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Pure Energy Mini-Story Text

Hello, this is A.J. and welcome to the mini-story for the VIP Lesson “Pure Energy.” Now in this one we’re going to do a little bit of advanced grammar, but don’t worry about it too much. Just listen and answer the questions, as usual. Here we go.

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There was a manta.

What was there?

There was a manta, a manta ray. It’s a kind of fish.

What was the manta ray’s name?

Well, the manta’s name was Manny, Manny the manta.

And where did Manny live?

Well, Manny the manta lived in Hawaii. Manny lived in the oceans next to Hawaii, in fact.

Who lived in Hawaii?

Manny the manta.

So where was he from?

He was from Hawaii.

Now, Manny the manta had a dream. Manny the manta wanted to climb mountains on land.

Did Manny the manta want to swim in the ocean all the time?

No. In fact, Manny the manta wanted to go onto land and climb mountains.

All the other mantas thought that Manny was crazy. They said “Manny, you’re crazy. You’re a fish. You can’t get on the mountains. You can’t go onto land. Don’t do it!” But Manny didn’t listen to them. And, so, one day, Manny decided to climb Mount Kilauea.

Mount Kilauea is a volcano in Hawaii and so, one day, Manny walked out onto the island and he climbed Mount Kilauea the volcano. He got to the top of the volcano and he saw the smoke coming from the top and it was amazing and Manny was really excited and happy.

Now, what did Manny do?

Manny climbed Mount Kilauea in Hawaii.

Now, if, if Manny had gone surfing in Honolulu, he would have gotten injured. To get injured means to get hurt, to get hurt. So if Manny had decided to go surfing instead, he would have gotten injured. He would have gotten hurt, but luckily he did not decide to go surfing, he decided to climb Mount Kilauea.

So what would have happened if he had gone surfing?

Well, if, if he had gone surfing, he would have gotten injured.

Did he get injured when he climbed Mount Kilauea?

No, he didn’t get injured when he climbed Mount Kilauea. He was very happy when he climbed Mount Kilauea, but if he had gone surfing, he would have gotten injured.

Now, did he actually go surfing? Did he go surfing?

No, he didn’t. He did not go surfing. We’re only imagining if, if he had, possibly, if, what would have happened. We can imagine what would have happened if he had gone surfing. Well, if he had gone surfing, he would have gotten injured. He would have gotten hurt. Luckily, he did not decide to go surfing. Luckily, he did not go surfing.

What did he actually do?

He actually climbed Mount Kilauea. He actually climbed Mount Kilauea.

So who actually climbed Mount Kilauea?

Manny the manta.

Did he, in fact, go surfing?

No. No, he didn’t. He did not go surfing. We’re just imagining if.

What would have happened if he had gone surfing?

If he had gone surfing, he would have gotten injured.

And who would have gotten injured if he had gone surfing?

Manny. Manny the manta would have gotten injured if he had gone surfing. Luckily, he decided not to go surfing and instead he climbed Mount Kilauea.

So would he have been happy if he had gone surfing?

No, he would not have been happy if he had gone surfing. If he had gone surfing, he would have been very unhappy, because if he had gone surfing, he would have gotten injured.

And, so, what did he finally decide to do? What was the actual thing he did? What did he really do?

He really, actually, climbed Mount Kilauea and he was really happy and he saw the top of the volcano. It was really cool and interesting.

Well, after that experience, he decided he wanted to climb more mountains. He decided next to climb Mount Rainier near Seattle, Washington; a big, snowy mountain, Mount Rainier.

And, so, first he swam to the mainland. He swam to Washington; swam to Seattle.

Washington is the state, Seattle is the city. He swam to Seattle, Washington and then he walked on his little manta fins to Mount Rainier and then he climbed up Mount Rainier. He climbed in the snow and, actually, the snow felt very good.

Did he enjoy the snow?

Yes, he did. Manny enjoyed the snow. It felt cool and nice against his skin. He loved the snow and he climbed all the way to the top of Mount Rainier and he had a great view all around. It was beautiful, gorgeous.

How did Manny feel when he got to the top of Mount Rainier?

