Jack opened his eyes. He pushed his glasses into place.

Morgan was gone. And so were Jack’s jeans, T-shirt, sneakers, and backpack.

Instead, he had on a white tunic with a belt, sandals that laced up, and a leather bag.

He looked at Annie. She was dressed the same way. Morgan had made them look just like kids in an ancient Roman town.

“I guess this is what Morgan meant,” said Jack, “when she said she’d help us blend in.”

“I feel like Cinderella,” said Annie. “I like these clothes.”

“Yeah,” said Jack, although he felt a little as if he was wearing a dress.

Annie looked out the window.

“It’s pretty here,” she said.

Jack looked with her. They had landed in a grove of trees. On one side of the grove rose a gentle-looking mountain. On the other, a town sparkled in the sunlight.

“I wonder where we are,” said Jack. He opened the book about Roman times. He read aloud:

Almost 2,000 years ago, on August 24, A.D. 79, the seaside town of Pompeii (pom-PAY) was a typical Roman town. Many Romans went there on their vacation. They built large houses called villas and planted groves of olive trees along the slopes of a mountain called Mount Vesuvius (vuh-SOO-vee-us).

Annie kept looking out the window as Jack pulled out his notebook and pencil. He wrote:

Jack looked out the window again.

“It does look like a nice place to go on vacation,” he said.

“We must have landed in one of the olive groves,” said Annie.

“Yeah, and that town must be Pompeii,” said Jack.

He looked in the opposite direction. “And that mountain must be Mount Vesuvius.”

Annie shivered. “That name sounds scary,” she said.

“Really?” said Jack. “Not to me.” He looked down at his notes.

“Hey! Did you feel that?” said Annie.

“What?” Jack looked up.

“The ground shook. I heard it rumble, too,” said Annie.

Jack frowned. “I think you were just dreaming again,” he said.

“No, I wasn’t,” said Annie. “Something feels wrong about this place. I really think we should go home now.”

“Are you nuts?” said Jack. “We have to find that lost story for Morgan. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see a Roman town.”

He threw his notebook and the Roman book into his leather bag. Then he went down the rope ladder.

“Come on!” he called when he stepped onto the ground.

Annie just stared down at him.

“Don’t be chicken,” he said. He pushed his glasses into place. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Annie still didn’t move.

What’s wrong with her? Jack wondered. Usually I’m the worried one.

“Come on,” he pleaded. “We can’t let Morgan down.”

Annie let out a big sigh. “Okay, but we’d better find that story fast,” she said. Finally she climbed down the rope ladder.

The sun was bright and hot as they took off between the olive trees.

With Mount Vesuvius at their backs, they headed for the town of Pompeii.

“That’s weird,” said Annie. “I don’t hear any birds.”

She was right. The grove was strangely silent.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Jack. “Maybe they’re all at the beach. Come on—let’s go over that bridge.”

He led the way to a small wooden bridge that crossed a narrow stream. But when they got to the stream, they found it had dried up.

“That’s really weird,” said Annie.

“Don’t worry,” said Jack. “It just means there hasn’t been much rain.”

They crossed the bridge and stepped onto a busy street. It was paved with stone.

People were buying things in the open shops that lined the street. Some looked rushed and busy. Others moved slowly. Kids walked with their parents. Groups of teenagers talked and laughed.

They don’t seem very different from people shopping in Frog Creek, Jack thought. Except for the clothes, of course.

“How will we ever find the ancient lost library?” said Annie, glancing around.

“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Just be on the lookout.”

They walked past shops that had huge jars in them. When Jack looked closely, he saw that they were filled with grain, dried fruit, and olives. Meat hung from the ceilings of some of the stores.

They passed a noisy tavern where people were eating and drinking. A young man played a stringed instrument.

“See, there’s nothing to worry about,” said Jack. “This place isn’t all that different from our time.”

“It’s not that,” said Annie with a worried look.

“See, there’s a barbershop and a shoe shop,” said Jack, pointing.

A boy was getting his hair cut by the barber. A girl was trying on a new pair of sandals with her mother.

“It is kind of like home,” Annie agreed.

They kept walking, until they passed a bakery filled with freshly baked flat breads.

“That bread is like pizza,” said Annie, smiling.

“Yeah,” said Jack.

The good smells from the bakery made him feel even more at home. Jack looked at Annie. She was still smiling as they walked on.

Soon they came to a large square filled with people, carts and horses, and more shopping stalls.

“Honey cakes! Stuffed dates! Peacock eggs!” sellers called.

Farmers were selling grapes, garlic, and onions. Fishermen were selling all kinds of fish. A few people stood on boxes, giving speeches to small crowds.

“Hey, I bet this is the forum!” said Jack. He reached in his bag for his book. He flipped through it until he found a picture of the square. He read:

The center of a Roman town was called a forum. The forum was the main place where people met to sell goods and discuss politics.

“I was right!” said Jack. He pulled out his notebook. He wrote:

“Jack,” whispered Annie. “Jack!” She tugged on his tunic. “Look.”

Jack glanced up. Annie nodded toward an old woman who was staring straight at them.

She wore a black cloak. Her gray hair was tangled and wild. She seemed to be missing her teeth.

The woman pointed a bony finger at Jack and Annie.

“The end is near!” she said in a raspy voice. “Go home, strangers!”

“Yikes,” said Annie.

“We’d better get away from her,” said Jack, “before people wonder who we are.”

He put away his notebook. Then he and Annie hurried away. The old woman cackled behind them.