|
"Come on!" Annie called
from the top of the steps.
"Coming," Jack called
He put away his notebook and ran along
the dirt path to the edge of the cliff.
Overhead, flocks of gulls circled in the
purple sky. Their cries sounded like screams.
"What's wrong with them?" Jack said.
"Maybe they always do this at sunrise,"
said Annie. "Let me go first."
Clutching the rope, she started down the
steps.
Jack grabbed the rope and started down.
The birds' cries went on. They worried him. They sounded like warnings.
Jack reached the rocky ledge and let go
of the rope.
"Let's go!" Annie called from the tree
house.
Jack looked at the horizon one last time.
His heart nearly stopped. A ship was
outlined against the sky! Behind it, he saw two smaller ships.
As the ships came into view, their bright
sails were filled with wind and their serpent prows blazed in the new
sunlight.
"Oh, no," Jack whispered. "Vikings!" |
