Something Lurks in the Dark UFLI Foundations Lesson 83

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Something Lurks in the Dark

Practice Words

her yarn turn dark far girl hard after dirt forest furry smart snarl arm bar burst charge dart first fur hurry jerk large lurk march more never smirk snore supper under whirl word another brother brothers hair other there
Page 1
On the right side of the image, Nib sits cross-legged on the floor on a green woven rug beside a spinning wheel threaded with red yarn, one hand reaching toward the wheel and the other holding a small ball of red yarn. She is a small child with a round face, large expressive dark eyes, thick eyebrows, chin-length dark brown hair parted to the side, and warm medium-tan skin. She wears a mustard-yellow long-sleeve sweater with subtle decorative patterns and brick-red pants. She has a determined, slightly defiant expression as she looks up from her work, mouth open as if calling out. A large ball of red yarn with a trailing strand sits in front of her on the rug. Behind her in the centre-left, one of Nib's brothers leans through an open window framed by pale patterned curtains, peering in at her with a concerned expression. He has dark navy-blue messy hair, light fair skin, a purple headband, and wears a purple knitted sweater with a subtle pattern. Green trees and blue sky are visible through the window behind him. The scene is set indoors in a cosy room during daytime, with a dark wooden door and a potted plant in a clay pot on the far right. The left side of the image is plain light background. The background and foreground art style is not Minecraft and should match the characters.

Nib sits on her rug with her red yarn. She spins and spins at her rig. Her brother calls in at the gap in the wall. 'Nib, we must go far up the hill. Turn the lock!' 'I am fine,' says Nib. She never turns the lock.

Page 2
In the lower-left foreground, the Troll — a small stocky creature covered in shaggy dark blue fur with a round body, large bushy orange eyebrows, a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head, large white eyes with black pupils, and a small round orange nose — crouches behind leafy green bushes with a grumpy, sly expression, watching the boys leave. To the left of centre, a small wooden house with a peaked thatched straw roof and crossed roof poles sits on a grassy hillside, with a broom leaning beside its door; a second thatched hut stands further up the hill in the upper-right background among trees. Two boys walk away up a winding dirt path dotted with rocks and grassy tufts: both have black messy hair and light fair skin and wear dark navy headbands; one wears a purple knitted sweater with zigzag patterns and olive-green pants, the other a blue knitted sweater with zigzag patterns and blue pants. The scene is set outdoors on a bright sunny day with a clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

The brothers march far up the path. Then a big furry thing slips from the forest. It has dark fur and a tuft of hair on top. It lurks by the bushes and it grins.

Page 3
On the right side of the image, the Troll — a large creature covered in shaggy dark blue fur with a round body, large bushy orange eyebrows, a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head, large white eyes with black pupils, a small round orange nose, and orange-tan feet with visible toes — crouches beside a small wooden house, peering through a window with one hand raised against the wall. Through the tiny window, Nib is visible inside, shown from a three-quarter angle sitting and working on her yarn with a ball of red wool beside her, unaware of the creature outside. She has a round face, large expressive dark eyes, chin-length dark brown hair, and wears a mustard-yellow sweater with subtle patterns and brick-red pants. The scene is set outdoors on a grassy area in daylight, with the Troll looking sneaky and intent as it spies on the house.

The Troll slips up to the hut. He looks in at the gap in the wall. A girl! Nib sits at her rig with her red yarn. She has her back to him. 'A small girl,' he says with a smirk.

Page 4
On the right side of the image, the Troll — a large creature covered in shaggy dark blue fur with a round body, large bushy orange eyebrows, a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head, and large white eyes with black pupils — shoves itself through a smashed window in the wall, scowling with intense, determined eyes as broken glass and splintered wood debris fly into the room, the wooden frame cracked apart and red-orange curtains pushed aside on either side, a patch of blue sky and clouds visible behind it. Below the window in the lower right interior, Nib sits cross-legged on the floor, recoiling with a frightened, wide-eyed expression and open mouth, one hand raised as she cries out at the beast bursting in above her. She has a round face, large expressive dark eyes, chin-length dark brown hair, warm medium-tan skin, and wears a mustard-yellow sweater with subtle patterns and brick-red pants. Beside her, a small wooden spinning wheel with a red rim spins, its red yarn trailing to a ball of red yarn on the floor. The scene is set indoors during daytime, with the left half of the image left as empty pale cream wall, emphasising the contrast between the small cosy interior and the massive creature crashing inside.

