A Perfect Time for Pandas: A Merlin Mission (4 page)

“Whoa,” said Annie. “This is cool! Now I’m taller than
you
! I can be your lookout.”

From their new height, Jack and Annie could see over the rubble to the vast devastation. Trees down in the valley had been uprooted. The river was wild and raging. The mountaintops were shrouded in dark clouds.

“It’s starting to rain again,” said Annie.

“That’s the least of our problems,” said Jack. “I just hope the earthquake didn’t destroy the panda center.”

“I know! Let’s hurry! We only have an hour!” said Annie.

Annie held on to Jack’s head, and Jack held on to Annie’s legs. He lifted one giant foot and stepped over the boulder that had crushed their bikes. Picking his way through the rubble, he headed back to
the panda center. He stepped over fallen debris, power lines, and deep cracks in the road. His enormous sneakers crushed twigs and brush.

Jack stepped over huge mounds of mud as if they were anthills. He kicked away boulders as if they were soccer balls. He tossed aside fallen trees as if they were broken branches. He leapt over a river of water coursing down from the mountain as if it were a rain puddle.

“This is incredible!” said Jack.

“Watch out!” said Annie. A boulder was rolling down the wet road toward them.

Jack spread his legs wide, and the boulder went between them and kept rolling downhill.

Jack and Annie laughed. “
Now
are you having fun?” she said.

Jack nodded. “Maybe a little bit.”

Suddenly a tree crashed across the road. Jack stumbled over it. He fell to the ground just as a wall of mud came cascading down the mountain slope. The black ooze was filled with rock fragments and plants.

Annie!
thought Jack. He lifted his head out of the mud before it smothered him. He reached around and felt Annie’s kicking feet. He pulled her out of the thick, wet goo.

“You okay?” Jack shouted.

“Yes!” sputtered Annie. “But we’re sliding over the cliff!”

Annie was right. With the force of a tidal wave, the mudslide was pushing them across the highway toward the cliff!

Jack clutched Annie under one of his huge arms. Then he struggled through the grimy ooze until they were clear of the mudslide. Covered with mud from his hair to his shoes, Jack felt heavy and uncomfortable. He even had mud in his mouth. He put Annie down and sat on the road.

“At least we’re—we’re safe,” Annie said.

Jack coughed, gagging on mud.

“You look like a giant swamp monster,” Annie said.

Jack couldn’t talk. As the rain fell harder, he threw back his head and let rainwater wash his
face and fill his mouth. He choked and spit and coughed until his throat was clear. With help from the pelting rain, he washed the mud off his bare arms and his shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Finally he looked at Annie.

“How long do you think I’ve been a giant now?” he asked hoarsely.

“I don’t know,” she said. “It seems like a long time.”

“We’d better get moving. We only have an hour,” he said.

“What’ll we do if you’re still a giant when we get to the center?” asked Annie.

“I’ll hide outside,” said Jack, “until I’m small again.” He figured the last thing the staff needed now was to see a twenty-five-foot-tall kid.

Slowly they both stood up, soaking wet, but cleaner. Jack lifted Annie back onto his shoulder. He began striding uphill again, sloshing through mud puddles and stepping over crushed rocks. Jack walked through the falling rain, never stopping. But by the time they reached the panda
center, he was so tired he could barely take another step.

With Annie on his shoulder, Jack stood on the bank of the river and they stared across at the damage wrought by the earthquake.

The parking lot was filled with mud. The center’s sign had been knocked down. Portions of the bridge had collapsed into the river, and fallen brush and debris were piled up on the other side of the entrance gate.

The slopes that surrounded the center were now gray and bare. Landslides had stripped them of foliage.

“If it’s this bad outside the center,” said Jack, “I wonder how bad it is inside.”

“How do we even
get
inside?” said Annie, staring down at the raging river.

“Don’t worry,” said Jack. “I’m pretty sure I’m tall enough to wade across.” He took a deep breath, then stepped into the river. The cold water swirled around his waist. The current nearly knocked him
over. Slowly and carefully, he stepped around a huge rock that had rolled into the river. Suddenly Jack felt his body start to quake.

Another aftershock
, he thought. He paused, but his body kept shaking. As Jack shook, he started to grow smaller. In an instant he had shrunk back to his normal size.

He and Annie plunged into the swiftly churning water. Jack grabbed the branch of a fallen tree. Clinging to the branch, he looked around frantically for Annie. She was holding on to a log. “Here!” shrieked Jack. He reached out his hand, and Annie grabbed it. As the water swirled around them, he pulled her over to him.

“Can we get to the bridge?” Annie cried.

“Try!” yelled Jack. They both let go of the branch and thrashed through the water until they grabbed on to a piece of the wrecked bridge.

Jack and Annie hoisted themselves up onto the slab of concrete. Jack pointed to the part of the bridge that still stood at the edge of the ravine. He
took another deep breath and leapt over the gap onto the broken bridge. Annie followed.

Jack and Annie clung to a piece of bridge railing and stared at the entrance gate of the panda center. Muddy rocks, branches, and leaves were piled on the other side.

“I think we can climb over,” said Annie. She led the way, stepping onto the railing next to the gate.

Jack followed her. They climbed over the gate and kept climbing over the heap of branches, brush, and rocks that blocked the entrance. When they reached the top of the wreckage, they looked down.

Staff members were rushing around with buckets, shovels, and first-aid kits. When Master Lee and Dr. Ling caught sight of Jack and Annie, they both stopped dead in their tracks and gaped at them.

“Hi there,” Annie called. “Can we help?”

“H
elicopter?” said Jack.

