Read the text below and select the correct word or phrase for each gap from the drop-down list.
The Creature in the Dunes
The holiday had begun like any other, with long afternoons on the beach and clear instructions not to wander too far. On the third day, while exploring the sand dunes near the rocks, the children noticed something half-buried in the sand, its surface as it caught the afternoon sun.
At first, they thought it was just a strange shell or piece of driftwood. But when they stepped closer, the shape moved. What emerged was a small creature whose body seemed to change slightly as it shifted position, as if it could not settle on a final . The children froze, unsure whether to run or stay.
The creature looked at them steadily, not startled or afraid. Instead, it seemed as though their arrival had been , which made the children uneasy. It did not speak or move towards them, but waited calmly, as though expecting something.
Over the next few days, the children returned to the dunes. They felt a growing sense of , realising that whatever they had found depended on them to keep its existence secret. They stopped telling jokes and arguing, taking the visits seriously.
The creature never gave instructions, but its presence slowly different things about each child — who would tell the truth, who would act bravely, and who would hesitate. These discoveries were uncomfortable, but important.
By the end of the holiday, the creature was gone. The dunes looked exactly the same, but the children knew something inside them had . They returned home quieter and more thoughtful than before.
Even years later, the memory was easy to remember but hard to . Some experiences, they realised, were not meant to be proved, but simply .