No One Lets Go Jolly Phonics · Step 3, Unit 3: soft g as in giant

'Mine!' Boy yells, and he tugs with both hands. Brother tugs back hard. The plush toy may rip apart! Brother's face goes red with rage. Boy's grip is firm. 'I had it first,' Boy says. But Brother just yanks harder. No one lets go.

Crash! The dishes hit the floor. Mum barges in with a stern frown. That is never a good sign. She points at both boys. 'Bed. Now.' 'But Brother did it first!' Boy says. Brother looks down at the floor. It never matters who did it first. Never.

Boy gives his food to Brother. He mends the things Brother snaps. He gives and gives and gives. But at times, just at times, he has an urge to have one thing that is just his. He gazes at his little toy in the dirt. One little toy. The one thing Brother did not grab or sit on.

Then Boy sees a strange thing in the yard, and the toy slips from his mind. A giant beast! A huge, huge beast with a long trunk, just past the shrubs. Boy creeps past Mum and gets up onto its back. The beast lifts its trunk and takes one big step. Off they go! 'Hold on!' Boy says. And he does.

They ride across a vast plain. The sky goes on and on. Boy feels the hot wind and grins. No Brother. No fights. Just Boy and all the land. It feels like magic. Then he spots a shape under a big tree. A small kid, crouching low in the grass. Boy's grin drops. 'Brother?'

One beast bolts from the herd and charges at Brother. The land quakes with each stomp. Brother runs. He pumps his arms and darts across the grass. But the mad beast is quick. So quick! It smashes past the shrubs. 'Run!' Boy screams.

Brother gets to the tree and goes up. Branch after branch, until he is high in the huge tree. He grips the wood so tight his arms shake. Safe. For now. Boy looks on from far away. His chest thuds. His urge to be on his own is gone. Now he has just one wish: let Brother be safe.

'Go!' Boy yells. 'Fast!' The beast charges with huge energy. Trees zoom past. The wind rushes by Boy's face. He leans low and points the way. The tree gets closer. Not far now. 'Hold on, Brother!' Boy calls across the plain. 'Help is on the way!'

Too late. The mad beast coils its trunk around a branch and tugs. The wood bends. It cracks. Brother grips tight, but the tree shakes and sways. 'Stop!' Boy shouts. The mad beast is in a rage, and it tugs and tugs. How long can that branch hold?

Boy leaps from his beast and lands on a low branch. He goes up fast, as high as he can. 'Grab on, Brother!' Brother reaches down. Hope surges in Boy. So close! Boy reaches up until his arm hurts. 'Just a bit... a little bit... more...'

The trunk coils around Boy and rips him from the tree. His legs kick the air. His arms reach for Brother. 'Hold on!' Boy screams. But this time he says it to himself. In the mad beast's grip, Boy can think just one thing. Let Brother be safe.

'Wake up, Boy!' Mum sits on his bed. 'Such loud yells! It was just a dream.' Boy blinks. His room. His bed. His pillow. Just a strange dream. Brother stands by the bed with a soft gaze. Boy grabs his hand and holds on tight. 'Brother can play with my toy,' he says. Brother smiles. And this time, no one lets go.