Vacation Under the Volcano - Mary Pope Osborne [9]
“Get what?” said Jack.
“We were saved by Hercules!” said Annie. “We asked the story to save us—and Hercules appeared!”
“That’s not possible,” said Jack. “It was just some gladiator guy. The story of Hercules is a myth. That means he never really lived.”
They left the woods and started up their street.
“I know it’s a myth,” said Annie. “But I have a simple explanation.”
“What?” said Jack.
“Hercules is a myth to people in this time,” said Annie. “But in Roman times, lots of people believed he was real. So, since we were in Roman times, he was real to us.”
“I don’t know … ” said Jack.
“Did you ever hear the saying?” said Annie. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Jack laughed. “Yeah.” He looked up at the sky. “Thanks, Hercules,” he said softly, “whatever you are.”
“Jack! Annie!” their dad called from their front porch. “Time to go!”
“Oh, brother, I forgot,” said Jack.
“Yeah, I hope nothing exciting happens on our vacation,” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “I hope it’s really, really boring.”
“Hurry!” their dad said.
“Coming!” they called.
Then they took off running for home—and a restful vacation.
More Facts for You and Jack
1) Pompeii was forgotten after it was buried in ash and pumice. In 1594, the ruined city was discovered by workmen who were digging a tunnel. Later, a nearby town called Herculaneum was also discovered. It had been buried by boiling mud after the volcano erupted. Many things from everyday life have been uncovered in both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Recently, a library of scrolls was found.
2) The language of the ancient Romans was called Latin. Many words in the English, French, and Spanish languages come from Latin. For example, liber means “book” and libri means “books” in Latin. The word “book” in Spanish is libro and in French is livre. In English we have the word “library.”
3) Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year A.D. 79. The letters “A.D.” stand for the words anno Domini. Anno Domini means “in the year of the Lord” in Latin, which refers to the year Jesus Christ was born—about 2,000 years ago.
4) The Romans took their name from the city of Rome, which was the capital of their empire. Rome is now the capital of the country of Italy.
5) In A.D. 79, the Romans had a powerful army. They ruled all of Western Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
6) Hercules is the Roman name for the hero from the Greek myths known as Heracles. After the Romans conquered ancient Greece, they adopted many of Greece’s heroes and gods and goddesses. Heracles—who became Hercules—was one of them.
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Magic Tree House #14
Day of the Dragon King
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Excerpt copyright © 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Annie peeked into Jack’s room.
“Ready to go to China?” she asked.
Jack took a deep breath.
“Sure,” he answered.
“Bring your secret library card,” Annie said. “I have mine in my pocket.”
“Yep,” said Jack.
He opened his top dresser drawer and took out a thin wooden card. The letters M L on it shimmered in the light. Jack dropped the card into his backpack. Then he threw in his notebook and a pencil.
“Let’s go,” said Annie.
Jack pulled on his pack and followed her.
What are we in for today? he wondered.
“Bye, Mom!” said Annie as they passed their mom in the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“China!” said Annie.
“Great,” said their mom. She winked at them. “Have fun.”
Fun? thought Jack. He was afraid that fun wasn’t quite the right word.
“Just wish us luck,” he said as he and Annie headed out the front door.
“Good luck!” their mother called.
“If only she knew we aren’t pretending,” Jack whispered to Annie.
“Yeah,” said Annie, grinning.
Outside, the sun shone brightly. Birds sang. Crickets chirped. Jack and Annie walked up their street toward the Frog Creek woods.
“I wonder if the weather will be this nice in China,” Annie said.
“I don’t know. Remember, Morgan said this would be a very scary adventure,” said Jack.
“They’re always scary,