Even Ghosts Want Friends UFLI Foundations Lesson 108

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Even Ghosts Want Friends

Practice Words

biggest funnest hitter bigger bummer chatter grabber scatter stunner winner
Page 1
Gad is floating on the left side of the image beside a wooden signpost at the entrance to a dense, spooky forest. Gad is a small, round, translucent green ghost with a friendly, slightly mischievous smile with small fangs showing, and wide eyes looking directly at the viewer as if greeting them. The scene is set outdoors during daytime, with tall twisted trees forming a canopy overhead, ivy climbing the trunks, tall grass along a dirt path, and a cobweb on the signpost. The right side of the image is plain background, leaving space for text.

My name is Pip, and I am the most friendly ghost you will ever meet. I know what you think when you see me. Green skin. Fangs. Spooky dark forest. But I have been in this spot all day with my biggest grin, and not one person has stopped to say hello. That could be a forest problem. Or it could be a ghost problem.

Page 2
On the right side of the image, set in a dense woodland clearing, three monsters are leaping out from behind trees to scare a passerby on a path. A large, furry creature lunges forward with a mischievous grin, mouth open wide, growling. Behind it, a bony skeleton stands with arms raised in a spooky pose, and a ghostly figure with a pale complexion and long dark hair lurches forward with outstretched hands. A frightened passerby recoils on the right edge of the scene. In the upper-left corner, Gad — a small round translucent green ghost — floats in the background observing the scene with a disapproving frown, distancing himself from the scary monsters. The left ~40% of the image is plain white background.

It is a monster problem. See those three? The big furry one, the bony one, and the pale one? Scaring people is their best thing. They hide, they wait, and then they jump out and roar. People scatter and run. The monsters love it. I think it is rude.

Page 3
On the left side of the image, Gad — a small round translucent green ghost — peeks out from behind leafy treetops with wide, curious eyes and a surprised, excited expression, looking down from above at a park below. The scene is shown from a bird's-eye view framed by green tree canopy, where the kids are seen from above playing on a grassy field — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — some running and some standing together near a hopscotch court. The outdoor setting is bright and sunny, with lush green trees surrounding the open play area. The right ~40% of the image is plain white background.

I float up to the treetops to get away from all that roaring. And that is when I spot something stunning. Kids! Playing in a park! Running, yelling, having the funnest time. 'They are going to love me,' I say to myself. I put on my biggest smile and zoom right down.

Page 4
On the right side of the image, Gad — a small, round, translucent green ghost with a friendly smiling expression — is shown in a sequence floating down from a large tree, bouncing and tumbling along the big trunk toward the ground. On the lower right and middle-right, the three kids are running away in fear across a grassy outdoor park — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — their mouths open and arms flailing in panic. One kid in the lower right foreground looks back over their shoulder with a shocked, wide-eyed expression. The scene is set outdoors in a sunny, grassy park with large trees and a dirt path.

'Hi, kids! I am Pip! Who wants to be best friends?' I bounce down the tree trunk, grinning my biggest grin. I think it is a grand hello. Jay, Kim, and Ben do not think it is a grand hello. They scream. They run. They do not even look back. Well, Ben looks back, which only makes him run faster.

Page 5
On the left side of the image, Gad — a small round translucent green ghost — floats near the bottom-left corner with an eager, outstretched pose as if calling out to the kids. The three kids are scattered across the left and centre of the scene, running away from Gad at full speed with terrified expressions, kicking up dust clouds behind them as they flee along a dirt path — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie leads the group, the girl with glasses in a pink top sprints beside him, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt trails behind. A small dog sprints right alongside the kids in the middle of the scene. The setting is an outdoor suburban area with green grass, low bushes, and gentle hills with mountains in the distant background under a bright daytime sky. The right ~40% of the image is plain beige/tan background.

'Wait! Come back! I am friendly! I will not do any haunting!' But they are gone. What a bummer. Even a little dog sprints away with them, legs spinning like wheels. I float there, all alone, watching the dust settle on the path. Dropping out of a tree and shouting at kids is not the best plan. What I need is a new look.

Page 6
On the right side of the image, the scene is split into two moments at an outdoor farmers' market. In the upper-right, Gad is disguised as a green coconut sitting atop a pile of coconuts at a market stall, with his ghostly face barely visible, looking nervous. The smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt runs right past the coconut pile without noticing. In the lower-right, Gad is disguised as a green balloon among a large colourful cluster of balloons at a stall, peeking out with a cheeky grin and green face visible between the balloons. The girl with glasses in a pink top and the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie stand in the background near fruit stalls, looking around warily. Market stalls with bananas, fruits, and piles of coconuts line the right side, with a bicycle parked against one stall. A vendor sits behind one of the stalls. The left ~40% of the image is plain white background.

I follow them to the market and squeeze into a pile of coconuts. The perfect cover! But I am the only coconut with a face. Ben runs right past. Too green. Too odd. Time for Plan B. I puff up bigger and float into a bunch of balloons. Red ones, yellow ones, blue ones, and one very odd green one with a cheeky grin. Much better.

Page 7
On the left side of the image, Gad floats as a green balloon with a friendly smiling face above the kids, who are huddled together on a grassy hill looking anxious and uneasy — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt stand close together. Below, in a second vignette, the kids stand clustered together with worried expressions while Cat — a small, round-bodied grey tabby cat with white muzzle and pink nose — leaps toward Gad-balloon with claws extended and back legs flexed in a powerful spring. Gad-balloon now has a scared, wide-eyed expression. The scene is set outdoors on a bright day with a clear blue sky. The right side of the image is plain white background.

