The water rippled just before Root and Runnel vaulted feetfirst out of the puddle, landing like a secret between the furrows. Instead of shaking themselves dry, they rubbed the excess water into their chapped skin, cherishing the moisture. In these days of drought, there wasn’t another surface puddle within a hundred miles, and it had taken all their resources to make this one. The anxious Puddlejumpers knew it was dangerous to venture into the Up Above, but they felt it was a necessary risk. They sniffed cautiously in all directions before setting out. The soft amber light from their lantern lit the way down through the wheat. In the distance, there were rumblings of thunder and flashes of heat lightning. The Jumpers emerged at the farmyard and went straight to the back of the house, where they scampered up a drainpipe onto the window ledge. Root and Runnel stared wide-eyed through the glass. Inside, the old crib room was dark. The little ones squeezed past the screen, then, using all their strength, pried open the window and slipped into the room.
