07 Spirit Lights

Chapter 07 Spirit Lights “ Jack, you can get up now, ” said Annie. Jack opened his eyes. Annie was standing over him. She still had her mask on. “ We’re on safe ground, ” she said. Jack felt as if he’d been dreaming. He looked around. They had reached the tundra at the edge of the frozen sea. The cubs were romping in the distance. But their mother was sitting nearby, gazing at Jack and Annie.

“ She waited to make sure we were safe, ” said Annie. Jack stared at the polar bear in awe. The words of the seal hunter came back to him: Always thank the animal spirits. “ We should thank the polar bear spirit now, ” he said. “ Of course, ” said Annie. Jack scrambled to his feet. Still wearing his bear mask, he stood before the polar bear and pressed his hands together. “ We thank you, ” he said, bowing. “ Yes, we thank you forever, ” said Annie, also bowing. “ We thank you beyond the moon and the stars, ” said Jack. “ And beyond the deepest sea, ” Annie added.

Then she threw out her arms and twirled around. Jack did the same. They both danced around in the snow, honoring the bear. Finally they stopped and bowed one last time. When they looked up, the polar bear rose up on her hind legs. She was twice as tall as Jack. She lowered her huge head, as if she were bowing back to them. At that moment, the sky exploded. The night became a giant swirl of red, green, and purple lights. It looked like a genie coming out of a magic lamp. The sight took Jack’s breath away. He stared in wonder as the dazzling lights lit the tundra. “ Is it the polar bear spirit?” Annie asked in a hushed voice.

As far as Jack could see, the sky and snow shimmered. Even the bear’s fur shimmered in the strange light. “ No, it’s not a spirit, ” said Jack. “ There’s got to be a scientific reason. I’ll find out. ” Shaking, he reached into his backpack and pulled out the Arctic book. He took off his bear mask and put on his glasses. By the greenish glow, Jack found a picture of the sky lights. The picture didn’t come close to the real thing. He read aloud: One of the most amazing sights in the Arctic is the northern lights. The swirl of light is caused by electrically charged particles from the sun striking atoms and molecules in the earth’s atmosphere.

“ See, there is a scientific reason! ” said Jack. “ It’s not the spirits. ” Then suddenly all the dancing lights were gone, as if someone had blown out a candle. The magic had ended.