CLICK HERE FOR FULL AUDIO/VISUAL PAAGE
Strings
in the Wind and a Film! A true story about Hans Kratky
This
true story happened more than seven years ago. But, for Hans Kratky
it's still just as real as if it only happened last week. It was the
day that his kite went away with the wind.
It
was January the first. Hans Kratky was trying out his brand new video
camera when he had an idea. Why not make a film of his house
from above? A bird's eye view.
And,
this was not only a very good idea, but simple as well. And, the
only thing needed was a kite to carry the camera into the sky. And,
that was no problem. Hans Kratky could easily make one himself. And
so he got going. And, two days later, his kite was
ready and waiting with camera fixed firmly on board.
And
the take-off was perfect! Up into the sky went camera
and kite. And, as Hans pulled the strings he was happy.
His film, he was sure, would be a success.
But,
then came the gust. It was so strong and so sudden
that it took the strings right out of his hands! There
was nothing Hans could do except sadly look-on as his kite and camera
went away on the wind and into the cold winter sky.
But,
all's well that ends well, and soon the kite found itself tangled
up in a tree with the camera still shooting as if nothing had
happened. All was not lost. And, later that day, Hans and 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
rose gracefully higher and higher. And
the views were impressive. And, far below, Hans's house
looked amazingly small. And, again came the gust.
And, the swingings and tossings looked great on the
screen. 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 came down head first from above! The camera, which
was still filming, was hanging upside-down in the tree.
Everything was back-to-front
and upside-down.
And, so brilliant was this ending, that Hans's wife Petra thought
the whole thing was great. And, she was glad she had given Hans the
camera for Christmas.
And,
Hans was glad, too. His dream had come true. He had made a film of
his house from above and it was all his own work. Or, was it? Not
quite. The wind and the tree had played important
roles, too. Without them there would have been no surprises and no
video either! Everything would have gone with the wind. Hans had
had not only a very good day, but, lots of luck, too! There is much
more to flying than just pulling strings!
Vocabulary
according
– laut
after
all – immerhin
amazing
– erstaunlich
back-to-front
– verkehrt
giant
– riesig
got
going - (to get going/got going/got going) – anfangen
graceful
– graziös
gust
– Windstoß/Bö
home
made – Hausgemacht
impressive
– beeindruckend
kite – Drachen
launching – abschießen
quite – ganz
rescue –
(rescue/rescued/rescued) – retten
rose –
(rise/rose/risen)
– stieg
straight after – direkt
nach . ..
strings - Schnüre
sudden – plötzlich
swayed – (to
sway/swayed/swayed) ) - schwanken
take off, the – Abflug
tangled – (to
tangle/tangled/tangled) - eingewickelt
tossings – wälzen
upside-down – verkehrt
Questions
What was Hans Kratky doing on
January the first?
What was Hans Kratky's idea?
How long did Hans Kratky need to
make his kite?
What took the strings out of Hans
Kratky's hands?
Where did the kite land?
Why was everything upside-down?
Who gave Hans Kratky the camera
for Christmas?
