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Authors: Mary Pope Osborne

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BOOK: Eve of the Emperor Penguin
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J
ack didn’t feel like a happy camper anymore. Walking through the cold, thin air, he looked at the snowmobiles parked near the hut.

“We don’t know how to drive snowmobiles!” Jack whispered to Annie. “We haven’t trained for anything, including altitude sickness!”

“That’s okay. If we get in trouble, we can use the wand,” said Annie.

“No, we can’t,” said Jack. “We can’t use the wand just for ourselves. Plus, we haven’t tried our hardest yet.”

“This way, gang,” called Nancy. She was ushering everyone into the small orange building.

Jack and Annie followed the group inside. The one-room hut had plastic chairs, a small heater, axes, jugs of water, and shelves with boxes of trail mix.

“Have a seat and help yourself to some of the best water in the world,” Nancy said. “It comes from melted glacier ice.”

Everyone sat on the plastic chairs. Lucy, Kim, Tony, and Ali poured water into tin cups and lowered their masks to drink. Jack was thirsty, but he shook his head
no
at Annie. He was afraid for them to show their faces.

“Before we take off, I want to warn you again about the snowmobiles,” said Nancy. “No matter how much training you’ve had, you must be very careful. On your ride up to the crater, remember to drive sideways so if the snowmobile slips and rolls over, your leg won’t get crushed.”

Everyone nodded.

How do you drive sideways?
Jack wondered in a panic.

“Don’t be afraid to go fast, and don’t lock up the brakes,” said Nancy. “Locking your brakes can spell disaster.”

“And watch out for lava bombs,” said Ali, the biologist.

“Lava bombs?” Jack piped. He quickly cleared his throat and deepened his voice. “Excuse me. Lava bombs?”

“Lava that spits from the crater,” said Ali.

“Spits?” repeated Jack.

“Like oatmeal that bubbles and spatters out of the pot,” said Lucy, the space scientist.

“Except these bombs aren’t made of oatmeal,” said Ali. “They’re blobs of fiery hot liquid rock. Some of them can be as big as a car. They burn deep holes in the ice and snow.”

“If they hit you …,” said Tony, chuckling. “Well, just think about it.”

Jack didn’t want to think about it.

“Seriously, it’s pretty neat,” said Nancy. “For millions of years, hot gas and lava have carved deep, hidden places beneath the surface ice of these slopes—caverns and towers. No one knows all the secrets of Mount Erebus.”

Nancy took a last sip of water and put her cup down. “Okay, guys, you have a few hours to do your experiments and get your stories. Then Pete will come back for us. Let’s go!”

As Jack stood up to go, he almost fell over. The room was spinning. He closed his eyes, but that only made it worse. After the others had filed out the door, Jack sat back down on his chair.
I’ll just stay here for a second,
he thought, his heart pounding.

“You okay?” said Annie, coming back into the hut.

“I’m dizzy,” said Jack, trying to catch his breath. “I think I’ve got altitude sickness.”

“I don’t feel so great, either,” said Annie. “Try taking off your mask and goggles so you can
breathe better.” She helped Jack lift off his mask and goggles. “Does that help?”

“Yeah, a little…” Jack took a deep breath. “But we need
lots
of help.”

“What do you mean?” said Annie.

“Help getting over altitude sickness,” said Jack, “help driving snowmobiles, help dodging lava bombs, help finding an ancient crown … and what is
that,
anyway—an
ancient crown
?”

Nancy poked her head back into the hut. “What’s up, guys? You coming?”

“Yikes,” said Annie.

Jack quickly tried to put his goggles and mask back on. But it was too late.

“What—what are you—who are you?” Nancy sputtered. “You’re not a journalist! You’re a kid!”

“Don’t worry,” said Annie in a deep voice. “He’s my son.”

“What?”
said Nancy.

“He is,” said Annie. “I often take him on my assignments.”

“You what?”
said Nancy.

“Annie, give it up,” said Jack. “We’re caught.”

“Oh, okay,” said Annie. She pushed up her goggles and pulled down her mask. “I’m Annie, and he’s Jack. We’re sister and brother.”

“I’m going to have a heart attack!” said Nancy. “What are you kids doing here?”

“We were looking for …” Annie stopped. “Um …” Jack knew even Annie couldn’t explain their mission to save Merlin to Nancy.

“This is unbelievable!” said Nancy. “I’ve got to get you two back to the station! Your parents must be frantic. I can’t believe this!”

“No, no, it’s our fault. No one will blame
you,
” said Jack.

But Nancy was pulling out a small radio. “Come in, Pete. Come in.”

The radio crackled and popped. Then Pete’s voice came through. “Hear you, Nancy,” he said.

“Pete, you need to get the chopper back here quick and pick up two of my group. They’re just little kids!”

Not so little,
thought Jack.

“Repeat that, Nancy,” said Pete.

“Two little kids came with the group!”
Nancy shouted. “I didn’t know they were kids—oh, it’s too hard to explain! Can you come back right away, please?”

“Sure thing,” said Pete. “You head up with the others. I’ll pick up the kids.”

“Thanks. They’ll be here at the hut, waiting for you to take them back,” said Nancy. “Over and out.”

Demo version limitation

C
lutching the wand, Jack lay in the pitch-dark. He pushed up his goggles, but he still couldn’t see anything.

“You there?” It was Annie’s voice.

“Yes,” said Jack.

“You okay?”

“Yes. But we’re really in trouble now,” said Jack. “We fell way down into a dark hole, and the wand doesn’t work.” He struggled to sit up.

“Well, maybe we should try again,” said Annie.