“Yes, I received a call on my cell phone from the military,” said Dr. Ling. “They’re bringing medical supplies and food.”

“That’s great,” said Annie.

“We need to get our pandas to other reserves,” said Dr. Ling. “Until the road is cleared, we will send some by helicopter to Wolong Town. From there, a van will take them to a safe reserve.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” said Jack.

Dr. Ling smiled. “I am glad you think so,
because I would like to ask you to accompany these three cubs on their first helicopter flight. Do you think your grandmother would mind?”

“No problem. We’ve been in choppers before,” Annie said casually. “Antarctica.”

“Really?” said Dr. Ling. She looked surprised. “Well, good. I’ll be right back. I need to speak to the helicopter pilot and make a quick call to our staff in Wolong Town.”

Dr. Ling started to leave the nursery, then stopped. “Why, I just realized—I don’t even know your names,” she said.

“Jack and Annie,” said Annie.

Dr. Ling nodded. “Thanks, Jack and Annie,” she said, and then left.

“This is so cool,” Jack said to Annie. “I was wondering how we’d get back to Wolong Town and complete our mission.”

Annie smiled at Jack. “Remember—things always seem to work out when we just do the next right thing,” she said.

“Funny how that works,” said Jack.

“And this way, we won’t have to leave the cubs yet,” said Annie. She wiped milk off Roly’s mouth with her hand and kissed the top of his head. All three cubs had dropped their bottles and were nodding off to sleep.

“Can you stay with the kids while I say good-bye to Bing-Bing?” said Jack.

“Sure,” said Annie. “Say good-bye for me, too.”

“I will.” Jack hurried out the door. He dashed along the path to Bing-Bing’s house, sidestepping rubble and glass.

Jack found Master Lee sitting with Bing-Bing on the concrete floor. He was quietly feeding her bits of bread from a small, round loaf. For a moment, the earthquake disaster seemed far away.

“Bing-Bing loves a snack,” Master Lee said, smiling at the panda, “even when the world is turned upside down.”

“I know,” said Jack, kneeling beside them. “I gave her some bamboo in the woods. What’s she eating now?”

“It’s a special treat,” said Master Lee. “Here. You can give it to her.” He handed Jack the loaf.

The bread was very hard. Jack struggled to break off a piece. Bing-Bing opened her mouth wide, and Jack placed the bread on her pink tongue. As the giant panda chewed, she stared at Jack with her wise and gentle gaze.

“I thought she ate bamboo,” said Jack.

“She does,” said Master Lee. “This
is
bamboo, but it’s ground up and mixed with molasses, grains, and vitamins. It’s very healthy. We call it panda bread.”

Jack turned his head to look at Master Lee. “And it’s baked with love?” he said.

“Yes …,” said Master Lee, looking puzzled.

Jack gave him a radiant smile.

“Is everything all right?” asked Master Lee.

“Yes. Everything’s all right,” said Jack. “Totally all right.”

“Good … I’m glad,” said Master Lee. “It has been a very difficult day.”

“It has,” agreed Jack. “Annie and I have to take the cubs to Wolong Town, in a helicopter. Would it be okay if I took a little panda bread with me? To show Annie?”

“Yes, certainly,” said Master Lee. He gave Jack a small hunk of the panda bread. “But don’t try to eat it,” he said. “It’s very—”

“Tough,” finished Jack. “I know—tough as wood.” He put the bread in his backpack. Then he stroked Bing-Bing’s fur. “Bye, beautiful,” he said. He turned to Master Lee. “Bing-Bing is really lucky to have you in her family, Master Lee.”

The panda keeper nodded shyly. “Thank you,” he said.

Jack and the giant panda exchanged one last look, then Jack hurried outside.

Leaping over the rubble, Jack ran back to the nursery. On his way, he saw that the helicopter had landed on the kindergarten playground. Soldiers in green-and-tan uniforms were unloading boxes.

Jack found Dr. Ling and Annie waiting for him.
They were holding Roly and Poly. “Jack, if you take the smallest cub, I will help you all get settled in the helicopter,” said Dr. Ling.

“Sure!” Jack picked up Little Guy. The cub was drowsy and cuddly.

“Let’s go!” said Dr. Ling.

Dr. Ling, Jack, and Annie left the nursery and carried the little pandas outside. Night was falling as they stood in the playground and watched the
soldiers finish unloading food and medicine.

“Until you can get
all
the pandas out of here, how will you take care of them?” asked Annie.

“We will set up tents and carry water from the stream and get by as best we can,” said Dr. Ling. “I believe people here in China and around the world will help us. I’ve already had a call from Pandas International. They promised to send powdered milk for the young ones, and they will write about our situation and raise money to help the pandas.”

“Cool,” said Jack. “Hey, in that case …” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the rest of their money. “We’d like to give something for the pandas, too.” He handed their Chinese currency to Dr. Ling.

“Thank you!” she said. “All of this province will need help in the days to come. I have heard from the staff in Chengdu that this has been one of the most damaging earthquakes of all time. They think many people have been killed. Whole towns have been destroyed.”

“That’s terrible,” said Jack.

“What about
your
family?” said Annie.

“My parents are safe in Beijing,” said Dr. Ling. “But in the face of this disaster, everyone in our nation is one big family now. Oh, look, the pilot is waving to us.”

In the twilight, Jack, Annie, and Dr. Ling each carried a cub to the helicopter. They climbed up the steps and entered the small cabin. Jack and Annie sat down and buckled their seat belts. Dr. Ling handed Roly to Annie. Annie hugged Roly and Poly while Jack cradled Little Guy in his arms.