A true story about Hans Kratky - Read - Listen - Enjoy!
This
true story happened more than five years ago, but, for Hans Kratky
it's still just as real as if it only happened last week. His kite
had been taken away by the wind – and with it - something he
treasured!
It
was a just after Christmas. Hans Kratky was trying out the video
camera which his wife had just given him and he had an idea.
Why not use the camera for making a film of his house from above? An
aerial view.
And
this was not only a very good idea, but simple as well. The only
thing needed was a kite to carry the camera into the sky, and Hans
Kratky could easily make one himself. And so he got going.
And, the very next day it was ready. A giant kite made out of fine
red material. Hans Kratky's idea of producing a bird's eye view film
of his house was about to come true.
And
so, into the field next door went Hans, his wife and one or two
friends with the giant red kite with the camera on board! And
the take-off was perfect! Up into the sky went the kite, and
there it danced and swayed and did what kites generally do.
And, as Hans pulled the strings he was happy. His film, he was sure,
would be a success.
But,
then came the wind!
The
gust was so strong and so sudden that it took the strings
right out of Hans Kratky's hands! There was nothing he could do
except sadly look-on as his kite and his camera flew away on the wind
and into the cold winter sky. And, what was his wife thinking? She
was standing right next to him and saying nothing at all. Just
staring – and not very happily. The camera, after all, had
cost her very much money!
But,
all's well that ends well, and the kite soon found itself tangled
up in a tree with the camera still shooting as if nothing had
happened. All was not lost. And, that very same evening, Hans, his
wife, and their friends sat down to enjoy Hans's unforgettable film.
And, it was full of surprises.
The
beginning was perfect. There were the wonderful pictures as the kite
got gracefully higher and higher and the views were
impressive. And, Hans's house, a long way down, was really
amazingly small. It was like watching a dream.
And,
then came the gust.
And
there on the screen were the aerial divings and swingings and
tossings and turnings being taken from Hans's out of control
home made beautiful giant red kite. But, the best was to come at the
end. It was a finale fit for an Oscar, and, it all took place
in the tree which was holding the kite!
Instead
of coming up from the ground to rescue his camera and kite,
Hans Kratky, instead, came down – headfirst - from the top! The
camera, still filming, was hanging upside-down in the tree,
and everything was back-to-front, upside-down, and the wrong
way round! And, so brilliant was this ending, that Petra, Hans's
wife, still believes that the whole thing was a well carried out
piece of film making! Hans, not just a cameraman with a future, but
also a genius with an eye for the very best shot!
Luck,
Petra Kratky still firmly believes, had no part to play!
Vocabulary
according
– laut
after
all – immerhin
back-to-front
– verkehrt
amazing
– erstaunlich
giant
– riesig
got
going - (to get going/got going/got going) – anfangen
graceful
– graziös
gust
– Windstoß/Bö
impressive
– beeindruckend
kite – Drachen
launching
– abschießen
straight after – direkt
nach . ..
swayed – (to
sway/swayed/swayed) ) - schwanken
take off, the – Abflug
tangled
– (to tangle/tangled/tangled)
- eingewickelt
tossings – wälzen
upside-down – verkehrt
Diarikom's
Podcast – A985
