2 Aloha!

2 Aloha! Jack opened his eyes. A gentle wind brushed against his skin. It smelled sweet and fresh. Annie looked out the window. “ Nice! " she said. Jack looked out, too. The tree house had landed on top of a tall palm tree. The palm tree was at the edge of a flowery meadow.

On one side of the meadow, a cliff dropped down to the beach and ocean. On the other side of the meadow were the rooftops of a small village. Beyond the village were tall gray mountains. Misty clouds hid their peaks. Waterfalls gushed down their sides. “ I told you I loved Hawaii! ” said Annie. “ Don't you?" “ I have to learn about it first, " said Jack. He pushed his glasses into place and opened their research book. He read aloud: Hawaii is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean. The largest island is Hawaii, which gives its name to the whole group. The islands were formed millions of years ago by volcanoes. The volcanoes erupted under the ocean. Over time, their craters rose above the water.

“ Wow, ” said Annie. “ We're on the top of a volcano. " “ Yeah, " said Jack. He read on: The volcanic rock crumbled and turned to soil. Over millions of years, wind and birds dropped seeds on the islands. Plants and trees began to grow, and birds and insects made their homes. “ Cool, ” said Jack. He took out his note-book and pencil and wrote: wind and birds brought seeds He read some more:

About two thousand years ago, people first came to Hawaii. They came in canoes from other islands in the Pacific. They rowed for thousands of miles across the ocean, guided only by the wind and stars. “ Hey, listen, " said Annie. Jack put down the book and listened. Sounds of music and laughter floated on the breeze. “ There must be a party in that village, " said Annie. “ Let's go. ” “ What about building that ship?" asked Jack. “ We'll figure that out later, " said Annie. “ Let's meet some people at the party. Maybe they can help us. ” She started down the ladder. Jack heard a whoop of laughter in the distance. The party does sound fun, he thought.

He packed up his things and followed Annie down to the ground. The sun was low in the sky. They walked through the meadow toward the village. Everything was bathed in a golden red glow. “ Oh, man, " breathed Jack. There was beauty everywhere: purple flowers shaped like bells, white flowers that looked like stars, tall, feathery ferns, green spiky plants, big orange-and-black butterflies, and tiny yellow birds. When they got close to the village, they saw an open area filled with people. Jack and Annie slipped behind a palm tree. They peeked out at the party. There were about fifty people, including grown-ups, teenagers, and little kids. They were all barefoot and wore wreaths of flowers around their necks.