Late Lunch with Llamas

by Mary Pope Osborne

  “Wow,” said Annie. “Sixteen water fountains! We just need one.”

  Jack turned back to their book.

  “Look,” he said, pointing at the map. “There’s one near the edge of the plaza.”

  “Great,” said Annie. “Let’s sneak over.”

  “No, don’t sneak. We have to act like we belong here,” said Jack.

  “Right. Put your hat back on,” said Annie.

  They both put their hats back on. “I think we need more than just our hats,” said Jack. He looked around and saw two wooden shovels propped against the stone wall. “Let’s borrow those.”

  Jack and Annie each picked up a shovel.

  “Whoa. This thing weighs a ton!” said Annie.

  “No kidding,” said Jack. “But we have to walk like it doesn’t. Act like you carry it to the fields every day.”

  They swung their shovels over their shoulders.

  “Let’s go,” said Annie.

  Jack and Annie headed toward the fountain at the edge of the grassy plaza. They passed women in long red skirts holding babies. They passed kids throwing a ball the size of a basketball.

  “Be cool,” whispered Annie.

  “Yep,” said Jack, though he didn’t feel at all cool. His shoulder felt like it was about to crack. His heart was pounding.

  They passed a forge where workers were busy hammering metal. No one seemed to be paying attention to them.

  When they reached the fountain, Jack was glad to see it was mostly surrounded by low stone walls. He and Annie slipped through a narrow opening. They dropped their shovels and pulled off their wool hats.

  Sparkling clean water streamed from the mouth of the fountain.

  “Whew!” said Annie.

  She cupped her hands under the stream and drank. Then she stepped aside.

  Jack took off his glasses. He splashed the cold water over his hot face and gulped as much as he could. He felt Annie shaking his shoulder.

  “They’re here! They’re here!” she whispered.

  “Who? What?” Jack said. He wiped his face with his poncho. He put on his glasses and peered through the narrow opening of the wall.

  Two men were walking toward the plaza. They wore helmets with feathers and carried spears. They were followed by a line of white llamas roped together.

  The parade of llamas made no sound, except for the tapping of their hooves on the stone pathway—and the ringing of a small bell.

  “Hear that? A bell!” said Annie. “Look!”

  She pointed to the end of the line. The smallest llama had silver fur and wore a collar with a bell.

  “Cria,” whispered Annie.

  “Are you sure that’s Cria?” said Jack.

  “Yes! She’s the only silver one. She’s wearing a bell. And she’s tiny!” said Annie.

  “Right, right,” said Jack. “But we can’t just charge over there and grab her. We need to make a plan.”

  “Make it fast!” said Annie. “She looks tired. She can’t keep up with the big llamas!”

  “I know. But look, they’ve stopped,” said Jack. “Something’s going on.”

  The two royal guards had stopped on the lowest level of the plaza.

  Leaving the animals, the guards climbed up to the highest level. They entered a gate that led to the largest building on the plaza.

  “The Royal Palace,” said Jack, remembering their map.

  A moment later, the two men returned. Four others followed them. They also carried spears and wore helmets with feathers.

  “More guards,” said Annie.

  The men were guarding a tall man who walked behind them. The man wore a cape covered with glittering jewels. Gold earrings hung from his ears. His headdress was made of coils of gold with gold feathers that looked like rays of sunlight.

  All the people in the plaza stopped what they were doing. Everyone stared at the glittering, golden man.

  “Who is he?” whispered Jack.

  “Check the book!” whispered Annie.

  Jack pulled out their guide. He quickly found a painting that showed a man wearing the same clothes and headdress. He and Annie read together:

  Emperor Pachacuti ruled the Inca Empire from 1438 to 1471. The fierce emperor was called Earth Shaker because he created the largest empire in South America. He also founded the secret city of Machu Picchu.

  “I get it!” whispered Annie. “They took the baby llama as a gift for Earth Shaker. We have to get her back before they give her to him.”

