A Sound at Court <ou>
Practice Words
Words featuring the 'ou' vowel team, which can produce /aΚ/, /Κ/, /uΛ/, or /ΙΚ/ sounds.
Adaeze lives by a wide, still lake. She can read the sky and name all the trees. But most of all, she loves to work out a hard puzzle.
A tall man came to ask for Adaeze's hand. When he moved, Adaeze heard a soft sound, like dry grass. All the court loved him. Adaeze did not.
That night, old Mama Nnaji came out from the reeds. She gave Adaeze a small white ash disc. 'A snake can wear a man's skin,' she said. 'Set it down, and look at what you find.'
At dawn, Adaeze set the ash disc flat by the door. Soon the tall man came out of his room. He walked past the disc and did not look down.
No shoe print sat in the ash. Just two long lines, wide and low. What sort of man leaves no feet on the ground?
'Here by the lake, a man must pour water on his hands,' said Adaeze. 'Keep both hands flat and still.' She made the rule up, but the old men agreed.
Adaeze poured water on the man's hands. His right hand went dark, with snake scales in it. Then it was just a hand again. The whole court saw it.
'Adaeze saw no such thing,' the man said. 'I read tracks, no doubt,' said Adaeze. She held up the ash disc with the two long lines. Then the man rose up, and up.
The dark coat fell off. A great green snake stood there, wide as a chest, with eyes like lamps. The court called out loud. Adaeze did not move. 'Found out,' she said.
'Adaeze sees more than the last three towns,' the snake said. 'I will go.' 'And do not come back,' said Adaeze. 'And if I do?' She held up the round ash disc. 'I will make more of these.'
The great snake slid out through the lake and was gone. The town could breathe again. That night, the king held Adaeze's hand for a long, long time.
Other towns sent word to ask how she knew. Adaeze gave the same reply each time. 'Look close. Trust what you find.' She still sits by the lake at dusk, proud and wise.