The Travel Agency Chapter Notes | Year 7 English IGCSE (Cambridge) PDF Download

The Picture Gallery

The story “The Travel Agency” begins with Hanna entering a travel agency on a rainy day, her arrival announced by a piercing bell above the door. Soaked from the storm, she peels off her hood, leaving wet footprints on the polished stone floor, and immediately feels out of place in the sleek environment. Behind a light-blue glass counter, a blonde receptionist with a neat ponytail is engrossed in a phone conversation. Hanna, hesitant, picks up a brochure from a display stand and flips through it, unsure of her purpose. When the receptionist notices her, she puts down her phone and offers a warm smile, asking if Hanna has decided what she wants. Hanna, overwhelmed by the brochure’s vague descriptions, admits her confusion. The receptionist, understanding, suggests a tour of the agency to help clarify her options, and Hanna follows her clacking heels down a long corridor. This corridor, with its hospital-like dirty white-grey walls, is lined with large oil paintings in heavy gold frames, which the receptionist calls the “picture gallery.” She explains that each painting is a portal, offering a visual glimpse of its destination—ships on stormy seas, mountains, magnificent castles—providing a clearer starting point than other portals, though the journey beyond remains unpredictable.

The Keys

Hanna is led into a white room filled with brightly lit glass display cases, showcasing an array of objects on black velvet: rings of various metals, a knife, shiny red shoes, several books, an amulet of two snakes biting each other’s tails, and a variety of keys. The receptionist explains that some keys consistently open to the same destination regardless of the door, while others are more finicky, requiring a specific door, time, or person to unlock their potential. She gestures toward a “door gallery” nearby, but Hanna’s attention remains on the keys. She examines them closely—some large, some small, some shiny and new, others ancient—but none feel right. The knife and red shoes also fail to resonate. When the receptionist asks if Hanna is traveling alone, Hanna hesitates, stepping back from the cases, suddenly worried about the possibility of needing an adult companion. The objects, despite their allure, do not evoke the spark she seeks, leaving her uncertain about her next step in this mysterious agency.

Hanna’s Friend

As Hanna stands among the display cases, she realizes none of the objects stir the same excitement she felt during a previous adventure. One spring day, she had stepped through her grandmother’s pergola and found herself in another world, where the woods smelled of dark chocolate and trees wove spells and dreams. There, she met Sannala, a friend unlike any in her lonely, rain-soaked reality of school and unpleasant sports halls. Sannala, with her blue hair and granite-streaked skin, could talk to birds and dove into adventures with a hearty chuckle. Her name glows like an ember in Hanna’s heart, warming her through her dreary days. In that other world, Hanna was transformed—strong, admired, and fearless. Together, she and Sannala fought monsters, freed the fairy queen Malkian’s enchanted ring from a cloud city, and revived the lonesome tree of sorrow, letting it sing for the first time in seven hundred years. On the Golden Cape’s shores, they waded hand-in-hand into a warm turquoise sea, only to be separated by a raging wave. When Hanna resurfaced, she was alone in a cold, grey sea bordered by smooth rocks, far from Sannala and the magical realm, her heart heavy with loss.

The Fireplace

The receptionist interrupts Hanna’s reverie, asking about luggage. Hanna, carrying only a small bag, is praised for traveling light, as the receptionist notes that people often overestimate their needs. She leads Hanna back through the corridor to another room, this one distinct from the sterile spaces before. Its walls are adorned with wallpaper depicting tree branches and apple-blossom buds, and a chandelier draped in white cloth casts a warm, filtered light. An old fireplace, unused for decades, stands to the left, flanked by a sunken leather armchair and several old suitcases. Full-length mirrors with silver, gold, and carved wooden frames line the right wall, and the receptionist mentions wardrobes and bags as additional portals. She apologizes for the room’s unrenovated state, explaining that the building, once owned by merchant Noel Kit, was recently purchased by Alice Silwe, who acquired Kit’s collection of portals. The fireplace, she adds, is suspected to be a portal but requires further investigation. Drawn to it, Hanna approaches the fireplace, but its cold, silent presence disappoints her. She stares into its black void, wondering how she will ever find her way back to Sannala.

Time

Hanna’s thoughts drift to her desperate attempts to return to Sannala. Despite repeated tries, the pergola never reopened to that other world. She had dived into the cold grey sea, hoping to reconnect with the Golden Cape, but emerged choking on saltwater, her throat burning. Clambering onto slippery, seaweed-covered rocks, she wept, fearing Sannala might think she drowned or, worse, betrayed her by abandoning their friendship. A spring and summer have passed, and Hanna, now a year older, worries she may be too old to travel between worlds, as adults rarely can. The receptionist confirms that spontaneous travelers are usually children, noting that portals like wardrobes or holes in the ground often work only for the young, though some reliable portals allow young adults to pass. When Hanna asks about time, the receptionist acknowledges its unpredictable nature across worlds, describing portals as “temporally volatile.” Hanna shares a rumor that time moves faster in other worlds—a day here could equate to a hundred years there—causing her to fear that Sannala may no longer exist. As they speak, Hanna notices the wallpaper’s apple-blossom buds have bloomed, and a turquoise bird, reminiscent of the sea she longs for, perches on a branch, deepening her yearning to return.

The Beach

Overwhelmed by the possibility of losing Sannala forever, Hanna’s heart races as she senses a portal in the room. She hurries out, the receptionist trailing behind, and reaches the frosted-glass door to the waiting room, where clients are visible. As the receptionist prepares to unlock the door, she notices Hanna forgot her bag. Hanna seizes the opportunity, insisting she’ll retrieve it herself and urging the receptionist to attend to the waiting clients. Promising to knock upon her return, Hanna silently races back to the fireplace room. The receptionist, after apologizing to the clients, follows slowly. When she enters, the room is empty—Hanna and her bag are gone. A strong smell of burnt sugar fills the air. The wardrobe is locked, the mirrors unresponsive, but the wallpaper now depicts a wild, blooming forest teeming with blue-green birds. Through the branches, the receptionist glimpses a golden beach where two figures embrace, suggesting Hanna has found her way back to Sannala. She calls Alice Silwe, confirming that Hanna discovered a portal in the wallpaper, likely dating back to the building’s origins. Assured that Hanna has time to “put things right,” the receptionist smiles, humbled by Alice’s mission to help those seeking to cross worlds, and hangs up, confident Hanna won’t return soon.