  “Hold on, wait!” said Jack. “We need a plan!”

  “No! Now’s the time!” said Annie. “He and his guards aren’t paying attention to her. It’s now or never! That’s the plan!”

  Before Jack could stop her, Annie stepped out from their hiding place.

  “Annie!” he whispered.

  Annie started walking toward the llamas. Jack looked around. No one seemed to notice Annie. All eyes were on Emperor Pachacuti.

  High on the plaza, the emperor and his men were talking. They, too, seemed unaware of Annie heading toward the llamas.

  Annie walked casually to the little silver llama at the end of the line. She patted Cria’s head and whispered in her ear. Then she tried to untie her. But she seemed to have trouble with the knot.

  She’s taking too long, Jack thought frantically. He had to help her.

  Jack stepped out from his hiding place and headed toward Annie and Cria. He was terrified, but he tried to walk calmly.

  Before he even got close, the baby llama broke free from the rope. She started sprinting across the plaza. She was heading away from Jack.

  “Get her, Jack!” Annie cried.

  People in the plaza laughed and pointed at Cria. Some Inca children started running after her.

  Jack charged toward the baby llama, too. He reached her first. He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her fuzzy silver fur.

  Annie caught up to them. She held Cria’s little head and looked into her eyes. “It’s okay…,” Annie said breathlessly. “It’s okay. We’re taking you home to Topa.”

  The baby llama nuzzled Annie’s hand. Before Annie and Jack could whisk her away, a man shouted, “Thieves!”

  Jack turned and saw two royal guards hurrying toward them. Their spears were raised.

  “We have to take her back home to her true owner!” Annie said boldly. “She belongs to our friend Topa!”

  The guards reached for the llama.

  “HALT!” someone shouted.

  The royal guards backed off. Behind them, Emperor Pachacuti was striding toward Jack and Annie. Under his gold headdress, he had jet-black hair, dark eyes, and a rugged face.

  “Who are you?” he said, glaring at them.

  “I’m Annie, and he’s my brother, Jack,” Annie said. “And this baby llama is Cria. She belongs to our friend Topa. He is an orphan. He takes care of her like she is family.”

  Jack glanced at the guards. He didn’t want to make them angrier. “She got lost on Young Mountain,” he said.

  “But these two nice guards must have found her,” said Annie. She smiled at the men who had taken Cria. “We’re happy to take her off their hands now and return her to Topa.”

  The emperor stared coldly at the baby llama. Cria stared back with bright, wide eyes. The llama’s fearless gaze reminded Jack of Annie.

  “I like this small animal. Her color is unusual,” said the emperor. “I have none like her. She will stay.”

  Oh, no! thought Jack. What now?

  “I’m sorry,” said Annie. “But I’m afraid she doesn’t want to stay here. She thinks it’s pretty, and she thinks you’re really great. But she wants to go home to the little boy who loves her.”

  “That’s right,” Jack said nervously. “That’s—that’s what she wants.”
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  “How do you know what this animal wants?” the emperor said.

  “Uh…well…” Jack didn’t know what to say.

  “I got this,” Annie whispered to him. She looked at the emperor. “We know because she told me.”

  The emperor looked amused. “What? This llama talks to you?”

  “Yes, she does,” said Annie.

  Oh, no, this won’t work! thought Jack.

  Annie looked at Jack. “She talks, right?” Under her breath, she repeated their rhyme: “Old legends will help you.”

  Suddenly Jack remembered words from their guide: Inca legend says that in early times, llamas could talk.

  “Um…yes, she talks to Annie,” Jack said.

  The royal guards laughed. The onlookers nearby murmured in low, excited voices.

  “Show us,” the emperor ordered. “Show us all how this little llama speaks.”

  Jack held his breath.

  “No problem,” said Annie. She knelt beside Cria and looked into her eyes.

  The baby llama fluttered her long eyelashes.