Well, he felt peaceful, calm and happy. It was a beautiful scene on top of the mountain.

Now what if Manny had gone to Death Valley, California? Death Valley is a desert. Very, very hot; flat and hot. What if, instead, he had decided to go to Death Valley? What would have happened?

Well, he would have gotten very, very sick. He would have suffered a lot because Death Valley is very dry and he’s a fish. The hot sun would have dried his skin and would have made him very, very sick.

Would he have been happy in Death Valley?

Absolutely not. If he had gone to Death Valley, he would have been very, very unhappy.

Would he have been healthy in Death Valley?

Well, if he had gone to Death Valley, he would not have been healthy. If he had decided to go to Death Valley, he would have gotten very sick.

Would he have suffered in Death Valley?

Yes, he would have. If, if he had gone to Death Valley, he would have suffered a lot. He would have gotten sick. He would have suffered in the dry, hot sun.

Now where did Manny actually go, really go?

Well, Mount Rainier. He actually climbed Mount Rainier.

And how did he actually feel, really feel?

Well, he actually felt very calm and peaceful and happy, because he loved Mount Rainier. He loved the cold, wet snow. He loved the beautiful view on top of Mount Rainier. That’s what he really did. That’s what he actually decided to do.

But we can imagine the possibility that he might have instead decided to go to Death Valley. And if we imagine that, we can think, if he had gone to Death Valley, he would have gotten sick. If, if, only if. He didn’t really do it, but if he had done it, if he had gone to Death Valley, he would have suffered in the hot sun. His skin would have gotten very dry. The sun would have dried his skin and he would have gotten very, very sick.

Would A.J. have been very sick in Death Valley?

No, not A.J. Not me. I wouldn’t have been very sick in Death Valley.

So who would have been very sick if he had gone to Death Valley?

Manny the manta. Manny the manta would have been very sick, would have gotten very sick if he had gone to Death Valley, but luckily he actually went to Mount Rainier. He actually climbed Mount Rainier and was very happy and calm and peaceful. It was a great experience for him.

Well finally, Manny the manta decided on the ultimate challenge. No, not Mount Everest, but rather K2, possibly the most dangerous mountain in the world; tall, dangerous, with terrible storms that come all the time. It was the ultimate mountain climbing challenge and he always dreamed of climbing K2.

So, he went to Pakistan and he started the climb to K2, but once again he had tremendously good luck. There were no storms. The weather was perfect. In fact, it was very sunny and warm the entire time he climbed K2.

And, in fact, he enjoyed the thin air at the high elevation. Of course at high elevation, when you’re up high, the air is thinner, but Manny actually liked that. It made him feel very relaxed and good. And, so, he made it to the top of K2. And when he got to the top of K2 he felt excited. He said “woo-hoo! I’ve climbed K2! I feel great!”

Which mountain did Manny climb?

Manny climbed K2.

And where is K2?

K2 is in Pakistan. I believe it is in Pakistan.

And how did he feel when he got to the top of K2?

He felt excited. He felt thrilled. He felt ecstatic. He felt wonderful. “Woo-hoo! I climbed K2!”

So, where did he go?

He went to K2.

And how did he feel when he got to the top of K2?

He felt ecstatic, wonderful, incredible, excited.

Now what if, what if instead he had gone to Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam? What if he had gone to Hanoi, Vietnam instead? He didn’t actually go to Hanoi, but if we imagine if, if he had gone to Hanoi, what would have happened?

Well, unfortunately, if he had gone to Hanoi, he would have been hit by a motorcycle.

What would have happened in Hanoi?

He would have been hit by a motorcycle.

Why would Manny have been hit by a motorcycle in Hanoi?

Because Hanoi has the worst traffic in all of the world. In every part of the world, in all the cities, no other city has worse traffic than Hanoi.

So if he had gone to Hanoi, what would have happened?

He would have been hit by a motorcycle.

Who would have been hit by a motorcycle?

Manny. Manny would have been hit by a motorcycle.

Where would he have been hit by a motorcycle?

In Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam. He would have been hit by a motorcycle in Hanoi, Vietnam, if, if he had decided to go there.

