On the hall floor below the letter box, he found a

On the hall floor below the letter box, he found a good of you, doctor. Grady's the name, Matthew 3 thick envelope of government notices. Ransom Grady. This'll keep the kids going until we get to the carried them into the lounge. He sat down in an coast. armchair and stared through the patio doors at the Drink some yourself You look as if you need it. 5 dusty earth that had once been his lawn. Beyond Its only a hundred miles to the coast. the withered hedges his neighbour's watchtower Grady nodded. "Maybe. But I figure the last rose into the air, but the smoke from the fires veiled couple of miles will be really hard going. Could take us a whole two days, maybe three. You can't drink 45 the view of the lake and river. seawater, Getting down onto the beach is only the He glanced at the notices. These described, in start. At the door he added, "Doctor, things are 4 order, the end of the drought, the dangers of going to be rough soon, believe me. You pull out drinkin and, lastly, the correct now while you can. seawater. procedure for reaching the coast. He stood up and Ransom smiled I already have. Anyway, keep a 50 wandered around the house. In the refrigerator. place for me on the sand. He watched Grady wrap melted butter ran greasily off the edge of its tray and the can in his coat and then walk away down the 15 dripped onto the limp salad below. The smells of drive, his eyes moving quickly from left to right as sour milk and bad meat мейд him close the door, he slipped between the cars. ample stock of canned food and cereals stood on the cupboard shelves, and a small reserve of Tired by the empty house, Ransom went out into 55 the drive, deciding to wait for Judith there The fine 5 water lay in the roof tank, but this was due less to 20 good planning than to the fact that, like himself. ash settled slowly through the air from the 2 Judith went out for most of her meals unattended fires. He climbed into the car, dusting the seats and controls, He switched on the radio There was a quiet tap on the kitchen door and listened to the news reports the drough Ransom went downstairs and found the owner of broadcast from the few radio stations st working. the green car, "Come in," Ransom said. With a nod 25 the little man stepped into the kitchen, He walked The worldwide drought. now in its fifth month, was 5 about stiffly, as if unused to being inside a house. the result of a series of regular droughts all over the Are your family all right?" Ransom asked globe during the previous decade. Ten years Just about. Who's that crazy man by the lake earlier, there was a critical tood shortage when the A local eccentric. Don't worry about him. He's the one who should be worrying," the little seasonal rainfall expected in agricultural areas had failed to come, The crops failed and one by one man answered "Anyone that crazy is going to be in countries as far apart as Canada and France, trouble soon. He waited patiently as Ransom filled Kazakhstan and India were turned into dust plains ten-litre can from the sink tap There was no The following months brought no more than a few pressure and the water dribbled in slowly When n and after two years these farmlands 35 Ransom handed him the can he seemed to switch totally devastated. Once the people had moved elsewhere, these new deserts were himself on, as he hadn't believed the possibility of eceiving the water until he had it in his hands it's abandoned for good

imagine you are ransom and you are the only person left in the area write a letter to a friend in another country.Use the points below and your own ideas .