Vacation Under the Volcano Read online

  “The bridge must have caved in!” cried Annie.

  They stared at the dried-up stream. Pumice had piled up in huge drifts, like snow.

  “We’ll have to get through that stuff to get across!” said Jack.

  He and Annie slid down the bank onto the piles of pumice. As they started to move across it, more and more fell.

  Jack tried to move through the millions of warm, grayish white pebbles. But he was trapped.

  “I’m stuck!” cried Annie.

  “Me too!” said Jack.

  “Remember what Morgan said!” said Annie.

  At the moment, Jack couldn’t remember anything. He was too tired and dazed.

  “ ‘In your darkest hour, only the ancient story can save you!’ ” cried Annie. “Where’s your bag?”

  Jack lifted his bag into the air, above the sea of pumice. Annie grabbed it and pulled out the ancient scroll. She held it up to the dark sky.

  “Save us, story!” she shouted.

  Jack felt himself sink deeper and deeper into the pumice. Suddenly he heard a deep voice say, “Rise, son!”

  Then someone lifted Jack up into the air.

  A great flash of fire lit the dusty darkness. In the red light, Jack saw the biggest, strongest man he’d ever seen in his life. The man looked like a gladiator—but even bigger than the ones they had seen earlier.

  He held Jack with one hand and Annie with the other. He placed them both on the other bank of the stream.

  “Run!” the giant gladiator boomed. “Before it’s too late!”

  Jack and Annie didn’t stop to ask any questions. Together, they charged through the olive grove.

  They jumped over fallen branches. They leaped over great cracks in the earth. Finally they came to the tree with the magic tree house.

  They grabbed the rope ladder and scrambled up to the tree house.

  “Where’s the Pennsylvania book?” Jack shouted. He was too blinded by ash and dust to find the book that always took them home.

  “I’ve got it!” cried Annie. “I wish we could go there!”

  Jack felt the tree house start to spin.

  It spun faster and faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely, wonderfully, peacefully still.

  Jack didn’t move. He had never been so tired in all his life.

  “Breathe,” said Annie.

  Jack gulped in cool, clean air. He opened his eyes. He couldn’t see a thing.

  “Take off your glasses,” said Annie. “They’re filthy.”

  Jack took off his glasses. The first thing he saw was his backpack. The white tunics and lace-up sandals were gone. So were their pillow hats and the leather bag.

  Jack let out a long, deep breath. As he cleaned his glasses on his shirt, a voice came from behind him. “I’m very glad to see you safe and sound.”

  Morgan le Fay stood in the corner of the tree house. She looked as lovely and mysterious as ever.

  “Happy to be home?” she asked.

  Jack nodded. The sound of the erupting volcano still echoed in his ears.

  “It—it was pretty scary,” he said in a hoarse voice.

  “I know. But you were truly brave,” said Morgan. “You witnessed a famous event in history. Nowadays, scientists study the remains of Pompeii to find out more about Roman times.”

  “I feel bad for all those people,” said Annie.

  “Yes,” said Morgan. “But most of the people of Pompeii did escape. The city wasn’t completely buried by ash until the next day.”

  “We were almost trapped,” said Annie. “But we asked the ancient story to save us. Then a huge gladiator helped us.”

  Jack reached into his pack. He breathed a sigh of relief. The scroll was still there! He took it out. It was covered with dust and ashes.

  “Here’s the story,” said Jack.

  He handed it to Morgan.

  “I am deeply grateful,” she said softly. “You risked everything to bring this to me. I can never thank you enough.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” said Jack. He didn’t want Morgan to know how scared he had been.

  “Yeah, no problem,” said Annie.

  Morgan smiled. “You are amazing Master Librarians,” she said. “Do you think you’re up to rescuing another ancient story?”

  “Yes!” said Annie.

  “Now?” said Jack. Actually he was a little tired now.

  Morgan laughed. “No. Take a nice vacation. Come back two weeks from today. Then you will take a trip to ancient China,” she said.

  “Ancient China? Wow,” said Annie.

  “Oh, man,” said Jack.

  “Go home now and rest,” said Morgan. She handed Jack his pack.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Bye.”

  “Bye,” said Annie.

  Morgan gave them a little wave. Then Annie and Jack left the tree house and headed down the rope ladder. When they reached the ground, Jack looked up.

  “Morgan,” he called. “What is that story about—the one we just rescued?”