“What’s the point?” said Jack. “We’ll never get out of here now.”

Jack and Annie were silent for a moment.

“Hey—we’re moving!” Annie said.

“Moving?” said Jack. They
were
moving. The ice under them was gliding silently and smoothly through the darkness.

“What’s happening?” said Jack.

“Maybe we’re not in a hole,” said Annie. “Look, there’s light ahead.”

In the distance they saw a glimmer of light. As they kept moving, the light grew brighter. It grew brighter and brighter, until they slipped out of a dark tunnel into dazzling light.

Now Jack could see they were lying on a slab of ice, floating down a narrow river.

“We’re on an ice raft!” said Annie.

“What’s happening?” said Jack again.

“I don’t know,” said Annie. “But I think maybe the wand
did
work.”

The ice raft floated through light and shadow, past tall frozen cliffs. Then it glided toward an archway in one of the cliff walls.

“Where are we going?” asked Jack.

The raft floated through the archway into a gigantic cavern. The cavern was like a huge icy cathedral. Its walls shone as if they were covered with silver.

“Ohhh,” whispered Annie.

“What
is
this place?” said Jack.

“I don’t know. But now I’m
sure
the wand worked,” said Annie.

The ice raft kept floating along a thin river inside the cavern, past icy archways and jagged ledges. Jack felt as if they were being watched. He thought he heard whispering and breathing.

“Look!”
said Annie. She pointed to one of the cave openings. Standing on the ledge outside the cave entrance were two penguins. They looked just like the emperor penguins Jack and Annie had seen earlier.

Jack and Annie stood up so they could see better. As their raft floated toward the ledge, the penguin in front stepped back into the cave. The other didn’t move.

“Oh, man!”
said Jack.

The penguin wore a glittering crown.

“The
ancient crown,
” Jack whispered. “We found it!”

Annie didn’t say anything. She just smiled as the ice raft floated straight toward the emperor penguin. It hit the ledge with a gentle bump.

“Hi,” Annie said simply.

The penguin made deep murmuring sounds. He didn’t speak in human speech. But somehow Jack and Annie could understand every word:
Welcome to the Cave of the Ancient Crown.

Annie bowed. The penguin had such dignity, Jack bowed, too.

The emperor spoke again:
Come.
He beckoned with his wing, then turned.

Annie stepped off the ice raft onto the ledge and followed the emperor into the cave. Jack put the Wand of Dianthus into his pack. He hoisted the pack onto his back and tried to balance his weight so he could step from the raft to the ledge.

“Hurry!” said Annie, poking her head out of the cave.

“I’m coming!” said Jack. He leapt from the raft onto the ledge, then hurried into the cave.

The Cave of the Ancient Crown was sparkling. Icicles hung everywhere. Pillars of ice glimmered with blue light. From behind a row of ice pillars came the sound of music—strange music, unlike any Jack had ever heard before. It sounded like the music of a thousand icicle wind chimes.

The emperor led Jack and Annie around the pillars.

“Oh, wow,” said Annie.

Penguin couples were dancing to the strange music on a glittering ice rink. Pink and blue lights spilled over the dancers as they gracefully glided and turned. Some penguins danced silently with their eyes closed. Others touched beaks. A group of baby penguins danced together, hopping and sliding on the ice.

“How—how could this be happening?” stammered Jack.

“Don’t ask,” whispered Annie. “It’s magic.”

A murmur went through the ballroom as the penguins began to notice Jack and Annie. Though the strange music kept playing, all the dancers came to a stop. None of the penguins seemed alarmed, though. They all looked at their visitors with calm, friendly faces.

The emperor spoke to Jack and Annie:
Word reached us earlier that you saved one of our own. We have been hoping to meet you.

Puzzled, Jack looked at Annie.

“When we first got here, remember?” she whispered.

“Oh, right,” said Jack. He’d forgotten all about rescuing the small penguin from the petrel.

You may stay with us for as long as you wish,
said the emperor.
You are honored members of our tribe now.

“Thank you,” said Annie. “But we can’t stay
long. We came to Antarctica to look for a secret of happiness.”

“To save one of our friends,” said Jack. It felt natural to tell the emperor and his tribe the truth. They lived in a world as magical as the world of Camelot. “His name is Merlin. He’s the magician of Camelot, and he’s really sad.”

The penguins began murmuring and whispering to one another. Jack couldn’t understand what they were saying. From the back of the crowd, a baby penguin waddled forward, the tiniest one in the tribe.

“Oh, look …,” breathed Annie.

Jack grinned from ear to ear. The baby was a fuzzy gray ball with big dark eyes. It was even smaller than the young penguin they had saved from the petrel. The little penguin waddled up to the emperor.

Peep, peep,
she said.

The emperor looked down at her.

Peep, peep.

She says she wishes to go with you,
said the emperor.
She wants to help your friend.

“But she’s so little!” said Annie. “What about her mom and dad?”

She is an orphan,
said the emperor.
Her parents were lost in a terrible storm. But she is very brave and full of joy. I know that she will bring happiness to your friend Merlin.

Annie turned to the baby penguin. “Thank you,” she said. Then she leaned over and patted the penguin’s tiny head. “Oh, touch her, Jack. She’s so soft.”

Jack patted the baby on the head, too. As he touched her soft little feathers, she tilted her head and stared at him with her big eyes. Jack felt a wave of tenderness for the baby penguin. He couldn’t believe she was an orphan. Tears came to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away and cleared his throat. “Thanks, Penny,” he said.

BOOK: Eve of the Emperor Penguin
5.81Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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