The wind lashed the bare trees and swept the snow into talldrifts. "That way!" said Annie. She led the way down the castlesteps to the path.
"Mr. Perkins was a nice guy," said Annie as they headedtoward the west side of the park.
"Yeah," said Jack. "Someday I'd like to go back there and seeall his weather instruments." Jack and Annie trudged throughthe storm, until they saw buildings just beyond the trees. "We'realmost out of Central Park!" Annie said.
46Jack looked around. "Do you see Teddy and Kathleen?" hesaid.
"No, but we'd better keep going if we want to get to the zootoday," said Annie.
Jack agreed. Mr. Perkins had said that the blizzard was goingto turn into a monster after dark. And dark came early inNovember.
They left the park and came to a wide city street. All sorts ofthings were blowing about in the wind: newspapers, hats, andumbrellas turned inside out. Jack and Annie grabbed a lamppostand clung to it, trying to keep from getting blown away, too.
When there was a lull in the storm, they trudged across theavenue. It was lined with cars half buried in the snow.
47Jack and Annie started down a side street. They passed an oldman and woman huddled in a doorway, wrapped in tornblankets, burning a fire in a small stove. They passed a line ofmen dressed in ragged clothes standing outside a building. Asign said "Free Soup."48Jack hoped everyone outside would find better shelter beforethe monster blizzard hit.
"Excuse me!" Annie called to the men in the line for free soup.
"Do you know where the WestSide IRT subway is?""Two blocks!" said a man. "Keep going!""Thanks!" said Annie.
Jack and Annie kept going. They passed a firehouse, a cheesestore, and a newsstand. Everything was closed and shuttered.
Peddlers' carts were stuck in drifts.
Signs banged in the wind. One said: MEATBALLS ANDBEANS-10 CENTS!
Another said:
ZITO'S BAKERY-5 CENTS A LOAF!
A third said:
LODGING-2 DOLLARS A WEEk!
Jack and Annie crossed the street. They saw newsboyshuddled under a theater awning. The boys had wrapped theirfeet and legs in newspapers to keep warm.
49"Excuse me, where's the subway?" Jack shouted.
"End of the block and around the corner! Green ball!" said aboy.
Green ball?
wondered Jack.
What does that mean?
"Thanks!" said Annie. "You guys should go home! After dark,the storm's turning into a monster!"Jack and Annie trudged on. When they turned the corner,Annie shouted, "Look! A green ball!"On top of a post was a large green ball. The post was next to astairway that led underground. A sign said:
UPTOWN IRT TRAINS, 1, 2,3"That's it! Mr. Perkins said we take the number two!" saidAnnie.
"Wait, do you see Teddy and Kathleen?" said Jack, peeringthrough the snow. Annie looked with him down the city street.
"I don't see them. But I'm sure they'll find50us," said Annie. She and Jack started down the stairs that ledunderground. The stairway was filled with people trying to getout of the storm. Jack and Annie walked with the crowd into thesubway station.
A long line waited in front of a turnstile. A sign over theturnstile said:
SUBWAY: 5￠"Oops, do you have any money for the subway?" Annie askedJack.
"Yeah, I think I left home with at least a dollar in change,"said Jack. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two nickels.
"Cool," said Annie. She led the way to the line. As theywaited, Jack looked around the station. A banjo player played asilly tune, but no one smiled. A man in rags walked around,holding out a hat, begging for money. Jack took another nickelfrom his pocket and dropped it into the hat.
"Thank you, thank you. Bless you," said the beggar.
51"Sure," said Jack.
As the beggar walked on, Jack looked at Annie. "Boy, just alittle nickel made him so happy," he said.
"I know. Everyone seems really poor and desperate here," saidAnnie.
"I wonder why," said Jack. While the line moved slowlytoward the turnstile, he pulled out their research book. He readaloud from the introduction:
In the 1930s, New York City, as well as the rest of the UnitedStates, suffered through hard times known as the GreatDepression. Jobs were scarce, and many people had no money orhomes.
