The Hollow · The five-night book · ages 3-5
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Read by an AI-generated voice. The words on this page are the transcript.
Under the Leaf
The hammer rang once. A spark jumped off the anvil and did not go out. It waited. They followed.
Down the path. Into the Hollow.
The old gate had a new nail.
Beside it, a tiny hammer.
Three big leaves lay on the grass.
Who is under a … leaf?
A soft moth floated down. Flitter!
She hid the Moonstone. Where? Shh.
"Keep the secret," said Flitter.
Shh. Under a leaf.
"All of them!" said Tí. "Lift them all!"
"One leaf, one turn," said Flitter.
Tí waited. He held his hands … still.
Shh. Under a leaf.
Tí lifted the first leaf.
A big brown bear! Ursa!
She stood on the path, big and soft.
"Nobody gets past me," said Ursa.
"Bigger sends smaller home."
Shh. Under a leaf.
Bigger sends smaller home.
Tí lifted the second leaf.
A tiny mouse! Puck!
"I'm small but I'm quick," said Puck.
He ran up Ursa's big furry leg.
Tickle, tickle, tickle!
Ursa laughed and laughed, all the way … home.
Shh. Under a leaf.
Bigger sends smaller home.
Tickle, tickle, home you go!
The path was open.
One leaf left.
Who is under the last … leaf?
Tí walked up. He lifted it himself.
The Moonstone! Shining … bright.
The spark dimmed to a warm dot and settled back on the anvil. The Green was just the Green again.
Back on the Green
Tí hid a button under one of three cups.
"Shh," said Tí. "One cup, one turn."
Who you met
-
Flitter A secret is kept under a leaf until somebody lifts it from HollowTots -
Tí a child of the Green Notices small things; says "again" -
Ursa Bigger sends smaller home from HollowTots -
Puck The smallest can send the biggest home from HollowTots
Every recurring character has a short tune, so you can tell who is on stage before a word is said. The tunes play only when you tap, and the Reading Access sound switch turns them off.
The Honest Page
Which parts of this story are true, stretched or made up?
True
- In many old hidden-piece board games the smallest piece has one special power: it can take the biggest piece. Stratego's spy can beat the marshal, if the spy attacks first. Source
- There are three leaves, and Tí lifts each one once, one a turn: by the third turn the Moonstone must be found.
Stretched
- Ursa goes home laughing. What we simplified: In the game, a piece that is sent home just goes back to its start; nobody laughs, but nobody is hurt either.
Made up
- The Hollow, its leaves and the Moonstone are made up. Flitter, Ursa and Puck come from HollowTots.