Here’s a story about a man sitting in a manhole. That simple!
Do you know what a manhole is? It’s a covered hole in a street that a person can go down into to do work under the street. Some lids can be really beautiful. Have a look:
Anyway, let’s listen to Walter. He has something to say…
I’m Walter. I know what you’re thinking… What is that dweeb doing in the manhole? Is he a road mender or just a loafer who ran away from real life problems and is hiding in the malodorous world under the ground?
I’m not mental. I’m not a lazybones either. My story is sad, but with a happy end.
I hope you’re not a lazybones. Sure, everybody needs a rest from time to time, but not all the time.
I’m a miner. There was an accident and I was trapped deep under the ground.
But I didn’t give up. I bored a tunnel until I finally realized I was inside a huge, off-putting sewer, leading to this manhole.
It was really hard to heave the manhole lid, but I did it. Hmm, I sort of like it here. Maybe I’ll stay here a little bit longer…
Vocabulary
| dweeb | a person who behaves awkwardly around other people and usually has unstylish hair, clothes, etc. |
| manhole | a covered hole in a street that a person can go down into to do work under the street |
| road mender | a worker that repairs roads |
| loafer | a person who does not work hard |
| malodorous /ˌmælˈoʊdərəs/ | having a bad smell |
| mental | crazy |
| lazybones, plural lazybones | a lazy person |
| bore | to make (a hole, tunnel, etc.) in sth with a tool or by digging |
| off-putting | not pleasing or likable, causing you to feel dislike of sb or sth |
| sewer | a subterranean pipe to carry off sewage and sometimes surface water (as from rainfall) |
| heave | to lift or pull sth with effort |