  “It’s called The Strongest Man in the World,” said Morgan. “It’s a lost tale about Hercules.”

  “Hercules?” said Jack.

  “Yes, he was one of the heroes of the Greeks and the Romans,” said Morgan. “He was a son of Jupiter.”

  “Oh, wow. Now I get it,” said Annie.

  “I’m taking it back now to Camelot’s library,” said Morgan. “Everyone will be so excited to read it, thanks to you.” She waved to them. “Good-bye for now!”

  As she waved, the wind began to whirl. The tree house began to spin. In a blur of shadow and light, Morgan and the magic tree house were gone.

  Jack and Annie started walking through the woods.

  “Get it? Get it?” said Annie.

  “Get what?” said Jack.

  “We were saved by Hercules!” said Annie. “We asked the story to save us—and Hercules appeared!”

  “That’s not possible,” said Jack. “It was just some gladiator guy. The story of Hercules is a myth. That means he never really lived.”

  They left the woods and started up their street.

  “I know it’s a myth,” said Annie. “But I have a simple explanation.”

  “What?” said Jack.

  “Hercules is a myth to people in this time,” said Annie. “But in Roman times, lots of people believed he was real. So, since we were in Roman times, he was real to us.”

  “I don’t know … ” said Jack.

  “Did you ever hear the saying?” said Annie. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

  Jack laughed. “Yeah.” He looked up at the sky. “Thanks, Hercules,” he said softly, “whatever you are.”

  “Jack! Annie!” their dad called from their front porch. “Time to go!”

  “Oh, brother, I forgot,” said Jack.

  “Yeah, I hope nothing exciting happens on our vacation,” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack. “I hope it’s really, really boring.”

  “Hurry!” their dad said.

  “Coming!” they called.

  Then they took off running for home—and a restful vacation.

  More Facts for You and Jack

  1) Pompeii was forgotten after it was buried in ash and pumice. In 1594, the ruined city was discovered by workmen who were digging a tunnel. Later, a nearby town called Herculaneum was also discovered. It had been buried by boiling mud after the volcano erupted. Many things from everyday life have been uncovered in both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Recently, a library of scrolls was found.

  2) The language of the ancient Romans was called Latin. Many words in the English, French, and Spanish languages come from Latin. For example, liber means “book” and libri means “books” in Latin. The word “book” in Spanish is libro and in French is livre. In English we have the word “library.”

  3) Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year A.D. 79. The letters “A.D.” stand for the words anno Domini. Anno Domini means
“in the year of the Lord” in Latin, which refers to the year Jesus Christ was born—about 2,000 years ago.

  4) The Romans took their name from the city of Rome, which was the capital of their empire. Rome is now the capital of the country of Italy.

  5) In A.D. 79, the Romans had a powerful army. They ruled all of Western Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

  6) Hercules is the Roman name for the hero from the Greek myths known as Heracles. After the Romans conquered ancient Greece, they adopted many of Greece’s heroes and gods and goddesses. Heracles—who became Hercules—was one of them.

  Here’s a special preview of

  Magic Tree House #14

  Day of the Dragon King

  Available now!

  Excerpt copyright © 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.

  Published by Random House Children’s Books,

  a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Annie peeked into Jack’s room.

  “Ready to go to China?” she asked.

  Jack took a deep breath.

  “Sure,” he answered.

  “Bring your secret library card,” Annie said. “I have mine in my pocket.”

  “Yep,” said Jack.

  He opened his top dresser drawer and took out a thin wooden card. The letters M L on it shimmered in the light. Jack dropped the card into his backpack. Then he threw in his notebook and a pencil.

  “Let’s go,” said Annie.

  Jack pulled on his pack and followed her.

  What are we in for today? he wondered.

  “Bye, Mom!” said Annie as they passed their mom in the kitchen.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “China!” said Annie.

  “Great,” said their mom. She winked at them. “Have fun.”

  Fun? thought Jack. He was afraid that fun wasn’t quite the right word.

  “Just wish us luck,” he said as he and Annie headed out the front door.

  “Good luck!” their mother called.

  “If only she knew we aren’t pretending,” Jack whispered to Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Annie, grinning.

  Outside, the sun shone brightly. Birds sang. Crickets chirped. Jack and Annie walked up their street toward the Frog Creek woods.

  “I wonder if the weather will be this nice in China,” Annie said.