"That's what Mr. Perkins was talking about," said Jack. "Hardtimes.""I wish we could help everyone," said Annie. "Me too," saidJack.
"But right now our mission is to save a unicorn under a spell,"said Annie.
52Jack frowned. "Our mission sounds like a fairy tale from amake-believe world," he said. "Not the real world of the GreatDepression.""I know," said Annie. "Hey, it's almost our turn. What do wedo?""Let's watch the person in front of us," said Jack.
Jack and Annie watched an old woman put her nickel in theslot of the turnstile, which led to the train platform. The womanpushed through and joined the crowd of people waiting for thetrain. Jack and Annie put their nickels into the slot and pushedthrough, too.
The platform was bitterly cold. People looked worried, as ifthey feared the subway train might never come. Jack feltworried, too, but mainly because their mission wasn't makingany sense. They were trying to get to the zoo before the bluemoon,andbefore a monster blizzard hit the city. But when they got tothe zoo, what then?
53"This is what I don't understand," Jack said to Annie. "Thepoem says the unicorn is on public display. But if that's true,why haven't we ever read about New York City once having aunicorn in a zoo? That would be major news.""Yeah, but remember the poem says he's `hidden well,' andhe's `under a spell,"' said Annie. "So maybe the spell makes himlook like a regular animal. But when we get to the zoo and sayhis name, he'll come out of hiding and-and-""Reveal his true nature?" said Jack.
"Exactly!" said Annie.
"Okay ...... said Jack. "But how will we know what kind ofanimal to look for?"A signal bell clanged. Lights appeared at the end of the tunnel.
Jack and Annie moved with the crowd as it surged forward.
The subway train rumbled down the tracks. On the side of thetrain, Jack saw a big number 2. "That's us!" he said.
54When the train stopped, everyone on the platform crammedinside. Jack and Annie were squashed into one of the first cars.
All the seats were taken, so they had to stand in the aisle. Theyheld on to a silver pole as more riders squeezed into the subwaycar and grabbed straps hanging overhead. Jack actually didn'tmind the tight squeeze. He was anxious to thaw out from thecold.
"Look, Jack!" cried Annie. She pointed out a window of thesubway car.
Jack peered out the window, just in time to see two peoplerush across the platform toward one of the rear cars. One wasdressed in a dark cape, the other in a tan raincoat.
A bell sounded. The subway doors closed and the train starteddown the tracks.
"Yay! They're on the train!" exclaimed Annie.
"Cool," said Jack, grinning. "We'll see them when we get off.""Hey,wheredo we get off?" said Annie.
55"Oh, man, we forgot to ask!" said Jack. He turned to the ladynext to them.
"Excuse me, where do we get off for the Bronx Zoo?" he askedher.
"Tremont Avenue," the woman said gruffly.
"Where's that?" asked Annie.
"There's a map," said the woman. She pointed to a map on thewall above a row of seated passengers.
Jack and Annie stared at all the colorful lines that showed thesubway system. "Nothing here makes sense," said Jack.
"Do you need help?" the girl sitting under the map said. Shewore a tattered purple shawl over her head and shoulders.
"Yes, please," said Annie. "Can you tell us where we get offfor the Bronx Zoo?""It's much further north," said the girl. "I'll let you know whenwe get to the right stop.""Thanks," said Jack.
The train bumped and creaked along,56stopping every couple of minutes. Jack looked out the windowand tried to read the name of each station, but sometimes theplatforms were too crowded. He was glad the girl in the shawlhad promised to help them.
Just when Jack was starting to feel warm and a little drowsy,the girl called out, "Your stop's next!""Thanks a lot!" said Annie. She and Jack squeezed through thecrowd toward the doors. When the train stopped and the doorsopened, Jack and Annie were practically pushed out onto theplatform with the other people leaving.
The subway doors closed and the train moved on. |