The House Call

                            The House Call

Summary

        'The House Call' is a supernatural story taken from Berlin, Germany. This story deals with an apparition(appearance) of a head girl to an elderly surgeon requesting him to make a house call.

     Dr. Emil Braun was a famous surgeon of Germany. After forming and supervising difficult surgical operations for more than eight hours he was resting in the dining room of his house. He was thinking of writing some notes on surgery and having his dinner, but he was so tired that he was awoken up by sound of his doorbell. As he went to the door, he saw a girl of about six or seven years requesting for a house call thinking that it was indeed and emergency, he got ready and followed the girl into the darkness.

     The girl walked ahead of doctor stopping at each corner only to make sure that the doctor was following the girl and was going to ask her some questions about she walked so quickly that he was unable to catch up her. The girl led him to an old rented house upto its 5^th floor. Thanking the doctor for his kindness, the girl closed the door softly as the doctor walked/got into the room, he saw a sick woman lying in bed. He immediately recognized the woman. She was Elda, who used to work as a maintenance staff in his hospital. He noticed that she was suffering from pneumonia and gave her some medicine. She had spent three years with her brother in the country side and had returned to Berlin three months earlier. Then he started talking about her daughter who had  gone to his house requesting to make him house call, but he was totally surprised to know that the girl had already passed away three months earlier. He even touched the girl's shoes and shawl that her mother had kept as remainder of her daughter. When he found them wet and damp he was pretty sure that he had followed a spirit all the way to Elda's house. However, he did not disclosed this secret to Elda thinking that it would make her health even worse. While talking to the doctor, Elda fell asleep. Checking her feverish head once again, the doctor returned his home.

     Thus, the house call is a supernatural story because the events like apparition of ghost are not possible to take place in real life. Moreover such events are beyond the explanation of scientific principle. So it is beautiful supernatural story.

Questions

1.   If the doctor was too tired to eat or write, why was he not too tired to go to see the sick woman?

   Dr. Emil Braun was an renowned surgeon of Germany. He was dutiful, responsible and had extreme faith on God. Due to being engaged in long surgical operations and supervising operations doctor was too tired to eat or write. But he was not too tired to go to see the sick woman because he was dutiful person and he does whatever God puts in front of him.

2.   The story says that the doctor was trying to catch up with the little girl so he could ask her a few questions.

a.    What do you think he wanted to ask her?

   I think the questions he wanted to ask her were:-

-          Since how long your mother is sick?

-          What are the symptoms of illness?

-          Who is taking care of your mother?

-          Why did you come alone to call me?

-          How many members are their in family?

b.   Do you think the girl wanted to answer the questions? Explain.

I don’t think the girl wanted to answer the questions as she was not an ordinary girl (i.e she was a spirit. Also she was walking ahead of the doctor instead of walking with him. So, I think she don’t wanted to answer the questions.

3.   Why did the doctor have a look of surprise on his face when Elda told him that her little daughter died in September?

    The doctor had a look of surprise on his face when Elda told him that her daughter died in September. It is because a little girl had gone to call the doctor for the treatment of her mother. He had thought that she was her daughter. Moreover, when he was talking to Elda, the little girl was not visible. Hence, he was surprised thinking about the girl who had gone to visit him at night.

4.   Elda said, "When I see Heide's shoes and shawl, it almost seems like she's still there with me". What do you think the doctor was thinking when he heard her say that?

       When Elda said, "When I see Heide's shoes and shawl, it almost seems like she's still there with me". I think the doctor was thinking that these shoes and shawl are same the girl was wearing who came to call me then who the girl was if Heide passed away in September and why the shoes and shawl are damp.

5.      Do you think it's a good idea to keep reminders of lost loved ones as Elda did? Explain.

   I think it's a good idea to keep reminder of lost loved ones gives support at the time of difficulty and when we are alone. Their reminders provides psychological support that we are not alone, our loved ones are with us looking at us and taking our care.