Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne Page B

started to spin.
    â€œWhat’s happening?” cried Jack.
    â€œGet down!” shouted Annie.
    She pulled him back from the window.
    The tree house was spinning. Faster and faster.
    Jack squeezed his eyes shut. He held on to Annie.
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.
    Jack opened his eyes. Sunlight slanted through the window.
    There was Annie. The books. His backpack.
    The tree house was still high up in an oak tree.
    But it wasn’t the
same
oak tree.

Jack looked out the window.
    He looked down at the picture in the book.
    He looked back out the window.
    The world outside and the world in the picture—they were exactly the same.
    The Pteranodon was soaring through the sky. The ground was covered with ferns and tall grass. There was a winding stream. A sloping hill. And volcanoes in the distance.
    â€œWh-where are we?” stammered Jack.
    The Pteranodon glided down to the base of their tree. The creature coasted to a stop. Andstood very still.
    â€œWhat happened to us?” said Annie. She looked at Jack. He looked at her.
    â€œI don’t know,” said Jack. “I was looking at the picture in the book—”
    â€œAnd you said, ‘Wow, I wish I could see a Pteranodon for real,’ ” said Annie.
    â€œYeah. And then we saw one. In the Frog Creek woods,” said Jack.
    â€œYeah. And then the wind got loud. And the tree house started spinning,” said Annie.
    â€œAnd we landed here,” said Jack.
    â€œAnd we landed here,” said Annie.
    â€œSo that means … ” said Jack.
    â€œSo that means … what?” said Annie.
    â€œNothing,” said Jack. He shook his head. “None of this can be real.”
    Annie looked out the window again. “But
he
’s real,” she said. “He’s
very
real.”
    Jack looked out the window with her. The Pteranodon was standing at the base of the oak tree. Like a guard. His giant wings were spread out on either side of him.
    â€œHi!” Annie shouted.
    â€œShush!” said Jack. “We’re not supposed to be here.”
    â€œBut where is
here?
” said Annie.
    â€œI don’t know,” said Jack.
    â€œHi!” Annie called again to the creature.
    The Pteranodon looked up at them.
    â€œWhere is
here?
” Annie called down.
    â€œYou’re nuts. He can’t talk,” said Jack. “But maybe the book can tell us.”
    Jack looked down at the book. He read the words under the picture:
    This flying reptile lived in the Cretaceous period. It vanished 65 million years ago.
    No. Impossible. They couldn’t have landed in a time 65 million years ago.
    â€œJack,” said Annie. “He’s nice.”
    â€œNice?”
    â€œYeah, I can tell. Let’s go down and talk to him.”
    â€œTalk to him?”
    Annie started down the rope ladder.
    â€œHey!” shouted Jack.
    But Annie kept going.
    â€œAre you crazy?” Jack called.
    Annie dropped to the ground. She stepped boldly up to the ancient creature.

Jack gasped as Annie held out her hand.
    Oh, brother. She was always trying to make friends with animals. But this was going too far.
    â€œDon’t get too close to him, Annie!” Jack shouted.
    But Annie touched the Pteranodon’s crest. She stroked his neck. She was talking to him.
    What in the world was she saying?
    Jack took a deep breath. Okay. He would go down, too. It would be good to examine thecreature. Take notes. Like a scientist.
    Jack started down the rope ladder.
    When he got to the ground, Jack was only a few feet away from the creature.
    The creature stared at Jack. His eyes were bright and alert.
    â€œHe’s soft, Jack,” said Annie. “He feels like Henry.”
    Jack snorted. “He’s no dog, Annie.”
    â€œFeel him, Jack,” said Annie.
    Jack didn’t move.
    â€œDon’t think, Jack. Just do it.”
    Jack stepped forward. He put out his arm. Very