1 Journey to Mongolia

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Chapter 1 JOURNEY TO MONGOLIA It was almost noon. A gentle summer wind blew the leaves on the trees. Jack parked his bike in the backyard. He'd just ridden home from the library. "Did you find the books you wanted?" Annie called from the kitchen window. "Yep, I found two about giant tortoises," said Jack. He wanted to learn more about the tortoise he'd recently saved from a volcanic eruption. "Soon you'll be a real turtle expert," said Annie. "That'll take a while," said Jack. He came through the back door into the kitchen. He pulled off his backpack. "What have you been doing?" "Waiting for Mom," said Annie. "She said she'd be back in about thirty minutes. Then we can all bike to the lake."

"Great," said Jack. "She left a sandwich for you," said Annie, pointing to the table. "Yum," said Jack. He picked up his peanut butter sandwich and took a big bite. A high whistling sound came from the backyard. "What's that?" said Annie. She turned back to the window. "Oh, wow!" "What is it?" Jack said, his mouth full. "You're not going to believe it!" said Annie. Still holding his sandwich, Jack joined Annie at the window. "There…," Annie whispered. A huge dark-brown bird was perched on a tree stump in their backyard. The bird was almost three feet tall! It had gold feathers on its head and neck. "Oh, man," whispered Jack. "It's a golden eagle," said Annie. "The largest hunting bird in North America!" The eagle watched them with piercing eyes.

"Why is he here?" asked Jack. "Guess," said Annie with a smile. Jack put down his sandwich. "The tree house!" he said. "Come on, let's go." Jack and Annie slipped out the back door. The golden eagle lifted off the stump. It glided away on the wind. "Grab your bike!" said Jack. He and Annie both jumped onto their bikes. They rode down their driveway and pedaled up the street. Jack and Annie parked at the edge of the Frog Creek woods. They took off running between the windblown trees.

Soon they came to the tallest oak. The eagle was circling above it. The magic tree house was back. "Thanks!" Annie called to the bird. The eagle glided away. Jack started up the rope ladder. Annie followed. They climbed into the tree house. The midday sunlight shone on a piece of paper lying on the wooden floor.

Annie picked up the paper. "From Morgan," she said, out of breath. She read: Journey to Mongolia. Be Eco-Volunteers. See golden eagles, marmots, And herds of red deer. The wind on the plain Spins wheels along. Call out to the night, "Spin air into song!" Use your own words. Just do your best. Sing of wild things. Let the wind do the rest. "I'm not sure I understand this," said Jack. "I have lots of questions." "Yeah, really," said Annie. "Like, where's Mongolia?" "On the other side of the world," said Jack. "It's a country between China and Russia. I picture lots of rugged, open land."