Rio 2

by Christa Roberts

  Tulio nodded, holding up a blue feather. “We believe we have encountered a wild blue Spix’s Macaw deep in the Amazon jungle.”

  “The blue Spix’s Macaw was thought to be practically extinct,” the reporter chimed in, “with the last remaining family living under protection at the Blu Bird Sanctuary in Rio de Janiero.” Pictures of Blu, Jewel, and the kids flashed onto the screen.

  “We’re famous!” Carla said excitedly.

  The scene flashed back to Tulio and Linda at their camp in the Amazon. “There may be a whole flock out there,” Tulio said. “And if there is, we will find them and protect them!”

  Tulio pulled Linda close as she waved at the camera. “Hi, Blu.”

  “Hi, Linda!” Blu said to the TV. They were still waving as the camera pulled away.

  Jewel gazed at her family in amazement. “We’re not the only ones! There are more of us out there!”

  “Yeah, that’s great. I’m sure there—”

  “All this time, I thought we were all alone,” Jewel said to herself.

  “Hey, it hasn’t been all bad,” Blu protested.

  Jewel turned to him. “Of course not! But just imagine if there was a whole flock of us.” Jewel flew over to the window and looked outside, lost in thought. “How amazing would that be?” Her mind was racing. “We’ve got to do something!”

  Blu gaped at her. “We do?”

  Jewel’s excitement was growing. “Yeah! We have to fly to the Amazon and help Linda and Tulio find them!” She hopped from foot to foot.

  “Whoa. Whoa, whoa,” Blu put his wings up. Now she was getting ahead of herself. “We can’t just pack up and go.”

  “Why not?” Jewel asked. “It’s about time this family got a little air under our wings.” She zoomed in the air toward the startled kids, snatching away their gadgets. “Look at us! iPods. TV! Pancakes! We’re not people. We’re birds.”

  “Hey!” Carla cried as her iPod was ripped from her talons.

  “Mom!” Bia and Tiago exclaimed as their mother flew around the room, a bird on a mission.

  “We have to get out to the wild and be birds, Blu!” she told her husband, zooming over to him. “Let the kids connect to their roots. Show them what I had.”

  There was a spark in Jewel’s eyes that Blu had never seen before. “They need this,” Jewel went on, passionate. “We need this. Come on, Blu. What do you say?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe . . . uhhh . . .”

  “He didn’t say no!” Carla exclaimed.

  “Which means he practically said yes!” Bia added excitedly.

  Things were moving too fast. “Hey. Wait a second—”

  “It’s gonna be so much fun!” Jewel exclaimed.

  Tiago did a wing pump. “Yeahhhhhh! We’re going to the Amazon!” Then he looked at his parents. “What’s the Amazon?”

  Chapter 3

  Every year, Nico and Pedro put on an incredible show for Carnaval. And every year, everyone wanted to be a part of it. This year was no exception.

  A long line of birds sat perched on the telephone wires outside Luiz’s garage. Pigeons and parakeets, doves and hummingbirds and cuckoos all mingled together, doing vocal exercises and getting ready for their moment to shine.

  “Next!” Luiz called. He was working the entrance door. A tall, long-legged spoonbill confidently looked at the other contenders.

  “That would be me,” he said cockily. “Okay, everyone can go home now. You’re looking at the next King of Carnaval!”

  He flew through the door and landed next to Luiz.

  “Hey, big bird, break a leg!” Luiz said encouragingly. As the bird walked inside, he slipped on Luiz’s drool and fell down.

  Luiz winced. “Ooooh! Walk it off, buddy!”

  It was audition time, and Eva had just finished belting out a rousing song. From the judge’s table, Nico and Pedro stared at her openmouthed. Rafael was hanging on every note. Rafael smiled and clapped energetically. Then he flew over to her side.

  “Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! That was amazing! Eva, darling, you hit every note!” He turned to look at Nico and Pedro. “Huh, guys?”

  “Yeah, yeah, with a bunch of notes I never heard of,” Pedro muttered under his breath.

  Eva was looking eagerly at the judges. “So, am I going to be in your Carnaval production this year? Hmmm?”

  Nico and Pedro looked at each other. Neither of them knew what to say.

  Pedro spoke first. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll get back to you,” he told her.

  “Uh, Rafael has your contact info, right?” Nico asked.

