7 Now’s the Time

7 Now's THE TIME Jack took a deep breath. Now he fully understood their mission: they must get Doctor Benjamin Franklin to sign the Constitution of the United States. Morgan had written: In Old Philadelphia, A paper must be signed. Help Doctor Ben Make up his mind. Jack looked at Annie to see if she understood. She nodded. "What is everyone arguing about?" Annie asked Ben. "Some want a strong central government,"

said Ben, "and others do not. Some are not even sure democracy can work. Can we trust our citizens to rule themselves? Do we need a king? Will the small states have the same power as the big states? My greatest concern, though, is slavery. We must end it! But I fear that will not happen now." "Oh, that's terrible," said Annie. "Indeed, it is. On the other hand, there is a great need for a central government," said Ben. "We have no way to collect taxes. We have no way to select leaders." Ben took a deep breath. "I have almost lost hope, my friends. I fear we will never be one nation." "Really?" said Jack. "Never?" Ben shook his head. "I just do not see how we can come to a fair agreement." He sighed, then yawned. He closed his eyes. In the next moment, his head fell to the side, and he started to snore. "Oh, man, this is serious," Jack whispered to Annie. "If he doesn't sign the

Constitution, I'll bet others won't, either. And without the Constitution, our country will never come together." "Let's look at Morgan's note," said Annie. Jack reached into his backpack and pulled out their rhyme. He read the last two stanzas: Listen to his thoughts. If his fears start to grow And he loses all hope, There's a place he must go. 'Tis a land filled with things You see every day. But these everyday wonders Will show him the way. "There's a place he must go," repeated Annie. "Read the last part again." Jack reread the last four lines: 'Tis a land filled with things

You see every day. But these everyday wonders Will show him the way. "I get it," said Annie. "Morgan's telling us to take Ben to Frog Creek. To our time." "What?" said Jack. "No!" "Yes!" said Annie. "She says go to a land with things we see every day. That's not America in 1787. That's America in our time." "But we've never taken anyone home with us," said Jack. "Never!" "I know. This will be so cool," said Annie. "We just have to get him up to the tree house." She and Jack looked up. "Impossible," Jack said. "He can't climb the rope ladder." "We have to try," said Annie. She tapped Ben's shoulder. "Excuse me?" she said. "Doctor…?" Ben stirred from his nap. "Yes?" he said.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off." "That's okay," said Annie. "Jack and I have a secret to tell you. A really big secret." "Yes?" Ben sat up in his chair. He yawned and shook his head. "Tell me. What is it? I like secrets very much." "There's a tree house in this tree," said Annie. "In this very tree?" said Ben. "Yes," said Annie. "But the big news is that it's magic. It can take you to the past— or to the future." "Goodness. Yes, of course it can," said Ben. He winked at them. "I play games like this with my grandchildren." "Um…this isn't a game," said Jack. "It's real." "Real, indeed," said Ben, nodding. His eyes twinkled. "No, seriously. It's real," said Annie, standing. "You can see a little of the tree

house through the branches. Look up." Ben leaned forward in his chair and looked up. "Oh…yes!" he said. "Goodness, I had no idea. Did Louis build that?" "Um…no," said Jack. Annie pulled the rope ladder out from its hiding place. "So, this is what we have to do," she said. "To get to the tree house, we have to climb this ladder." "Oh, my, do you know how old I am, child?" asked Ben. "You said you were eighty-one," said Annie. "But no one is too old for a little bit of magic." "No, indeed!" said Ben, smiling. "I'm definitely not too old for magic. Let's give it a try!" He stood up and grabbed the rope ladder. "Go slowly, and we'll hold it steady," said Jack.