The Troll shoves in at the gap in the wall. Smash! But he is stuck fast. The gap is small, and the Troll is so big! Nib yelps and falls back. The Troll grunts and pulls hard. Pop! 'Fine,' he snarls. 'I will find another path in.'

Page 5
On the right side of the image, the Troll's large shaggy dark-blue-furred arm reaches in from the upper left, grabbing Nib by the back of her clothing and lifting her off the ground. Nib has a scared, wide-eyed expression with her mouth open in surprise. She has a round face, large expressive dark eyes, chin-length dark brown hair, warm medium-tan skin, and wears a mustard-yellow sweater with subtle patterns and brick-red pants. She clutches a large ball of red yarn tightly in her arms as she is pulled away. The scene is set indoors in a rustic wooden room with a window letting in soft light, and a spinning wheel is partially visible in the lower right corner. The left side of the image is plain white/misty background.

The hut is not locked. A large furry arm darts in. It holds Nib by her top and lifts her up. Nib yelps. But she hugs her ball of red yarn to her chest.

Page 6
On the left side of the image, a large leafy tree rises from a grassy patch of ground, with the right side of the scene left as open cream-white space. Nib sits alone, cross-legged, on a thick branch of the tree. She has a round face, large expressive dark eyes, chin-length dark brown hair, warm medium-tan skin, and wears a mustard-yellow sweater with subtle patterns and brick-red pants. She frowns with a determined, cross expression as she grips a thin red thread of wool in both hands — no ball of wool is visible. The thread stretches up and off the top-left corner of the image, and a loose end dangles straight down from the branch below her. On the ground beneath the tree stands the Troll, a stocky creature covered in shaggy dark blue fur with a round body, large bushy orange eyebrows, a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head, large white eyes with black pupils, and a small round orange nose — glancing grumpily up and to the side. The scene is set outdoors during the daytime, with green bushes, small grey rocks, tiny yellow flowers, and tufts of grass around the base of the tree.

The Troll lifts Nib up into a tall plant. He rests in the dirt under her. But Nib is smart. She fixes her yarn to a branch. The thin red line falls to the dirt and runs far off past the plants. 'Find the yarn,' she says. 'Find me.'

Page 7
On the right side of the image, two of Nib's brothers stand facing each other on a dirt path in a small village of thatched wooden huts nestled among the trees. They have dark navy-blue messy hair, light fair skin, thick dark eyebrows, and wear purple headbands. The brother on the left wears a purple short-sleeved shirt with a subtle zigzag pattern and olive-green pants, standing with a hand on his hip and an annoyed, arguing expression. The brother on the right wears a blue knitted sweater with a subtle zigzag pattern and blue pants, frowning grumpily as he holds a red ball of yarn in one hand, with a thin red thread of wool trailing from it and winding up the path, past the rooftops and through the wooded hillside into the distance. A large thatched hut with a wooden barrel and steps stands beside them, with more huts and a winding path scattered up the green, tree-covered slope behind. The viewpoint is at ground level. The scene is set outdoors in daytime with purple mountains and a bright blue sky with clouds in the background, and the left side of the image is empty white space.

The brothers stop on the path. 'Look at that!' A thin red line turns past the huts and into the forest. 'That is Nib's yarn!' says her brother. 'Hurry! Run!'

Page 8
On the left side of the image, two of Nib's brothers climb toward the entrance of a large, dark cave set into a rocky mountainside, where rough stone steps lead up into the gloom. They have dark navy-blue messy hair, light fair skin, thick dark eyebrows, and wear purple headbands. The brother standing upright at the cave mouth wears a blue knitted sweater with a subtle zigzag pattern, blue rolled-cuff pants, and blue shoes; he holds a coiled bundle of red wool in his hands, gazing cautiously into the darkness with a determined posture. The other brother crouches low on the rocks just below and behind him, wearing a purple short-sleeved top with a subtle zigzag pattern, olive-green pants, and dark shoes, gripping the red wool thread as he looks up toward the cave with a tense, ready stance. The thin red thread of wool runs between them, loops upward, and disappears into the dark cave interior. Leafy green trees and small shrubs cling to the rocky cliff face around the cave entrance, with a bright blue sky and white clouds behind. The right side of the image is open, blank white space with no detail.

The red yarn runs up the rock and into a dark cave. 'Nib is in there,' says the first brother. The other one nods. They step into the dark.

