06 Spick-and-Span

Chapter 06 Spick-and-Span “ Be still, ” said Jack. Jack and Annie stood frozen as an elephant stepped out of the shadows. It waded into the pond and dipped its trunk into the water. “ Oh, wow, ” said Annie. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. An elephant wasn’t going to chase them and eat them. Still, the elephant was huge. “ Let’s sneak away, ” said Jack.

“ But I want to watch, ” said Annie. “ Fine, ” said Jack. He was tired of Annie getting sidetracked. “ I’m going to solve the riddle by myself. I’ll meet you back at the tree house. ”

He turned to go. A spray of water rained down on him. It came from behind. He shouted with surprise and looked back. The elephant’s trunk was pointed straight at Annie. “ Cool! ” she cried. “ He’s giving me a shower! ”

The elephant sprayed her again … then again. The mud slowly rolled off her face, her braids, her T-shirt, her shorts, her legs, and her sneakers. “ I guess the elephant doesn’t like dirty kids! ” said Annie, laughing. Her eyes were squeezed shut. Finally, she was clean and soaking wet. “ Now it’s your turn, ” she said to Jack. Jack stepped forward and shut his eyes tight. A blast of water hit him. It did feel like a shower—a strong shower. When Jack was clean, the elephant let out a grunt. Then he started to splash himself with water. “ Thanks! ” said Annie. “ Yeah, thanks! ” said Jack. “ I’m spick-and-span now, ” said Annie. “ When the sun dries me off, I’ll be like new. ”

“ Good, ” said Jack. “ Now we can get serious. ” He picked up his heavy pack. “ We have to figure out the answer to the riddle. So we can leave this place … before we run into real trouble. ” He looked around nervously. Where are the lions? he wondered. A small bird flitted near his head. “ Hi, ” Annie said to the bird. Jack turned back to her. “ According to the riddle, we’re looking for something gold and sweet. ” “ What do you want?” Annie asked the bird. The bird twittered and flew around Jack and Annie. Its feathers were dull gray. But it had a bright, happy manner.

“ Annie, listen to me, not the bird, ” said Jack. The bird kept fluttering around them. “ She’s trying to tell us something, ” said Annie. Jack let out a long sigh. “ You are driving me crazy today, ” he said. “ But I feel like she needs our help, ” said Annie. “ Maybe her babies fell out of the nest. ” “ Annie, you can’t save every animal in Africa, ” said Jack. “ This bird is important, ” said Annie. “ Trust me. ” The bird darted toward the trees. It landed on a branch and cocked its head at them. “ She says follow, ” said Annie.