Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson The Door in the Wall 🚪 (Learn English with a Short Story) [962]
Nov 17, 2025
A man reflects on a childhood encounter with a mysterious door and an enchanting garden that haunts him into adulthood. The story unfolds his longing for that paradise, contrasting innocence with life's responsibilities. Luke shares personal reflections, pondering the nature of memory and reality while contemplating whether Wallace's experiences are psychological or supernatural. The discussion dives into themes of loss, life choices, and nostalgia, leading to an exploration of vocabulary linked to the tale.
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Childhood Visit Shapes A Lifetime
- Lionel Wallace as a child wandered into a green door in a white wall and found an enchanted garden filled with panthers, playmates, and warmth.
- That single vivid visit became the defining, haunting memory of his life and shaped his longing and choices.
Schoolboys Mock The Secret Door
- As a schoolboy Wallace briefly saw the green door again but ran past it to keep his punctual record and later boasted to peers he could show them the door.
- Humiliated when he couldn't find it, his classmates mocked and branded him a liar, deepening his isolation.
Duty Versus Desire Repeats Through Life
- Wallace repeatedly saw the door during major life moments but always chose duty over the garden, prioritizing career and social expectations.
- Those postponed choices accumulated into profound lifelong regret and existential longing.
