The Magic Bamboo Forest

Ruby woke up Tuesday morning with a tap at her window. It sounded like Jack was throwing pebbles. It was still dark outside. Her clock said 4 a.m. “Nooooooooo,” She moaned. “GO AWAY! I’m tired!” And she pulled the pillow over her head to drown out the noise. The tapping was persistent, and the rocks were getting bigger. Jack did this often when he couldn’t sleep, or if he had an earth shattering thought that couldn’t wait until the morning to share. She hadn’t talked to Jack for two days, so he had no idea what was going on with her. She opened the window. “WHAT???” She whispered, irritated, as she looked down at him on the sidewalk. She had been grumping around all day, never leaving her pajamas. “Hurry up…Get dressed…we gotta go.” Jack said in a loud whisper. “What are you talking about? It’s not even light out yet! Where are we going?” “It’s a surprise! Leave a note for your mom and let’s go!!” “Oh, for cripe’s sake, always rush, rush, rush,” she grumbled, as she came back inside the window and pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt. Turning on the light to look around, she felt that she should bring more. She never knew where Jack’s adventures would bring her, or for how long, so she grabbed her big ‘essentials’ bag. -Sketchbook, colored pencils, a few personal items and her gardening tools. After she scribbled a note to her mother and left it on the dresser, she grabbed a sweatshirt and a pack of gum. Jack giggled as she got in the car, and she looked at him quizzically. “What’s up?” She asked, starting to smile at his giddiness.