<2-1>
The Dark Woods
Jack couldn't sleep.
He put his glasses on. He looked at the clock. 5:30.
Too early to get up.
Yesterday so many strange things had happened. Now he was trying to figure them out.
He turned on the light. He picked up his notebook. He looked at the list he'd made before going to bed.
found tree house in woods
found lots of books in it
pointed to Pteranodon picture in book
made a wish
went to time of dinosaurs
pointed to picture of Frog creek woods
made a wish
come home to Frog Creek
Jack pushed his glasses into place. Who was going to believe any of this?
Not his mom. Or his dad. Or his third-grade teacher, Ms.Watkins. Only his seven-year-old sister, Annie. She'd gone with him to the time of the dinosaurs.
"Can't you sleep?"
It was Annie, standing in his doorway.
"Nope," said Jack.
"Me neither," said Annie. "What are you doing?"
She walked over to Jak and looked at his notebook. She read the list.
"Aren't you going to write about the gold medal?" she asked.
"You mean the gold medallion," said Jack.
He picked up his pencil and wrote:
found this in dinosaur time
"Aren't you going to put the letter M on the medal?" said Annie.
"Medallion," said Jack. "Not medal."
He added an M :
"Aren't you going to write about the magic person?" said Annie.
"We don't know for sure if there is a magic person," said Jack.
"Well, someone built the tree house in the woods. Someone put the books in it. Someone lost a gold medal in dinosaur time."
"Medallion!" said Jack for the third time. "And I'm just writing the facts. The stuff we know for sure."
"Let's go back to the tree house right now," said Annie. "And find out if the magic person is a fact."
"Are you nusts?" said Jack. "The sun's not even up yet."
"Come on,"said Annie. "Maybe we can catich them sleeping."
"I don't think we should," said Jack. He was worried. What if the "magic person" was mean? What if he or she didn't want kids to know about the tree houe?
"well, I'm going," said Annie.
Jack looke out his window at the dark-gray sky. It was almost dawn.
He sighed. "Okay. Let's get dressed. I'll meet you at the back door. Be quiet."
"Yay!" whispered Annie. She tiptoed away as quietly as a mouse.
Jack put on jeans, a warm sweatshirt, and sneakers. He tossed his notebook and pencil in his backpack.
He crept downstairs.
Annie was waiting by the back door. She shined a flasklight in Jack's face. "Ta-da! A magic wand!" she said.
"Shhh! Don't wake up Mom and Dad," whispered Jack. "And turn that flashslight off. We don't want anyone to see us."
Annie nodded and turned it off. Then she clipped it onto her belt.
They slipped out the door into the cool early-morning air. Crickets were chirping. The dog next door barked.
"Quiet, Henry!" whispered Annie.
Henry stopped barking. Animals always to do waht Annie said.
"Let's run!" said Jack.
They dashed across the dark, wet lawn and didn't stop until they reached the woods.
"We need the flashlight now," said Jack.
Annie took it off her belt and switched it on.
Step by step, she and Jack walked between the trees. Jack held his breath. The dark woods were scary.
"Gotcha!" said Annie, shining the flashlight in Jack's face.
Jack jumped back. Then he frowned.
"Cut it out!" he said.
"I scared you," said Annie.
"Stop pretending!" he whispered. "This is serious."
"Okay, okay."
Annie shined her flashlight over the tops of the trees.
"Npw what are you doing?" said Jack.
"Looking for the tree house!"
The light stopped moving.
There it was. The mysterious tree house. At the top of the tallest tree in the woods.
Annied shined her light at the tree house, and then down the tall ladder. All the way to the ground.
"I'm going up," she said. She gripped the flashlight and began to climb.
"Wait!" Jack called.
What if someone was in the tree house?
"Annie! Come back!"
But she was gone. The light disappeared. Jack was alone in the dark.
<2-2>
Leaving Again
"No one's here!" Annie shouted down.
Jack thought about going home. Then he thought about all the books in the tree house.
He started up the ladder. When he was nearly to the tree house, he saw light in the distant sky. Dawn was starting to breack.
He crawled through a hole in the floor and took off his backpack.
It was dark inside the tree house.
Annie was shining her flashlight on the books scattered about.
"They're still here, she said.
She stopped the light on a dinosaur book. It was the book that had taken them to the time of the dinosaurs.
"Remember the Tyrannosaurus?" asked Annie.
Jack shuddered. Of course he remembered! How could anyone forget seeing a real live Tyrannosaurus rex?
The light fell on a book about Pennsylvania. A red silk bookmark stuck out of it.
"Remember the picture of Frog Creek?" said Annie.
"Of course," said Jack. That was the picture that had brrought them home.
"There's my favorite," said Annie.
The light was shining on a book about knights and castles. There was a blue leather bookmark in it.
Annie turned to the page with the bookmark. There was a picture of a knight on a black horse. He was riding toward a castle.
"Annie, close that book," said Jack. "I know what you're thinking."
Annie pointed at the knight.
"Don't, Annie!"
"We wish we could see this guy for real," Annie said.
"No, we don't!" shouted Jack.
They heard a strange sound.
"Neeee-hhhh!"
It sounded like a horse neighing.
They botth went to the window.
Annie shined the flashlight down on the ground.
"Oh, no," whispered Jack.
"A knight!" said Annie.
A knight in shining armor! Riding a black horse! Through the Frog Creek woods!
Then the wind began to moan. The leaves began to tremble.
It was happening again.
"We're leaving!" cried Annie. "Get down!"
The wind moaned louder. The leaves shook harder.
And the tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster!
Jack squeezed his eyes shut.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
Jack opened his eyes. He shivered. The air was damp and cool.
The sound of a horse's whinny came again from below.
"Neeee-hhhh!"
"I think we're here," whispered Annie. She was still holding the castle book.
Jack peeked out the window.
A huge castle loomed out of the fog.
He looked around. The tree house was in a different oak tree. And down below, the knight on the black horse was riding by.
"We can't stay here," said Jack. "We have to go home and make a plann first." He picked up the book about Pennsylvania. He opened it to the page with the red silk bookmark. He pointed to the photograph of the Frog Creek woods. "I wish-"
"No!" said Annie. She yanked the book away from him. "Let's stay! I want to visit the castle!"
"You're nuts. We have to examine the situation," said Jack. "From home."
"Let's examine it here!" said Annie.
"Come on." He helt out his hand. "Give it."
Annie gave Jack the book. "Okay. You can go home. I'm staying," she said. She clipped the flashlight to her belt.
"Wait!" said Jack.
"I'm going to take a peek. A teeny peek," she said. And she scooted down the ladder.
Jack groaned. Okay, she had won. He coulndn't leave without her. Besides, he sort of wanted to take a peek himself.
He put down the book about Pennsylvania.
He dropped the castle book into his pack. He stepped onto the ladder. And headed down into the cool, misty air.
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