again. “Kah-lee-ah!” I cried happily. The head was guiding me to my aunt.
Animals howled and insects chittered loudly as I made my way through the trees and tall weeds. It all sounded like music to me now.
“Aunt Benna, here I come!” I cheered.
I found myself walking deeper into the jungle. I had to keep ducking my head to avoid low branches and thick vines that stretched from tree to tree.
I heard weird bird calls overhead. As if the birds were talking to each other. As I duckedunder a low limb, the whole tree seemed to shake. And a thousand blackbirds leaped off the branches, cawing angrily, so many of them they darkened the sky as they flapped away.
I suddenly came to a small clearing that forked into two branches, one to the left, one to the right. Which way should I go?
I held the shrunken head in front of me, watching it carefully. I started to the left.
The eyes grew dark. Wrong way.
I turned and started to the right, watching the eyes begin to glow again.
Was Aunt Benna hiding somewhere in these trees? Was I getting close?
The trees ended suddenly again, and I found myself in a grassy clearing. I squinted in the bright sunlight, my eyes sweeping over the shimmering green grass.
A low growl made me spin back toward the trees.
“Oh!” I let out a sharp cry as I saw the tiger. My legs nearly crumpled under me.
The tiger raised its head in another growl. An angry growl. It pulled back its lips, baring enormous teeth. It arched its back, its yellow-brown fur standing straight on end.
Then with a furious hiss it came charging at me.
20
The tiger’s huge paws pounded over the grass. Its yellow eyes burned into mine.
I glimpsed two little cubs behind it, nestled in the shade of a tree.
“I’m not going to hurt your cubs!” I wanted to cry.
But of course there was no time.
The tiger let out a furious roar as it charged.
The roar drowned out my cry as I raised the shrunken head in front of me in a trembling hand. “Kah-lee-ah!”
My voice came out in a whimper.
I nearly dropped the head. My knees collapsed. I sank to the grass.
The tiger closed in for the kill. Its heavy paws thudded the dirt as it leaped toward me.
The ground felt as if it were shaking.
The ground
was
shaking!
To my horror, I heard a deafening
ripping
sound. Like Velcro being torn apart. Only a thousand times louder.
I let out a cry as the ground trembled. Shook.
Split apart.
The grass tore away. The dirt split in two.
The earth opened up.
And I started to fall. Down into an endless hole in the earth.
Down, down.
Screaming all the way.
21
“Owww!”
I landed hard on my elbows and knees. Pain shot through my body. I actually saw stars! Hundreds of them, all red and yellow.
Trying to blink them away, I raised myself to my knees.
The shrunken head had bounced out of my hand. I spotted it a few feet away in the dirt. I dove for it, grabbed it up in my shaking hand, and held on to it tightly.
I felt dizzy and shaken. I closed my eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.
When I opened them, I realized I had fallen into a deep pit. Walls of dirt surrounded me. The blue sky was a small square high above my head.
Jungle Magic had saved me once again. The magic had caused the ground to split open so that I could fall to safety. So that I could escape the tiger.
I heard a low growl above me.
With a frightened cry, I gazed up to the top of the pit. And saw two yellow eyes glaring down at me.
The tiger snarled, baring its teeth.
I didn’t escape,
I realized.
I’m trapped down here. If the tiger leaps down into the pit, it will finish me off in seconds.
I have nowhere to run. No way to escape.
I fell back against the wall of dirt. I stared up at the snarling tiger. It eyed me hungrily, roaring again. Preparing to leap to the attack.
“Kah-lee-ah!” I cried. “Kah-lee-ah!”
The tiger roared in reply.
I pressed my back against the dirt. Tried to stop my whole body from shaking.
Please don’t come down
Animals howled and insects chittered loudly as I made my way through the trees and tall weeds. It all sounded like music to me now.
“Aunt Benna, here I come!” I cheered.
I found myself walking deeper into the jungle. I had to keep ducking my head to avoid low branches and thick vines that stretched from tree to tree.
I heard weird bird calls overhead. As if the birds were talking to each other. As I duckedunder a low limb, the whole tree seemed to shake. And a thousand blackbirds leaped off the branches, cawing angrily, so many of them they darkened the sky as they flapped away.
I suddenly came to a small clearing that forked into two branches, one to the left, one to the right. Which way should I go?
I held the shrunken head in front of me, watching it carefully. I started to the left.
The eyes grew dark. Wrong way.
I turned and started to the right, watching the eyes begin to glow again.
Was Aunt Benna hiding somewhere in these trees? Was I getting close?
The trees ended suddenly again, and I found myself in a grassy clearing. I squinted in the bright sunlight, my eyes sweeping over the shimmering green grass.
A low growl made me spin back toward the trees.
“Oh!” I let out a sharp cry as I saw the tiger. My legs nearly crumpled under me.
The tiger raised its head in another growl. An angry growl. It pulled back its lips, baring enormous teeth. It arched its back, its yellow-brown fur standing straight on end.
Then with a furious hiss it came charging at me.
20
The tiger’s huge paws pounded over the grass. Its yellow eyes burned into mine.
I glimpsed two little cubs behind it, nestled in the shade of a tree.
“I’m not going to hurt your cubs!” I wanted to cry.
But of course there was no time.
The tiger let out a furious roar as it charged.
The roar drowned out my cry as I raised the shrunken head in front of me in a trembling hand. “Kah-lee-ah!”
My voice came out in a whimper.
I nearly dropped the head. My knees collapsed. I sank to the grass.
The tiger closed in for the kill. Its heavy paws thudded the dirt as it leaped toward me.
The ground felt as if it were shaking.
The ground
was
shaking!
To my horror, I heard a deafening
ripping
sound. Like Velcro being torn apart. Only a thousand times louder.
I let out a cry as the ground trembled. Shook.
Split apart.
The grass tore away. The dirt split in two.
The earth opened up.
And I started to fall. Down into an endless hole in the earth.
Down, down.
Screaming all the way.
21
“Owww!”
I landed hard on my elbows and knees. Pain shot through my body. I actually saw stars! Hundreds of them, all red and yellow.
Trying to blink them away, I raised myself to my knees.
The shrunken head had bounced out of my hand. I spotted it a few feet away in the dirt. I dove for it, grabbed it up in my shaking hand, and held on to it tightly.
I felt dizzy and shaken. I closed my eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.
When I opened them, I realized I had fallen into a deep pit. Walls of dirt surrounded me. The blue sky was a small square high above my head.
Jungle Magic had saved me once again. The magic had caused the ground to split open so that I could fall to safety. So that I could escape the tiger.
I heard a low growl above me.
With a frightened cry, I gazed up to the top of the pit. And saw two yellow eyes glaring down at me.
The tiger snarled, baring its teeth.
I didn’t escape,
I realized.
I’m trapped down here. If the tiger leaps down into the pit, it will finish me off in seconds.
I have nowhere to run. No way to escape.
I fell back against the wall of dirt. I stared up at the snarling tiger. It eyed me hungrily, roaring again. Preparing to leap to the attack.
“Kah-lee-ah!” I cried. “Kah-lee-ah!”
The tiger roared in reply.
I pressed my back against the dirt. Tried to stop my whole body from shaking.
Please don’t come down
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