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The whole thing started in Goa, so I heard, at one of the all-night dance parties. The news soon got round and within two weeks the new music was played at the Koh Phanghan Full Moon party in Thailand. Ten thousand people dancing in a state of euphoria. Clubs in Europe picked up on it and within a month the music had spread worldwide. I wanted to find out what it was like for myself, so me and my mate Dave took a train into Manchester and went to a club. I was excited but also a bit nervous, to you tell the truth, although I'd read on the net that there was nothing to worry about and no side effects.
As we stood in the queue outside, we chatted with a group of lads from Liverpool behind us who said that the music was invented by two Norwegian scientists. They discovered that sounds at a specific frequency can affect the brain. The music produces intense feelings of happiness and joy, but of course, isn't a drug and so is completely legal. Not surprisingly, the scientists were in hiding in fear of their lives. The big drug gangs were going to lose all their income and wanted the scientists dead. The lads in the queue said that several nightclubs in Europe had been burned down by angry gangs. We all hoped the same wouldn't happen to the club we were going into.
Finally, we got to the front of the line, paid our money and went into the club. The lighting was different to a usual club in that it was pure golden yellow. The music was not at all loud but by the looks on the faces of the people dancing, they were in a euphoric state. Dave and I made our way onto the dancefloor and joined the hundreds of others. At first, nothing happened, but then after about a minute or so, I was overcome by a feeling of joy. The music was inside my head and it felt like I was in heaven; I'd never felt so happy. Everyone around me was smiling and felt like my best friends, and all because of the new music.
After leaving the club, the effect wore off immediately, and other than feeling tired after dancing for five hours, I was fine; no ill effects at all. We agreed that this was the world's greatest discovery and couldn't wait to go again, or get a CD of the music. The new music was headline news with various doctors, police and government ministers saying it could be dangerous and that tests needed to be done. They were pretty pleased about the drop in crime though. Me and Dave went every week for the next two months and suffered no side effects at all. Well, not until it all went wrong, that is.
It all happened so quickly that even the television news couldn't keep up. Most people stayed indoors and checked the internet for updates At first, no one connected the chaos and violence to the music, but it soon became apparent that the music was the cause. Anyone who has listened to it is a ticking timebomb... including me. I don't feel any different, but I know I could become a killer like the thousands of others. The government said that the music changes the chemical balance in a listener's brain and means that it turns off the ability to control anger. Even if a tiny bad thing happens to you, you will become uncontrollably angry and violent. Already, thousands of people have been murdered across the world and governments in every country are catching people who are suspected of listening to the music and putting them in prison. But in prison, the stressful situation only makes them angry and most end up dead in fights, or shot by guards.
It is early afternoon and I am sitting at my computer in my room, doing my best to keep calm. My poor friend Dave is already in jail. He went crazy last week when his train to work was late and he killed two people on the platform. I am doing my very best not to end up like him. I just hope to God I can control myself. I must not lose my temper. I must keep calm. I have spent days looking at all the news websites, desperately hoping to find a solution. There must be some way doctors can reverse the effect. Hey.... what's this? On the BBC news there is a newsflash saying that the two missing Norwegian scientists have been found and they know how to solve the problem. That's fantastic news. I have a chance.
"Knock, knock." Someone is at my front door. I go to the window and look to see who it is. Oh no! There are five police officers standing outside my house. What can I do now? Now that there might be a solution I can't be arrested!. I am NOT going to prison. I'll die in prison. I can feel incredible anger welling up from deep inside me. I must stop them. I must kill them. I run into the kitchen and pick up two large knives and head to the front door. I'm going to kill them all.
Adjectives
specific:
Only one particular thing.
intense:
Having a strong effect.
pretty:
Here the meaning is similar to 'quite' or 'very'.
ticking:
Here meaning 'counting time down to zero'.
missing:
Here meaning 'not in its usual place and impossible to find'.
incredible:
Here meaning 'very much'.
Verbs
get round:
Here meaning 'told to a lot of people in many places'.
pick up on:
Notice something before other people do.
be invented:
To be made or thought of for the first time.
be in hiding:
To be in a safe place because you are in danger.
be in fear of sth.:
To be scared of something.
be overcome:
Here meaning 'to be unable to control yourself because of a strong
feeling.
wear off:
An effect gradually stops.
keep up:
Here meaning 'to be able to do something fast enough'.
become apparent:
To become easy to notice or understand.
be suspected of doing sth.: When someone
thinks you did something wrong.
reverse:
Change to the opposite direction or effect.
look to see:
To move your eyes to discover what is happening.
well up:
To get stronger (from deep inside you).
be arrested:
To be taken by the police to a police station.
Nouns
Goa:
A part of India with good beaches that is a popular holiday destination.
Koh
Phanghan Full Moon party:
A big monthly beach party in Thailand.
euphoria:
A short but extremely strong feeling of happiness and excitement.
a side effect:
Here meaning 'the appearance of your skin, its quality'.
a lad:
A young man.
a frequency:
(technical) The number of sound waves per second.
a drug:
Here meaning 'an illegal drug such as Ecstacy or Cocaine'.
a euphoric state:
A state of extreme happiness and excitement.
a discovery:
Finding or noticing something for the first time.
headline news:
Very important news.
a government minister:
A senior member of the government who is in charge of a department.
a drop in crime:
Less crime.
chaos:
A situation which is not organised and maybe out of control.
violence:
Behaviour where someone physically hurts another person.
a timebomb:
Here meaning 'a situation that will become a big problem in the future'.
a solution:
The positive answer to a problem or difficult situation.
a newsflash:
A piece of news that is so important, that the usual TV or radio
programme is stopped for a shot time, and the news is given.