2024
2
Text for Section A, an extract from "The Dark Is Rising" by Susan Cooper.
It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and Will Stanton, who had just turned eleven,
was out walking in the snow with his little brother, James. They were returning from
the village, where they had gone to buy some last-minute presents for their family,
and now they were taking a shortcut across the fields.
As they trudged through the snow, Will noticed something strange happening: it was
as if time had slowed down. The snowflakes hung motionless in the air, the trees
and bushes were frozen in place, and even the sounds of the world around them
seemed to be muffled.
Will had always been cognizant that he was different from other children. He was
the seventh son of a seventh son, which meant that he had special powers, though
he had never fully understood what they were. But as he looked around him now,
he felt a sense of foreboding that he couldn't explain.
Suddenly, a figure loomed in the distance, walking towards them through the snow.
Will couldn't make out any details, but he could tell that it was a man. As the figure
drew closer, Will saw that he was dressed in strange, archaic clothes, and he carried
a long, gnarled staff.
5
10
15
The man stopped in front of them and looked down at Will and James with piercing
blue eyes. "Greetings, Old One," he said addressing Will, "I have been sent to find
you."
Will was taken aback. "What do you mean, 'Old One'?" he asked.
20
The man's face softened. "You are one of the Old Ones," he said. "The last of a
group of powerful beings who have been fighting the Dark for centuries. And now
the time has come for you to take up the mantle of your forefathers, and join the
battle once more."
Will didn't know what to make of this. He had always felt that there was something
special about him, but he had never heard of the Old Ones, or the Dark. "I don't
understand!" he said.
The man looked at him gravely. "The Dark is rising," he said. "It is a force of evil
that seeks to destroy everything that is good in the world. And you, Old One, are the
only one who can stop it."
25
30
Will was frightened, but he was also intrigued. He had always felt that there was
something he was meant to do, something important. And now, it seemed, he had
found his purpose.
For May/June 2024
3
"I'll do it!" he said, with a sudden gleam in his eyes.
The man smiled, revealing a row of crooked teeth. "Good," he said. "But you must
know that the Dark will do everything in its power to stop you. You must be careful,
and you must have a heart of a lion."
35
And with that, the man vanished, leaving Will and James alone in the snowy field.
For the rest of that day, and into the night, Will couldn't stop thinking about what
had happened. He felt a sense of excitement, mixed with fear, at the prospect of
facing the Dark. He didn't know what he was up against, but he knew that he had to
try.
The next morning, Will woke up to a new world. The snow had stopped falling, and
the sun was shining bright in the sky. He felt a sense of purpose as he got dressed
and went downstairs to join his family for Christmas breakfast.
40
45
But as he sat down at the table, he felt a sudden wave of dizziness. The room swam
before his eyes, and he felt as if he were falling into a deep, dark hole.
When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere else entirely.
For May/June 2024