Apprehensive — A Vocabulary Story
The Whispering Stones of Glamis
Natalya gripped her torch as the guide led their small group deeper into Glamis Castle. Outside, rain hammered down into the Scottish night, but inside, the stone corridors felt colder than the storm.
"Stay close," whispered Eduardo, her stepfather, noticing how apprehensive she looked. "It's only a tour."
Apprehensive means anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen.
"I'm not apprehensive," Natalya lied, though her voice wobbled.
The guide, a tall woman called Catherine, paused beside a sealed doorway. "Behind this wall," she said, "some claim a hidden chamber exists. Visitors often feel apprehensive here, even those who don't believe in ghosts."
Natalya pressed her palm against the cold stone. Something tapped back.
She yanked her hand away. "Did you hear that?"
Eduardo frowned, looking faintly apprehensive himself. He knocked gently. Three taps answered.
Catherine laughed nervously. "Pipes, surely. Old castles groan."
But the apprehensive expression on her face suggested otherwise. The group shuffled onwards, yet Natalya lingered, listening. The tapping became rhythmic, almost like a child playing a game of copycat.
She tapped four times. Four came back.
"Eduardo," she breathed.
He returned, no longer pretending to be unbothered. Together they tapped, and together they listened to the reply, faint as a heartbeat through centuries of granite.
When the tour ended, Catherine handed Natalya a small brass key she'd never noticed before. She gave a strange, apprehensive smile and said nothing at all.
Word Definition
apprehensive
meaning
anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen
synonyms
aware · fearful · concerned · doubtful · jittery
antonyms
certain · calm · sure
example sentence
She felt apprehensive before the important presentation began.