11. Monkeying Around

MONKEYING AROUND 11 Sam was out to the third bar when he looked down. The swamp below bubbled and burped. Muddy water splashed Sam's sneakers. Tree limbs reached out for him. Sam's hands were sweaty. There's no way I'll make it across without falling! he thought. But I have to!

Sam was halfway when Lucy began to climb. Antonio was the last to cross. "I've always hated the monkey bars!" he groaned. As Sam got close to the end, the monkey bars began to shake. The metal creaked and moaned. "Hold on tight!" Sam shouted. "It's trying to shake us off!" Lucy yelled. The structure swayed from side to side. Sam swung for the next bar— there was only one to go until the end. Just then, Lucy shrieked.

The monkey bars shot up into the air! The three friends held on tight. Sam gasped. We're twenty feet up in the air! he thought. Slippery vines had crawled up the monkey bars. One long vine wrapped itself around Sam's hand. His fingers were being lifted from the bar! "I can't hold on much longer!" he yelled. The vine plucked Sam's pinkie finger and he lost his grip. He was plummeting down, toward the monstrous swamp. At the last second, Sam grabbed on to Lucy's jeans. He clutched the fabric as tight as he could.

SCHLURP! The swamp water bubbled up. The monkey bar set began sinking back down. Sam's stomach did a flip as everything dropped. The swamp was about to swallow the monkey bars!

Lucy gritted her teeth. Only one bar left. Using all her might, she reached out and grabbed it. Sam was able to scramble onto the bottom rung. Together, he and Lucy narrowly escaped. But Antonio was still making his way across.

The metal bars dipped in the middle. Antonio's feet hung closer to the swamp. Mud splashed his legs. "Faster, Antonio!" Sam called. "I'm trying!" Antonio cried out. "I don't want to be swamp food!" He quickly swung from bar to bar. The metal howled as he dove off the monkey bars. He crashed to the ground beside his friends.