¹     Jack felt like crawling home. He loved to play baseball. He really did! Sometimes a boy just needed a break. He had played too many innings!
 
²     Each game is made up of nine innings. Jack played for the Hudson Hitters. He had played twelve games in six days. Maybe he would go to bed and sleep for three days! That is how tired he was.
 
³     He dragged his bat behind him. He flopped onto the green grass under a shady tree. He heard a mama bird singing to her babies. He pulled his cap down over his eyes. It felt so good to lie on the cool grass. He would rest for a minute. Then he would get up and walk home.
 
⁴     "Hey, you!" a small voice called. "Wake up!"
 
⁵     Jack opened his eyes. He was still under the tree. He tried to sit up, but he was stuck! Why couldn't he sit up? He turned his head and saw a brown squirrel standing beside him. He turned his head the other way. More squirrels were gathered on the other side. Why weren't the squirrels afraid of him?
 
⁶     "What is holding me down?" Jack wondered.
 
⁷     "We tied you down!" the squirrel beside his head replied. "You belong to us now."
 
⁸     Jack wished that he could rub his eyes. His arms stayed down at his sides. "Is this a dream?" he asked.

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