  Eva sensed that they weren’t being truthful with her. “Raffi!” She turned to her husband for help. He ushered her out.

  “Don’t worry,” he assured her as she glared at him. “I’ll talk to them. We’ll find the perfect spot for you.”

  “In Ecuador, maybe,” Nico mumbled.

  “You better,” Eva said to Rafael threateningly. Then she turned back to Nico and Pedro. “Ciao, ciao. Bye, boys!” And with a wave, the opera-singing toucan flew off.

  “See you back at home, my tasty mango!” Rafael called after her.

  Nico sighed. “None of the acts are inspiring. I’m just not inspired. Carnaval is right around the corner and our reputations are on the line.”

  “Copy that,” Pedro agreed. “We need something that can make us wiggle. Something to make us jiggle. We need something that pops! Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop! You know what pop is backwards? Pop!”

  Nico knew his friend was right. “Next!” he barked, hoping greatness would walk through the door.

  It was the spoonbill. He wiped the drool off himself. “Ew, disgusting. Gentlemen, I’m your—”

  “Whoa!” Blu slipped in a puddle of Luiz’s drool and slid into the spoonbill. Crash! Blu and the spoonbill untangled themselves. The spoonbill flew up and landed on the hood of a car, away from the commotion. He looked irritated.

  “Sorry bro!” Luiz said, indicating the puddle of drool the macaw had slipped in.

  “It’s okay, Luiz,” Blu said. “Good to see you too.”

  Pedro faced his friend. “Listen, Blu, we’re looking for a singer, a dancer . . . the whole package.”

  “Yeah, and you’re more of a mumbler-shuffler,” Nico told him. “You catch my drift?”

  “Oh, no, no,” Blu said quickly. “I’m not here to audition. I’ve got news. I am going to the Amazon. Yay . . .”

  Nico looked confused. “Ama—what?”

  Rafael motioned for a break. “Oooh, okay. Uhh, let’s take five.”

  The spoonbill was frustrated. “What?” he shouted, stomping his foot. The hood of the car he was on popped open and slammed him in the face.

  Blu and his buddies gathered on the garage rooftop, and he laid out his plan: he and Jewel were taking the kids to the Amazon so they could learn to live like real birds.

  “The Amazon.” Luiz whistled, shaking his head in amazement. “Wow. That’s wild.”

  Blu took a deep breath. “Yeah, yeah. Jewel thinks it’ll be good for us.” Then he paused. “Uhhh, how . . . how wild?”

  “Real wild,” Luiz said.

  “They got mosquitoes that suck your blood like Slurpees,” Pedro said, dropping his voice.

  Nico nodded. “Snakes that can swallow you whole.”

  Luiz stared off into space. “Flesh-eating piranhas that eat . . . flesh,” he whispered.

  None of this was making Blu feel good about the decision. “Oh, great. That sounds really nice,” he said sarcastically. He let out a shiver. “I’m not going.”

  Rafael stepped forward, holding out his wings. “Guys, guys, guys,” he said, shushing them. “Blu, you have nothing to worry about. All those stories are highly exaggerated.”

  Blu gave him a dubious look. “You think so?”

  “Of course,” Rafael assured him. “If this is important to Jewel, just do it.” He winked. “Happy wife, happy life. Remember that.”

  Happy wife, happy life, Blu repe
ated to himself, trying to rally his spirits. “Okay, yeah, you’re right,” he said. “You know, a little family vacation . . . might actually be fun,” he went on, trying to convince himself. “Plus, it’s not like it’s forever.”

  Rafael clapped him hard on the back. “That’s the spirit!”

  “Yeah. Okay, thanks guys,” Blu said, nodding as he spoke. He’d managed to talk himself into it. He tried to put on a brave smile as he flew off. “See you in a couple of weeks!”

  “Safe travels, Blu!” Rafael called after him.

  “Bring me back a souvenir!” Luiz urged as Blu disappeared from view.

  Rafael sighed. “He’s dead.”

  Nico shrugged. “Too bad. Nice guy.”

  Rafael gazed into the horizon where Blu had flown off. Pedro and Nico’s words worried him because he knew there was some truth to them.

  Blu didn’t know the first thing about living in the wild. But Rafael thought there was a way he could help. . . .

  Chapter 4

  The big day had finally arrived—the day Blu and his family would set out for the Amazon. The kids were practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.

  “Amazon!” Tiago yelled Tarzan style from atop the birdhouse. He snapped on a pair of flying goggles and zoomed down to the opening. “Let’s go! C’mon, Dad! C’mon!”

  Blu stepped out, trying not to let his nerves get the best of him. “Okay. Bug spray, check. Water purifier, check. Band-Aids . . . I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

  Tiago rummaged around in the fanny pack Blu wore and pulled out a small tool. “Oh, cool!” he cried. “The all-in-one Adventurer’s Knife!” When he popped it open, all sorts of little gadgets fanned out. “I’ll be in charge of this!”

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Blu reprimanded, wrestling the knife away from his son. “That’s not for you.”

  Bia fluttered down next to them. “Hey, Dad,” she said, barely looking up from the book she was reading, “Did you know the Amazon has snakes that can swallow you whole?”

  Blu took a deep, calming breath. “Actually, Bia, all those stories are highly exaggerated.”

  Bia shook her head. “No, really. Look.” She spun the book around, showing Blu a photo of an enormous anaconda. The snake was bulging with what apparently was his last meal.

  “Ah!” Blu gasped, horrified.

  “Oh, that’s sick!” Tiago said, doing a little happy dance.

  Jewel joined them. “All right. We ready to go?” she asked, before her eyes lit on Blu’s waist. “A fanny pack?” she said, raising an eye.

  “Yeah, I need it for the GPS,” Blu said firmly. “Oooh, wait, the GPS!” He dashed back into the birdhouse to find it.

  Jewel was getting impatient. She wanted to get an early start and time was slipping away. “Carla!” she called. “We’re leaving!”

  “I’m not going,” came Carla’s voice from inside the birdhouse. “It’s gonna be lame.”

  Just then Blu came back outside with the GPS. “Here it is. I programmed in Linda and Tulio’s coordinates. We’re all set.” To prove it, he pressed a button on the device.

  “Destination, Amazon,” a woman’s voice said. Except she had a British accent so it sounded more like “Ah-moe-zone.”

  Jewel cocked her head. “You trust this woman?” she asked Blu.

  “Yes. I. Do.” He mimicked the GPS voice with a wink, making Jewel laugh.

  An approaching figure flying through the air caught their attention. It was Rafael. “Hey, hey, wait up, family,” he said, swooping down beside them. “I’m coming too.”

  “Don’t worry, buddy,” he said when he saw Blu’s surprised expression. “We got your back.”

  “Eva let you come?” Blu asked, incredulous. Eva never let Rafael do anything.

  “Sure,” Rafael said easily. “I promised her a spot in the Carnaval show.”

  A little shriek came from above them. “You did what?” Nico cried. He and Pedro landed beside the group.

  “You guys are late!” Rafael scolded the canary and the cardinal.

  “Clock late,” Nico admitted.

  Pedro did a little dance. “But musician early.”

  Hearing the commotion, Carla stuck her head out of her room. “Wait, you guys are coming?”

  Pedro held up his wings in a movie-director moment. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. We’re gonna scout the wildest, coolest talent in that jungle.”

  Nico clutched his bottle-cap hat to his chest. “It’s our inspiration for this year’s Carnaval show. ‘Amazon, Untamed!’”

  “Cool!” Carla exclaimed. Then she caught herself. “I mean, yeah, okay, I guess I’ll go.”

  “Amazon jungle or bust, baby!” Nico yelled, doing a little fist pump.

  Pedro was busy high-fiving the kids, who were even more excited now. “Who’s ready for a tropical adventure?”

  “All right!” Carla said.

  “Let’s go, birds!” Rafael said, preparing for flight. Bia handed her book to Blu to carry in flight.

  Things were moving too fast for Blu’s liking. “Wait, wait!” he cried, feeling anxious. “We didn’t do a head count.”

  But no one was waiting. Instead, Jewel was soaring into the sky, the rest of the birds taking position behind her.

  “Hey, guys, wait up!” Blu yelled as he jumped into the air, his GPS device changing rapidly.

  The world was an incredible place. And Blu and his family had a bird’s-eye view. They flew over the city of Ouro Preto, in the Serra do Espinhaço, and perched on the bell tower of the cathedral there.

