01 Are You Serious?

Polar Bears Past Bedtime

Chapter 01 Are You Serious? Whoo. The strange sound came from outside the open window. Jack opened his eyes in the dark. The sound came again. Whoo. Jack sat up and turned on his light. He put on his glasses. Then he grabbed the flashlight from his table and shone it out the window. A white snowy owl was sitting on a tree branch. “ Whoo, ” the owl said again. Its large yellow eyes looked right into Jack’s.

What does he want? Jack wondered. Is he a sign, like the rabbit and the gazelle? A long-legged rabbit and a gazelle had led Jack and Annie to the magic tree house for their last two adventures. “ Whoo. ” “ Wait a second, ” Jack said to the owl. “ I’ll get Annie. ” Jack’s sister, Annie, always seemed to know what birds and animals were saying. Jack jumped out of bed and hurried to Annie’s room. She was sound asleep. Jack shook her and she stirred. “ What?” she said. “ Come to my room, ” whispered Jack. “ I think Morgan’s sent another sign. ” In a split second, Annie was out of bed. She hurried with Jack to his room.

Jack led her to the window. The snowy owl was still there. “ Whoo, ” said the owl. Then he raised his white wings and took off into the night. “ He wants us to go to the woods, ” said Annie. “ That’s what I thought, ” said Jack. “ Meet you downstairs after we get dressed. ” “ No, no. He says go now. Right now, ” said Annie. “ We’ll have to wear our pajamas. ” “ I have to put on my sneakers, ” said Jack. “ Okay, I’ll put on mine, too. Meet you downstairs, ” said Annie. Jack pulled on his sneakers. He threw his notebook into his backpack. Then he grabbed his flashlight and tiptoed downstairs.

Annie was waiting at the front door. They silently slipped outside together. The night air was warm. Moths danced around the porch light. “ I feel weird, ” said Jack. “ I’m going back to put on some real clothes. ” “ You can’t, ” said Annie. “ The owl said right now. ” She jumped off the porch and headed across their dark yard. Jack groaned. How did Annie know exactly what the owl said? he wondered. Still, he didn’t want to be left behind. So he took off after her. The moon lit their way as they ran down their street. When they entered the Frog Creek woods, Jack turned on his flashlight. The beam of light showed shadows and swaying branches.