The Cat's Trance Jolly Phonics · Step 3, Unit 2: soft c as in city

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The Cat's Trance

Practice Words

glance fence trance wince cement chances cinch glances nicer nicest winces
Page 1
On the right side of the image, Steve stands facing the viewer in a Minecraft village, with the sun high and bright directly behind his head, casting warm golden light and lens flare across the scene. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin. He wears a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. He has a neutral, slightly dazed expression, standing still as if snapping out of a trance, one hand hovering near his pocket as though he just shoved something inside. Behind him, wooden village buildings and fences are visible, with trees in the background under a warm midday sky. The left side of the image is plain parchment, left clear for text.

Grr! My belly is so loud it upsets a hen. I glance down at the emerald in my hand. It glows like a little green sun. The clouds stop. All is still. I am in a trance. Then I blink. The sun is high up now. Was it not just morn? I tuck the emerald deep in my pocket. 'That was odd,' I say. I need food, and lucky for me, this is a big town.

Page 2
On the left side of the image, Villager stands in the foreground facing slightly to the right with a neutral expression, arms crossed in front of their body. Villager is a Minecraft-style villager with a blocky angular body, large square head, medium-brown skin, a prominent oversized dark orange/terracotta nose, thick dark eyebrows, green eyes, a flat-topped brown head piece, a sleeveless brown tunic/robe with a white belt/sash at the waist, a cream/beige apron with faint reddish-brown spots, and dark brown boots. Behind Villager, a second villager and a cow are visible on a grassy outdoor path. Further back, Steve stands at a slight distance scanning the group, facing the viewer at a three-quarter angle. Steve is a blocky Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. The scene is framed within a wooden picture-frame border, set against a parchment/journal-style page with a stitched spine down the center. The right ~40% of the image is plain parchment background with no characters or detail.

A mob comes down the path. One man crosses his arms and glances at me. That look. As if I just sat on his bench. A cow trots past, tail going swish, swish. I spot the food man by a patch. 'Food man!' I grin. 'Just the man I need.' I pat the emerald in my pocket. One emerald for one hot hen. This deal will be a cinch.

Page 3
On the right side of the image, Steve stands close to Villager in an outdoor village setting with wooden buildings visible in the background. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. Steve is reaching out and touching Villager's shoulder with one hand. Villager faces Steve with a neutral expression, large dark orange/terracotta nose bobbing slightly as if mid-greeting hum. Villager wears a sleeveless brown tunic/robe with a white belt/sash at the waist, a cream/beige apron with faint reddish-brown spots, and dark brown boots. The scene is set during daytime with warm lighting, and village structures and greenery frame the background. The left side of the image is plain parchment, left clear for text.

I go up and tap the food man on the arm. He turns and hums a deep hum. 'Hmmm.' 'So, big nose,' I say. 'What can I trade?' I tap him one more time to check. A hot hen. One emerald. I lick my lips. 'That is the nicest deal in town. One emerald for a hot meal? Food man, we have a deal!'

Page 4
On the left side of the image, Steve stands facing Villager, holding out a glowing green emerald in one outstretched hand. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. Villager leans back nervously, eyes wide with alarm, looking side to side as if seeking an escape. Villager has a blocky angular body, large square head, medium-brown skin, a prominent oversized dark orange/terracotta nose, thick dark eyebrows, green eyes, a flat-topped brown head piece, a sleeveless brown tunic/robe with a white belt/sash, a cream/beige apron with faint reddish-brown spots, and dark brown boots. Several other villagers cluster behind Villager in the background, shuffling restlessly with anxious expressions and raised hands. The scene is set outdoors in the village during daytime. The right ~40% of the image is left as plain parchment for text overlay.

I pull the emerald from my pocket and hold it out. The food man winces. He jumps back like it is hot. 'Hmmm! Hmmm!' His hums get quick and loud. The lot start to bump and wail in a panic. 'No, no, no!' I tuck the emerald back in my pocket. The lot go still. Just like that. I gape at them. They gaze at me. 'What,' I say, 'is up with this emerald?'

Page 5
On the right side of the image, Steve peers through the doorway of a wooden hut, leaning forward with one hand gripping the door frame, his mouth open and brows furrowed in an alarmed, indignant expression. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, large dark eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. Inside the hut, two Villagers stand side by side with their arms crossed, both turned so their green eyes are angled toward Steve with stern, unwelcoming looks. The Villagers have the classic Minecraft villager appearance with large dark orange/terracotta noses, thick dark unibrows, flat-topped brown head pieces, sleeveless brown tunics with pale cream apron/sashes around their waists, and dark brown boots. Beside them sits a wooden crafting table with a glowing orange item on its surface, and a small window with a teal-green view is set into the dim wooden wall behind them. The interior has wooden plank walls and floors typical of a Minecraft village building. The left side of the image is plain parchment, left clear for text.

