2 Shh!

2 Shh! Jack opened his eyes. Bright, golden sunlight poured into the tree house. The air felt crisp and cool. Annie was wearing a long dress, a white cap, and an apron. Jack wore a jacket with a frilly collar. He wore short pants, long socks, leather shoes, and a hat. His backpack was now a leather bag. “ I like your hat, " said Annie. “ It's funny. ”

“ Yours, too, " said Jack. “ You look like a Pilgrim, " said Annie. “ So do you, " said Jack. “ Oh, man. I bet we're in the time of the Pilgrims! " He and Annie scrambled to the window. The tree house had landed in a tall oak near the edge of a forest. Red and yellow leaves rattled in the cool breeze. Past the forest was a small village and past the village was the ocean. “ It looks like where the Pilgrims lived, " said Jack. “ We studied it in school. " He opened the research book and found a picture of the village by the sea. He read aloud:

In 1620, a group of 102 passengers sailed from England to America on a ship called the Mayflower. Many of the people on board wanted freedom of religion. They wanted to worship God in their own way--not the way the king of England made them. Others wanted to find a new life in a new land. Today, we call all the people who sailed on the Mayflower Pilgrims. “ Yes! " said Annie.

Jack read on: The Pilgrims wanted to settle near New York. But a storm blew their ship north. They landed in a bay on the coast of what is now Massachusetts. Six years before, Captain John Smith had explored the coast. He had named the bay Plymouth.

“ Plymouth?” said Annie. “ That's where the first Thanksgiving was! " “ Oh, man . . . " Jack smiled. “ So that's the feast. ” “ Wow, " said Annie. “ My class put on a play about the first Thanksgiving. " “ Mine, too, " said Jack. " I played Priscilla, " said Annie. “ I played a turkey, " said Jack. “ Now we'll get to meet the real Priscilla! ” said Annie. “ And Squanto! And Governor Bradford and Miles Standish! Come on! ” She started down the ladder. “ Wait. What will we say?" asked Jack. “ We'll just tell them hi and stuff, " said Annie. " Are you nuts?” said Jack. He put the book into his bag. “ They won't understand who we are! We need a plan. ”

He slung the bag over his shoulder and hurried down the ladder after Annie. “ Listen, we need-" Jack started. “ I know, a plan, ” said Annie. “ But first let's get closer to the village and just watch. " “ Okay, " said Jack, “ but we can't let anyone see us. We have to be careful and quiet. ” He and Annie started walking carefully through the woods. But they did not walk quietly. The autumn leaves crunched and crackled under their leather shoes. “ Shh! " said Jack. " I can't help it, " said Annie. “ You're doing it, too! " “ Then we have to stop, " said Jack. “ Let's get behind that tree and watch from there. " They crunched over to a tree at the edge of the woods. In the distance was a row of small log houses with steep thatched roofs.