Do you see Teddy and Kathleen?" asked Jack.
The crowd was swarming away from the subway platformtoward different exits. Jack couldn't see anyone who looked likethe two young enchanters.
"No," said Annie. "But if we figured out where to get off, I'msure they did, too. Let's hurry and get to the zoo. We can meetup with them there."Jack and Annie moved with the crowd. They passed a changebooth on the way out of the58station. "Wait, I'll ask where to go," said Annie. She waited inline and then leaned forward to talk to the man in the booth.
"Do you know how to walk to the Bronx Zoo from here?" shesaid.
"Walkto the Bronx Zoo? Are you out of your mind?" said the man.
"This isn't the stop for the Bronx Zoo! It's much further north.""You mean we got out at the wrong stop?" said Annie.
"You did, but it doesn't matter," said the man. "You can't getthere now, anyway. The tracks near the zoo are above ground.
And I just got word they're buried in snow.""Oh, no," said Jack.
"Lousy day for the zoo, anyway," said the man. "Next!"Jack and Annie stepped away from the booth and walked outof the subway station. The sidewalk was deserted. "Oh, man,that girl gave us the wrong information," said Jack.
59"This is terrible," said Annie.
"No kidding," said Jack. He looked around, wondering what todo next.
AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA!
"What's that?" said Jack.
"It looks like a taxi." Annie pointed at a big yellow car with acheckerboard stripe and writing on the side. Its horn let out aloud squawk:
AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA!
The driver stuck his head out the window. He wore a bigfurry cap that came down over his ears. "Need a taxi?" he called.
"Yes!" shouted Annie. "Come on, Jack! He can take us to thezoo!" Jack hurried after her through the snow.
The taxi driver stepped out of the cab and opened the backdoor. "Hop in!" he said. His cheerful voice was muffled through aplaid scarf that covered half his face.
"Thanks!" said Jack. He stepped onto a running board and thenclimbed inside.
60The taxi was very roomy. Jack could stretch his legs out andnot even touch the front seat. "Boy, lots more room in old carsthan ours," he said to Annie.
"Yeah," said Annie. "And there's no seat belts.""Oh, yeah," said Jack. "I guess old cars didn't have any. I hopethis guy is a good driver."The driver slid open a little window that separated the frontseat from the back. "Where to?" he asked.
"Can you please take us to the Bronx Zoo?" said Annie.
"We're in a big hurry to get there," said Jack.
"Sure thing, kiddos," said the driver.
"Great," said Jack.
"Oh, how much will it cost?" asked Annie.
"About thirty cents," said the driver. "Can you afford it?""Sure thing, kiddo," said Annie.
The driver laughed and closed the window.
61Then the taxi began moving through the snow. "Everything'sso cheap here," Annie said to Jack.
"Tousit is," said Jack. "But it's the Great Depression. Lots of peopledon't even have a nickel."The taxi slid over the icy road and bumped over the curb.
"Whoa!" said Jack, slipping off the seat.
"Sorry, kiddos!" called the driver. He got the taxi back onto thestreet. Then he plowed on through the snow, swerving this wayand that.
The ride seemed dangerous in the bad weather, but Jack didn'twant to get out now. He stared nervously out the window. Thestreets were empty of people. All the stores were closed andshuttered. Snow was piling up on apartment stoops, fire escapes,and iron balconies. Many of the buildings were shabby andcrumbling, with broken windows.
"Hard times," Annie said softly.
62"Yep," said Jack. He took a deep breath.
The taxi climbed up a road lined with tall evergreen trees.
Suddenly it skidded and came to a stop. The engine roared, butthe taxi's wheels only spun in the snow.
"What's happening?" Jack wondered aloud. He tapped on theglass that separated them from the driver.
The driver slid the window open. "Too bad, kiddos, looks likeI'm stuck," he said.
"Are we near the zoo?" asked Annie.
"It's still a long ways from here, I'm sorry to say," said thedriver. "But this taxi's not going anywhere. I don't know whatelse to tell you.""Oh. Well, thanks," said Annie. "How much do we owe you?""Forget it, kiddo," said the driver. "Good luck!""Good luck yourself, kiddo," said Annie. She opened the door,and she and Jack climbed out into the cold wind. The taxi motorkept running,63but the wheels only spun in place, sending up sprays of dirtysnow.
"I don't believe this," said Jack.
"Maybe there's a subway station somewhere near here," saidAnnie.
"The man in the booth said the subways aren't running all theway to the zoo," said Jack.
