Love and Relationships
In A.D. 79, the volcano Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted. It buried the ancient Roman city Pompeii in ash and lava. The remains of this ancient city were discovered hundreds of years later. The Dog of Pompeii is a fictional short story inspired by this historical event. In the story you meet Tito and his faithful dog Bimbi.
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Tito and his dog Bimbi lived under the wall by the town gate. They really didn’t live there; they just slept there. They lived anywhere. Pompeii was a joyful old Roman town. Shining chariots filled the streets; laughing crowds packed the open-air theaters; the great stadium hosted fake battles and popular sports. Once a year the Caesar visited the city and the fireworks lasted for days. But Tito saw none of these things. He was blind – had been blind from birth. He was known to everyone in the poor area. But no one could say how old he was, no one remembered his parents, no one knew where he came from. Bimbi was another mystery. Bimbi never left Tito’s side. He was not only dog, but nurse, pillow, playmate, mother and father to Tito. Did I say Bimbi never left Tito’s side? I was wrong. Bimbi left Tito alone exactly three times a day. Early in the morning, while Tito was still dreaming, Bimbi would disappear. When Tito woke up, Bimbi would be sitting quietly at his side with a fresh bread at his feet. Tito would stretch; Bimbi would yawn; then they would eat breakfast. At noon, no matter where they were, the two would return to their place by the gate. Tito would curl up in the corner and go to sleep, while Bimbi would disappear again. In half an hour, he’d be back with their lunch. Sometimes it was a piece of fruit or a scrap of meat, often it was nothing but dry bread. But sometimes Bimbi brought him one of those cakes with raisins that Tito liked so much. At suppertime, the same thing happened again. Whether there was much or little, hot or cold, fresh or dry, food was always there. Tito never asked where it came from
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Louis Untermeyer (1885–1977) was an American poet and author.
The Dog of Pompeii
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STARTING POINT
LOUIS UNTERMEYER Use the letters in VOLCANO ERUPTION to make a list of new words, like: on, pea, tour ...
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