02 Thunder Under the Ground

2 Thunder Under the Ground “ Nice clothes, " said Annie. Jack opened his eyes. Annie was wearing a blue-and-white dress with a big sailor collar and white stockings. Jack was wearing brown knee-length pants, a jacket, a cap, and a tie. His backpack had become a leather bag. He and Annie both wore short lace-up boots. A church bell started to ring.

Gong. Gong. Gong. Gong. Gong. “ It rang five times, " said Jack. “ It must be five in the morning. “ Yeah, " said Annie. She was looking out the window. Jack looked with her, The early-morning air felt fresh and cool.

The tree house had landed in a tree at the bottom of a hill. Painted wooden houses and gaslights lined a quiet cobblestone street. A trolley car moved along tracks up the street. It rounded the top of the hill and disappeared. Tall buildings towered farther off. The sun was behind them, making pink streaks in the blue sky.

“ It's really pretty here, " said Annie. “ Yeah, " said Jack. He opened the research book and read: On Wednesday, April 18, 1906, San Francisco was the biggest city on the west coast of the United States. It had a population of half a million people. It was also one of the loveliest cities in the country. Jack pulled out his notebook, He wrote: San Francisco-April 18, 1906 biggest city in the west Lovely “ Let's go! " Annie said impatiently. Jack looked back at the book. He wanted to learn more.

“ No, " said Annie. She took the book and notebook away from him and put them into his leather bag. “ Let's not waste any more time. ” Annie left the tree house. “ Doing research is not wasting time, ” Jack called after her. But he slung his bag over his shoulder and followed Annie down the rope ladder. When they had both stepped onto the grass, Jack looked around. “ Where to?" he said. “ Anywhere! ” said Annie. “ Let's just explore and see the sights. We can be tourists. ” “ Okay, " said Jack. “ But don't forget we have to find the writing for Morgan's library.

They started up the cobblestone street. As they walked up the steep hill, the sun rose above the tall buildings. The early light turned everything to gold: stones, streetlamps, and the glass windows of the silent houses. “ It's so quiet and peaceful, " said Annie. “ Yeah, everyone must still be sleeping, said Jack. Suddenly, out of the quiet came a deep rumbling noise. Jack stopped. He grabbed Annie's arm. “ What's that?" he said. The noise got louder. It sounded like thunder coming from under the ground. The earth started shaking.