Ch7-I Don’t Believe It

CHAPTER SEVEN I Don't Believe It Jack and Annie followed Barry inside. In the dining hall, Barry bounded over to one of the large dog bowls and slurped water. He splashed more outside of the bowl than he actually drank. When he finished, he galumphed toward Jack, water and drool flying out of his mouth.

"Stay away from me!" said Jack, pushing Barry away. "Annie, I'm going to go read now." Jack hurried out of the dining hall and headed down the hallway toward their room. But Annie and Barry dashed ahead of him. The dog's playful barks echoed through the monastery, making it seem full of life, despite its emptiness. As soon as they entered their bedroom, Jack closed the door and grabbed their book. Barry jumped onto Annie's bed. As Jack started to read about flora and fauna in the Alps, Barry yelped. He leapt up and barked at the door. "What now?" said Jack. "Someone's ringing the bell!" said Annie. "The bell at the front door. Hear it?" Jack could barely hear the bell clanging over Barry's barking. "We'd better go answer it," said Annie. "No one else is here. Come on, Barry." "No, wait," said Jack. "I'll go with you. Barry should stay here, so he doesn't jump all over whoever's there." "Okay, wait here, Barry," said Annie.

Jack left the book on his bed, and he and Annie hurried out of the room. Before Barry could follow them, Jack closed the door tightly. The dog howled. "Don't cry! We'll be back soon!" shouted Annie. Then she and Jack hurried down the torchlit hallway to the front entrance. The bell kept clanging. Annie opened the heavy wooden door, and she and Jack peered out. Two men in military uniforms stood on the steps of the monastery. One had a black mustache, and the other had bushy sideburns. Both wore blue and white coats with red cuffs and red collars. White pants were tucked into their riding boots. Swords hung from their sides. Jack was startled. The soldiers looked as if they'd stepped out of a time long ago. "Good afternoon. We think one of our officers may be here," said the soldier with the mustache. "Um, I'm afraid your officer isn't here," said Annie. "No one's here but us. All the monks have left to help the French army."

"We are an advance party, and our officer got separated from us," said the second soldier. "Consul Napoléon hoped he had made his way here on his own." "Napoléon?" asked Jack. "First Consul Napoléon Bonaparte," the soldier said. Oh, man, thought Jack. Napoléon Bonaparte was a famous military leader of France! "When our officer arrives, please tell him to wait for us," said the man with the mustache. "We will return later." The two soldiers turned and walked away from the monastery. Jack whirled around to Annie. "Did you hear the name of their leader? Napoléon Bonaparte! He lived two hundred years ago! Let's go look in our book! Maybe it has information about Napoléon crossing the Alps!" Jack and Annie hurried down the torchlit hallway to their room. "Oh, wow," Jack said, pointing at one of the torches. "I should have figured out we weren't in our time! We don't use torches and lanterns for lighting anymore."

"Well, you've had a lot on your mind," said Annie. "Monks seem timeless," Jack went on. "But as soon as you see a soldier, you can start to figure out the time in history. I can't wait to read about this in our book. Maybe there will be a clue to help us with our mission." Jack ran the rest of the way to their room. He opened the door and stopped. "Oh, no," he said. "I… don't… believe… it." Annie caught up to Jack and peered into the room. "Oh, Barry," she said. Barry was sitting on the floor, wagging his tail. Paper was hanging from his mouth. "He ate our Alps book," said Jack, stunned. "He ate it!" All around the room were bits and pieces of paper. Jack started collecting the pieces, but it was hopeless. Most of the book was in Barry's stomach. "I really don't believe this," said Jack. "Bad dog, Barry!" yelled Annie. Barry stopped wagging his tail. He lowered his head. "Bad," said Annie sternly. "Bad, bad, bad!"

Barry kept his head low and wiggled his way toward the door. Then he stood up, and with his tail drooping, he slunk out of the room. Jack flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "There's no hope now," he said. "We'll never read about flora and fauna in the Alps or