Ch2-Carnival

CHAPTER TWO Carnival Annie laughed. Jack opened his eyes. He and Annie were wearing purple and pink outfits with huge ruffled collars. On their heads were funny hats. On their feet were red slippers with big bows.

"Who are we?" Annie asked. "I don't know," said Jack. He didn't feel like a wise and brave helper in his red slippers. He felt stupid. Together Jack and Annie looked out the tree house window. They had landed in a small tree inside a walled garden. The sky was gray. Jack couldn't tell if it was morning or evening, but the air felt damp and heavy, as if a storm was about to break. "I guess this is Venice," he said. "Let's check our book," said Annie. She opened their research book and read aloud:

Today the city of Venice (say VEN-iss) is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world. It lies in a lagoon of the Adriatic Sea. Instead of roads, Venice has waterways called canals. People glide along the canals in shallow boats called gondolas (GON-duh-luz). A man called a gondolier (gon-duh-LEER) stands in the back of the boat and uses a long oar to propel the gondola through the water. "That sounds like fun," said Jack. "Yep," said Annie. She closed the book. "Let's go." "Wait," said Jack. "We don't even know what our mission is yet." He took out Merlin's letter and unfolded it. He read aloud:

Dear Jack, and Annie of Frog Creek, Your mission will require great patience and a bit of magic. The Grand Lady of the Lagoon is in terrible danger. The only one who can help you save her from disaster is the Ruler of the Seas. To locate him, follow these directions: When waters rise beneath the moon, Visit the Grand Lady of the Lagoon. To find out where you need to go, Seek out a painter named Tiepolo. At midnight two men will tell you the time. To the top of their tower hurry and climb. The King of the Jungle will carry you there, Not over land, but high in the air. An angel of gold will show you the way To the sea by night, and home by day. 一M. Jack pushed his glasses into place. "Hmm," he said. "I wonder who the Grand Lady is," said Annie. "And why do we need to save her?"

"I'm wondering lots of stuff," said Jack. "What about the King of the Jungle? We're in a city, not a jungle. And what about that angel? And—" "Let's just take one thing at a time," said Annie. "What are we supposed to do first?" Jack looked back at the letter and read: When waters rise beneath the moon, Visit the Grand Lady of the Lagoon. "So let's start by finding the Grand Lady," said Annie. She headed down the tree house ladder. Jack put Merlin's letter into his backpack, along with Morgan's research book and Teddy and Kathleen's book of magic rhymes.

Then he climbed down the rope ladder and caught up with Annie. Jack and Annie walked over a pebbly path as the sky darkened. Good, thought Jack. It's night. He didn't want anyone to see him in his silly outfit—especially the red slippers with the bows. "That must be the way out," said Annie. She led Jack to a wooden gate in the garden wall and pushed it open. Jack and Annie stepped through the gate onto a quiet, empty walkway. Next to the walkway was a narrow lane of water. "I guess that's a canal," said Jack.