The Crack in the Desert

Polly flew over a desert of pink and gold mountains. Below her, a dark line cut through the rock, like a crack in a giant wall. Polly is a small green parrot with a red-orange head, blue wing feathers, yellow feet, and little round glasses.

She landed at the mouth of the crack. Long ago, camel caravans walked into this crack and disappeared between the walls. People say a hidden city waits at the other end. Its name is Petra.

The walls of the crack rose high above her, taller than any tower. Polly could fly over them in a minute. But she did not want to.

She wanted to arrive the old way, along the floor of the canyon, just like the caravans. The walk takes about twenty minutes. Polly gave herself seven days.