Ch2-A Living Encyclopedia

CHAPTER TWO A Living Encyclopedia Jack opened his eyes. The scent of roses floated through the warm twilight. Jack was wearing an old-fashioned cap, a rust-colored jacket, and knee-length pants. His backpack had turned into a leather satchel. Annie was wearing a puffy white blouse and a long purple skirt with a ruffle. "Look, there's the Eiffel Tower," she said.

Jack looked. They had landed in a park filled with trees. Beyond the park, rising into the sky, was a tall tower with lights beaming from the top. "That's the Eiffel Tower, all right," said Jack. "But where's the World's Fair?" He opened their guide book and found a map. "Oh, great, it looks like the fair is directly below the tower. That should make it easy to find."

"Let's get going," said Annie. "Wait, we need to go over what we have to do on our mission," said Jack. "It's simple," said Annie. "We have to find the Magician of Sound, the Magician of Light, the Magician of the Invisible, and the Magician of Iron. We have to warn them about the evil

sorcerer and then learn their secrets for Merlin." "That doesn't sound simple to me," said Jack. "It sounds like a huge responsibility." "So we'd better start now," said Annie. "Come on." Annie led the way down the tree house ladder. Jack put their World's Fair guide into his satchel, along with their letter from Merlin and the book of rhymes from Teddy and Kathleen. Then he followed Annie down the ladder. As Jack and Annie started across the park, a clinking sound came from

Annie's skirt pocket. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. "Hey, our ice cream money got changed into French coins!" she said. "Good," said Jack. "We might need them at the fair." Jack and Annie followed a gravel path that led out of the park and onto an avenue lit by gas streetlamps. Horse-drawn carriages and old-fashioned bicycles clattered over the cobblestones. They all seemed to be headed toward a crowded bridge that crossed a wide river.

Boats were gliding down the river, their lights reflecting in the water. On the far side of the river, thousands of tiny lamps twinkled along the bank. The Eiffel Tower glowed in the silver twilight. "Paris is so beautiful," said Annie. "No kidding," said Jack. "Let's cross that bridge to the fair." They hurried to join the people streaming across the bridge. Jack and Annie blended in easily with the happy crowd. The kids in the crowd were all wearing clothes like theirs. Most of the men wore black top hats and