Blizzard of the Blue Moon Page 5

  “Poor Grinda and Balor,” said Annie. “Now they’re ducks.”

  “Oh, do not worry,” said Teddy. “The spell will wear off in a few days, and they’ll find their way home.”

  “Yes,” said Kathleen, “and I am sure the Dark Wizard will have some other wicked plan for them.”

  “Aye,” said Merlin, “but they will no longer have the use of their black rope.” He picked the rope up from the ground and handed it to Teddy.

  “Take this back to Camelot and see that it is destroyed.”

  “Gladly,” said Teddy.

  “It must be terrible to work for the Dark Wizard,” said Annie. She looked at Merlin. “I’m glad we work for you instead.”

  Merlin smiled. “And so am I,” he said. “On your last four missions, you and Jack have proved you know how to use magic wisely. And for that, I now entrust you with one of Camelot’s greatest treasures.”

  Merlin pulled a spiraled wand from his robe. “I give you the Wand of Dianthus,” he said. “As you can see, the wand is made in the shape of the unicorn’s horn. It has a bit of his magic in it.” Merlin held the silver wand out to Jack and Annie.

  Jack took the wand from Merlin. It burned in his hand—with cold or warmth, he couldn’t tell which.

  “With the help of the wand, you can make your own magic,” said Merlin.

  “But you can only use it after you have tried your hardest,” said Morgan, “and remember that it can only be used for another’s good.”

  “We’ll remember,” breathed Annie.

  “Thank you,” said Jack. He unbuckled his briefcase and carefully placed the silver wand inside.

  “We must leave you now,” said Merlin. He turned to Teddy and Kathleen. “You may ride Dianthus home to Camelot. I will be along shortly. But first, I would like to drive that taxi around New York City myself. Morgan, will you join me?”

  “Indeed,” said Morgan. “But drive a bit more slowly than Teddy, please.”

  “I promise nothing,” said Merlin. He looked at Jack and Annie. “Good evening to you, my friends. I will call for you again soon.”

  “Bye,” said Annie and Jack.

  Merlin took Morgan’s arm, and the two walked back to the taxi and climbed into the front seat. The big yellow car sputtered and then took off wildly. As it careened up the avenue, Merlin blew its horn.

  AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA!

  Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen laughed.

  “My,” said Kathleen. “I believe I would much rather ride Dianthus than go with Merlin!”

  The white unicorn knelt in the snow. Kathleen and Teddy climbed onto his back. Dianthus stood up.

  Teddy smiled down at Jack and Annie. “You know ’tis a very great honor to be given the Wand of Dianthus,” he said.

  “I know,” said Jack shyly. “Thanks for getting us to the right place at the right time today.”

  “Hey, were you guys in Venice, looking out for us there, too?” said Annie. “And Baghdad? And Paris?”

  The two young enchanters looked at one another. Then they nodded their heads.

  “We knew it!” said Annie. “Thanks for helping us!”

  “And thanks for the book of magic rhymes,” said Jack.

  “You are most welcome,” said Teddy. “And now we must go. We hope to see you again soon.”

  “Good-bye, Dianthus,” said Annie. She stroked the unicorn’s neck one last time.

  Dianthus lowered his head and stared at her with his soft blue eyes. They sparkled in the last bit of daylight. Annie stood on her toes and whispered in the unicorn’s ear. Then she stepped back.

  Dianthus snorted. He raised his head. Then he leapt forward. In a flash of silver, the unicorn and his two riders were gone.

  Standing in the cold dusk, Annie stared silently into the distance.

  “What did you say to him?” asked Jack.

  “I told him he had to go with Teddy and Kathleen,” Annie said. She blinked back tears. “I told him they would show him the way home now.”

  “Oh,” said Jack. He put his hand on Annie’s back. “Don’t worry. We’ll see Dianthus again someday. I just feel it.”

  Annie smiled. “You’re starting to sound like me,” she said.

  “Uh-oh,” said Jack. He shivered. Night was falling fast. “Ready?”

  “Sure, let’s go,” said Annie. She followed Jack to the tree house and up the rope ladder. They climbed inside and looked out the window.

  The lights of New York City were starting to come on. A full moon was rising over the snow-covered park.

  “Hello, blue moon,” said Jack.

  “Good-bye, blue moon,” said Annie.

  Jack picked up the scroll from Merlin. He pointed to the words Frog Creek in Merlin’s note. “I wish we could go home!” he said.

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  * * *

  A cold wind blew through the Frog Creek woods. A few fat snowflakes drifted into the tree house. Jack and Annie were dressed in their own clothes again. Jack’s briefcase had turned back into a backpack.

  Jack quickly opened the pack and looked inside. “Good,” he said. “The Wand of Dianthus is still there.”

  “Should we take it home with us?” asked Annie.

