The Mirror Stage 4 Comprehension Pack PDF

STAGE 4 Unit focus: Science Fiction Text focus: Narrative The Mirror Calan looked into the mirror and smiled. She saw herself smile back, although it was slightly d...

STAGE 4 Unit focus: Science Fiction Text focus: Narrative The Mirror Calan looked into the mirror and smiled. She saw herself smile back, although it was slightly delayed. That wasn’t unusual with the mirror. Calan had long ago learned that the reflection she saw wasn’t of herself, but of a version of herself in another universe. The Calan in the other realm seemed to live a life of happiness and wealth, somewhere warm and surrounded by trees. She was called Nalac. Calan envied Nalac. Her own world was nothing like that in the mirror. She lived in the poorest corner of the se lement, beyond the reach of the palace but beyond its help as well. There was no money here and very li le food. Anything they wanted to eat, they had to grow. The air outside the back door was choked with smog and ash from the roaring fires that lit up the town closer to the palace. The water from the river was brown and thick with sludge. Nothing grew very well, and when it did, it was twisted and tasted foul. But it was all they had. Nalac was Calan’s only friend. All of her other friends had fled to find work or had been taken by the guards. Calan kept herself hidden away and tried hard not to trouble the guards. She’d discovered the mirror in a pile of rubble at the base of the mage’s tower, just outside the palace. She’d taken it home and scrubbed it clean and had been startled when she couldn’t see her reflection in it. She’d left it propped against the wall in the hope that it might reveal a secret. One day, she’d been walking past when she’d caught sight of a girl who looked just like her, si ng and eating a bowl of fruit. Calan had sat in front of the mirror and watched the girl devour the sumptuous delights with envy. Since then, they’d met every day at the same time. They couldn’t talk to each other, but they could see everything. It had been Nalac’s idea to write things down on a piece of paper, and that became a way for them to communicate. As they learned each other’s lives, Calan realised just how different they were, but that they were somehow connected. When Calan’s brother had died in the revolution, Nalac’s brother had been born. When Nalac fell from her horse, Calan was bed-bound all resources ©2021 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com with the pain. Despite their talks, Calan yearned to leave her own world and live with her friend. Today, she had a plan. Until now, she hadn’t dared to touch the mirror while Nalac was there. She was afraid of what might happen. She told Nalac her plan and stood in front of the mirror. She closed her eyes and leaned forward. She felt a soft gust of air against her skin and opened her eyes. Towering trees covered in broad green leaves filled the horizon. For the first time, she heard Nalac’s high-pitched giggle and smelled the sweet scent of the fruit. “We have much to do,” Nalac said urgently. “You have arrived just in time. Our people are about to go to war, and we must do everything that we can to stop them.” VOCABULARY FOCUS 1. Which word tells you that the reflection in the mirror wasn’t immediate? 2. Find and copy a phrase that tells the reader that the air quality near Calan wasn’t good. 3. What impression do you get of Nalac’s fruit from the phrase “sumptuous delights”? 4. What does the word “devour” mean? 5. Write a synonym for “communicate”. VIPERS QUESTIONS I What impression do you get of how Calan felt about Nalac’s life? R What was poisoning the air? S Why didn’t Calan have any other friends? I What evidence was there that the two girls were connected? I Why do they have to rush? all resources ©2021 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com