Jack knelt beside Annie. She was gasping forbreath.
The gorilla bounded down the tree and over toAnnie. She bit her lower lip as if she were worried.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked Annie.
"Yes--" Annie panted, 'just--got the breath--knockedout of me-"'Wiggle your arms and your legs," said Jack.
Annie wiggled her arms and her legs. "Good,nothing's broken," said Jack.
Just then, he felt a drop of water hit his arm. Themist had turned to rain.
"Uh-oh," said Jack. He threw his notebook into hispack.
"I better get our umbrella and flashlight," he said. "Ileft them near that tree that looked like a chair.""I'll come, too," said Annie. She started to sit up.
"No, no, catch your breath," said Jack. "It's not far.
I'll be right back."He took off his jacket and draped it over her.
"This'll help you stay dry," he said. He pulled on hispack and stood up.
The gorilla screeched.
"Stay with Annie!" said Jack.
Then he dashed back through the cloud forest. Helooked for the fat tree with the wide limbs paddedwith moss.
As he peered through the growing darkness, Jacksaw many fat trees. He saw many limbs padded withmoss.
Soon he could hardly see trees at all. He realizedthat both a storm and night had come to the forest.
Forget the umbrella and flashlight, he thought. Itwas more important to get back to Annie before itwas too dark. They could wait together for daylight.
As Jack started back to Annie, he could hardly see.
He didn't know which way to go.
"Annie! Bu-bu!" he shouted. He felt silly shouting,"Bu-bu." But he didn't know what else to call thesmall gorilla.
Jack put out his hands. He moved slowly throughthe dark, rainy forest. He kept calling for Annie andBu-bu. He listened for them. But he couldn't hearanything above the loud patter of the rain.
"Ahh!" he shouted. He had run into some-thing thatfelt like a ball of spider webs!
As he jumped back, he slipped and fell in the mud.
He crawled over to a tree and huddled between twoof its giant roots.
I'll just wait here until morning, he thought. ThenI'll find Annie. Or she'll find me.
As rain dripped all around him, Jack wondered ifleopards came out at night. He quickly pushed thethought away. He tried to think about morning andfinding Annie and going home.
He was really ready to go home.
Why did Morgan even send us to the cloud forest?
he wondered. He tried to remember the secret rhyme.
"To find a special magic . . . ," he whispered. Hecouldn't remember the rest. He felt tired andmiserable. He took his backpack off and rested hishead on it. He closed his eyes.
"To find a special magic . . . ," he mumbled.
But he couldn't find the magic. He couldn't evenfind the words that finished the rhyme. Worst of all,he couldn't find Annie.
Their fun adventure in the cloud forest had turnedinto a nightmare. |