  “I think so,” said Jack. “We can keep it safe until our next mission.” He pulled Teddy and Kathleen’s book of rhymes out of his pack.

  “I guess we can keep our book of rhymes as a souvenir,” Jack said. “We won’t be using it anymore since we’ve used up all the rhymes.” He stuffed the book back into his backpack.

  “We haven’t used all of them,” said Annie. “We still have one left, remember? Find a Treasure You Must Never Lose.”

  “Oh, I already used that one,” said Jack. “Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed his pack and started down the rope ladder.

  “What do you mean you already used that one?” Annie said as she followed him down. “When did you use that rhyme?”

  Jack stepped onto the ground. “How do you think I found you when you got lost in Central Park?” he said.

  “Wait, you thought I was a treasure?” said Annie.

  Jack shrugged. “I guess,” he said. “At least today I did.”

  Annie smiled. “Cool,” she said. “Thanks for finding me when you got lost.”

  “Not me, you,” said Jack. “You’re the one who got lost.”

  “No, you,” said Annie.

  “You,” said Jack.

  “Youyouyouyouyou!” said Annie.

  Jack laughed. “Whatever,” he said. “Let’s go have some of Dad’s hot chocolate.”

  The snow began to fall harder. As the cold wind rattled the bare trees of the Frog Creek woods, Jack and Annie hurried home.

  The Great Depression: Today, older New Yorkers remember the Great Depression as one of the most difficult times in the city’s history. Lasting from 1929 to about 1939, the Depression was a time when all of America, as well as much of Europe, suffered terrible economic problems that caused many people to lose their jobs.

  Subways: Today, millions of people ride the New York subways every day. There are over 400 miles of tracks. Riders no longer drop coins or tokens into a slot in the turnstiles, though. They now slide a MetroCard through an electronic card reader.

  Central Park: Today, more than 250,000 people might visit Central Park on a warm weekend and picnic, jog, skate, bicycle, listen to music, or walk dogs. Designed over 150 years ago, Central Park was the first major park created entirely for public use. Its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, believed that nature could lift the spirits of city dwellers and bring together people from all walks of life.

  Belvedere Castle: Today, Belvedere Castle in Central Park serves as a nature observatory. If you live in New York City, you have often heard on TV or radio: “The temperature in Central Park is
… “ That information is coming from the weather instruments that are still housed in the castle.

  John D. Rockefeller: Today, America remembers John D. Rockefeller as once being the richest man in the country. After founding the Standard Oil Company, he focused on giving away half of his fortune. Through the generosity of his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a small museum in Fort Tryon Park in the northern part of the city was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That museum is known as the Cloisters.

  The Cloisters: Today, the Cloisters is filled with approximately 5,000 works of medieval art, including many works from Rockefeller’s own medieval art collection, such as the famous Unicorn Tapestries.

  Unicorns: Today, unicorns appear in old stories from countries all over the world, most notably China, India, and medieval Europe. There is no proof that unicorns ever actually existed, though. The only land animal with a single horn is a rhinoceros.

  I have illustrated all the Magic Tree House books, but illustrating Blizzard of the Blue Moon has been the most enjoyable so far.

  My research for this project brought back many fond memories because as a student I often visited many of the places mentioned in the story, especially in Central Park, where I loved to sketch.

  Since I still live close to New York City, I came to the city several times and followed the same route that Jack and Annie took from Central Park to the Cloisters.

  Many of the places in the story are not very different than they were in 1938, and I was able to sketch and photograph them. The taxis and the subway trains have changed, but I was able to find pictures of these in books.

  Here’s a special preview of

  Magic Tree House #37

  (A Merlin Mission)

  Dragon of the Red Dawn

  Available now!

  Excerpt copyright © 2007 by Mary Pope Osborne.

  Published by Random House Children's Books,

  a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Jack was dreaming that a white bird was pecking at his window. Tap … tap. A red bird appeared and pecked with the white bird. Tap … tap.

  “Jack, wake up!” said Annie.

  Jack opened his eyes.

  “They’re here!” said Annie.

  “Who? The birds?” said Jack.

  “No! Teddy and Kathleen!” Annie rushed to the window and waved outside. “They’re tossing pebbles at our windows.”

  “Teddy and Kathleen!” Jack jumped out of bed and joined Annie at the window.

  The two young enchanters of Camelot were standing in Jack and Annie’s front yard. They were dressed in long, dark cloaks. They smiled and waved up at Jack and Annie.

  “Merlin must have sent them!” said Jack.

  Teddy made a walking motion with his fingers and pointed toward the Frog Creek woods.

  Annie nodded eagerly. “They want us to meet them at the tree house!” she said to Jack. “Hurry and get dressed! Before Mom and Dad wake up!”

  Annie started out of Jack’s room. When she got to the door, she turned. “Oh, and don’t forget to bring the Wand of Dianthus!”

