“Ready to row?” she asked.
“Yup,” said Jack. He was feeling braver himself.
The wind picked up as Jack lifted his heavy oar over the side of the ship.
He lowered it into the water. But the current was so strong that the oar was ripped from his hands.
Jack fell over backward as his oar slipped into the sea.
“I lost my oar!” Annie yelled.
Jack looked up as rain started to fall. The sky was black. A gush of seawater poured over the side of the ship!
“Brrr!” said Annie as she tried to stand.
The black sky shook with thunder and flashed with lightning.
Jack crawled to the side of the ship and pulled himself up.
Another huge wave was coming right toward them!
“It’s our darkest hour now!” cried Annie. “Get Brother Michael’s book!”
Jack reached into his leather bag. He pulled out the jeweled book and held it up.
“Save us, story!” he cried.
He looked at the sea again. What he saw made him scream.
Rising from the oncoming wave was a giant sea serpent!
The serpent’s head rose higher and higher above the water.
Jack couldn’t move.
“He’s beautiful!” said Annie.
“Beautiful?” cried Jack.
The serpent’s neck was as tall as a two-story building. Its green scales were covered with sea slime.
“Go away!” shouted Jack.
“No—stay! Help us!” shouted Annie.
The great serpent glided closer to the ship.
Jack ducked.
“Come on!” said Annie. “You can do it! Get us to shore before the ship sinks!”
Jack closed his eyes. He felt the ship jerk, then move forward.
He looked up. They were gliding over the giant waves.
Jack turned. The great serpent was pressing its long neck against the back of the ship, pushing it toward the shore.
As the serpent pushed them, the wind grew calmer. The clouds lifted and the water glittered with sunlight.
The rocky shore grew closer. Jack could see the tree house on the ledge above it.
“Hurry!” Annie called to the serpent monster.
The great serpent gave the ship one last push. The ship swooshed onto a sand bar near the shore.
Jack put the jeweled book carefully back into his bag. Then he and Annie climbed out of the ship onto the wet sand. They looked back at the sea.
The great serpent was rearing its long neck into the air. Its scales glittered pink and green in the sunlight.
“Bye!” shouted Annie. “Thanks a lot!”
The monster seemed to nod at her. Then he dove into the sea and was gone.
Jack and Annie headed toward the rocks. All of a sudden, Annie gasped.
“Uh-oh,” she said, pointing to the top of the cliff.
Two Vikings were staring down at them!
“To the tree house!” cried Jack.
The Vikings shouted and started down the steep stairs.
Jack and Annie began scrambling up the rocks.
They reached the tree house and climbed inside.
Jack grabbed the Pennsylvania book.
Annie stuck her head out the window.
“Go home! Stop causing trouble!” she yelled to the Vikings, who were almost to the ledge.
Jack pointed at the picture of the Frog Creek woods.
“IWISHWECOULDGOTHERE!” Jack shouted.
Just as the Vikings reached the ledge, the wind began to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
“Boy, I’m glad to be back in my jeans,” said Annie.
Jack opened his eyes. He still felt damp. But he was glad to be wearing his jeans again, too.
“Welcome home,” said Morgan. She was standing in the shadows. “Are you all right?”
“Of course!” piped Annie.
“And we brought back the lost book,” said Jack.
He reached in his backpack and took out the jeweled book of Brother Michael. He handed it to Morgan.
The enchantress sighed. She ran her hand over the sparkling cover.
“A great work of art,” she said.
Morgan then put the book next to the scroll from Roman times and the bamboo book from ancient China.
“I’m afraid the story you wanted is not all there,” said Jack. “Brother Michael didn’t get the chance to finish it.”
Morgan nodded.
“I know,” she said. “Sadly, we have only bits and pieces of many wonderful old stories.”
“What’s the story about?” asked Annie.
“It’s an ancient Irish tale about a great serpent named Sarph,” said Morgan.
“He saved us by pushing our ship over the stormy waves!” Annie said.
“Sarph was a huge, ugly monster,” said Jack.
Morgan smiled.
“Sometimes monsters can be heroes,” she said.
“What about Vikings?” asked Jack.
