The Cursed Emerald Part 2
Practice Words
Words with the silent 'k' in the 'kn' combination, where only the /n/ sound is heard.
My belly growled so loud it scared a chicken. I looked down at the green gem in my hand. It glowed like a tiny sun, and I could not stop staring. The world went still. The clouds stopped. Even the breeze held its breath. Then I blinked. The sun was up high now. Wait, had it not just been morning? I shoved the gem deep in my pocket. 'Okay, that was weird.' My belly growled again. I knew I needed food fast.
A bunch of villagers walked along the path. One stood with his arms crossed, giving me that look. Like I had just sneezed on his crafting table. A cow plodded behind them, flicking its tail. I spotted a butcher near the wheat. 'Butcher!' I grinned. 'You are just who I need.' I patted the gem in my pocket. I knew this trade would be easy. One little green gem, one hot roasted chicken.
I walked right up and knocked on the butcher's shoulder, like he was a door. He turned and hummed. 'Hmmm.' 'Hey there, big nose,' I said. 'What have you got for me?' I tapped again to see his trades. Roasted chicken. One gem. My mouth watered so hard I almost drooled on his apron. 'One gem for a hot meal? You knucklehead, you have a deal!'
I pulled the gem from my pocket and held it out. The butcher's eyes went wide. He stumbled back like he had seen a live creeper. 'Hmmm! Hmmm!' His hums got fast and loud, almost like a siren. The other villagers bumped into each other, arms flailing. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' I shoved the gem back in my pocket. Every villager went quiet. They stared at me. I stared at them. 'What,' I whispered, 'is wrong with this gem?' They knew. I could tell.
No one would trade with me now. Fine. I would find food the old way. I peeked into a hut. A villager stood at a crafting table, hunched over something that glowed orange. He did not even glance my way. 'Don't mind me,' I muttered. 'Just a starving guy with a cursed pocket rock.' Plenty of huts, plenty of chests. Who knows what I might find. But I had to be careful of the iron golem.
Next hut. Chest. Jackpot! I knelt and flipped the lid open. Bread and iron inside! I grabbed the bread and bit in so fast I almost ate my fingers. Still chewing, I dropped some string and sticks in the chest. I always leave something. Happy villagers mean better trades next time. 'Okay,' I said, brushing crumbs off my shirt. 'Belly full. Now let's find out what this gem is up to.'
In the corner of the hut, I spotted a cat sitting still. I bent down to pet it. My hand touched cold, hard stone. Not a real cat. A statue. Then a real cat darted in the door and stopped right by my knee. I waited for it to look up. Cats always look up when you might have fish. But this cat did not look up. It did not purr. It did not blink. It was frozen solid, just like the statue.
My heart hammered. I remembered the butcher stepping back. I looked at my pocket. The gem. It was doing this. I took one step back. Then another. Three. Four. Five. The cat blinked. Its ears twitched. Then it bolted out the door in a wild orange blur, like nothing had happened. I stood there with my mouth open. The gem froze time. It froze the cat. It froze me too, out in the sun for hours. The villagers knew. That is why they panicked.
I stepped outside and leaned on the fence. The sun was sinking, painting everything gold and orange. A whole day, gone. The gem hummed in my pocket. I could feel it, warm and bright, whispering at me to take it out. Just one more peek at that green glow. I gripped the rail and kept my hands right there. 'Nope.' I had it figured out now. A cursed gem. Now I knew what it did. Whatever happened next, I was not going to touch it.