Afternoon on the Amazon (4 page)

Jack and Annie jumped out of the canoe.

The rain was starting to fall harder.

The monkey took off. He swung from tree to tree, heading up the riverbank.

He screeched and beckoned to Jack and Annie.

“He wants us to follow him!” said Annie.

“No! We have to find the special thing. Then go home!” said Jack.

“He wants to help us!” said Annie. She took off after the monkey.

The two of them vanished into the rain forest.

“Annie!”

Thunder shook the sky.

“Oh, brother,” said Jack.

He dashed after Annie and the monkey. Into the dark forest.

The forest seemed surprisingly dry.

Jack looked up. It was still raining. But the treetops acted like a huge umbrella.

“Annie?” called Jack.

“Jack! Jack!” cried Annie.

“Where are you?”

“Here!”

Jack hurried in the direction of Annie's voice.

Soon he found the monkey. He was screeching and swinging from a tree.

Annie was kneeling on the forest floor. She was playing with an animal that looked like a giant kitten.

“What's that?” Jack said.

“I don't know, but I love it!” said Annie.

Annie batted the animal's paws. It had gold fur and black spots.

“I'd better find out what it is,” said Jack. He pulled out the rain forest book and flipped through it.

“Oh, it's so cute,” said Annie.

Jack found a picture of an animal with gold fur and black spots. He read:

“Forget cute,” Jack said. “That must be a baby jaguar. It's going to grow up and be the biggest predator in—”

“What's a predator?” asked Annie.

GRRR!
There was a terrible growl.

Jack whirled around.

The mother jaguar was coming out from behind a tree. She was creeping over the dead leaves—
right toward Annie
.

“Freeze!” whispered Jack.

Annie froze. But the jaguar kept moving slowly toward her.

“Help,” said Jack weakly.

Suddenly the monkey swooped down from his tree. He grabbed the jaguar's tail!

The cat roared and spun around.

Annie jumped up.

The monkey pulled the jaguar's tail again. Then he let go and took off.

The jaguar sprang after him.

“Run, Annie!” cried Jack.

Jack and Annie took off through the rain forest. They ran for their lives!

“Wait—” said Jack, panting. “I think we got away.”

Jack and Annie stopped running and caught their breath.

“Where are we?” said Jack.

“Where's the monkey?” said Annie, looking back at the forest. “Do you think the jaguar caught him?”

“No, monkeys are fast,” said Jack.

Of course, jaguars are fast, too, Jack thought. But he didn't want to tell Annie that.

“I hope he's okay,” said Annie.

Squeak
. Peanut peeked out of Annie's pocket.

“Peanut! I almost forgot you!” said Annie. “Are you okay?”

The mouse just stared at Annie with her big eyes.

“She looks scared,” said Jack. “Poor Peanut.”

“Poor monkey,” said Annie. She looked around at the forest.

“We'd better check the book,” Jack said.

He pulled out the book. He turned the pages, searching for help.

He stopped at a picture of a scary creature.

“Oh, man. What's this?” he said.

Jack read the writing below the picture. It said:

“Vampire bats?” said Jack. He felt faint.

“Vampire bats?” said Annie.

Jack nodded. “After dark.”

Annie and Jack looked around. The rain forest seemed to be getting even darker.

“Yikes,” said Annie. She looked at Jack. “Maybe we should go home.”

Jack nodded. For once he agreed with her.

“But what about our mission?” said Annie. “What about Morgan?”

“We'll come back,” said Jack. “We'll have to be prepared.”

“So we'll come back tomorrow?” Annie asked.

“Right. Now which way is the tree house?” said Jack.

“This way,” said Annie, pointing.

“That way,” said Jack, pointing in the opposite direction.

They looked at each other. “We're lost,” they said together.

Squeak
.

“Don't worry, Peanut.” Annie started to pat the mouse again. But then she stopped.

Squeak
.
Squeak
.
Squeak
.

“Jack, I think Peanut wants to help us,” said Annie.

“How?”

“The way she helped us in the time of ninjas—”

Annie placed the mouse on the leafy forest floor. “Take us to the tree house, Peanut.”

The mouse took off.

“Where'd she go?” said Annie. “I don't see her!”

“There!” said Jack. He pointed to leaves rustling on the ground.

A streak of white passed over the leaves.

“Yes, there!” said Annie.

Jack and Annie followed the moving leaves. The streak of white appeared. And disappeared.

Suddenly Jack stopped.

The forest floor was still. There was no sign of Peanut.

“Where is she?” asked Jack.

He kept staring at the ground.

“Jack!”

Jack glanced around. Annie was standing on the other side of a nearby tree. She was pointing up.

Jack looked up.

The tree house
.

“Oh, whew,” Jack said softly.

“She saved us again,” said Annie. “She's running up the ladder. All by herself. Look.”

Annie pointed at the rope ladder.

Peanut was climbing up one of the ropes.

“Let's go,” Jack said.

Annie started up the ladder. Then Jack.

They followed Peanut all the way up to the canopy of the rain forest.

Jack and Annie climbed into the tree house.

Peanut was sitting on a stack of books.

Annie patted Peanut's little head. “Thanks,” she said softly.

“I have to write some notes about the rain forest,” said Jack. “You find the Pennsylvania book.”

Annie began searching for the Pennsylvania book—the book that always took them home.

Jack pulled out his notebook.

He had wanted to take lots of notes here. But all he'd written so far was:

“It's not here!” said Annie.

“What?” Jack looked up. He glanced around the tree house.

Annie was right. The Pennsylvania book was nowhere in sight.

“Was it here before we left home?” said Jack.

“I don't remember,” said Annie.

“Oh, man,” said Jack. “Now we can't get back to Frog Creek.”

“That means we'll be here when the vampire bats come out,” said Annie.