The Shadow Growls Jolly Phonics · Step 3, Unit 9: /ou/ mixed

Tonight the town glows bright. Light beams rise up from the tall landmark and paint the sky yellow. A boy sits up on his dad and waves a little flag. 'Best night ever!' he shouts. All around, the crowd waves flags and grins. But a shadow looks on from the dark, and it growls.

From high up in the sky, the town glows. Yellow light spills from all the homes and shops, from all the windows. And up in the dark sky, The Dark is not happy. 'Look at that town!' it huffs. 'Lights all around! Nighttime is my time!'

So The Dark creeps into a little home and flicks off the lights. Click! Just like that. Inside, a boy blinks. He can not see his plate. He feels around in the dark and bumps into a seat. Then he dives into bed and hides. 'Who turned off the lights?' he says.

The Dark slips from home to home and flicks off the lights. One family sits by one little flame. A kid peeks at a book by the dim glow. Two kids get in bed. There is no fun now. The cat prowls the room and frowns. 'This is how night should be,' says The Dark. It is so proud.

But outside, the streets still blaze. Road lights blink and hum. Cars and buses roll by, safe and sound. A kid sits on the curb with a little dog and looks at it all. By them, The Dark scowls. 'No, come on. More lights?'

Click! The Dark shuts off all the road lights at once. Cars bump into buses. Trucks jam up the road. The crowd can not see a thing. They wave their arms and shout, 'Who turned off the lights?' But The Dark just grins and prowls on.

The fun rides are next, and wow, they glow! Kids grin and shout on the round ride, up and down, around and around. The big ride glitters high up by the stars. The Dark takes one look and frowns. 'So bright!' it hisses. 'It has to go.'

Click! The big ride stops. The round ride goes still. A kid in a ride car looks up, upset. On the ground, two kids just stand in the dark. No song. No fun. No rides. Just dark. 'Who turned off the lights?' one kid says. And now no one is grinning.

Out on the sea, one light still shines. It is a tall red and white light tower. Its beam sweeps the dark waves. It keeps ships safe from the rocks. A big ship and a little rowboat sail by, safe in the glow. The Dark spots it and growls. 'That is the last one.'

The Dark snuffs out the light tower beam. A huge ship cuts the waves, and it aims right at a little rowboat. The boy inside grips his row tools and screams. On the dark coast, the light tower is still. No beam. No help. And now The Dark feels a twist in its belly. A chill. 'No, no,' it says. 'What did I do?'

The Dark can not think. It just lets go. All the lights in town blaze back at once. The train beams cut the night. Cars roll down the roads, safe and sound. Homes glow, and the fun rides glitter far off. The town hums and shines. But The Dark stays back in the sky, all on its own, feeling small.

Then four kids come out to play. One waves a bright star wand. One grins under glittering string lights. One holds a little lamp, and one spins a green glow stick around. They play in the dark! 'Stars can not shine without the dark!' calls the kid with the lamp. The Dark blinks. Then it smiles. The best lights do not drive the dark out. They glow with it.