy
- Shadowy
- A synonym for the rod phenomenon in paragraph 9 is
- Carnival
- Occurrence
- Realization
- Celebration
- A synonym for the word strewn in paragraph 8 is
- Grown
- Thrown
- Blown
- Gathered
- In paragraph 2, the word boredom means
- Weather
- Dullness
- Loneliness
- Atmosphere
- What will the warm summer winds bring?
- What do you think happened to the carnival? Can you prove it? How?
- Write a gist statement for what the narrator saw at the carnival. (This is exactly 20 words)
______
______
______
______
- Illustrate the passage. Yes, you must use color.