Page 9
On the right side of the image, the Troll sits slumped against a cave wall with eyes closed, sleeping peacefully. The Troll is a stocky creature covered in shaggy dark blue fur with a round body, large bushy orange eyebrows, a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head, large white eyes (now closed), a small round orange nose, and orange-tan feet with visible toes. A large golden key hangs from a cord at the Troll's waist. At the Troll's feet, two of Nib's brothers work together.  One is about to take the key from the Troll's waist, grinning with excitement, while the other crouches nearby, looking up cautiously with a finger to his lips. They have dark navy-blue messy hair, light fair skin, thick dark eyebrows, and wear red-orange headbands, blue knitted sweaters with subtle zigzag patterns, and olive-green pants. The scene is set inside a dim cave with rocky walls and muted pinks and greys in the background.

In the cave, the Troll sits at the wall, snoring hard. A big gold key hangs from his belt. One brother steps up, slow and soft, and lifts the key. 'Hush,' says the other. 'Not a word.'

Page 10
On the left side of the image, one of Nib's brothers stands facing toward a set of tall vertical bars (like a cage or gate), inserting a large golden key into the lock with both hands, his expression focused and resolute. He has dark navy-blue messy hair, light fair skin, thick dark eyebrows, a red-orange headband, and wears a blue knitted sweater with a subtle zigzag pattern and olive-green pants. At his feet, a trail of red wool lies along the ground near the base of the bars. The scene is set inside the Troll's dim cave with rocky walls, muted earthy tones, and a hazy, dusty atmosphere. Behind the bars on the far left, several small children are partially visible, pressing close to the gate with hopeful expressions, illuminated by faint torchlight.

Small kids press at the bars. The brother slides the key into the lock and turns it. Click! The gate swings open, and the kids burst from the cage.

Page 11
On the right side of the image, the Troll dominates the foreground, shown in close-up at a three-quarter angle with its mouth wide open in an angry yell. The Troll is covered in shaggy dark blue fur with large bushy orange eyebrows, a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head, large white eyes with black pupils wide with fury, and a small round orange nose. Behind a wooden fence or gate in the mid-ground, a group of children stand together looking startled and scared, with one child crouching or ducking down near the base of the fence. The scene is set inside the Troll's cave with rocky walls and dim lighting.

The Troll wakes up with a jerk. His cage is open! Where is his key? 'That is my supper!' he snarls. 'Run!' yells a brother. 'Run fast!'

Page 12
On the left side of the image, the Troll — a stocky creature covered in shaggy dark blue fur with large bushy orange eyebrows and a tall orange-gold tuft of feathery hair on top of its head — stumbles forward on a rocky ledge outside the cave entrance, tangled in red wool wrapped around its legs and body, mid-fall with a surprised, wide-eyed expression as it loses balance. Its large white eyes are wide with shock and its orange-tan feet scramble for footing. Below and ahead of the Troll, a group of children run away along the rocky path, looking scared and urgent, with Nib at the front — a small child with chin-length dark brown hair, warm medium-tan skin, and a mustard-yellow sweater with brick-red pants — glancing back with a triumphant, frightened expression. The right portion of the image is plain light grey/white background.

The Troll charges after them, from the cave and into the sun. But red yarn is on his legs and his belly, ring after ring of it. Nib's yarn! He turns, he whirls, he trips. Boom! He falls hard on the rock.

Page 13
In the lower half of the image, Nib stands in the foreground with a proud, slightly mischievous grin, hands at her sides in a confident pose. She has a round face, large expressive dark eyes, thick eyebrows, chin-length dark brown hair parted to the side, warm medium-tan skin, and wears a mustard-yellow long-sleeve sweater with subtle decorative patterns and brick-red pants. To her right, two of Nib's brothers stand together — they have dark navy-blue messy hair, light fair skin, red-orange headbands, and wear blue knitted sweaters with subtle zigzag patterns and olive-green pants. One has his hands on his hips looking exasperated, the other has a slightly amused but scolding expression, mouth open as if saying the final line. Behind them in the middle ground, a group of rescued children are lined up together, looking on with grateful, curious expressions. The scene is set outdoors on a grassy hillside with trees and a pale, overcast sky in the background.

Nib stands with a big grin. Her brothers clap. 'Smart girl, Nib!' says one brother. 'That yarn trick saved us all. But next time, turn the lock!' Nib just grins more.

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