2 Young Mountain

Chapter 2 YOUNG MOUNTAIN Birdsong filled a mountain forest. The air smelled of cedar, pine, and woodsmoke. "Oh, wow!" said Annie. "I love our clothes!" She and Jack both wore bright red wool ponchos, brown cotton pants and shirts, leather sandals, and green knit caps with earflaps and purple tassels. "Colorful," said Jack. "And warm!" said Annie. Their ponchos were heavy and hung down to their knees. Jack's backpack had turned into a woven cloth bag. It hung by a strap across his chest. Annie and Jack looked out the window.

"Oh, wow," said Annie. "It's really pretty here." The tree house had landed in a tall pine tree in a forest of pines, cedars, and trees with huge hanging pods. Mountains rose on the horizon. Feathery clouds floated below their peaks. "The Andes Mountains," said Jack. He opened their travel guide to the first page. He read aloud: The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world. They run from the top to the tip of South America, a distance of 4,350 miles. High in the Andes of Peru, tourists hike through cloud forests and mountain meadows. "Cloud forests and mountain meadows," repeated Annie. "That sounds beautiful." Jack turned the pages. He stopped at a photo of men and women dressed in red

ponchos and hats. The caption said: Wool ponchos have been worn by natives of the Andes for many centuries. "Many centuries?" said Jack. "So, what century is this?" "I don't know, but I have a feeling we came to a time long ago," said Annie. "Me too," said Jack. "But I'm not sure why I feel that way." "Whoa, what's that sound?" said Annie. "What sound?" said Jack. "Music! Hear it?" said Annie. Jack listened carefully. Sweet, airy music floated through the cloud forest.

"It's a flute, I think," Jack said. "Let's check it out," said Annie. Jack put the travel guide into his bag. He followed Annie down the rope ladder. They stepped together into the tangled brush. The cloud forest buzzed with insect sounds. Hummingbirds and butterflies flitted among red and purple flowers. A pale green frog leapt over a tree root. "The flute music is coming from over there,"

said Annie. Following the sound, Jack and Annie walked between the trees. They climbed over rocks and roots. They pushed through towering ferns. Soon they came to a clearing. They saw an elderly couple sitting outside a small hut. "We found the music," said Annie. "Shh," Jack whispered. "Don't let them hear you." The old man was sitting on the grass, playing a wooden flute. The woman was lifting potatoes out of a red-hot fire pit. "This feels like a long time ago, doesn't it?" whispered Annie. "Yeah," breathed Jack. "Look, llamas!" "Oh, wow," whispered Annie. In a small meadow behind the hut, several llamas were quietly grazing. They had woolly white coats, long necks, and camel-like faces. Their curved ears were shaped like bananas.

"They're so cute," whispered Annie. Jack had to agree. The llamas were cute. "I love llamas," whispered Annie. "Who doesn't?" said Jack. "No, I really love them," whispered Annie. "Why do people keep llamas?" Jack wondered out loud. "Look it up," said Annie. Jack pulled the Andes travel guide from his bag and searched in the index for llamas. When he found the right page, he and Annie read silently together: Llamas are the most important animal in the Andes. For centuries, they've provided mountain people with wool and carried their things. The Incas once believed llamas were protected by a star constellation shaped like a mother and a baby llama. Inca legend says that