  “What do you want to do, Cria?” Annie asked her.

  Then Annie put her ear close to Cria’s mouth. She nodded as if the llama were whispering back to her.

  Oh, no! He’ll never fall for that, Jack thought.

  Annie looked up at the emperor. “She says she would like to go home.”

  The emperor scowled. Then he broke into laughter. “I see, you are playing a children’s game,” he said. “You and your brother must leave now. I will keep the llama.”

  “Oh…wait, please,” said Annie. “I’ll tell her to talk louder.”

  “Annie—” said Jack.

  “Shh,” she said.

  She whispered again in Cria’s ear. Then she stared for a long moment into the huge eyes of the baby llama.

  Cria stared back at Annie with an alert gaze. Then the baby llama began to speak.

  “TOPA,” Cria said in a tiny voice. “GO BACK TO TOPA.”

  Jack couldn’t believe it! He laughed out loud. How did Annie do that? How did Cria speak?

  The emperor gasped and stared in amazement at the small silver llama. A hush came over the crowd. The guards and the people in the plaza watched with wonder.

  “TOPA,” Cria said again. “GO BACK TO TOPA.”

  “Hear that?” said Annie. “Topa is the boy who cares for her. She wants to go back to him. You heard her, right?” Annie turned back to Cria. “Say it again. Say it louder.”

  “GO BACK TO TOPA NOW!” Cria said clearly and loudly.

  The emperor looked stunned. Then his face softened. “I understand she loves the boy,” he said. “Her great feelings for him gave her the power of speech.”

  “Right,” said Annie. “And Topa loves her, too. She is his whole world.”

  Emperor Pachacuti nodded. “You must take her back to him,” he said.

  “Really?” said Jack.

  “Yes.” The emperor looked around at his guards and the people watching. “The miracle llama has spoken. Her wishes must be honored.”

  “Thank you!” said Jack and Annie.

  “Come, Cria. Let’s go home to Topa,” said Annie.

  The baby llama took halting steps. The crowd silently parted to let Jack, Annie, and Cria pass.

  Jack looked straight ahead. He didn’t dare glance back. He was afraid the emperor might change his mind.

  “Can’t take her through the forest,” Jack said quietly to Annie. “Go the way she came up, the Old Trail. It was marked on the map.”

  “Got it,” Annie whispered.

  “That way. Through the arch,” said Jack. “Walk faster.”

  Jack and Annie walked faster. The silver llama took springy little steps beside them. She seemed to know she was going home.

  Jack led the way to the stone arch. Guards stood on either side. They stared in awe at Cria as she pranced through.

  On the other side of the arch, a rocky path led through the brush. Starting down the trail, Jack breathed more calmly.

  “How did she do that?” he asked. “How did you make her talk? What happened?”

  “I remembered our rhyme,” said Annie, “and the words in the book about old legends that said llamas could speak. I believed it could be true. And Cria believed it, too. And she talked! Simple!”

  “Not simple,” said Jack with a grin. “Impossible!”

  Annie, Jack, and Cria moved quickly down the winding trail. When they rounded a corner, Jack gasped and stopped.

  They could see the long path ahead. The trail ran along the very edge of the mountain. Far below, the river raged between Old Mountain and Young Mountain.

  “Oh, no,” Jack said. “The trail looks just as dangerous as the bridge!”

  “It’s okay,” Annie said. “We got this. Just remember, don’t look down.”

  Jack forced himself to look away from the steep drop-off. “Okay,” he said. “We have to go single file. Follow me, with Cria between us.”

  “No problem,” said Annie. “Don’t worry about us. Stay close to the side of the mountain.”

  Jack led the way as they started down the stone path. He could hear the soft click of Cria’s hooves behind him, and the sound of her bell.

  He forced himself to look straight ahead as he, Annie, and Cria carefully wound their way down the trail. A soft wind blew against the mountainside.

  “Look, Jack!” said Annie.

