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GLOSSARY
WORDS DEFINITIONS
stoop v to bend the top half of the body forward and down
vanish v to disappear or stop being present or existing, especially in a sudden, surprising
way
heartbreaking adj causing extreme sadness
flatter v to praise someone in order to make them feel attractive or important, sometimes
fuss v in a way that is not sincere
furious adj extremely angry
fickle adj likely to change your opinion or your feelings suddenly and without a good reason
conceit n when you are too proud of yourself and your actions
slack n when something is too loose
erratic adj not regular, uncertain or without organization in movement or behaviour
desert v to leave someone without help or in a difficult situation and not come back
diminish v to reduce or be reduced in size or importance
idle adj not working, unemployed
dense adj thick; close together; difficult to go or see through
swirl v to (cause to) move quickly with a twisting circular movement
Story 3: How to Brighten the Night
by Peter J. Barbour
There was a time, In a village by a
not so long ago, when river that meandered
the night was very through a beautiful
dark. There were no green valley, there lived
stars, planets, or moon three families. Each
to light the night sky. had a house made of
Once the sun went mud brick and straw
down, people would with a roof of thatched
stay inside unable to grass. In the first house
venture out; not lived Josh and Melissa
because they were and their two son’s
afraid of the dark; dark is not scary. It was Justin and his younger brother, Jake. In
just hard to see, easy to trip and fall, or lose the second house lived Sam and Sandee
one’s way. There were no streetlights, and their son Elan. Elan and Jake were
because there was no electricity. It was very close in age. In the third house lived
dangerous walking around carrying a torch Jon and Amy and their dog Oscar. Josh,
or candle, and lanterns hadn’t been Jon and Sam were brothers, so Justin and
invented. People didn’t have gas or oil to Jake were cousins to Elan, and everyone
burn. So, once the sun went down, people loved Oscar, the dog. Each day the cousins
stayed inside by the fireplace where they met and walked to school together. After
burned the wood they had gathered during school they played together before going
the day. They would work by the fireplace home to do their homework, and on
where it was warm and bright, and they weekends they fished, swam and boated in
could repair tools, and tell stories late into the river. During the long hot summer,
the night. when there was no school, they worked in
the garden with their parents planting and
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