10 A Lucky Break

Chapter 10 A LUCKY BREAK Jack and Annie headed back into the dry, mossy forest. They hurried past bright-yellow iguanas and long green lizards. They walked over the boardwalk and through the lagoon with flamingos and herons. They hurried under the archway of trees and into the small town. They passed the shops and stepped onto the beach. They passed the boat dock and the brown pelicans and started down the shore. Jack and Annie zigzagged around all the friendly, fearless creatures—sea lions and sandpipers, birds with blue feet, gulls picking at seaweed, and pink lizards sunning in the sand. Finally they came to their palm tree. They climbed up the rope ladder and into the tree house. "We made it," said Jack.

"We did," Annie said breathlessly. "We can take these off now." She pulled off her World Turtle Expert badge. Jack took his off, too. He breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't feel nearly as smart, but he felt happy. "Can you believe what happened today?" said Annie, grinning. "Everyone thought we were turtle experts!" "Everyone except the turtle king," said Jack. "He saw my real self." "I know he did," Annie said. She smiled. "Ready to go?" "Yep." Jack grabbed the Pennsylvania book. Together, he and Annie looked out the tree house window. The huge albatross was circling in the blue sky. "Good-bye!" Annie shouted to the bird. "Thanks for bringing us to the Enchanted Islands!" Jack found the photo of Frog Creek and pointed to it. "I wish we could go there," he said. The wind started to blow. The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still. Absolutely still. The gray early-morning air was chilly. Jack and Annie were wearing their own clothes again. A breeze shook the leaves of the oak tree. While they'd been gone, no time at all had passed in Frog Creek. "That was fun," said Annie. Jack smiled and nodded. But their trip to the Galápagos had been more than just fun, he thought. He'd never forget his moment alone with the giant tortoise. He didn't have words for it. Annie seemed to guess his thoughts. "You did a good job," said Annie. "You saved him." "We all did," said Jack. "But you did something special. You got him to trust you," said Annie. "I don't know how. I wasn't an expert when I found him," said Jack. "Without my badge, I felt

really scared and confused." "I know, but losing your badge was a very lucky break," said Annie. "Why 'lucky'?" asked Jack. "If you hadn't been looking for it, you wouldn't have found him," said Annie. "Oh, okay. That's true," said Jack. "There's more," said Annie. "Do you still have the note from Morgan?" Jack checked his back pocket. "Yep, it's here," he said. He handed the note to Annie. She read the last four lines to him: Be honest and gentle. No need to be smart. Just look eye to eye And talk heart to heart. "See. You did just what Morgan wanted," said Annie. "To get to the volcano, we had to be World Turtle Experts." "Yeah, our knowledge put us in the right place at the right time," said Jack. "And it helped Pinto and

Cruz land in the right spot on the volcano." "Exactly," said Annie. "But in the most important moment, you were not an expert. You were just yourself. Without even thinking of Morgan's rhyme, you spoke to the giant tortoise from your heart. And the heart of the tortoise heard you. And he came out from his hiding place." Jack nodded. He remembered the creature's brilliant black eyes, his sweet crooked smile. "I guess you're right," he said softly. "I guess you could say we trusted each other." "Yes. I could say that," said Annie. "I'll never forget him," said Jack. "He won't forget you, either," said Annie. Tears came to Jack's eyes again. He quickly wiped them away. "Hey—" Annie put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to cry," she said.

Jack shook his head. "Experts don't cry," he said. "Sometimes they do," said Annie. Jack barely nodded. "Like right now, I'll bet experts are crying all across America," said Annie. Jack couldn't help laughing. "Okay. Let's go," he said, standing up. "We have to hurry." "Yeah, we have to eat breakfast before school," said Annie, following him. "I'm starving!" "Me too," said Jack. He started down the ladder. Annie followed him, and they walked quickly through the woods.