Lions at Lunchtime - Mary Pope Osborne [8]
“Yes,” said Jack. “But it was very close.”
Jack took another moment to calm down. Then he pulled the Africa book out of his pack and put it with the other books.
Annie put the scroll with the other two scrolls.
“The giraffe was the true honey on that trip,” she said, “sweet and golden, with danger all around it.”
“Yep,” Jack said. “And now we have just one riddle to go.”
“Yep,” said Annie. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
She started down the ladder. Jack followed. When they hit the ground, they walked through the sunlit woods.
“It’s time for lunch,” said Jack.
“I’m full from our picnic,” said Annie.
“Same here,” said Jack.
“What do we tell Mom?” said Annie.
“We say we ate our sandwiches coming back from the store,” said Jack.
“What if she asks why?” said Annie.
“Oh … just say we had a picnic with a Masai warrior in Africa,” said Jack.
Annie laughed. “Right,” she said, “because we didn’t want him to be mad at us for taking his honey.”
“Right,” said Jack, “the honey from a beehive that a honey guide led us to.”
“Right,” said Annie, “and that happened after an elephant gave me a shower. And we scared off two hyenas.”
“Right,” said Jack, “and after you fell into a mudhole because you were helping a million wildebeests migrate across a river.”
“Right,” said Annie. “And all that was before a giraffe saved us from a lion.”
“Right,” said Jack.
Jack and Annie left the Frog Creek woods and started up their sunny street.
They were silent for a moment.
Then Jack pushed his glasses into place. “We better just say we ate our sandwiches on the way home from the store,” he said.
“Right,” said Annie.
“And if Mom asks why—” started Jack.
“We’ll just say it’s a really long story,” said Annie.
“Right,” said Jack, “with, like—ten chapters.”
Annie laughed. “Good plan,” she said.
“Very good plan,” said Jack.
They crossed their yard. They went up their steps and through their front door.
“We’re back!” Annie shouted.
“Great!” called their mom. “Ready for lunch?”
Here’s a special preview of
Magic Tree House #12
Polar Bears Past Bedtime
Available now!
Excerpt copyright © 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Whoo. The strange sound came from outside the open window.
Jack opened his eyes in the dark.
The sound came again. Whoo
Jack sat up and turned on his light. He put on his glasses. Then he grabbed the flashlight from his table and shone it out the window.
A white snowy owl was sitting on a tree branch.
“Whoo,” the owl said again. Its large yellow eyes looked right into Jack’s.
What does he want? Jack wondered. Is he a sign, like the rabbit and the gazelle?
A long-legged rabbit and a gazelle had led Jack and Annie to the magic tree house for their last two adventures.
“Whoo.”
“Wait a second,” Jack said to the owl. “I’ll get Annie.”
Jack’s sister, Annie, always seemed to know what birds and animals were saying.
Jack jumped out of bed and hurried to Annie’s room. She was sound asleep.
Jack shook her and she stirred.
“What?” she said.
“Come to my room,” whispered Jack. “I think Morgan’s sent another sign.”
In a split second, Annie was out of bed. She hurried with Jack to his room.
Jack led her to the window. The snowy owl was still there.
“Whoo,” said the owl. Then he raised his white wings and took off into the night.
“He wants us to go to the woods,” said Annie.
“That’s what I thought,” said Jack. “Meet you downstairs after we get dressed.”
“No, no. He says go now. Right now,” said Annie. “We’ll have to wear our pajamas.”
“I have to put on my sneakers,” said Jack.
“Okay, I’ll put on mine, too. Meet you downstairs,” said Annie.
Jack pulled on his sneakers. He threw his notebook into his backpack. Then he grabbed his flashlight and tiptoed downstairs.
Annie was waiting at the front door. They silently slipped outside together.
The night air was warm. Moths danced around the porch light.
“I feel weird,” said Jack. “I’m going back to put on some real clothes.”
“You can’t,” said Annie. “The owl