Earthquake in the Early Morning

the cover of the California book.
    â€œWe
really
wish we could go there,” she said.
    The wind started to blow.
    The tree house started to spin.
    It spun faster and faster.
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.

“Nice clothes,” said Annie.
    Jack opened his eyes.
    Annie was wearing a blue-and-white dress with a big sailor collar and white stockings.
    Jack was wearing brown knee-length pants, a jacket, a cap, and a tie. His backpack had become a leather bag. He and Annie both wore short lace-up boots.
    A church bell started to ring.
    Gong. Gong. Gong. Gong. Gong.
    â€œIt rang five times,” said Jack. “It must be five in the morning.”
    â€œYeah,” said Annie. She was looking out the window.
    Jack looked with her. The early-morning air felt fresh and cool.
    The tree house had landed in a tree at the bottom of a hill. Painted wooden houses andgaslights lined a quiet cobblestone street. A trolley car moved along tracks up the street. It rounded the top of the hill and disappeared.
    Tall buildings towered farther off. The sun was behind them, making pink streaks in the blue sky.

    â€œIt’s really pretty here,” said Annie.
    â€œYeah,” said Jack.
    He opened the research book and read:
    On Wednesday, April 18, 1906, San Francisco was the biggest city on the west coast of the United States. It had a population of half a million people. It was also one of the loveliest cities in the country.
    Jack pulled out his notebook. He wrote:

    â€œLet’s go!” Annie said impatiently.
    Jack looked back at the book. He wanted to learn more.
    â€œNow,”
said Annie. She took the book and notebook away from him and put them into his leather bag. “Let’s not waste any more time.”
    Annie left the tree house.
    â€œDoing research is
not
wasting time,” Jack called after her.
    But he slung his bag over his shoulder and followed Annie down the rope ladder. When they had both stepped onto the grass, Jack looked around.
    â€œWhere to?” he said.
    â€œAnywhere!” said Annie. “Let’s just explore and see the sights. We can be tourists.”
    â€œOkay,” said Jack. “But don’t forget we have to find the writing for Morgan’s library.”
    They started up the cobblestone street. Asthey walked up the steep hill, the sun rose above the tall buildings.
    The early light turned everything to gold: stones, streetlamps, and the glass windows of the silent houses.
    â€œIt’s so quiet and peaceful,” said Annie.
    â€œYeah, everyone must still be sleeping,” said Jack.
    Suddenly, out of the quiet came a deep rumbling noise.
    Jack stopped. He grabbed Annie’s arm.
    â€œWhat’s that?” he said.
    The noise got louder. It sounded like thunder coming from under the ground.
    The earth started shaking.

    Church bells clanged wildly.
    The whole street began to move. The cobblestones rolled like waves on the ocean.
    â€œWhat’s happening?” Annie cried.
    Chimneys fell off roofs!
    Gaslights toppled over!
    Bricks crashed to the street!
    â€œGet down!” shouted Jack. “Cover your head!”
    Jack and Annie crouched on the ground with their arms over their heads. All around them was rumbling, clanging, crashing, and breaking.
    Then the world grew still. The rumbling stopped.
    Jack and Annie raised their heads. The air was filled with dust.
    â€œIt’s over,” said Jack.
    â€œThat must have been an earthquake!” said Annie.
    â€œI think so,” Jack agreed.
    â€œI guess I should have let you do a little more research on this place,” Annie said.
    â€œYeah, probably,” said Jack. “Except I don’t know exactly what we could have done.”
    Jack slowly stood up. His legs felt wobbly. As he brushed off his pants, the deep rumbling came again—louder than before.
    Then the terrible shaking started. It was even harder than before.
    Jack was hurled to the ground. The earth trembled and quaked. Jack bounced against the hard cobblestones.
    â€œAnnie!” he cried.
    He tried to stand, but fell again. Throughthe dusty air, he saw the tall buildings swaying against the sky!
    Roofs were caving in!
    Up and down the street, bricks, glass, and concrete showered down!
    It seemed like a long time before the dreadful noise and shaking finally stopped.

A cloud of dust billowed around Jack. He could hardly breathe. He couldn’t see. But he could hear