“Oh, most definitely, Vikings could be heroes, too,” she said. “In fact, once the Vikings settled down, they became more than just a warrior people. They actually added a lot to civilization.”
“We found civilization on our trip,” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack, “in the library of the monastery.”
Morgan smiled again.
“Their library was a light in the Dark Ages, wasn’t it?” she said.
Jack nodded. He thought of Brother Michael and the other monks making their beautiful books by candlelight.
“Thank you also for your great courage,” Morgan said. “You are both heroes, too.”
Jack smiled shyly.
“Go home now and rest,” said Morgan.
“Bye,” Jack and Annie said together.
They started down the tree house ladder. The sky was turning pink and gold.
When they reached the ground, Morgan called out to them, “Come back in two weeks. I need you to find one more lost book.”
“Where is it?” said Jack.
“Ancient Greece,” said Morgan. “A place with the highest civilization—and the first Olympic games.”
“Oh, wow!” said Annie.
Jack was thrilled. He had always wanted to go to ancient Greece.
Jack and Annie took off through the woods.
The sun was rising when they got to their front porch.
Annie opened the front door. She stuck her head inside and listened.
“Everything’s quiet,” she whispered. “I think Mom and Dad are still sleeping.”
She moved quietly inside.
Jack turned back to watch the red sun rise through a clear blue sky.
He thought about how it was the same sun that had risen in Ireland—over a thousand years ago.
“Shine, O light of the sun,” Jack whispered, “on this day filled with wonder.”
Then he slipped inside his quiet house.
MORE FACTS FOR YOU AND JACK
1) In the fifth century, St. Patrick converted Ireland to Christianity. Scholars and craftsmen from all over Europe studied with the Irish monks in their monasteries.
2) Monks in the monasteries made beautiful manuscripts to reflect the glory of God. Most of their manuscripts were religious in nature.
3) The first recorded people of Ireland were the Celts. Before the Irish became Christians, they practiced the Celtic religion and developed a Celtic mythology.
4) The great sea serpent Sarph was a Celtic creature who was identified with the Milky Way. Just as Jack and Annie were not able to rescue the complete story of Sarph, today we have only fragments of many old Celtic stories.
5) The word Vikings means “fighting men.” Vikings included Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes.
6) In the ninth century, Viking raiders attacked the coastal village
s of England, Scotland, and Ireland, stealing treasure and carrying people off to be slaves.
7) The Vikings were the greatest shipbuilders of their time. The shallowness of their warships allowed them to land on most beaches.
8) The Vikings were “settling men” as well as “fighting men.” Eventually they settled down in Europe and became traders, exchanging goods rather than stealing them. They were also expert craftsmen.
Here’s a special preview of
Magic Tree House #16
Hour of the Olympics
Available now!
Excerpt copyright © 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
“You awake?” Annie’s voice came out of the dark.
“Yep,” said Jack from his bed.
“Get up,” said Annie. “We have to get to the tree house before sunrise.”
“I’m ready,” said Jack.
He threw back his covers and jumped out of bed. He was wearing his jeans and T-shirt.
“You slept in your clothes?” asked Annie.
“I didn’t want to waste any time,” said Jack. He pulled on his backpack.
Annie laughed.
“You must really be excited about going to ancient Greece,” she said.
“Yep,” said Jack.
“Do you have your secret library card?” asked Annie.
“Yeah, do you?” said Jack.
“Sure. Put it in your backpack,” she said. She handed her card to him. “I’ll carry the flashlight.”
“All set,” said Jack.
They tiptoed downstairs and out the door.
Outside the air was fresh and cool.
“There’s no moon,” said Annie. “Just stars.”
She turned on her flashlight.
“Ta-da!” she said. “Let’s go.”
They followed the beam of light across their yard and up the street.
Jack was thrilled to be going to ancient Greece. But something worried him.
“What do you think will happen after we go to Greece?” he asked Annie. “Is this our last mission ever?”
“Oh, I hope not,” said Annie. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. Let’s ask Morgan,” said Jack.
“Hurry!” said Annie.
They started running. The flashlight beam flew in front of them, lighting the way.
They slowed to a walk when they got to the Frog Creek woods. The thick woods were pitch-black.
