Read the text below and select the correct word or phrase for each gap from the drop-down list.
The Unexpected Visitor
The storm had rolled in without warning, and by evening the entire sky was
with thick, heavy clouds. Sam hurried to close the windows, but the wind howled through the cracks as if it were
to force its way inside. His old dog, Rusty, whimpered and tucked his tail beneath him.
Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed at the door. Sam hesitated — no one ever came this far up the mountain road at night. When he opened it, a stranger stood there, soaked to the skin, his clothes clinging like
to an old stone wall. Without a word, Sam stepped aside, allowing him in.
As the stranger warmed himself by the fire, he glanced at the family photos on the mantel. “You live here alone?” he asked quietly. Sam nodded. The man smiled faintly — a smile that didn’t quite
his eyes at all. Something about him felt off, as though a hidden
was about to be revealed.
Rusty growled, and the fire crackled louder. Sam felt a chill unrelated to the weather. He had a persistent,
feeling that the night was far from over. Outside, the rain drummed harder, and the mountain seemed to
violently beneath the storm’s fury. Whatever secret the man carried, Sam knew it was about to
the fragile calm of his quiet world.