  Jack threw on his clothes. He grabbed his backpack and peeked inside. The wand was there. Jack put his pack on his back. Then he slipped quietly downstairs and out the door.

  Annie was standing on the front porch. “Let’s go!” she said.

  Jack and Annie ran across their yard and dashed up the sidewalk.

  “I wonder why they came for us!” said Annie.

  “I wonder where we’re going!” said Jack.

  “I wonder everything!” said Annie.

  Jack and Annie crossed the street and hurried into the Frog Creek woods. The early-March trees looked weary from winter, gray and brown with no leaves on them yet.

  “Look—” said Annie, out of breath. “They’re waiting for us!”

  Jack looked up. Teddy and Kathleen were waving from the window of the magic tree house.

  Jack grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Annie followed. When Jack and Annie climbed inside the tree house, they threw their arms around Teddy and Kathleen.

  “We’re so glad to see you!” cried Annie.

  “And we are happy to see you, also,” said Kathleen. The sea girl’s lovely water-blue eyes sparkled.

  “Indeed,” said Teddy. “It has been too long.”

  “What’s our mission this time?” asked Jack. “Where’s Merlin sending us?”

  Teddy glanced at Kathleen. “I fear Merlin does not even know we are here,” said Teddy. “We have come not at his bidding, but for his sake.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Jack.

  “Merlin is not well,” said Kathleen. “He complains that he is getting old and feeble and that life is full of sorrows. He does not eat or sleep.”

  “Oh, no!” said Annie.

  “All of Camelot wishes to help him,” said Teddy. “But no one knows quite how.”

  “What can we do to help?” asked Jack.

  Teddy picked up a book from the corner of the tree house. “Throughout the ages, people all over the world have sought the secrets of happiness,” he said. “Morgan wants you to search for four of these secrets to share with Merlin. She believes that the first one might be found here.”

  Jack took the book from Teddy. He read the title aloud.

  “Oh, wow, we’ve been to Japan before!” said Annie.

  “Before we met you,” Jack said to Teddy and Kathleen. “We had an adventure with ninjas.”

  “Yes, Morgan told us,” said Teddy. “But she said that on that journey, you visited the countryside. This time you must travel to the capital city.”

  “Are you guys coming with us?” asked Annie.

  “I am afraid not,” said Kathleen. “We must return to Camelot now to help Morgan. Since Merlin has fallen ill, she has taken on much of his work.”

  “You have the wand, do you not?” asked Teddy.

  “Yep,” said Jack. He reached into his backpack and took out the Wand of Dianthus. The spiraled wand was shaped like a unicorn’s horn.

  “With the help of the wand, you will make your own magic,” said Teddy.

  “That’s what Merlin said when he gave it to us,” said Annie.

  “But he didn’t say how,” said Jack.

  “It is very simple,” said Teddy. “The wand has three rules. First, it only works for the good of others. The wand can never be used for selfish reasons.”

  “Second, the wand works only after you have tried your very hardest without its help,” said Kathleen. “Do not attempt to use its magic too quickly.”

  “And third, the wand only works with a command of five words,” said Teddy. “So you must choose your words carefully.”

  “Can we review all that, please?” asked Jack.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” said Annie. “We have to go. We have to help Merlin as soon as we can.”

  “If the tree house takes us to Japan, how will you go back to Camelot?” Jack asked Teddy and Kathleen.

  Teddy and Kathleen held up their hands. They each wore a sparkling blue ring. “Our magic rings will take us home,” said Kathleen.

  “And this book from Camelot’s library will bring you back home to Frog Creek,” said Teddy, “after you have completed your mission.” He picked up another book lying in a corner. It was the book about Pennsylvania that Jack and Annie had used on their first magic tree house adventures.

  “Thanks,” said Jack.

  “Good-bye,” said Annie. “Take good care of Merlin.”

  “We will try,” said Kathleen. She and Teddy raised their magic rings to their lips. They whispered words too softly for Jack and Annie to hear, then blew on the rings. As they blew, the young sorcerers began to fade into the cool morning air. In a moment, they had disappeared completely.

  Silence filled the tree house.

  Annie turned to Jack. “Ready?” she said.

  Jack nodded. He pointed to the cover of the Japan book. �
�I wish we could go there!” he said.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Are you a fan of the Magic Tree House® series?

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  Discover the facts

  behind the fiction with the

  Magic Tree House® Books

  #1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

  #2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN

  #3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING

  #4: PIRATES PAST NOON

  #5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS

  #6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON

  #7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH

  #8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON

  #9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK

  #10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN

  #11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME

  #12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME

  #13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO

  #14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING

  #15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE

  #16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS

  #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC

  #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST

  #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT

  #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME

  #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY

  #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY

  #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY

  #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING

  #25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT

  #26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS

  #27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY

  #28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII