High Time for Heroes

by Mary Pope Osborne

  Koku let out a bone-chilling shriek. From behind a pile of rocks near the tomb came two dirty, gray, wolf-like animals. The two creatures looked at Annie, then loped in her direction.

  “Oh, man!” said Jack. “Jackals!”

  Annie turned and saw the jackals running toward her. “Oh, no!” she cried.

  Shrieking, Koku leapt from Annie’s arms and bounded across the dry, cracked ground. When the jackals saw the baby baboon, they stopped. Then, cackling and yelping, they took off after her.

  Koku screeched and bolted toward the mountain. The jackals were right behind her.

  “NOOO!” screamed Annie. She tore after Koku and the jackals.

  “Annie!” Jack yelled. He jumped off his donkey and ran after her.

  From a distance, Jack saw the baby baboon disappear into a crack between two cliffs. Howling and cackling, the jackals followed Koku. They slipped into the crack and vanished from sight.

  Annie was racing to catch up. Jack was far behind. When he finally reached her, Annie was desperately trying to squeeze through the narrow opening.

  “We can’t fit through there!” said Jack.

  “We have to save Koku!” Annie cried.

  They heard shrieking, yelping, and cackling above them. Then gradually the sounds faded away.

  “KOKU!” screamed Annie.

  Dead silence.

  “Oh, no! I think they got her!” Annie wailed. “I think they got her, Jack!” She burst into tears. “Koku, Koku,” she repeated, sobbing.

  Jack didn’t know what to say. Everything had happened so fast! Then suddenly he heard another sound.

  WAHOO!

  “Annie!” Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Listen!”

  Annie put her hand over her mouth. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened.

  WAHOO! The sound came from high above them.

  Jack and Annie stepped back and looked up the steep cliff. Koku was at the very top, jumping up and down, screeching at them.

  “She made it!” cried Annie. “She got away! Koku, come down! Come down!”

  “Where’re the jackals?” said Jack.

  “I’ll bet it’s too steep for them to climb up after her!” said Annie. “Koku, come down!”

  The baby baboon paced back and forth along the edge of the cliff, crying.

  “We have to go get her!” said Annie. “She’s afraid to come down.”

  Koku screeched and waved her arms.

  “We can’t climb up there,” said Jack. “It’s too steep.”

  “We have to try!” said Annie.

  “We’re not rock climbers,” said Jack, looking up at the steep wall of limestone. “Only the best rock climbers in the world could get up there.”

  “We can do that!” said Annie. “We can be great rock climbers.”

  “You can’t just be one,” said Jack. “You have to go through lots of training and practice—”

  “The mist!” Annie said. “We can use the magic mist and make a wish to be great rock climbers!”

  “Use the mist?” said Jack. They could only use the mist once, and it was supposed to help them with their mission. But when he looked up at the baby baboon crying and waving her arms, saving Koku seemed more important than anything.

  “Okay!” said Jack. “We’ll use the mist to get her down. But we might have to walk back. I’ll bet both our donkeys have run far away by now.”

  “No problem! We can do that!” said Annie. “Hurry! Before the jackals come back!”

  Jack reached into his leather pouch and pulled out the tiny bottle. He uncorked the top.

  “Here goes!” Jack said. “I wish to be a great rock climber!” He slowly inhaled the magic mist. His nostrils filled with the scent of mountain air and cold, moving water. The fresh, clean smell filled him with strength and energy.

  Jack handed the bottle to Annie. “I wish to be a great rock climber!” she exclaimed. Annie inhaled the mist, too. Then she gave the bottle back to Jack. He corked it and put it away.

  Jack and Annie looked up at the steep wall of the limestone cliff.

  “No big deal,” said Jack.

  “Easy,” said Annie. She called up to the baby baboon, “We’re coming, Koku. Don’t worry. We’ll save you!”

  “We have one hour to climb up and back down,” said Jack. “First we need to take off our boots, so our toes can fit in the cracks.”

  “Righto,” said Annie. She and Jack coolly slipped off their boots and stockings.

  “Okay. Now we follow the three basic rules of rock climbing,” said Jack. “We look. We think. We move.”

  “Got it,” said Annie.

  Jack and Annie moved about twenty feet apart. They each studied the cliff wall as if it were a giant map.

  Jack looked for cracks, ledges, bumps, and holes. After he’d charted his route in his mind, he took a long, deep breath. He lodged the toes of his left foot into a crack in the limestone. He reached high and gripped two tiny bumps on the wall with his fingers. Then he pulled himself up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annie doing the same thing.

  Jack and Annie climbed higher and higher up the wall. Jack took his time to find new cracks for his toes. He slowly ran his hands over the rock face to find bumps and ledges to grab with his fingers.

  As an expert rock climber, Jack knew exactly how to shift his body weight and when to relax his grip. He knew exactly how to push with his legs and when to pull with his hands.

  Annie was silently climbing up the cliff at the same time, but Jack didn’t look at her or think of her. He completely ignored Koku’s screeching from above. He kept all his attention focused on finding new places to grip the face of the cliff with his fingers and toes.

  Slowly and calmly, Jack gripped, pulled, and pushed his way up the face of the cliff. He climbed and climbed until he was only a few feet from the top. He couldn’t see over the ledge, but he gripped tightly with his fingertips and hoisted himself higher.

  WAHOO!

  Koku poked her head over the edge of the cliff, breaking Jack’s concentration. She reached down and grabbed his ear.

  “Oww!” Jack yelled. His left hand lost its grip. His right foot slipped. Then his left foot slipped! Jack was hanging on to the ledge with just one hand—and that hand was slipping! “Annieee!” he yelled.

  Just as Jack was about to lose his grip and fall, he felt a hand clamp down on his right wrist.

  “Hold on!” Annie cried. She’d reached the top ahead of him! Jack’s fingers slipped from the ledge, but Annie held on to his wrist with both hands as he dangled high above the stony ground below.

  The baby baboon shrieked. The vultures cawed in the cloudless sky.

  “You’re still a great rock climber, Jack!” Annie shouted. “You know how to do this!”

  I know how to do this! Jack thought. He clicked back into thinking like an expert rock climber. He twisted himself toward the rock wall. He reached out with his free hand and secured his fingertips in a small crevice. He planted his bare toes onto two ridges.

  “Okay! I’m good,” called Jack. “You can let go.”

  Annie released Jack’s hand. He quickly gripped a small bump on the rock face. He was very still for a moment. Blocking out all sounds and thoughts, he waited for his breathing to slow down. He waited for his legs to stop shaking and for his body to relax.

  Using all his strength, Jack pulled himself upward. He lifted his leg over the rim of the limestone cliff. Then he gracefully pulled his whole body up and over the edge.

  “Whew,” breathed Jack. He was safe.

  WAHOO!

  Koku shrieked and jumped up and down.

  Annie slapped Jack on the back. “You did it!” she cried.

  “We did it,” Jack said, breathing hard. “Thanks for saving me when I lost my grip!” He shook his finger at the baby baboon. “Bad time for an ear grab, Koku von Kensky!”

  Koku pressed her lips against Jack’s cheek and gave him a kiss. “Eww, gross!�
�� said Jack, laughing.

  “She’s so happy we saved her!” said Annie.

  Jack glanced down at the ground below the cliffs to make sure the jackals hadn’t returned. “Okay, let’s rest a minute,” he said. He sat back, closed his eyes, and took a long, deep breath.

  “Koku, would you like a treat?” Annie said.

  “Here,” said Jack. He opened his eyes and reached into his pouch. He took out a bit of bread and gave it to Koku. She chewed happily as the three of them sat together, looking out over the land of western Thebes.

  “What a great view,” said Jack.

  The sun was setting behind the honey-colored mountains, and the River Nile glimmered with golden light. The cornfields were golden, too, as herds of sheep and goats headed home. Jack felt the same calm feeling he’d felt during his climb. He felt free of all his fears and worries.

  As the sky turned from gold to red to dark purple, the wind began to blow. The air grew cooler. Sand swirled around the two Colossi of Memnon. Jack imagined that the giants’ breath was stirring the sands. He shivered and pulled out the handbook and looked at the map of Thebes.

  “Okay. On the other side of the Nile are the Temples of Karnak and Luxor,” Jack said. He looked across the Nile to the distant temples. Beyond the temples, a full moon was starting to rise. Jack looked back at the map. “And on this side of the Nile are the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.”

  “Look!” said Annie. She pointed to the fallen temple near the road to the river. “Do you see two people?”

  Sure enough, in the distance two people were riding a horse and a donkey. “It’s them!” Jack said. “Florence and Mustafa! Maybe they can help us get back, since we don’t have donkeys anymore.” He stood up and waved his arms. “Hello!”

  Annie joined him. “Hello!” she yelled. But Florence and Mustafa didn’t seem to hear them as they rode back toward the Nile.

  “Hello!” Annie called once more, but it was no use.

  “Well, we’ll just walk fast and catch up with them at the boat,” said Jack.

  “We still have time to get down, don’t we?” said Annie. “I mean, our hour isn’t up yet, is it?”

  “I … I don’t think so,” said Jack. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about the time! “How long did it take us to climb up? How long have we been sitting here?”

  “I don’t know,” said Annie.

  The sun had sunk below the horizon, and the sky was quickly growing dark.

  “We have to hurry!” said Jack. “Before our hour runs out! Before we lose our rock-climbing skills! Before it gets darker! Before the hills become more dangerous!”

  “Relax, Jack,” said Annie. “Remember, rock climbers go slowly. We look. We think. We move.”

  “Right,” said Jack. “Right. Okay.” He took a deep breath and tried to slow his racing heart. He tried not to think about running out of time, or losing their rock-climbing skills, or the danger in the dark valley.

  “You okay?” said Annie.

  “Yes,” said Jack.

  They looked over the edge of the cliff at the rock face. Jack realized he still knew exactly what to do. “No big deal,” he said.

  “No big deal,” echoed Annie.

  Jack mapped out his route to the ground. He located bumps … ledges … holes … ridges … cracks … until he had a good plan.

  “I’ll carry Koku on my back. She’s not heavy,” said Annie. “I’ll start down over there.” She moved about twenty feet away from Jack. “Don’t forget, go slowly,” she reminded Jack. “And don’t freak out! We look, we think, we move.”

  “Yeah, right, I know,” said Jack. “Just concentrate on yourself.”

  Jack turned away from Annie and Koku. He took a full, deep breath. When he felt a perfect balance between calm and alertness, he started down the cliff wall.

  Jack inched smoothly along the face of the rock, shifting his weight and keeping his eyes on his feet. He reached down to lower ledges with his toes and lodged his fingertips in the cracks above. He kept his body straight and didn’t lean too closely into the rock. Jack knew exactly what to do—until he was halfway down. Then suddenly he didn’t know anything.

  Jack froze. His body started to shake. His toes slipped from the cracks they were in. His hands slipped from the ridge he was gripping. He fell.

  Jack hit the ground so hard he couldn’t breathe. His whole body screamed with pain, especially his right shoulder and arm.

  “Jaaack!” Annie cried out from above him. Then there was a terrible thud.

  Jack heard Koku shriek. He wanted desperately to help Annie and the baby baboon, but he was still struggling to breathe. He couldn’t stand up. He couldn’t move at all!

  Jackals started howling. It sounded like many more than just two. It sounded like a whole pack. The howling grew louder, then faded away.

  “An-An …,” Jack whispered. He couldn’t even say her name. The wind made loud whistling sounds through the limestone cliffs.

  Jack was cold and scared. He worried that his bones were broken. He worried that Annie was hurt—or worse, maybe not alive.

  Koku made whining, weepy sounds. Then Jack heard a moan: “Jack!”

  “Annie!” Jack said hoarsely. In spite of the pain, he forced himself to sit up. He saw Annie on the ground, lying not far from him.

  “I got the breath—knocked—out of me,” she said, gasping. “Couldn’t breathe. Or talk. Now my ankle … ohhh …,” she groaned.

  “Hold on, don’t move!” said Jack. As he struggled to a standing position, he discovered that he couldn’t lift his right arm at all. It just hung limply from his shoulder at a strange angle.

  Jack took a deep breath. He clutched his bad arm and walked barefoot to Annie. He had no idea where they’d left their boots. It was too dark to find them now.

  “Ohhh,” said Annie. She was lying on her side, holding her right ankle and moaning.

  “Can you stand up?” said Jack.

  “Maybe,” said Annie.

  “I’ll help,” said Jack. He used one hand to help Annie roll onto her back and stand up.

  “OWW!” she cried.

  “Sorry, sorry,” said Jack.

  Annie tried to laugh. “No, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to yell, but it really hurts if I put weight on it. What can we do? How can we get back?”

  “Don’t worry, I can walk,” said Jack. “You can lean on me and hop on one foot.”

  “Are you sure you’re not too badly hurt?” asked Annie.

  “No big deal,” Jack said. “Just lean on my left side. We’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.” Annie placed her arm on Jack’s shoulder.

  “Here, Koku, hold my hand tight,” said Annie. She held out her left hand, and the baby baboon grabbed it.

  “Ready, everyone?” Jack asked.

  “Ready,” said Annie.

  “Good,” said Jack. “Let’s give it a try”

  Jack took halting steps, supporting much of Annie’s weight as she hopped on her left foot. His shoulder hurt terribly, but he tried to hide his pain from Annie. The Valley of the Queens felt spookier than ever. The jackals must be close by, Jack thought. And what about those tomb raiders that Ali had mentioned?

  “Do we know the way back?” Annie asked.

  “From the top of the cliff, we could see the moon rising over the Nile,” said Jack. “So, if we walk toward the moon now, we should come to the river.”

  “Good thinking,” said Annie.

  Heading toward the moon and holding on to Annie, Jack kept walking slowly. “Oww!” Annie said softly with each hop she took.

  Annie’s hopping jostled Jack’s body, sending pain through his shoulder and arm. But he gritted his teeth and tried not to make a sound. He was afraid Annie wouldn’t let him help her if she found out how much he was hurting.

  After only about fifty yards, Jack knew he couldn’t support Annie’s weight much longer. “Okay—let’s stop for a minute and rest—
” he said.

  Koku screeched. She let go of Annie’s hand and bounded away. “Koku!” cried Annie. “Come back!”

  Oh, no, not again! thought Jack. Did she hear jackals?

  “Look, there’s a light!” said Annie. She pointed at a flickering light moving toward them.

  “We have to be quiet,” Jack whispered. “It could be tomb raiders.”

  “Tomb raiders?” said Annie, peering into the dark. “I don’t think so.” She called out, “We’re here! We’re over here! Help us!”

  “Children?” a woman called.

  “We’re here!” Annie cried again.

  Koku screeched and came running back toward Annie and Jack. She chattered and jumped up and down.

  Out of the dark, Florence Nightingale appeared on her donkey. She was wearing a shawl and holding a lantern. Mustafa followed behind her on his packhorse.

  “It’s us, Jack and Annie!” cried Annie.

  “Thank goodness!” said Florence. “We’ve been looking for you! When we arrived at the river, Ali reported that your donkeys had returned without you!”

  “We were trying to save Koku from jackals,” said Annie. “She escaped from them and then got stuck on top of a cliff. We got up there okay, but we fell coming down!”

  “You poor things!” cried Florence, climbing off her donkey. “Please bring water for them, Mustafa!”

  Mustafa dismounted and untied two canteens from his saddle. Florence carried her lamp over to Jack and Annie. “Are you hurt, my dears?” she asked in a soft, comforting voice.

  “Yes, I hurt my ankle,” said Annie. “But I think Jack’s in worse shape, even though he says it’s no big deal.”

  “It’s just my shoulder and my arm,” Jack said to Florence.

  “Oh, my goodness, you are lucky—both of you—to be alive!” said Florence. She gently felt Jack’s shoulder and arm. He winced with pain and groaned. “Can you move it, dear?” she asked him.

  “No,” he said.

  Mustafa handed Jack a canteen and gave one to Annie, too. While Jack and Annie gulped down water, Florence spoke softly to Mustafa. “Let’s take them straight to the boat,” she said. “Jack can ride my donkey, and Annie and the little baboon can ride on your horse.” Then she turned back to Jack and Annie. “Mustafa and I will walk alongside you.”