Both 'The Signal man' and 'The darkness out there' have unexpected endings. Compare the way the tension is built up in both stories so that the reader is surprised by how the stories end.

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BOTH THE ‘SIGNAL MAN’ AND ‘THE DARKNESS OUT THERE’ HAVE UNEXPECTED ENDINGS. COMPARE THE WAY THE TENSION IS BUILT UP IN BOTH STORIES SO THAT  THE READER IS SURPRISED BY HOW THE STORIES END.

    Penelope Lively wrote the Darkness Out There. It is about two children who are in the good neighbours club. They are sent to go and help an old lady called Mrs Rutter. She lives in an isolated house in the countryside. The Signalman is about a man who goes to visit a signalman. The signalman tells this visitor that he is troubled. He is expecting a disaster and he has sightings of a ghost now and then.

    The Darkness Out There begins with a description of an idyllic countryside.

    “brushing through the grass, polleny summer grass that glinted in the sun.”

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It does mention a darker place in the countryside which is called Packers End. When the children were young they believed that witches and wolves lived there.

    “When they were small, six and seven and eight, they’d been scared stiff of Packers End. Then, they hadn’t known about the german plane. It was different things then; witches and wolves and tigers.”

As they got older rumours went around that somebody got raped at Packers End. Mrs Rutter comes across as a typical nice old lady. She treats the two children well. She offers them biscuits. Then Mrs Rutter ...

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