Vacation Under the Volcano (3 page)
“Jack,” whispered Annie. “Jack!” She tugged on his tunic. “Look.”
Jack glanced up. Annie nodded toward an old woman who was staring straight at them.
She wore a black cloak. Her gray hair was tangled and wild. She seemed to be missing her teeth.
The woman pointed a bony finger at Jack and Annie.
“The end is near!” she said in a raspy voice. “Go home, strangers!”
“Yikes,” said Annie.
“We'd better get away from her,” said Jack, “before people wonder who we are.”
He put away his notebook. Then he and Annie hurried away. The old woman cackled behind them.
Jack and Annie hid behind a fruit stall. They waited for a moment, then peered around the corner.
“I don't see her,” said Jack.
“Who was she?” asked Annie.
“I don't know. But she looked nuts to me,” said Jack.
“What's the book say about her?” said Annie.
“She won't be in there,” said Jack.
“Just look,” said Annie.
Jack sighed and pulled out the book again. To his surprise he found a picture of the old woman. He read aloud:
In Roman times, there were people who could see into the future and warn others about what they saw. These people were called soothsayers.
“See? She wasn't nuts,” said Annie. “She was giving us a warning. Just like my nightmare.”
“Don't pay attention to that stuff,” said Jack. “Soothsayers are from olden times. People from our time don't believe in them.”
“Well, I do,” said Annie. “I'm
sure
something bad is about to happen.”
Jack sighed. “Come on, we have to keep going. We have to find the lost library. Then we'll leave at once.”
“We'd better,” said Annie.
They left the fruit stand and kept walking through the forum. Soon they came to a large building. Crowds were streaming in and out of it.
“Is
that
a library?” said Annie.
“Let's look,” said Jack. He looked in the Roman book. He found a picture of the building and read aloud:
Most people in Pompeii did not have a bathtub at home, so they went daily to the Public Baths. Not only did people wash at the baths, but they also swam, played sports, and visited with their friends.
“That sounds like going to the pool,” said Annie. “But it's not a library. Let's keep walking.”
They kept walking, until soon they came to a fancy building with large columns.
“Is
that
a library?” said Annie. Jack found a picture of the building and read aloud:
The people of Pompeii believed that many gods and goddesses ruled the world. This is the Temple of Jupiter, their chief god. In this temple, they prayed to Jupiter and offered him gifts. Today, we call the stories about Jupiter and other gods and goddesses “myths.”
“My teacher read myths to us,” said Jack. “I remember stories about Hercules and Apollo.”
“Yeah, my teacher read them, too,” said Annie. “I like stories about Venus and Medusa.”
“Hey, maybe the story we're looking for is a myth,” said Jack.
“Right,” said Annie. “Come on, hurry. Let's keep looking.”
They left the forum and turned onto a wide street. Jack gasped. In front of them was an incredible sight.
Tall warriors with
huge
muscles were walking in a line. They wore fancy helmets and carried heavy shields.
Soldiers
, thought Jack.
Then he saw that the warriors' feet were chained together, and guards walked with them.
“Gladiators!”
he whispered.
Jack pulled out his book and found a picture of the strong men. He read aloud:
Gladiators were slaves or criminals who fought in the amphitheater (AM-fuh- thee-uh-ter). They were forced to fight each other or wild animals like lions or bears. The people of Pompeii thought a gladiator fight was great fun.
“That's not fun!” said Annie. “No wonder I think it's weird here.”
“No kidding,” said Jack. “That's not like our time at all.”
Jack and Annie watched as the guards led the gladiators away. They went toward a building that looked like an outdoor stadium.
“That must be the amphitheater,” said Jack. “Let's check it out.”
“Oh, all right, but it's not a library,” said Annie.
He and Annie started up the street toward the amphitheater. A large crowd had gathered near the entrance. Men and women cheered as the gladiators marched inside.
Jack and Annie started to follow them, but a guard held up his spear.
“No children allowed,” he said stiffly. “Run along now.”
“Yes, run along! Run for your lives!” came a raspy, hissing voice.
Jack and Annie whirled around. It was the soothsayer. She was waving her bony finger at them.
“Oh, no! Her again!” said Jack. “Let's get away from here.” He started to take off.
“Wait!” said Annie. “I want to talk to her!”
“Are you crazy?” said Jack.
But before he could stop her, Annie ran up to the soothsayer.
Jack watched from a distance as the woman talked to Annie.
“Jack, come here! Quick!” called Annie.
“Oh, brother,” said Jack. He sighed and went over to Annie and the soothsayer.
“Tell him,” said Annie.
The woman fixed her gaze on Jack.
“All the streams of Pompeii have dried up,” she said.
“Remember the stream near the olive grove?” said Annie.
“So what?” said Jack. “Maybe they just need rain.”
“No,” said Annie. “There're more scary things. Tell him.”
“All the birds have flown away,” the soothsayer said.
Jack just stared at her.
“She said that all the rats left, too,” said Annie. “And the cows are making strange noises!”
“But why?” said Jack.
“The sea is boiling hot,” the old woman said. “And the ground shakes and speaks.”
“See, I told you!” Annie said to Jack.
“But why are these things happening?” Jack asked the soothsayer.
“Because the end is near,” she whispered hoarsely.
“We have to leave now!” said Annie.
“But what about the library?” said Jack.
“What library?” the soothsayer asked.
“Show her the story title, Jack,” said Annie.
Jack took the piece of paper from his bag. He showed the Latin writing to the soothsayer. “A book with this title is in a library in this town,” he said.
“So?” the old woman said.
“So we have to save it!” said Annie. She pulled out her secret library card.
The soothsayer stared for a moment at the card and the shimmering letters on it. Then she smiled warmly at Jack and Annie.
“Yes, I understand now,” she said. “The only library I know is in the house of Brutus.” She pointed to a large villa at the end of the street. “Look there. Quickly.”
“Will Brutus mind?” said Jack.
“Brutus and his household are all in Rome,” the soothsayer said. “That is merely their vacation villa.”
“But we can't just go in and take something of theirs,” said Jack.
The old woman shook her head sadly. “After today, there will be
nothing
left in Pompeii,” she said. “Nothing at all.”
Jack felt a chill go down his spine.
“Go and get what you came here for,” said the soothsayer. “Then leave at once.”
“Thanks!” said Jack. He grabbed Annie's hand. “Come on!”
“Thanks!” Annie called to the old woman. “You should leave, too!” she added.
Then Annie and Jack started running to the vacation villa. They ran as fast as they could.
Jack and Annie ran up to the front entrance of the villa. Jack pushed the door open.
“Go in. Hurry,” said Annie.
They slipped into the main hall.