Ch5-The Cloisters

CHAPTER FIVE The Cloisters "Do you see Teddy and Kathleen?" asked Jack. The crowd was swarming away from the subway platform toward different exits. Jack couldn't see anyone who looked like the two young enchanters.

"No," said Annie. "But if we figured out where to get off, I'm sure they did, too. Let's hurry and get to the zoo. We can meet up with them there." Jack and Annie moved with the crowd. They passed a change booth on the way out of the station. "Wait, I'll ask where to go," said Annie. She waited in line and then leaned forward to talk to the man in the booth. "Do you know how to walk to the Bronx Zoo from here?" she said. "Walk to the Bronx Zoo? Are you out of your mind?" said the man. "This isn't the stop for the Bronx Zoo! It's much further north." "You mean we got out at the wrong stop?" said Annie.

"You did, but it doesn't matter," said the man. "You can't get there now, anyway. The tracks near the zoo are above ground. And I just got word they're buried in snow." "Oh, no," said Jack. "Lousy day for the zoo, anyway," said the man. "Next!" Jack and Annie stepped away from the booth and walked out of the subway station. The sidewalk was deserted. "Oh, man, that girl gave us the wrong information," said Jack. "This is terrible," said Annie. "No kidding," said Jack. He looked around, wondering what to do next. AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA!

"What's that?" said Jack. "It looks like a taxi." Annie pointed at a big yellow car with a checkerboard stripe and writing on the side. Its horn let out a loud squawk: AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA! The driver stuck his head out the window. He wore a big furry cap that came down over his ears. "Need a taxi?" he called. "Yes!" shouted Annie. "Come on, Jack! He can take us to the zoo!" Jack hurried after her through the snow. The taxi driver stepped out of the cab and opened the back door. "Hop in!" he said. His cheerful voice was muffled through a plaid scarf that covered half his face.

"Thanks!" said Jack. He stepped onto a running board and then climbed inside. The taxi was very roomy. Jack could stretch his legs out and not even touch the front seat. "Boy, lots more room in old cars than ours," he said to Annie. "Yeah," said Annie. "And there's no seat belts." "Oh, yeah," said Jack. "I guess old cars didn't have any. I hope this guy is a good driver." The driver slid open a little window that separated the front seat from the back. "Where to?" he asked. "Can you please take us to the Bronx Zoo?" said Annie. "We're in a big hurry to get there," said Jack.

"Sure thing, kiddos," said the driver. "Great," said Jack. "Oh, how much will it cost?" asked Annie. "About thirty cents," said the driver. "Can you afford it?" "Sure thing, kiddo," said Annie. The driver laughed and closed the window. Then the taxi began moving through the snow. "Everything's so cheap here," Annie said to Jack. "To us it is," said Jack. "But it's the Great Depression. Lots of people don't even have a nickel."