"I know, but maybe we can at least get closer," said Annie.
Jack and Annie struggled through the storm until they cameto a steep cliff. Over the edge of the cliff they saw nothing but acloud of windblown snow.
"Where are we?" said Annie.
"I have no idea," said Jack. His teeth chattered. His eyes andears stung with the cold, and his hands and feet felt numb.
Isn't this what frostbite feels like?
he thought.
Numb?
"Let's go back and sit in that taxi until we figure out what todo," said Jack. "At least get out of the wind."64"Okay," said Annie. "Maybe the driver will get it going again."Jack and Annie headed back the way they'd come. But thetaxi was gone!
"Hey, he must've got unstuck!" said Annie. "And he left us!""Oh, man," said Jack. "We're having really rotten luck. And Ithink I'm starting to get frostbite. Seriously.""It looks like there's a building over there," said Annie. "I see atower.""Yeah, me too," said Jack. "Let's go there and try to figure outwhat to do next."Jack and Annie trekked up what looked like a long drivewayuntil they came to the gray stone building. Jack wiped snowfrom a sign in front.
CLOISTERS OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, OPEN TOTHE PUBLIC"A museum!" said Annie. "Let's go in and ask them how to getto the zoo.""Yeah, and get warm for a minute," said Jack.
65He and Annie climbed the snow-covered steps of theCloisters. Annie opened the door, and the wind nearly sweptthem inside.
They pushed the door shut.
"Ah! My first visitors all day!" a woman chirped.
Jack and Annie turned around. A museum lady sat at a deskin a corner. Dressed in a green uniform, she was tall and thinwith a friendly face and short gray hair.
"I'm sorry, but we can't stay long," said Annie. "We just camehere to get warm for a minute and get some information.""What can I tell you?" the woman asked. "We're trying to getto the Bronx Zoo," said Jack. "Is there a subway near here?""Well, the A train is close by," said the museum lady. "Butthat won't take you anywhere near the zoo.""Oh, darn," said Annie.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sad," the woman said66brightly. "If I were you, I'd stay right here and enjoy theCloisters! You won't regret it, I promise. The Cloisters holdsmost of the medieval collection of the world-famousMetropolitan Museum of Art.""What's a cloister?" Annie asked.
"It's an enclosed garden or courtyard," said the museum lady.
"We have four in all. They beautifully evoke medieval times,from the Romanesque period to the light, airy elegance of theGothic.""Cool," said Jack politely. He had no idea what she wastalking about.
"I suppose the gardensarecool most days, my dear," said the woman. "But today theyare freezing! Never mind, you don't have to spend time in thegardens to enjoy the museum. Inside, we have many beautifulexhibits. The tapestries are especially lovely. They were wovenwith beautiful yarns by weavers from the Netherlands. Foryears, they hung in a French castle and managed67to escape destruction during the Revolution. Then, for twogenerations-""Excuse me," said Jack. He was eager to end the woman'sboring lecture so they could be on their way.
But she kept talking excitedly. "The tapestries were used bypeasants to protect potatoes stored in their barns until,eventually, a countess rescued them. They were restored, and in1922, Mr. John D. Rockefeller bought them. Just last year, Mr.
Rockefeller gave them as gifts to-""Oh, that is so cool!" interrupted Jack loudly. He pretended tobe interested so they could escape. "We'dloveto see them! Where are they?""The tapestry room is just on the other side of the firstcloister," the woman said, pointing. "Turn that corner, go out thedoor, and then walk through the garden to the door of thetapestry room.""Let's go, Annie. Quick!" said Jack. He and Annie went aroundthe corner, out the door, and into a snowy garden.
68"Whew!" said Jack. "I didn't want to be rude. But we're shorton time.""I know," said Annie.
69"What now?" said Jack, shivering in the cold.
"We need to figure out exactly where we are," said Annie,"and where the Bronx Zoo is. Maybe we can just walk therefrom here.""Come on, let's get inside the tapestry room and check ourresearch book for a map," said Jack.
They walked along the edge of the garden under a coveredwalkway. When they came to a door, Jack pushed it open, andhe and Annie slipped out of the cold into a large, warm room.
Jack closed the door against the storm and unbuckled hisbriefcase to take out their research book.
"Ohh ... wow!" breathed Annie.
"What? What?" said Jack. He looked up.
The walls of the room were covered with cloth hangings-tapestries shimmering with gold and silver.
"Oh ... !" whispered Jack.
"A unicorn!"said Annie. |