Anansi and the Deep Sleep Jolly Phonics · Step 3, Unit 5: /ee/ mixed

Deep in the woodland, Anansi finds a big rock. It is green with soft moss. It seems to hum. He leans in and says a little spell, and then all goes dark.

Anansi wakes up in the ferns, flat on his back. He feels fine, but he is upset. Did he trip? No. He just said the line, and then a deep sleep came. He sits up and peeks at the rock. He must test it. 'This is a strange moss-covered rock,' he says one more time. All goes dark. He wakes up one more time, flat on his back in the ferns. Anansi sits up and grins a sly, sly grin.

Then Anansi has a plan, a big sly plan. He can see it all. Elephant keeps sweet food in a tree to the east. Lion hides fish by a flat stone. Hornbill keeps three ripe treats in his nest. Anansi just needs to lead each beast to the rock and say the line. He rubs his legs with glee and runs to seek Elephant.

'Elephant!' Anansi calls. 'Elephant, come and see this odd rock on the path.' Big Elephant likes to see new things, so she comes. At the rock, Anansi says the spell. Elephant sits down hard. Soon she is deep asleep. Anansi eats the sweet food, and Elephant wakes up feeling weak and goes off.

The trick goes so well that Anansi gets bold. He leads Lion to the rock, then Hornbill, then the otters, then the pigs. One by one, each beast wakes up, and the food is all his. The rock says not a thing. It just sits there, green and still. Anansi has such a big feast now.

But Bush Deer does not follow Anansi to the rock. She is small and smart, and she does not trust sly spiders. She hides by a tree and peeks out. She sees Anansi lead Lion. She sees him lead Hornbill. She keeps count: the sweet food, the fish, three treats, the nuts. She sees each trick.

Bush Deer goes to speak with the gang. At first no one agrees that a little spider can trick them. But the food is not there, and that is that. Lion has no fish. Elephant has no sweet food. Hornbill has no treats at all. 'Anansi leads each one to the rock,' says Bush Deer. 'He speaks a magic line, and a deep sleep comes. I see it each time.' Elephant sits down to think, this time because she wants to.

The plan comes from Bush Deer, and it is neat and clean. They will beat Anansi with his own trick. He is greedy, and greedy spiders come back. Bush Deer will wait by the rock. The gang will hide close by. When Anansi comes, Bush Deer will step out and speak the line first. They go over the plan three times. Then they hide. Elephant hides by a thin tree, but the tree hides just one leg.

The next day, Anansi comes down the south path, leading River-otter's cousin. He stops. Bush Deer stands by the rock. 'Anansi,' says Bush Deer with a sweet smile, 'come and see! This is a strange moss-covered rock!' All Anansi's legs flop. He lands face first in the moss, deep asleep.

The beasts come out from the trees. They get all the food from Anansi's stash and give it back. The sweet food, the fish, the treats. It all goes home. River-otter's cousin gets a treat and goes off happy. Then the beasts sit in a ring by the rock and eat a good meal, as Anansi sleeps in the moss.

Anansi wakes up and lifts his face from the moss. Full, happy faces grin down at him. Elephant gives him his own sweet food, just a wee bit. 'Think, Anansi,' says Bush Deer. 'Any one at all can speak that line.' Anansi looks at his empty stash. He looks at the rock. He looks at Bush Deer. He starts to speak, then stops. Then he eats the sweet food, because it is still good, and a sad spider needs a sweet treat.

From that day on, the beasts go to the path in a gang, and they chat as they march. Each one brings more food than they need, because it is good to give. The rock sits still, green and old. And when a new one comes to the woodland, a little voice will call, 'Stay close, and do not say a thing by that rock!' Just to keep each one alert.