Afternoon on the Amazon (5 page)

Something came flying through the tree house window.

“Ahhh!” Jack and Annie hid their heads.

Thud
.

Something hit the floor. A red fruit.

Jack looked up. The monkey was sitting in the window. His head was cocked to one side. He seemed to be grinning at them.

“You're safe!” said Annie.

“Thanks for saving us,” said Jack.

The monkey just grinned.

“I have just one question,” said Annie. She pointed at the fruit. “Why do you keep throwing those at us?”

The monkey grabbed the fruit.

“No! Don't throw it!” said Jack. He ducked.

But the monkey didn't throw the fruit.

He held it out to Annie. He moved his lips as if he were trying to say something.

Annie stared into the monkey's eyes. He moved his lips again.

“Wow,” Annie said softly. “I understand now.”

“Understand what?” said Jack.

Annie took the fruit from the monkey. “This is it,” she said. “The
thing
we need.”

“What thing?” said Jack.

“One of the special things we're supposed to find for Morgan,” Annie said. “To free her from the spell.”

“Are you sure?” said Jack.

Before Annie could answer, Jack saw the Pennsylvania book. “Look! Our book!” he said, pointing.

“We found the thing. And now we can see the book,” said Annie. “That's the way it works, remember?”

Jack nodded. Now he remembered. The ninja master said they wouldn't be able to find the Pennsylvania book until they had found what they were looking for.

The monkey screeched with laughter.

Jack and Annie looked at him. He was clapping his hands together.

Annie laughed with him. “How did you know to give this to us?” she said. “Who told you to do that?”

The monkey just waved at Jack and Annie. Then he turned and swung away out of the tree house.

“Wait!” said Jack, looking out the window.

Too late.

The monkey was gone. He had vanished below the treetops.

“Good-bye!” called Annie.

A happy screech came from the mysterious world below.

Jack sighed. He picked up his notebook again. He looked at his writing:

He had to write
something
before they left. He quickly added—

Jack put away his notebook. Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book.

“Now it's really time to leave,” she said.

She turned to the picture of the Frog Creek woods. “I wish we could go there,” she said, pointing at the picture.

The wind started to blow.

The leaves began to tremble.

The tree house began to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

Squeak
.

Jack opened his eyes. Peanut was on the tree house windowsill.

“We're home,” said Annie.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

Annie held the fruit up to the afternoon light.

“What exactly
is
this?” she asked.

“Maybe it's in the book,” Jack answered.

He pulled out the rain forest book. He flipped through the pages. He came to a picture of the red fruit.

“Here it is!” he said. He read out loud:

“Mango? Hmmm,” said Annie. She brought the fruit close to her lips.

“Hey!” said Jack, grabbing the mango from her. “We have to put it with the moonstone.”

Jack placed the mango on the M carved into the floor. Next to the clear moonstone.

“Moonstone … mango,” whispered Annie. It sounded like a spell.

“We're halfway there,” said Jack. “Two more to go.”

“Then we can free you, Morgan!” Annie called, as if Morgan were nearby.

“How do you know she can hear you?” said Jack.

“I just feel it,” Annie said.

“Oh, brother,” said Jack. He needed more proof than that.

Squeak
. Peanut was looking at Jack and Annie.

“We have to leave you now,” Jack said to the mouse.

Squeak
.

“Can't we take her with us?” said Annie.

“No,” said Jack. “Mom won't let us keep a mouse in the house. She doesn't like mice, remember?”

“How could anyone
not
like a mouse?” said Annie.

Jack smiled. “How could anyone not like a spider?” he said.

“That's different.” Annie patted Peanut's head. “Bye,” she said. “Wait for us here. We'll be back tomorrow.”

Jack patted the mouse, too. “Bye, Peanut. Thanks for your help,” he said.

Squeak
.

Jack put the rain forest book on top of the book about ninjas.

Then he pulled on his backpack. And he and Annie left the tree house.

They climbed down the rope ladder. They stepped onto the ground.

They started walking through the Frog Creek woods.

Leaf shadows danced in the light.

A bird called out.

These woods are very different from the rain forest, Jack thought.

“There're no jaguars or army ants here,” he said. “No little monkeys.”

“You know, that monkey was never being mean,” said Annie. “He was just trying to give us the mango.”

“I know. Actually, nothing was being
mean
,” said Jack. “The army ants were just marching. That's what army ants do.”

“The piranhas were just being piranhas,” said Annie.

“The snake was just being a snake,” said Jack.

“The crocodile was just being a crocodile,” said Annie.

“The jaguar was just taking care of her baby,” said Jack.

Annie shuddered. “I still don't love bugs,” she said.

“You don't have to
love
them,” said Jack.
“Just leave them alone. And they won't bother you.”

In fact, that's true about the whole rain forest, Jack thought. Everyone should just leave it all alone.

“Who cares if the bugs don't have names?” he said softly. “
They
know who they are.”

Jack and Annie stepped out of the Frog Creek woods.

They started walking up their street. It was lit with a golden light.

“Race you!” said Annie.

They took off running.

They ran across their yard.

They raced up their steps.

“Safe!” they shouted together, tagging their front door.