01 Teddy's Back!

Buffalo Before Breakfast

Chapter 01 Teddy's Back! Arf! Arf! Arf! Jack finished tying his sneakers. Then he looked out his bedroom window. A small dog stood in the early sunlight. He had floppy ears and scruffy brown fur. “ Teddy! ” said Jack. Just then, Annie ran into Jack’s room. “ Teddy’s back! ” she said. “ It’s time. ” It was time for their second mission to help free the little dog from a spell.

Jack threw his notebook and pencil into his backpack. Then he followed Annie downstairs and past the kitchen. “ Where are you two going?” their mom called. “ Outside, ” said Jack. “ Breakfast will be ready soon, ” she said. “ And Grandmother will be here any minute. ” “ We’ll be right back, ” said Jack. He loved his grandmother’s visits. She was kind and funny. And she always taught them new things. Jack and Annie slipped out the front door. Teddy was waiting for them. Arf! Arf! he barked. “ Hey, where did you go last week?” Jack asked. The small dog wagged his tail joyfully.

Then he ran up the sidewalk. “ Wait for us! ” Annie shouted. She and Jack followed Teddy up the street and into the Frog Creek woods. They ran between the trees. Wind rattled the leaves. Birds swooped from branch to branch. Teddy stopped at a rope ladder that hung from the tallest oak tree in the woods. At the top of the ladder was the magic tree house. Jack and Annie stared up at it. “ No sign of Morgan, ” said Annie. “ Let’s go up, ” said Jack. Annie picked up Teddy. She carried him carefully up the ladder. Jack climbed after her. Inside the tree house, Teddy sniffed a silver pocket watch on the floor. Beside it was the note that Morgan had written to Jack and Annie.

Annie picked up the note and read it aloud: This little dog is under a spell and needs your help. To free him, you must be given four special things: A gift from a ship lost at sea, A gift from the prairie blue, A gift from a forest far away, A gift from a kangaroo. Be brave. Be wise. Be careful. “ We’ve got the first special thing, ” said Annie, “ the gift from a ship lost at sea. ” “ Yeah, ” said Jack. He picked up the silver pocket watch. The time on the watch was 2: 20—the time the Titanic had sunk.