Emily was an eighth grader. To finish her homework, she had to do some volunteer service in an old people’s home for a week.

One Monday, Emily went to the old people’s home after school. To help old people, she should spend an hour every weekday with an old lady, Mrs. Blair. Emily then went _________ her room.

Emily _________ awkwardly in front of the lady. She said, “Good afternoon, I’m Emily.” “Good afternoon, Emily. Feel free to sit.” Mrs. Blair smiled.

Emily didn’t know what to say.

“Tell me about _________ , Emily.”

“Well,” Emily started, “I don’t have any grandparents, so I don’t know much about _________ people. I love acting. I am here _________ I need to get a good grade for my class.”

Mrs. Blair didn’t mind. “Many teenagers, don’t _________ old people like me. I’m going to change that, and you may find some surprise from old people. _________ me anything.”

“What was your job?” Emily asked.

“I was a Broadway _________ in the 1950s,” Mrs. Blair answered.

“Cool! Can you tell me about it?” Emily asked.

“Back then, only the _________ actor could wear a special bracelet. I was the greatest of all the plays, so I __________ wore the bracelet. I still have it.”

Emily smiled with Mrs. Blair and listened to other stories. She loved Mrs. Blair’s stories, so she __________ to come earlier the next day.

A week went by. As she left, Emily was __________ to say goodbye.

“You can visit me at any time,” Mrs. Blair hugged her. “It’s my __________ to you,” She handed a small box to Emily. Emily __________ opened the box and was surprised to see what was inside. It’s the bracelet that Blair wore. Mrs. Blair smiled, “It was my __________ , now it’s yours. You will be a big star in Broadway one day.”

Roberta, Peter and Phyllis lived in a large red-brick house with in London. Roberta was the eldest. Father worked hard in a government office. He was never angry. Mother was almost at home, ready to play with the children, and read the interesting story to them.

These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely playroom and a dog called James. They had a happy life, but they did not know the pretty happy life in the large house was over.

The change came quite suddenly.

Peter had his tenth birthday. After dinner, Peter showed Father the toy train. Father looked it over and promised to play with it on Saturday.

At that moment, two men came to see Father. Minutes passed. Father’s voice came out from the study, loud and angry.

More time passed. Then Mother came in and said quietly, “Father’s been called away—on business.”

A week after their father went away. Mother said, “Now, we’re going to move to the countryside. It’s a little white house, called Three Chimneys.”

The family started putting things away: clothes, bowls, candles and also tables and chairs.

“We seem to be taking all the ugly things,” said Roberta.

“We’ll need them in the new house,” said Mother. “We’ve got to play at being poor for a bit.”

Peter said happily, “I do like moving! I wish we moved once a month.”

Mother laughed and said, “I don’t like moving!”

As Mother turned away, Roberta saw her face. She never forgot it.

“Oh, Mother,” she said, “how I love you! You are brave enough to laugh when you’re feeling like that!”

Then they took a train to the countryside. No one knew how long they had been in the train when Mother woke them up.

They stood in the cold night air on the dark platform. At that moment they didn’t know what the train, the railways and the station would mean to them. They didn’t know they were going to be the railway children and have a very different life with the railway later.