  What an amazing place, Blu thought as he checked the GPS to make sure they were on track. Of course Carla was too busy listening to her iPod to notice her surroundings—and Tiago was too busy scaring them all half to death by ringing the giant bell.

  But it was still a great family moment.

  And who else could say that they got to ride a rhea bird? Or fly over the capital city and rest on top of the crescent-shaped Congress Dome? Or leave the city for the country, soaring over fields of wildflowers?

  As night fell, they flew on, Blu with all three kids on his back and Nico and Pedro struggling to carry a fast-asleep Rafael.

  And when daybreak came, Blu spotted a wonderful sight: the tiled dome of the Manaus Opera House and the busy Amazon River harbor in the distance.

  Soon their Amazon family vacation would really begin.

  On a darkened stage a sulphur-crested cockatoo dressed in Elizabethan-style clothing stepped into a shaft of light. In his talons he held a small bird skull.

  “To be or not to be,” the cockatoo said dramatically, clutching the skull. “That is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune . . .”

  As the cockatoo continued his monologue, Gabi, a tiny pink dart frog, watched from a glass jar in the wings.

  “Ah, that’s beautiful, Nigel,” she said, her eyes blinking rapidly. “What does it mean?”

  Nigel turned his focus to her. “Death, Gabi,” he intoned. “It’s about death.”

  Gabi swooned inside her jar. “Oh, Nigel. I love it when you get all dark and brooding.”

  Bang! Bang! Something had hit the roof. “Time to go to work, bird,” came a not-so-pleasant-sounding voice.

  Nigel threw back his small shoulders. “My audience awaits.” He stepped forward onto his stage through the now open birdcage door. The shady vendor who held him captive plopped a tiny turban onto Nigel’s head.

  “Get your fortune told by the bird of mystery!” the man yelled out to the crowded Manaus marketplace. He was a vendor, and what he was selling was Nigel.

  The birdcage sat atop the vendor’s table. The marketplace was filled with incredible wares—everything from exotic fruits to native art and miracle cures for everything from back pain to weight loss.

  “Poison frogs! Fire ants!” came the shouts from other vendors as they tried to attract customers. Nearby, Nigel spotted Charlie, a mute giant
anteater wearing a bowler hat. He was chained to a table and tap dancing for a few unimpressed onlookers.

  “Come here, learn your destiny!” the man was barking.

  An annoying little boy came running over, dragging his mother behind him. “Mommy, mommy, I want one! I want a fortune!” the kid whined.

  His mother, exhausted, dropped a few coins into the vendor’s bucket. The vendor obliged by pulling out a small drawer filled with paper fortunes. “Welcome, madam. This amazing cockatoo will reveal your future.” He poked Nigel with a stick. “All right, bird. Pick a fortune!” He prodded Nigel again. “Come on, bird!”

  “You’re doing great, Nigel!” Gabi said.

  “Pick it already!” hissed the vendor as Nigel, humiliated, hopped forward and chose a fortune for the boy.

  As he did, he noticed five small blue macaws flying over the marketplace. And then he heard a voice that made his tail feathers quiver.

  “C’mon, gang! Almost there. No more flying today.”

  “Finally!” said a younger voice.

  “We’ve got a boat to catch!”

  The familiar voices drifted down to Nigel’s disbelieving ears. His eyes widened. It couldn’t be. But as he stared up at the macaws flying free, he knew it was. Everything around him disappeared as he thought back to his last encounter with that bird. Blu. The bird that had caused him so much anguish. If it wasn’t for Blu, Nigel never would have been hit by that propeller. He would still have all his beautiful feathers.

  He would still be able to fly.

  “Come on, bird!” the vendor yelled.

  The boy was pulling on the fortune in Nigel’s beak. “I want my fortune!”

  “You’re doing great!” Gabi piped up again.

  The boy’s mother was getting annoyed. “What’s taking so long?”

  “What’s the matter with you?” the vendor shrieked at Nigel.

  But Nigel was lost in thought. “The bluebirds of my misery,” he whispered.

  The boy began to cry and Nigel slammed the child’s ice-cream cone into his face.

  “Hey!” The vendor, maddened, brought his stick down to whack Nigel.

  And without warning, Nigel’s eyes narrowed. His inner rage was boiling over.