Here’s a story about three willowy figures …
If you say that someone or something is willowy, it means they’re tall, thin, and graceful. There are three figures in our story. Their names are Makimo, Lathnu and Soborra. And there’s a bird. Have a look.
Bird: One winter day, while flying south, I saw these three willowy figures on my way, towering over the tallest trees. At first I thought they were made of reinforced concrete, but suddenly one of them spoke.
Reinforced concrete is concrete that has metal bars inside of it to make it stronger.
And now back to our story…
Makimo: There’s still a glimmer of hope. But you must hurry.
Bird: She was speaking to me, but I didn’t understand.
Lathnu: We’re pining away leading our sedentary lives here, aloof from the whole world.
Sedentary means doing or involving a lot of sitting, not doing or involving much physical activity. If you work in an office, you probably have a sedentary job.
It’s also used with people or animals that stay or live in one place instead of moving to different places. For example sedentary birds are birds that do not migrate.
Anyway, let’s continue…
Bird: I asked how I could help. The spindly figure in the back smiled.
Soborra: We’re losing our footing because we’re too heavy. Find the sorcerer and tell him to turn us back into what we used to be before it’s too late.
A sorcerer is a wizard, so a person that has magical powers. If you read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, you probably remember Gandalf. He was a sorcerer.
Do you know any other famous sorcerers? If you do, write their names down below in the comments.
Bird: I had no idea what they were talking about, but still I decided to help them and find the sorcerer.
Bird: “I’ll find the sorcerer,” I said, “stay put until I get back.”, I added, no idea why.
Vocabulary
| willowy | tall, thin, and graceful |
| tower over sth | to be much taller than sth |
| reinforced concrete /ˌriːjənˈfoɚst-/ | concrete that has metal bars inside of it to make it stronger |
| a glimmer of hope | a small amount or sign of hope |
| pine away | to become thin and weak because of sadness or loss |
| sedentary /ˈsɛdn̩ˌteri/ | doing or involving a lot of sitting, not doing or involving much physical activity |
| aloof | not involved in or influenced by sth |
| spindly | long and thin and usually weak |
| footing | the ability of your feet to stay where you put them as you walk, run, etc. |
| sorcerer | a wizard |
| turn into | to change into a different state or form |
| stay put | to stay where you are, to not move or go anywhere |