What Glows in the Cave? Jolly Phonics · Step 3, Unit 7: /oa/ mixed

Steve roams all the caves, all the hills, and all the seas. No cave can shock Steve now. Then Steve sees a cave where green moss glows. 'Wow,' Steve says, and he creeps down low to a pond. Two wee beasts gaze up at Steve with big goofy grins. 'What are they?' Steve asks.

Steve crouches low for a look. Axolotl does not swim off. It does not hide. It plops out of the pond and sits at his feet like a wet little dog. 'Well,' Steve says. 'I think Axolotl picked me.' Axolotl just grins.

Steve holds Axolotl and treks home, up the cave path, past the hills, and down to his own little pond. 'Here, pal. This is home now!' Steve gets down by the pond and holds Axolotl out. Axolotl gazes at the pond. It gazes at Steve. It frowns. It groans a low groan.

'I get it, I get it. Too plain. Wait, pal.' Steve grabs moss and throws it on the rocks. He packs it in all the nooks. He tucks it by all the stones. Then he steps back and pants, with dirt on his hands. Axolotl slips into the pond, wags its tail, and grins. Steve jumps up high and yells, 'Yes! Axolotl likes the moss!'

That night, Steve can not sleep. What if Axolotl feels sad all on its own? He races back to the cave. There, glowing in the dark like a wee moon, is a pale axolotl. Axolotl spots it first. Its grin grows and grows. 'So that is the one? Say no more.'

Steve brings the pale axolotl home, and the two slip into the pond. They bump noses. They swim round and round. They float in the sun, side by side. 'I did that,' Steve tells no one at all. 'I am so smart.'

Steve grabs a pail and scoops up a fish. 'Wait till the gang sees this. They will flip!' He spins round to plan his big show. Axolotl pops its head up out of the pond, right behind him. It grins. 'Stop that, Axolotl,' Steve says. 'That is my show!'

Steve never shows the gang. Each time he tries to go, the two do a new trick. A splash. A spin. A wee belly flop. He sits on the grass and takes in the show. 'Fine,' he says. 'The two win. This is better than any quest.' The two always grin. But now, so does Steve.