I drift over to the kids, bobbing along like any other balloon. 'Hi! Who wants to play? I am just a balloon! Balloons chatter all the time!' Jay, Kim, and Ben huddle together, squinting up at me. They do not run, but they do not smile. Then I hear the worst sound in the world. Meow.

Page 8
On the right side of the image, a comic-strip sequence of three rows shows the action unfolding. In the top row, Cat — a small round-bodied grey tabby with white muzzle — pounces and swats at Gad-balloon with boxing paws, while Gad squishes and bends flexibly to dodge, and the kids huddle together watching with wide eyes. In the middle row, Cat leaps and flops about energetically as Gad stretches into silly shapes and pulls funny faces, with the kids starting to grin and giggle. In the bottom row, Gad makes a big, goofy face close-up with rosy cheeks and a wide smile, while the three kids — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — jump and cheer with their arms up, laughing joyfully, one of them saying 'You're not a scary ghost after all!' The left ~40% of the image is plain white background.

A cat! Leaping right at me with its claws out! I dodge left. I squish flat. I stretch long. The cat swipes and misses, swipes and misses, then flops on the grass. I pull the funnest face I can, and the cat just sits there, stumped. The kids crack up. 'Not scary at all!' Jay says, giggling. 'That is the funnest ghost ever! Come play with us!'

Page 9
On the left side of the image, Gad is shown in multiple poses — whizzing through the air as a small round shape-shifting ghost, changing colours and sizes, with a cheerful grinning expression, looping and zooming around the kids on a grassy hillside. In the upper left, the three kids — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — are running and jumping with arms raised, laughing and chasing after Gad as he zips about. In the lower left foreground, the kids lead Gad up the hill toward a volleyball area visible in the distance, and Gad's expression shifts — his green complexion turns a darker, worried shade of green as he realises where they are heading. The scene is set outdoors on a sunny day with fluffy white clouds and a bright sky behind the rolling green-gold hill. The right ~40% of the image is plain white background.

'Yes! Yes! Yes!' I whizz around their heads. I puff up big, then squeeze down tiny. I turn pink, then gold, then back to green, because green is my best shade. Jay is the best grabber of the three, but I am too fast. Then I see where we are heading. A volleyball net. And Jay, Kim, and Ben have a very sneaky look on their faces.

Page 10
On the right side of the image, the kids are split into two teams facing each other across a volleyball net on a grassy field. On one side, the three known kids — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — are jumping and reaching with excited, laughing expressions, in on the secret. The opposing team of unfamiliar kids reacts with shock and horror, their faces turning white as sheets. Gad is flying through the air between the two teams as the volleyball, shown mid-arc as a round green ghost-ball with a mischievous grin shouting 'Boo!', motion lines trailing behind him. The scene is set outdoors on a sunny day in a suburban neighbourhood park with a volleyball net, mowed grass, leafy deciduous trees, and houses visible in the background. The left ~40% of the image is plain white background.

'Pip,' they say. 'Want to be the ball?' I puff up into a round shape and grin. 'I am ready!' The other team does not know a thing. Their best hitter stretches his arms and bounces on his toes. Jay tosses me up into the sky, and at the very top, I look down at the other team and yell, 'Boo!' They are so scared they all freeze. Every single one.

Page 11
On the left side of the image, a dynamic volleyball scene unfolds on a bright green grassy field with a net. Gad — the round green ghost-ball — bounces wildly in unpredictable arcs with motion lines, shown in multiple positions: phasing straight through one opponent's outstretched hands, bouncing the opposite direction from a serve, and flying off at a crazy angle after a hit, with every flexion of his ghostly body sending him in a new direction. The opposing team kids are exhausted and defeated — some bent over panting, some flopping onto the grass, completely taxed from trying to hit a ghost ball. On the left side of the net, the three known kids — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — celebrate with fists pumping and huge grins, clearly the winners. The right ~40% of the image is plain white background.

I am the best ball ever. They try to serve me. I bounce the wrong way. Their best hitter tries to hit me. I fly right past his hands! They try to spike me. I go flat and slide right under the net. 'That is not right!' the other team yells. My team just grins and high-fives. We are the winners.

Page 12
On the right side of the image, the three kids — the dark-skinned boy in a red hoodie, the girl with glasses in a pink top, and the smaller boy in a blue-and-white striped shirt — stand together on a grassy hillock beside a large tree at golden-hour sunset, all with big warm smiles. Gad — a small round translucent green ghost — floats happily among them at their height, glowing softly, with a wide joyful grin, clearly part of the group now. The kids wave goodbye to Gad as he begins to float upward toward the treetops, heading back toward the forest in the distance. The scene is set outdoors in warm late-afternoon light with a lush green tree as the focal point, the park and suburban houses visible in the background, and the left side left as plain white background.

As the sun goes down, I float up and look back at my brand new friends waving. What a stunner of a day! 'Same time tomorrow?' I call. 'Same time tomorrow!' they call back. 'And bring that coconut get-up! That was the worst!' I grin all the way home. The other monsters can keep their roaring. I have something better. I have a team. And tomorrow? Tomorrow, I am going to be the football.

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