Follow That Smell!
Practice Words
Words with the silent 'g' in the 'gn' combination, where only the /n/ sound is heard.
Tip woke up and sniffed the air. Something smelled foreign, wet and wild, like nothing she had ever smelled before. She hopped out of bed and pressed her nose to the window. Outside, white flakes drifted down from the sky. It was a sure sign that something wonderful was happening! 'I have to tell the others!' Tip whispered, her eyes wide with excitement.
The sun should have been up, but the rooms were still dark. Tip found Brat Cat curled up near the lantern light. 'Wake up!' Tip said. 'Something strange is happening outside. The air smells different and the sky has gone all gray!' Brat Cat gave a grumpy sigh and stretched. 'Fine. But this had better be a good sign.'
They stepped outside and gasped. Snow covered every rooftop, every path, every branch. Fat flakes swirled through the dusky air and landed on their noses. Fig Pig came running out behind them. 'Time to design some Christmas decorations!' he said, grinning at the glowing house across the way. Tip was so excited she dashed forward through the falling snow, nearly knocking her friends right over.
Tip got straight to work, smooshing handfuls of snow together. She stacked one ball on top of another, then another on top of that, until a snowman stood beside her, round and proud. 'Not bad!' Tip said, stepping back to admire her design. She patted more snow onto its sides and gave it a lopsided grin. Somewhere nearby, her friends were busy planning the Christmas decorations.
Fig Pig and Brat Cat stood on the deck beneath a tall Christmas tree strung with colorful lights. Pink, blue, purple, and green bulbs glowed against the falling snow. 'Brat Cat assigned me the lights,' Fig Pig said with a proud smile. 'What do you think?' Brat Cat nodded. 'Beautiful. And look at Tip's snowman over there. The top ball is sliding sideways. It looks just like a little gnome!'
Tip stopped and lifted her nose. A new smell drifted on the wind, sweet and spicy, the kind of scent that made her tummy rumble. She sniffed again. The sweet smell was a clear sign that someone, somewhere beyond the cabin, was cooking something delicious. 'Can you smell that?' she called out.
Tip did not wait for an answer. She followed the scent down a snowy hill, her paws crunching through the fresh powder. At the bottom stood the most amazing thing she had ever seen. A gingerbread house, glowing warm and golden, with icing on the roof and candy lined along the walls. A sign above the door read 'Welcome.' 'I wonder who made it?' Tip whispered.
Tip raced back up the hill to fetch her friends, and together they hurried down to see. After they had looked at every candy wall, the three of them walked back to their cozy cabin, snowflakes drifting around them in the soft glow of the Christmas lights. Brat Cat stood in the middle with a cheeky grin. She spread her arms wide and pulled Tip and Fig Pig into a big hug. 'I designed the gingerbread house as a surprise! Merry Christmas!' And that was the best sign of all that the holidays had begun.