A Thief at the National Zoo by Ron Roy Page A

said.
    The tiger growled again, making the kids laugh.
    “Just a few more minutes,” Dr. Tutu said. He picked up his briefcase and walked toward the door. “We have to return Ricky and Lucy to their mama across the hall.”
    “Um, what’s this magic jewel?” asked Marshall after Dr. Tutu, chomping on his apple, had left the room.
    Sunwoo stroked the tigers belly. “It is a legend in my country,” she said. “Two thousand years ago, a Chinese boy was digging roots to help feed his hungry brothers and sisters. Their parents had died, and the children were alone. Buried in the dirt beneath a tree, he discovered a smooth ball of amber. The amber was the color of light tea, and the boy couldsee something inside. It was an emerald.”
    “What’s amber?” Marshall asked.
    “It is like sap that comes from a pine tree,” Sunwoo said. “Over time, it hardens like plastic.”
    “So this emerald got covered in this sap stuff, then it hardened?” KC asked.
    Sunwoo nodded. “But it’s very, very rare,” she said. “No one thought emeralds and amber came from the same place. And neither is found in China. It’s a mystery. Or maybe the legend is not true.” Sunwoo shrugged.
    “How big is this Tiger’s Eye?” Marshall asked Sunwoo.
    She made a circle with her fingers. “Like a peach,” she said. “But inside, instead of the pit, there is an emerald.”
    “Cool!” Marshall said.
    “The boy raced home with the beautiful thing he had found,” Sunwoo went on. “The people in his town came to see the emerald. When they saw how poor and sick the children were, they brought food and money. His brothers and sisters became strong and healthy. The boy himself grew up to become the mayor of his village. He made sure that no one ever went hungry again. He told everyone that he owed his good fortune to the Tigers Eye emerald.”
    “What happened to the emerald?” Marshall asked.
    “It has been passed down from generation to generation,” Sunwoo said. “It has always brought health and luck. The premier of China gave the Tiger’s Eye to my father to bring here. He will lend it to thezoo for one year. It will bring good luck to your people, but especially to the tigers.”
    The door opened and Dirk came in. He was talking to someone on a walkie-talkie. He finished and clipped the device to his belt. “Time for them to go back,” he said.
    KC placed Lucy in Dirk’s hand. She sneezed. Dirk scooped up Ricky in his other hand.
    “The cubs are beautiful,” Sunwoo said as Dirk took them away. “I have perfect names for them! Now I must leave. My mother and father are waiting to take me sightseeing.”
    “We have to get home, too,” KC said.
    The kids left the room. They were in a long hallway with a wall on one side and tall, wide doors on the other.
    “Excuse me, but I don’t know the way,”Sunwoo said. “Dr. Tutu brought me here, but I was not paying attention.”
    “Well show you,” KC said. “This hallway runs under the spaces where the lions and tigers live.”
    “What’s in there?” Sunwoo asked. A door stood directly across from the room they’d just left. A number 3 was painted on the door, below a small window.
    “Take a look,” Marshall said.
    Sunwoo stood on her tiptoes and peeked through the thick glass window. “Goodness, this is where the tigers live!” she cried, jumping away from the door.
    Marshall laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s locked,” he said. He put his hand on the knob and twisted. The door didn’t budge.
    The three kids walked down the long passageway. They passed several moredoors, each with a window and a number painted in black. At the end, Marshall opened a normal-looking door into the public part of the zoo.
    “Where are you staying?” KC asked. “We can walk you back to your hotel.”
    “Thank you, but my fathers driver is waiting out front.” She looked around and giggled. “Where is the front?”
    “Follow me!” Marshall said. He led them past the tiger