04 The Great Wall

Chapter 04 The Great Wall Jack and Annie ran around the farmhouse. At the back was an oxcart filled with bags of grain. There was no one in sight. The shouting behind them got louder. Jack and Annie looked at each other, then dived into the back of the wooden cart. They buried themselves in the middle of the bags of grain. Jack’s heart pounded as the shouts came closer. He held his breath and waited for the people to leave.

Suddenly the cart lurched forward. Someone was driving them away! Jack and Annie peeked over the bags. Jack saw the back of the driver. He was calmly steering the oxcart over the dirt road. They were on their way to the walled city! Jack and Annie ducked down again. “ This is great! ” whispered Annie. “ All we have to do is jump out when we get into the city. ”

“ Yep, ” Jack said softly. “ Then we’ll find the Imperial Library, find the book, and get back to the magic tree house. ” “ No problem, ” whispered Annie. “ Whoa! ” The cart slowly came to a halt. Jack held his breath. He heard voices and the heavy tramping of feet—lots of feet. He and Annie peeked out. “ Oh, man, ” he whispered. A long line of men was crossing the road in front of the cart. They carried axes, shovels, and hoes. Guards marched alongside them. “ Let’s find out what’s happening, ” said Jack. He reached into his sack and pulled out the China book. Pushing his glasses into place, he found a picture of the workers. He read:

The Dragon King forced many of his subjects to start building a wall to protect China from invaders. Later emperors made the wall even longer. Finally, it stretched 3, 700 miles along China’s border. The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built. “ Wow, the Great Wall of China, ” said Jack. “ I’ve heard of that, ” said Annie. “ Who hasn’t?” said Jack. “ Those guys are going to work on it right now. ” Just then, someone grabbed Jack and Annie. They looked up. It was the driver of the cart. “ Who are you?” he asked angrily. “ We—uh—” Jack didn’t know what to say.

The man’s gaze fell on the open book in Jack’s hands. His mouth dropped open. He let go of Jack and Annie. Slowly he reached out and touched the book. He looked back at Jack and Annie with wide eyes. “ What is this?” he said.