Now where did he actually go?

Actually, he really went to K2. He actually climbed K2.

Did he actually go to Hanoi, Vietnam?

No, he didn’t. He did not actually go to Hanoi. We’re only imaging if.

So, if he had gone to Hanoi, would he have been hit by a car?

No, no, not a car. He would not have been hit by a car if he had gone to Hanoi.

What would he have been hit by?

Well, he would have been hit by a motorcycle.

And who would have been hit by a motorcycle?

Manny.

Manny the fish?

Well, a kind of fish, a manta ray. Manny the manta ray would have been hit by a motorcycle.

Would he have been hit by a motorcycle in Bangkok, Thailand?

No, no, no, no, no, we’re not talking about Bangkok, Thailand. We’re talking about if he had gone to Hanoi, Vietnam. If he had gone to Hanoi, Vietnam, he would have been hit by a motorcycle.

Now was he actually hit by a motorcycle?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, because he never went to Hanoi. We’re only imaging if. He really did not go to Hanoi. He didn’t do it, but if he had gone to Hanoi, he would have been hit by a motorcycle.

Would he have been happy?

No, he wouldn’t have. He wouldn’t have been happy at all. He would have been very unhappy because he would have been hit by a motorcycle, but luckily Manny the manta made a good decision. Instead, Manny the manta climbed to the top of K2 and he was super excited when he got to the top of K2. “Woo-hoo!” Well, finally, after doing all these adventures, Manny returned back to Hawaii and he went back into the ocean. And he told all his friends and all his family about his adventures and they were amazed and excited and Manny was happy to tell his story. And his friends, they were excited and proud of Manny and it was the end of a great and fantastic trip.

Now, of course, it would have been a terrible trip if he had gone to Death Valley instead, if he had gone surfing instead, if he had gone to Hanoi instead. If he had done those things, it would have been a really terrible trip. It would have been horrible.

Would it have been a horrible trip if he had gone surfing?

Yes, it would have been horrible.

Would it have been a horrible trip if he had gone to Death Valley?

Yes, it would have been horrible.

Would it have been a horrible trip if he had gone to Hanoi?

Yes, it would have been horrible, but luckily he made better decisions and instead he went to Mount Rainier, he went to Mount Kilauea and he climbed K2 and, in fact, it was a really great trip. It actually was a fantastic, wonderful trip and all his friends and family were very proud of Manny the manta.

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And that’s the end of our mini-story. Now the grammar in this one is a little more complex. I don’t know, for some of you it might be easy, for you it might not be easy, for you it might be very, very difficult. It doesn’t matter.

What I want you to do is listen to this mini-story every day for one month and just listen to it and answer the questions. If you feel a little confused sometimes by the grammar that’s okay, don’t go read a grammar book. Don’t try to figure it out mentally, intellectually, that won’t help you.

What I want you to do instead is just keep repeating the mini-story, listening to it again, the next day again, the next day again and it will become a little easier, a little easier, a little easier each time, until, at the end of the month, you should have a much better feeling for this grammar form. Which, yes, it is a little more complex, it is a little more advanced, but that’s okay.

It’s no different than the past or the simple present or anything like that. You’ve just gotta’ hear it enough and understand the meaning. Of course, the meaning is that we’re talking about possibilities in this story; what might have happened if. That’s how we use this grammar.

So don’t think about the grammar terms, don’t analyze it, just listen to the story, answer the questions. Listen to the story, answer the questions. If it gets easy make it a game and try to answer the questions even faster or you can pause and try to, you know, copy my pronunciation. You can play a lot of games with the story to make it more interesting and fun if it becomes easy.

And if it’s difficult again, just relax and listen and listen and listen. If it’s very difficult, you don’t even need to answer the questions, it’s not necessary. You could just listen only.

That’s also fine if you feel it’s difficult and stressful to try to answer. The point is, just get a lot of repetition, hearing the story many, many times and then the grammar will become more intuitive, easier, more natural for you, step-by-step every day.

I hope you enjoy it and I’ll see you again soon.

Thank you my special VIP, bye-bye.