Reading lesson: Wild Man

I live in an old house in the Scottish wilderness. I got the house 30 years ago. I was tired of landlords and I wanted to live alone. I decided to save money and buy my own house. There weren’t any windows and it was very damp inside. I started to make fires and prepare the house for winter.
I am always busy. I always boil some potatoes and look for berries. When I see some wood, I pick it up. I never miss an opportunity to get something for nothing. Sometimes, people visit me. I write letters and articles for a magazine.

Summer is the best time. I go outside and cook with an outdoor fire. It’s lovely. It’s an easy life. If I want to stay at home, I can. Three winters ago, a man from Latvia came to visit me. We went skiing in the mountains. It was a great adventure. But two winters ago, it was a hard life. I traveled regularly to the city Aberdeen because I needed to go to court. I couldn’t go by car or train, so I traveled on skis — for six miles. When I got back home, the fires were out and it was cold and wet. It was a nightmare.

To me, this is a normal life. A career is strange to me. I don’t want to work every day and take a lot of money home. This is more simple. It sounds depressing, but for me, it’s a great adventure.

My life is a great adventure.

Jake Williams