No chap will trade with me now. Fine. I will hunt for food the old way. I peek into a hut. A man and a pal stand at a bench, bent over an odd glow. They do not glance up. 'Do not look up,' I say. 'I am just a chap with a cursed pocket rock.' This is a big town with many huts. But I must take no chances. I do not need the town to think I am bad.

Page 6
On the left side of the image, Steve stands inside a small house, leaning over an open chest and reaching in with one hand, a piece of bread in his other hand with a bite taken out of it. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. The indoor scene has wooden plank floors, stone walls, candles providing warm lighting, a red bed in the background, and a potted tulip on a surface. A Villager stands nearby inside the house, with the classic blocky angular body, large dark orange/terracotta nose, flat-topped brown head piece, and sleeveless brown tunic. The right side of the image is plain parchment background reserved for text.

Next hut. A chest. What luck! I flip the lid and see a loaf and bars inside. I grab the loaf and munch so fast I just about eat my own hand. Still chewing, I drop string and sticks into the chest. I do this all the time. No chap in town can get string and sticks, and a glad town gives nicer deals next time. 'Good,' I say, and wipe my shirt clean. 'My belly is full. Now I must check what is up with this emerald.'

Page 7
On the right side of the image, Steve kneels inside a dimly lit wooden hut, one hand extended toward a stone cat statue on the floor in the corner. Steve has a surprised, unsettled expression. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. The stone cat statue is shaped like a blocky Minecraft cat but made of cold gray-orange terracotta, sitting perfectly still with blank eyes. Near Steve's knee, a real Cat stands frozen solid and motionless, identical in pose to a living cat but completely still. Cat is a blocky, Minecraft-style cartoon cat with a rectangular body, warm orange-tan fur with white patches on the muzzle, chest, and lower legs/paws, large round green eyes with black pupils, a small pink nose, pointed ears with pink inner ear detail, and an upright curved tail — but its eyes are unblinking and its body is rigid. The hut interior has wooden walls, dim lighting, and an open door letting light in from outside. The left side of the image is plain parchment, left clear for text.

In the corner I spot a cat, very still. I reach out to pet it. My hand hits stone. It is a stone cat, not a real cat. Then a real cat darts in and skids to a stop by my leg. Cats look up to beg for fish. But this cat does not look up. It does not blink. It is stiff as cement. Just like the stone cat.

Page 8
On the left side of the image, Steve stands backing away with a startled, wide-eyed expression, hands raised slightly in surprise, having taken several paces back from Cat. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. Cat is mid-leap bolting energetically toward an open doorway, body stretched out in a wild running pose with an intense look. Cat is a blocky, Minecraft-style cartoon cat with a rectangular body, warm orange-tan fur with white patches on the muzzle, chest, and lower legs/paws, large round green eyes with black pupils, a small pink nose, pointed ears with pink inner ear detail, and an upright curved tail streaming behind. The scene is set inside a dimly lit wooden hut with an open door letting bright daylight spill in from outside. The right ~40% of the image is plain parchment background with no characters or detail.

My chest pounds. Why did the food man wince at me? I glance at my pocket. The emerald. It is doing all this. I step back. One step. One more. The cat blinks. Then it bolts outside in a flash. I gape. The emerald stops time. It froze the cat. It set me in a trance in the sun. And the town did see this before. That is why they wince and panic.

Page 9
On the right side of the image, Steve stands facing the viewer with a serious, contemplative expression, positioned on a wooden deck or porch and leaning against a wooden fence. Steve is a blocky, Minecraft-style humanoid with a cube-shaped head, short brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, dark purple-blue eyes, a wide nose, and a short brown beard/goatee on light peach skin, wearing a teal/cyan short-sleeved t-shirt with slightly darker teal patches, blue-indigo pants, and dark gray shoes. The scene is set outdoors at sunset, with warm golden-orange light and sun flare streaming from behind, casting Steve partly in silhouette. The sky is painted in gold and orange tones. The overall layout resembles an open journal or storybook, with the illustration framed in a gold-bordered panel on the lower right, and the left side left as blank parchment for text.

I step outside and lean on the fence. The sun is low now. The sky glows red and yellow. The day slips past so fast. The emerald hums in my pocket. It calls to me. Just one more peek. One little glance at that green glow. I grip the fence rail and keep my hands there. 'No,' I say. This is a cursed emerald. And I will not look at it. Not one glance.

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