Tom was a 35-year-old man who lived a quiet life in a small English town. He worked as a gardener, loved his dog, Max, and spent his weekends walking in the countryside. But one day, everything changed. Tom started feeling sharp pains in his stomach. At first, he ignored them, thinking it was just something he ate. But the pain grew worse, like a knife twisting inside him. After a week, he went to the doctor. The news was bad: he needed surgery to remove his appendix before it burst.

The day of the operation came quickly. Tom arrived at the hospital early in the morning. The building smelled of cleaning liquid and medicine. Nurses in blue uniforms moved around him, their voices calm but serious. “Don’t worry, Mr. Harper,” one nurse said with a kind smile. “It’s a simple procedure. You’ll be asleep the whole time.” Tom nodded, trying to feel brave. He didn’t like hospitals, but he trusted the doctors.

In the operating room, Tom lay on a cold, hard table. Bright lights shone down on him, making him squint. The anaesthetist, a tall man with glasses, spoke in a deep, soothing voice. “I’m going to give you something to help you sleep now, Tom. Just count backwards from ten.” Tom felt a cold liquid enter his arm through a needle. “Ten… nine… eight…” he mumbled. His eyelids grew heavy, and the room started to fade. Then, darkness.

But something was wrong. Tom didn’t feel asleep. He couldn’t open his eyes, move his arms, or speak. His body felt like it was made of stone. He was trapped inside himself, paralysed. Then, he heard voices. “Scalpel, please,” a doctor said sharply. Tom’s mind raced. No, this can’t be happening. I’m awake! But no sound came from his mouth. His lips wouldn’t move. Panic clawed at his chest, but he couldn’t even scream.

Suddenly, he felt it, a sharp, burning pain across his stomach. The scalpel sliced into his skin. Tom wanted to shout, to beg them to stop, but he was silent, helpless. The pain was unbearable, like fire spreading through his body. He could feel every cut, every tug as the surgeons worked. “Look at this appendix,” one doctor said. “It’s a mess.” Tom’s mind screamed, I can feel it! Please stop! But they didn’t know. To them, he was asleep, peaceful.

The operation seemed to last forever. Tom felt the cold metal tools inside him, pulling and cutting. He felt wet blood on his skin, heard the beeping of machines, and smelled the sharp scent of antiseptic. His heart pounded in his chest, but his body stayed still, betraying him. Tears formed in his mind, but his eyes stayed dry. He was a prisoner in his own flesh, forced to suffer in silence.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the pain stopped. “All done,” the surgeon said. “Close him up.” Tom felt the needle and thread pulling his skin together, a dull ache compared to the agony before. Then, the voices faded. The cold liquid in his arm flowed again, and this time, true darkness took him.

When Tom woke up, he was in a hospital bed. A nurse smiled at him. “How are you feeling, Mr. Harper?” she asked. Tom stared at her, his throat dry. “I… I felt everything,” he whispered. The nurse’s smile disappeared. “That’s impossible,” she said. “You were under anaesthesia.” But Tom knew the truth. He could still feel the ghost of the scalpel on his skin.

For weeks after, Tom couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt that burning pain again. He told the doctors, but they didn’t believe him. “It’s just your imagination,” they said. But Tom knew it wasn’t. Something had gone terribly wrong, and the memory of that silent torture would haunt him forever.

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Vocabulary Notes

Sharp
Definition: Having an edge or point that can cut or hurt; also used to describe a strong, sudden feeling like pain.
Example: “Tom started feeling sharp pains in his stomach.”
Explanation: In the story, “sharp” describes the intense, cutting pain Tom feels. It suggests something quick and strong.
Similar words:
Piercing: A very strong, sudden pain or sound (e.g., “The piercing scream woke everyone up”).
Stabbing: A pain that feels like being stabbed with a knife (e.g., “He felt a stabbing sensation in his leg”).
Acute: A very strong and sudden feeling, often pain (e.g., “She had an acute headache”).

Procedure
Definition: A medical operation or a set way of doing something.
Example: ““It’s a simple procedure. You’ll be asleep the whole time.””
Explanation: Here, “procedure” refers to Tom’s surgery. It’s a formal word often used in medical contexts.
Similar words:
Operation: A medical process where a doctor cuts into the body (e.g., “The operation took three hours”).
Surgery: Another word for an operation, often used by doctors (e.g., “He’s in surgery right now”).
Process: A general term for a series of steps (e.g., “The process of healing was slow”).

Paralysed
Definition: Unable to move or act, often because of fear, injury, or medicine.
Example: “His body felt like it was made of stone. He was trapped inside himself, paralysed.”
Explanation: In the story, “paralysed” describes Tom’s terrifying inability to move during the operation, caused by the anaesthesia.
Similar words:
Frozen: Unable to move because of fear or shock (e.g., “She stood frozen in fear”).
Immobilised: Made unable to move, often physically (e.g., “The accident left him immobilised”).
Numb: Unable to feel or move, often from cold or medicine (e.g., “His arm went numb after the injection”).

Unbearable
Definition: Too painful or difficult to accept or deal with.
Example: “The pain was unbearable, like fire spreading through his body.”
Explanation: “Unbearable” shows how extreme Tom’s pain was, so bad that he couldn’t stand it.
Similar words:
Intolerable: Too much to handle or accept (e.g., “The heat was intolerable in the room”).
Excruciating: Extremely painful (e.g., “She felt excruciating pain in her back”).
Overwhelming: Too strong to resist or cope with (e.g., “The sadness was overwhelming”).

Haunt
Definition: To stay in someone’s mind in a disturbing way, often causing fear or sadness; also used for ghosts.
Example: “The memory of that silent torture would haunt him forever.”
Explanation: “Haunt” here means the memory of the operation keeps coming back to Tom, scaring him.
Similar words:
Torment: To cause mental or physical suffering (e.g., “Guilt tormented her every night”).
Disturb: To upset or trouble someone’s mind (e.g., “The strange noise disturbed his sleep”).
Linger: To stay in the mind or a place longer than expected (e.g., “The smell of the hospital lingered in his clothes”).

Story written by Grok 3 AI

Image created by Grok 3 AI

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