diff --git a/client/content/considering.json b/client/content/considering.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2704bbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/content/considering.json
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+  "considering": [
+    "The Master considers your words.",
+    "Somewhere, dice are gathered.",
+    "The tale weighs its next turn.",
+    "The dark shifts, thinking.",
+    "A page is turned, unhurried."
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/client/scripts/ui/considering_phrases.gd b/client/scripts/ui/considering_phrases.gd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e397d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/scripts/ui/considering_phrases.gd
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+class_name ConsideringPhrases
+extends RefCounted
+## Authored "the GM is thinking" lines (charter §13 — even loading is content).
+## Pure: cycles a phrase pool in order on a running index that is instance state
+## (spec decision 4 — the indicator reuses one instance so the first phrase varies
+## turn to turn without randomness). A missing/malformed file degrades to one
+## hardcoded constant, so the indicator itself cannot fail.
+
+const PATH := "res://content/considering.json"
+const LAST_RESORT := "The Master considers your words."
+
+var _pool: Array = []
+var _index: int = 0
+
+
+func _init(path := PATH) -> void:
+	_pool = _load(path)
+
+
+func next() -> String:
+	if _pool.is_empty():
+		return LAST_RESORT
+	var phrase := str(_pool[_index % _pool.size()])
+	_index += 1
+	return phrase
+
+
+static func _load(path: String) -> Array:
+	if not FileAccess.file_exists(path):
+		return []
+	var text := FileAccess.get_file_as_string(path)
+	# Instance parse() (not JSON.parse_string) so malformed input returns an
+	# Error code instead of the engine error the test config promotes to a fail.
+	var json := JSON.new()
+	if json.parse(text) != OK:
+		return []
+	var data = json.get_data()
+	if typeof(data) != TYPE_DICTIONARY:
+		return []
+	var lines = data.get("considering", [])
+	return lines if typeof(lines) == TYPE_ARRAY else []
diff --git a/client/tests/unit/test_considering_phrases.gd b/client/tests/unit/test_considering_phrases.gd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db2c92d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/tests/unit/test_considering_phrases.gd
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+extends "res://addons/gut/test.gd"
+
+const ConsideringPhrases = preload("res://scripts/ui/considering_phrases.gd")
+
+
+func test_missing_file_returns_last_resort():
+	var p = ConsideringPhrases.new("res://content/does_not_exist.json")
+	assert_eq(p.next(), ConsideringPhrases.LAST_RESORT)
+	assert_eq(p.next(), ConsideringPhrases.LAST_RESORT)
+
+
+func test_cycles_pool_in_order_and_wraps():
+	# Real authored file has at least 3 lines; assert order + wrap on it.
+	var p = ConsideringPhrases.new()  # default path — real content
+	var first = p.next()
+	var second = p.next()
+	assert_ne(first, "")
+	assert_ne(first, second)  # advances, not stuck
+	# Drain a full cycle back to `first` to prove it wraps (bounded loop).
+	var seen := [first, second]
+	for i in range(20):
+		var n = p.next()
+		if n == first:
+			return  # wrapped — success
+		seen.append(n)
+	assert_true(false, "did not wrap within 22 calls: %s" % [seen])
+
+
+func test_index_persists_across_calls_not_reset():
+	var p = ConsideringPhrases.new()
+	var a = p.next()
+	var b = p.next()
+	assert_ne(a, b)  # second call did not re-return the first phrase