Annie shined the flashlight upward as they walked between the trees. Finally, they found the magic tree house.
“We’re here!” Annie called.
“Go on up,” said Jack.
Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Jack followed.
Annie shined the flashlight around the tree house.
Morgan le Fay was sitting at the window. She covered her eyes when the light hit her face.
“Turn off the light, please, Annie,” she said softly.
Annie turned it off.
“Welcome,” Morgan said in the dark. “Are you ready for your next mission?”
“Yes!” said Annie. Then her voice got quiet. “This isn’t our last one ever, is it?”
“Ask me that question after this mission,” said Morgan.
“We want to go on more,” said Jack.
“You’re very brave to say that,” said Morgan. “You’ve had three very hard journeys as Master Librarians.”
“Oh, they weren’t so hard,” said Jack.
“You risked your life to save the lost story of Hercules,” said Morgan.
“It was nothing,” said Annie.
“And the Chinese story of the silk weaver,” said Morgan. “And the Irish story of the serpent monster Sarph. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” said Jack and Annie.
“Now,” said Morgan, “for the last story … ”
Jack heard a rustling sound.
“Here is the title,” Morgan said. “You can shine your light on it, Annie.”
Annie turned the flashlight back on. She shined it on the paper.
“Wow, is that Greek?” asked Jack.
“It certainly is,” said Morgan.
She reached into her robe again and pulled out a book.
“For your research,” she said.
Jack took the book from her. Annie shined her flashlight on the cover. They read the title: A Day in Ancient Greece.
“Now, what must you always remember?” asked Morgan.
“Our research book will guide us,” said Jack.
“But in our darkest hour, only the lost story can save us,” said Annie.
Morgan nodded. “And you must show your secret library cards to the wisest person you meet,” she said.
“Don’t worry. We will. Bye!” said Annie.
Jack shivered with excitement as he pointed at the book’s cover.
“I wish we could go there,” he said.
“And I wish we could go on lots of other missions!” Annie added.
The wind began to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was silent.
Absolutely silent.
Are you a fan of the Magic Tree House® series?
Visit our
Web site
at
MagicTreeHouse.com
Exciting sneak previews of the next book.
Games, puzzles, and other fun activities.
Contests with super prizes.
And much more!
Guess what?
Jack and Annie have a musical CD!
For more information about
MAGIC TREE HOUSE: THE MUSICAL
(including how to order the CD!),
visit www.mthmusical.com.
Discover the facts
behind the fiction with the
Magic Tree House® Books
#1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK
#2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN
#3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING
#4: PIRATES PAST NOON
#5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS
#6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON
#7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH
#8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON
#9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK
#10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN
#11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME
#12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME
#13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO
#14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING
#15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE
#16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS
#17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC
#18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST
#19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT
#20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME
#21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY
#22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY
#23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY
#24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING
#25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT
#26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS
#27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY
#28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII
Merlin Missions
#29: CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT
#30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE
#31: SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT
#32: WINTER OF THE ICE WIZARD
#33: CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT
#34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS
#35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS
#36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON
#37: DRAGON OF THE RED DAWN
#38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS
#39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA
#40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN
#41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE
#42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS
#43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER
#44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME
Magic Tree House® Research Guides
DINOSAURS
KNIGHTS A
ND CASTLES
MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS
PIRATES
RAIN FORESTS
SPACE
TITANIC
TWISTERS AND OTHER TERRIBLE STORMS
DOLPHINS AND SHARKS
ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPICS
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SABERTOOTHS AND THE ICE AGE
PILGRIMS
ANCIENT ROME AND POMPEII
TSUNAMIS AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS
POLAR BEARS AND THE ARCTIC
SEA MONSTERS
PENGUINS AND ANTARCTICA
LEONARDO DA VINCI
GHOSTS
LEPRECHAUNS AND IRISH FOLKLORE
RAGS AND RICHES: KIDS IN THE TIME OF CHARLES DICKENS
More Magic Tree House®
GAMES AND PUZZLES FROM THE TREE HOUSE
Viking Ships at Sunrise Page 3