Introduction

English translation of the summary of A Face In The Dark. Beginning with Mr. Oliver, an Indian and British native who taught at a school on the outskirts of Shimla, a remote town, Mr. Oliver was returning to his school at a late hour. The school where Mr. Oliver taught utilised the British Educational System.…

ICSE English Summary – “Face In The Dark”

A Darkened Face Beginning with Mr. Oliver returning to his school one late night on the outskirts of Shimla, a mountain village, his parents both came from India & Britain. The British Educational System was used in the school where Mr. Oliver taught. Mr. Oliver decided to change his course that day as it had already been dark in the evening & considered taking a shortcut through the pine forest. People used to stay away from it because of the strange and terrifying noises made by the pine trees in windy & rainy conditions, but Mr. Oliver was a brave man and he chose to go through it to save time. He also always had a torch on him, and he was thoroughly familiar with the area.

He noticed a boy’s form out in the distance as he was making his way back through the pine forest. He  was sitting on a rock by itself when he noticed it. The youngster was far enough away from Mr. Oliver that he was unable to identify him. He was puzzled and uncomfortable all at once since the youngster had left the school grounds at such an odd hour of the day. When Mr. Oliver approached the youngster, he discovered that he was constantly sobbing and had his face buried. Something didn’t seem right to Mr. Oliver. He made an attempt to ask the boy, but the boy continued to cry and wouldn’t stop covering his face. Mr. Oliver continued on asking the boy as he was worried for him.

The child finally raised his head and noticed that Mr. Oliver’s torch had fallen from his hands. He noticed a face that without a mouth, ears, or eyes. It was an entirely ghostly figure. There was only the head with the school cap.

Mr. Oliver cried out for assistance in the dark after seeing this horrible scene. He hurried toward the school in search of assistance and saw a lamp hanging there. He saw the lantern in the centre of the path. A watchman was also visible near the school’s entrance gate. Mr. Oliver approached him and told him what he had seen in the dark. He claimed to have seen a horrible incident in which a boy with no face was there. The watchman responded by turning to face the teacher and asking, “Do you mean it was like this?” Mr. Oliver was shocked to see that the watchman, too, lacked a face and even eyebrows. He became even more frightened as a result, and the lamp was blown by the wind.

About The Author

Ruskin Bond wrote a short story titled A Face in the Dark. The narrative takes place on a gloomy, windy night when an Anglo-Indian teacher named Mr. Oliver, after spending the evening in Shimla Bazaar, risked taking a shortcut through the pine forest. He passed a boy sitting alone on a rock on the way back.

Conclusion of A Face In The Dark

According to the summary provided, there is still excitement because it is unclear to the viewer what happened to Mr. Oliver.