  “I don’t know. Remember, Morgan said this would be a very scary adventure,” said Jack.

  “They’re always scary,” said Annie. “But we always meet animals who help us, or people.”

  “True,” said Jack.

  “I bet we meet someone great today,” said Annie.

  Jack smiled. He was starting to feel excited now instead of scared.

  “Let’s hurry!” he said.

  They ran into the Frog Creek woods. They slipped between the tall trees until they came to a huge oak.

  “Hello!” came a soft voice they knew well.

  They looked up. Morgan was peering down from the magic tree house.

  “Ready for your next mission as Master Librarians?” she asked.

  “Yes!” said Jack and Annie.

  They grabbed the rope ladder and started up.

  “Are we still going to China?” asked Annie when they had climbed into the tree house.

  “Indeed,” said Morgan. “You’re going to ancient China. Here is the title of the story you must find.”

  She held up a long, thin strip of wood. It looked like a ruler, except it had strange writing on it instead of numbers.

  “Long ago, the Chinese discovered how to make paper. It was one of the world’s most important discoveries,” said Morgan. “But you are going to a time earlier than that, to a time when books were written on bamboo strips like this one.”

  “Wow,” said Annie, pointing at the figures on the bamboo. “So this is Chinese writing?”

  “Yes,” said Morgan. “Just as we have letters, Chinese writing is made up of many characters. Each one stands for a different thing or idea. These characters are the title of an ancient Chinese legend. You must find the first writing of the legend before the Imperial Library is destroyed.”

  “Hurry, let’s go,” said Annie.

  “Wait, we need our research book,” said Jack.

  “Yes, you do,” said Morgan.

  From the folds of her robe, she pulled out a book. On the cover was the title: The Time of the First Emperor.

  Morgan handed the book to Jack.

  “This research book will guide you,” she said. “But remember, in your darkest hour, only the old legend can save you.”

  “But we have to find it first,” said Annie.

  “Exactly,” said Morgan.

  She handed Jack the bamboo strip, and he slipped it into his pack.

  Jack pushed his glasses into place, then pointed at the cover of their research book.

  “I wish we could go there!” he said.

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Are you a fan of the Magic Tree House® series?

  Exciting sneak previews of the next book.

  Games, puzzles, and other fun activities.

  Contests with super prizes.

  And much more!

  Guess what?

  Jack and Annie have a musical CD!

  For more information about

  MAGIC TREE HOUSE: THE MUSICAL

  (including how to order the CD!),

  visit www.mthmusical.com.

  Discover the facts

  behind the fiction with the

  Magic Tree House® Books

  #1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

  #2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN

  #3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING

  #4: PIRATES PAST NOON

  #5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS

  #6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON

  #7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH

  #8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON

  #9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK

  #10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN

  #11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME

  #12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME

  #13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO

  #14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING

  #15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE

  #16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS

  #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC

  #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST

  #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT

  #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME

  #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY

  #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY

  #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY

  #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING

  #25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT

  #26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS

  #27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY

  #28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII

  Merlin Missions

  #29: CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT

  #30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE

  #31: SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT

  #32: WINTER OF THE ICE WIZARD

  #33: CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT

  #34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS

  #35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS

  #36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON

  #37: DRAGON OF THE RED DAWN

  #38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS

  #39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA

  #40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN

  #41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE

  #42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS

  #43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER

  #44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME

  Magic Tree House® Research Guides

  DINOSAURS

  KNIGHTS AND CASTLES

  MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS

  PIRATES

  RAIN FORESTS

  SPACE

  TITANIC

  TWISTERS AND OTHER TERRIBLE STORMS

  DOLPHINS AND SHARKS

  ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPICS

&nbs
p; AMERICAN REVOLUTION

  SABERTOOTHS AND THE ICE AGE

  PILGRIMS

  ANCIENT ROME AND POMPEII

  TSUNAMIS AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS

  POLAR BEARS AND THE ARCTIC

  SEA MONSTERS

  PENGUINS AND ANTARCTICA

  LEONARDO DA VINCI

  GHOSTS

  LEPRECHAUNS AND IRISH FOLKLORE

  RAGS AND RICHES: KIDS IN THE TIME OF CHARLES DICKENS

  More Magic Tree House®

  GAMES AND PUZZLES FROM THE TREE HOUSE