"The bridge must have caved in!" cried Annie.
They stared at the dried-up stream. Pumice hadpiled up in huge drifts, like snow.
"We'll have to get through that stuff to get across!"said Jack.
He and Annie slid down the bank onto the piles ofpumice. As they started to move across it, more andmore fell.
Jack tried to move through the millions of warm,grayish white pebbles. But he was trapped.
"I'm stuck!" cried Annie.
"Me too!" said Jack.
"Remember what Morgan said!" said Annie.
At the moment, Jack couldn't remember anything.
He was too tired and dazed.
"'In your darkest hour, only the ancient story cansave you!"' cried Annie. "Where's your bag?"Jack lifted his bag into the air, above the sea ofpumice. Annie grabbed it and pulled out the ancientscroll. She held it up to the dark sky.
"Save us, story!" she shouted.
Jack felt himself sink deeper and deeper into thepumice. Suddenly he heard a deep voice say, "Rise,son!"Then someone lifted Jack up into the air.
A great flash of fire lit the dusty darkness. In thered light, Jack saw the biggest, strongest man he'dever seen in his life. The man looked like a gladiator-buteven bigger than the ones they had seen earlier.
He held Jack with one hand and Annie with theother. He placed them both on the other bank of thestream.
"Run!" the giant gladiator boomed. "Before it's toolate!"Jack and Annie didn't stop to ask any questions.
Together, they charged through the olive grove.
They jumped over fallen branches. They leapedover great cracks in the earth. Finally they came tothe tree with the magic tree house.
They grabbed the rope ladder and scrambled up tothe tree house.
"Where's the Pennsylvania book?" Jack shouted. Hewas too blinded by ash and dust to find the book thatalways took them home.
"I've got it!" cried Annie. "I wish we could go there!"Jack felt the tree house start to spin.
It spun faster and faster and faster.
15Then everything was still.
Absolutely, wonderfully, peacefully still. |