  “I can’t. Don’t ask me to look at anything,” he said.

  “But it’s good news,” said Annie. “I see the bridge. It’s not far.”

  “Cool,” said Jack. The bridge was good news—and bad news. How would they cross it with the llama? How had the guards done it?

  “Oh, no, I don’t believe it! Jack, look!” said Annie.

  “I said I can’t,” said Jack.

  “No, not down! Look up! Up at the sky!” said Annie.

  Jack looked up. “Oh…whoa,” he whispered.

  Condors.

  “You said condors prey on small animals!” said Annie.

  “Sometimes maybe. Not always!” said Jack.

  “What about now? Are they after Cria?” cried Annie.

  “No, no. Stop. Stop walking,” said Jack.

  He, Annie, and Cria came to a halt.

  Jack and Annie leaned against the mountainside. They looked up at the giant vultures circling overhead. One curved through the air and glided closer to them.

  “We have to protect Cria!” cried Annie. She put her arms around the baby llama. “I’ll carry her.”

  “No, you can’t. She’s too heavy!” said Jack.

  “Then let’s do it together,” said Annie.

  “No, the trail’s not wide enough,” said Jack.

  “Then what?” said Annie.

  “I’ll carry her,” said Jack. “I’m bigger than you.”

  Jack put his arms around the baby llama. He slowly and carefully picked her up.

  “Ahh!” he said, almost falling over.

  Jack got his balance. He took a deep breath. Then he began moving down the narrow trail with the baby llama in his arms.

  “Hold her tight!” said Annie.

  “I’m trying!” said Jack.

  A condor floated closer. Its wide wings cast a shadow over them.

  Jack couldn’t believe how huge the bird was!

  “Go away! Leave us alone!” Annie yelled.

  “Cria’s too heavy! We have to stop again!” said Jack. “We need another plan!” He lowered the llama to the ground.

  Annie threw her arms around Cria, and Jack pulled out their travel guide. The baby llama let out high-pitched cries, as if she was terrified.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Annie said, trying to soothe her.

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bsp; “Hold on, be calm,” said Jack. He found the page on condors. He read the caption under a photo:

  The huge condors of the Andes once held a high place of honor. In old legends, they were portrayed as special creatures that carried messages from earth to the starry heavens.

  “Oh…okay! I got this,” said Jack. He closed the book. He knew what to do. He remembered another thing their guide book said about llamas: The Incas once believed llamas were protected by a star constellation shaped like a mother and a baby llama.

  “Hey there!” he called to the condor hovering above them. “Hey there, listen to me! Take a message to the starry heavens. Tell the llama constellation to look down on this baby llama and take care of her! GO! NOW! PLEASE!”

  The condor floated for a moment. Then it dipped its wings and soared upward. The others followed. The flock of huge birds gracefully glided through the sky and disappeared behind the mountaintop.

  “Jack, it worked!” cried Annie. “How did you do that?”

  “I—I don’t know. I did what you did with Cria for a moment. I believed the Incas’ legends could be true,” said Jack. “And I guess the condors believed that, too!”

  “Great work!” said Annie. “To the bridge!”

  Annie, Jack, and Cria started walking again single file down the trail. Jack could see the rope bridge. The river far below roared and tumbled between mountains of rock.

  When they reached the bridge, the baby llama tried to turn back.

  “Wait!” said Jack, stopping her. He looked in her eyes. “Remember you crossed before? With the guards and the other llamas? You got this.”

  “You do,” Annie said to Cria. “Plus, Jack and I are with you.”

  “I’ll go first,” said Jack. He stepped onto the swaying bridge. It rocked with every step he took. But he kept walking.

  Jack heard Cria’s bell ringing behind him. He heard Annie murmuring, “Good…good…you’re doing great…keep going…”

  The sound of Annie’s soft words and Cria’s little bell gave Jack courage. Finally they reached the other side. One by one, they stepped onto the solid ground of Young Mountain.