Ch10-A Gift

CHAPTER TEN A Gift? Jack felt warm, wonderfully warm. He was wearing his shorts and T-shirt again. No time at all had passed in Frog Creek. It was still twilight on a summer night. "Nice," said Annie. "Really nice," said Jack. He reached into his pocket and took out the tiny box, empty of gold dust now. He placed it on the floor of the tree house, next to the guide to the Territory of Alaska. Annie reached into her pocket and pulled out the shimmering dark blue box, empty of stardust.

She put it beside the gold box on the floor. "That was a good trip," said Annie. "Yeah, a little cold, a little stressful," said Jack, "but all in all, very good." "The best part, of course, was the dogs," said Annie. "Totally," said Jack. "Come on, let's go. Let's go home." He started down the rope ladder. "Huskies are great dogs," said Annie, following him. "Yep," said Jack. "Strong and brave." "And really smart, too. Like Saint Bernards. Remember Barry in Switzerland?" Annie said as she stepped off the ladder. "Of course," said Jack. He smiled and shook his head, remembering the giant crazy puppy high in the mountains. "And remember when Morgan turned Teddy into a terrier?" said Annie. "Of course," Jack said. "We'd better walk our bikes now. It's getting dark fast."

"Okay," said Annie. She and Jack started pushing their bicycles over leaves and grass. The woods were filled with the sounds of summer. Bullfrogs croaked from the hidden creek. Crickets chirped in the grass. An owl hooted from a tree branch. Then came another sound: Yip! "What was that?" said Annie, stopping. "I don't know," said Jack. Yip! "It sounds like a dog," said Annie. "No way," said Jack. "That's too much of a coincidence!" Yip. Yip! "Coincidence or not, there's a dog around here somewhere," said Annie. She parked her bike against a tree. "Seriously?" said Jack. "Shhh—" said Annie. The leaves rustled. Yip. Yip! In the dark, Annie got down on her hands and knees. "Where are you?" she whispered.

Yip, yip, yip! "I've got you!" said Annie, and she lifted a wiggling little black-and-white puppy out of the greenery. "I don't believe this," said Jack. "Look—look!" said Annie. She stood up and carried the puppy over to Jack. "Here, pet him." Jack reached out, and the next thing he knew, his hand was wet from puppy licks. "Oh, man!" he said, laughing. "Can you push my bike?" Annie asked. "I'll carry him to the street so we can get a good look at him." Annie took off with the puppy. Jack tried to steer two bikes through the woods. Annie's bike twisted and fell over, but Jack finally got a good grip and wheeled both bikes out to the sidewalk. Annie was standing under a streetlamp, cradling the puppy in her arms. "Let me see him," said Jack. He parked the bikes and looked at the puppy under the light. The

tiny dog had beautiful big brown eyes. His curly black-and-white fur was soft and shiny. "Ohh," said Jack, stroking the furry little head. "He's really cute." "Let's get him home," said Annie. "I'm sure he's hungry and thirsty." Jack grabbed their bikes again and started down the sidewalk with Annie and the puppy. "What breed do you think he is?" he asked.

"I think he's a mix," said Annie. "A mix of what, I wonder," said Jack. "Lots of dogs! All sizes, big, small, and in between. Saint Bernard, terrier, husky," said Annie. "He's a mix of all the dogs we've ever loved." Jack nodded. "Cool," he said. "I hope Mom and Dad will let us keep him." "They will," said Annie. "They said we could get a dog when we found the right one. And this is definitely the right one." "Yeah, but what if he's just lost?" said Jack. "Don't worry. We'll ask around and put up signs," said Annie. "But I have a feeling he's not lost. I think he was actually in the woods waiting for us. I think he's a gift." "A gift? From who?" said Jack. "Maybe from Merlin and Morgan," said Annie. "A gift to thank us." Jack smiled. He liked that idea. "So what do you think we should name him?" he said.