1. by VIVIEN ALCOCK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=q9a
yN39xmsI&feature=fvwp

2. Vivien Alcock (1924-2003) was an author of children’
books. Born in Worthing, West Sussex in England, her
family moved to Devizes in Wilthire when she was aged
10. She then studied at the Oxford School of Arts.
She was married to author Leon Garfield, with whom she
adopted a daughter, named Jane after Jane Austen.
They met during World War II, when Vivien was an
ambulance driver. Her first book was The Haunting of
Cassie Palmer which was followed by The Monster
Garden and others.
(From Wikipedia.org)

3. This short story is about a young graduate named Lucy
Beck who has just finished her ‘O’ levels at Belmont
Secretarial College. Being a slow learner herself, she has
no confidence that she will find a job. Fortunately, she is
offered a job by Mr. Ross, the Manager of Ross and
Bannister’s. During her first day, she encounters many
peculiar incidents. Later, she finds out that there is a
spirit lingering around the office who is adamant in
holding on to her position as the company’s secretary.
Towards the end of the story, Lucy tries to get rid of the
spirit that has been haunting that place for many years
by putting the spirit at peace.

4. a) Determination brings success.
• Lucy determines to hold on to the job as secretary although
she scared to the spirit of Miss Broome that haunted her
through the typewriter. At last, she managed to convince
Miss Broome to go away and stop haunting the typewriter
anymore.
b) Opportunities come but once.
c) Letting go when necessary
d) Love and care for family members.
e) Respect has to be earned.

5. a) Lucy Beck : She is a young, shy and insecure graduate of secretarial
studies. She dissatisfied with her current life and is determined to
improve it. She obtains a position with Ross and Bannister’s, only to
find that the position comes with a chilling secret.
b) Ghost of Ms.Bloome : She was the previous employee of Ross and
Bannister·s. She is unwilling to let go of her position and continues to
defend her post, even after her demise.
c) Lucy's mother : A housewife who lives a hard life. She has to support
her brother.
d) Uncle Bert : Lucy’s uncle. He depends on his sister (Lucy’s mother) for
support. He is also a drunkard.
e) Harry Drake : Ross and Bannister·s handyman. He is an old man who
has been working with the company for years.
f) Mr. Ross : The younger partner of the company.

6. a) Atmosphere
• The story probably takes place in early 20th century when
office work was done on typewriters and tapes were still in
use. Computers were probably not in use yet.
b) Location
• Ross and Bannister’s firm.
The story is set in the town of Belmont in the office of Ross
and Bannister’s where Lucy Beck works as a secretary and
where the haunted typewriter is.
• Lucy Beck’s house.
At the kitchen where Lucy told her mother about her new
job and when Lucy talked with her uncle.

7. Lucy Beck graduates from the Belmont Secretariat College with
an ‘O’ level. Lucy was such a slow typist that the Principal, Mrs.
Price worried that she could not find a job. Lucy lives with her
mother and uncle , Uncle Bert. She wants a job because she does
not want to be poor anymore and she wants to leave the house
and get away from her drunkard uncle. She goes for an
interview at Ross and Banister’s and she is immediately accepted
as a secretary.
1

8. Lucy arrives early on her first day at work. She meets Harry Drake
who explains her job description.
Lucy sets down to work alone in the office. She types her first letter
and being a touch-typist, she does not look at the letter as she types.
When she finally glances at the uncompleted letter, she is shocked
to find QWERTYUIOPs repeated all over in the letter.
Lucy attempts to type anew. This time
extraordinary words appear in the letter.
She tears out the letter and tries to
type on a new sheet again.

9. The typewriter takes over and types a
threat to her.
Lucy decides to stay and takes on the
typewriter. She discovers the existence of
MISS BROOME who claims to be the rightful
secretary of the office.
Lucy challenges the ghost.

10. The typewriter goes berserk with QWERTYUIOPs typed all
over the letter. Each time the unwanted capitals appear. Lucy
swipes them with correcting fluid to cover them. She then finally
finishes typing her letter.
Mr. Ross comes into the office and fnds some letters to be
signed. He enquiries if there is any problem with the typewriter.
The next morning , Harry Darke is surprised to see Lucy back
to work. Lucy asks about Miss Broome. She thinks of her Uncle Bert
when Harry Darke explains about
Miss Broome. Lucy is adamant to
stay on and fight for her job.

11. Lucy goes to work the next
day and communicate with Miss
Broome via the typewriter. She
tells Miss Broome about Mr.
Bannister’s passing and persuade
her that her services are needed
more where he is now.
The spirit relents and Lucy
bids her goodbye.

12. One should not be prejudiced towards others. (Do not judge a
book by its cover.)
Example 1:The Spirit of Miss Bloome, for example was looked
down by others before Lucy. She may be a spirit but she was a
lonely spirit .By understanding her loneliness, Lucy succeeded to
tell her to serve Mr Bannister who had also passed away and
needed her.
Example 2: Lucy was also a victim of prejudice. Being young,
small and shy, her principal and even Harry Darke thought that
she was a coward. Yet she proved to herself and others that she
was a brave person who would not submit to the wish of a lonely
spirit.

