09 Time Stops

Chapter 09 Time Stops “ Where is it?” shouted Annie. The front of the Titanic sank deeper into the sea. Jack and Annie fell forward. They grabbed the railing and held on for their lives. “ Maybe the tree house fell into the ocean! ” shouted Jack. A great roar started coming from the ship. Jack imagined everything crashing forward—all the furniture, dishes, bicycles, the grand clock on the staircase.

He looked down. A giant wave of water rolled over a lower deck. Jack imagined water flooding the third-class corridor, the card room, and the grand staircase. He closed his eyes, waiting to be washed away. “ Arf! Arf! ” The barking came from a distance. “ Teddy! ” cried Annie. Jack had forgotten all about the little dog. Holding on to the railing, he used one hand to pull off his knapsack. Teddy wasn’t there! There was more frantic barking. “ Where’s Teddy?” cried Jack. “ He’s calling us! ” shouted Annie.

“ We can’t look for him! ” shouted Jack. “ We’ll fall off the ship! ” Teddy barked and barked. “ He’s close by! ” said Annie. She held on to the railing and moved slowly down the steep deck. “ Annie! ” cried Jack. Suddenly, the lights on the Titanic went out. The world was pitch-dark. Jack couldn’t see Annie at all. “ Annie! ” he shouted. He tried to move down the deck, too. But the ship tilted again. Jack slipped and fell. He rolled until he crashed into a smokestack. “ Jack! ” cried Annie. “ Here! Here! ” Teddy kept barking.

The back of the Titanic was rising out of the ocean. The front of the ship was going down. Jack tried to go around the smokestack without falling. In the dark, he could barely see the tree house. It was stuck between a smokestack and the railing. It was lying on its side. Annie and Teddy were looking out the window. “ Teddy’s barking led me here! ” cried Annie. “ Hurry, Jack! ” Jack crawled around the smokestack. He held out his hand. Annie grabbed it. She pulled him into the tree house. Teddy licked his face. “ I wish we could go home! ” shouted Annie, pointing at the Pennsylvania book.

Jack heard a loud CRA-A-A-ACK! The wind started to blow. The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still.