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The umbrella Man-a short story by Roald Dahl.

After my visit to the dentist,my mother decided to give me a delicious banana split treat at a cafe. We were ready to go home once we had finished eating. However it was raining.My mother tried to call a taxi but all the taxis that passed us were filled.

While we were waiting ,a gentlemanly old man asked my mum for a favour. My mum is not a very trusting person ,so at first she was very distant and cold. However after hearing that he wanted to exchange his good umbrella for one pound to help him pay for a taxi,my mother was convinced that she didn't need to be suspicious of him especially as she thought he was a titled gentleman.

A few minutes later ,my mum and I both spotted the old man walking briskly away. My mother couldn't believe that he wasn't catching a taxi so she started following him. She was probably annoyed as I don't really think she liked being 'cheated' by someone. We followed him for quite a while until he went inside a pub.

We peered inside the pub and saw him buying a treble whiskey. After gulping it in one shot ,he walked to the umbrellas picked up one and walked straight out.

Retold by Elinor Tsen

I found this book interesting and really enjoyed the twist at the end, The other short stories that can be found in this book that I also really enjoyed are 'The Landlady' and 'Parson's Pleasure'.

The Umbrella Man

The Umbrella Man is about a small, old and cunning man who spends his time tricking people on rainy days. This time he tricks a young girl and her mother. Every time it rains the man offers an expensive umbrella in return for one pound for a taxi. But how does he afford the umbrella and does he really want to get a taxi? You'll have to read to find out his sneaky scheme.

This is one of the many short stories in the book "The Great Automatic Grammatizator" by the famous author Roald Dahl. I have enjoyed this book so much that I have found it at home and have started to read the classic stories inside it. This book is very cleverly written and i don't think anyone but Roald Dahl could've written a story of this standard.

Out of all the short stories I have read in any book, this is easily one of the best. I give it a 4.5/5 and the book with this story in it a 5/5. It is a must read even if you don't enjoy Dahl's stories

Reviewed by Leo Baker