13. a) Do not judge a person by his/her
physical appearance or qualification
b) When we want something, we should
persevere
c) Problems can be solved effectively
through thoughtful actions and
compassion

14. Point of view
This story is written from the third person point of view.
Tone
The narrator has empathy towards Lucy Beck.
Diction (the choice of words in the story)
Use of vocabulary to create eerie, paranormal atmosphere.
There was something odd!
A sudden wrongness felt by her fingers, a tingling, an icy pricking…
Simple vocabulary, short dialogues
Lots of exclamation marks (!) to show emotion, different fonts to indicate typed
messages – e.g. capital letters to indicate Miss Broome’s nger in her typed mesage.;
use of italic (her) to show emphasis

15. Simile
The story has many interesting similes
e.g. shot off like a scalded cat
with your fingers flying over the keys like white butterflies
straight as a rule
like a squat
ugly monster
like badly fitting false teeth
like melting ice-cream
eyes like currants….etc
Metaphor
e.g. You’re not the timid mouse you look, Miss Beck. You’re a right little lion; mouse-coloured
Onomatopoeia
The word imitates and echoes the sounds it tries to describe e.g. rattle, snapping, tapping,
etc
Colloquial language
e.g. the old bag ( the elderly lady)
who would get the chop (who would be dismissed from the job)
Imagery
e.g. a thick icing of white hair (grey hair)

16. She stared at it in horrified bewilderment. What had happened? What had she done?
Not even on her first day at the Belmont Secretarial College had she made such
ridiculous mistakes. Such strange mistakes – QWERTYUIOP, the top line of letters on a
typewriter, repeated over and over again! Thank God there had been no one to notice.
They’d think she had gone mad. She must be more careful. Keep her mind on the job,
not allow it to wander out of the window into the sunny shopping street below. Putting
fresh paper into the typewriter, she began again. She was tempted to look at the
keyboard . . . “Don’t look at the keys! Keep your eyes away!” Mrs. Price was always
saying. “No peeing. You’ll never make a good typist if you can’t do it by touch. Rhythm,
it’s all rhythm. Play it to music in your head.”
a. What is QWERTYUIOP?
…………………………………………………………………………………
b. Why must she be careful?
…………………………………………………………………………………
c. What did she decide to do after making the repeated mistakes?
…………………………………………………………………………………
d. Do you think you would make such mistakes. Give a reason for your answer.
…………………………………………………………………………………

17. For an hour, she battled with the machine. As fast as QWERTYUIOPs and unwanted capitals appeared, she
attacked with a loaded brush. The white fluid ran down the typing paper like melting ice-cream, and dripped
thickly into the depths of the typewriter.
YOU’RE DROWNING ME, it complained pathetically, and she swiped at the words with her brush.
HELP!
Another swipe.
PLEASE!
But Lucy showed no mercy. The large bottle was half-empty when she reached the end of the letter in triumph.
Yours faithfully,
George Ross,
She typed, and sat back with a sigh of relief.
The machine began to rattle. Too late, Lucy snatched the completed letter out of the typewriter. Across the
bottom of the otherwise faultless page, it now said in large, red capitals:
I HATE YOU!
Furiously she painted the words out.
a. What is the white fluid?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b. Why is Lucy battling with the machine?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
c. Why is the large bottle half empty?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
d. What quality did Lucy display? Provide a reason for your answer.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

18. Lucy typed quickly:
re you from outer space?
The typewriter rocked, as if with laughter, its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth.
IDIOT, it wrote.
Who are you? Lucy typed.
Miss Broome, it answered.
Lucy hesitated. She did not know quite how to reply to this. In the end she typed:
How do you do? I am Miss Beck.
GO AWAY, MISS BECK
Why should I?
I AM SECRETARY HERE, it sated, this time in red letters.
No, you’re not! I am! Lucy typed angrily.
The machine went mad. Q U E R T Y U I O P “ / @ Q U E R T Y U I O P £ – &()*QWERTYUIOP+1, it
screamed, shaking and snapping its keys like castanets.
a. What does the word ‘rocked’ mean?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
b. What is Lucy’s occupation?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
c. Why did Lucy hesitate?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
d. If you were Lucy do you think you would reply to Miss Broome? Give a reason for your answer.
……………………………………………………………………………………………

19. Lucy Beck was young and small and mouse-coloured, easily overlooked. She had a lonely ‘O’ level
and a typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh.
“Whoever will want to employ me?” she had asked Mrs. Price once, and Mrs. Price had been at a
loss to answer.
Lucy wanted a job. More than anyone, more than anything, she wanted a job. She was tired of
being poor. She was fed up with macaroni cheese and baked beans. She was sick of second-hand
clothes.
“We are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life,” her mother would say. Lucy loved her mother,
but could not help wishing she would sometimes lose her temper. Shout. Scream. Throw
saucepans at the spinning, grinning head of Uncle Bert.
a. Why is Lucy described as ‘easily overlooked’?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
b. Why is finding a job so important to Lucy?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
c. What was Mrs. Price’s answer to Lucy when she asked whether she would ever find a job?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
d. Describe Lucy’s feelings towards Uncle Bert. Provide reasons for your answer.
………………………………………………………………………………………………

20. a) The top line of letters on a typewriter or keypad.
b) She must not let people know that she is making
mistakes.
c) She decided to try again and this time she will focus
on the rhythm.
d) Any logical answer.

21. a) correction liquid/liquid paper
b) The words QWERTYUIOP keep appearing.
c) She used it to correct a lot of mistakes.
d) Lucy shows determination in what she does. She refuses to
simply give up and leave and finds a way to deal with the
spirit.

22. a) movement
b) Secretary
c) She did not how to react to the typewriter or what to ask
next.
d) Any logical answer.

23. a) She was small in size
b) She wanted to move away from her mother.
c) Mrs. Price could not give an answer
d) She hated him. She wished that her mother would lose her
temper and throw things at him.

24. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLOMvPC1EzQ
With love always…
Yours,
Po Po Tun