Ch11-Breaking the Spell

Breaking the Spell A crescent moon hung low in the dark purple sky. A few stars still twinkled. Jack and Annie didn't move for a moment, breathing in the clean, fresh air. Jack broke the silence. "It looks like we made it to Camelot before break of day." "Yep. Where did we land exactly?" said Annie. Jack turned on their flashlight. He pointed it out the window. The light shone on trees, their branches heavy with golden apples. "I'll bet we're in the orchard where we landed the last time we were here," said Jack. "Turn off the light," whispered Annie. "I think I see something in the distance." Jack switched off the flashlight. A different kind of light was shining in the dark orchard—a flickering light that moved toward

them. Jack heard leaves crunching, twigs cracking, feet running, and voices whispering. "Jack? Annie?" a boy called out. "Is that you?" a girl said. "Yes!" cried Annie. She scrambled down the rope ladder. Jack gathered up the jewel, the flower, the feather, and the panda bread. He put them in his pack and carefully climbed down after Annie. Teddy and Kathleen stood in a circle of lantern light, dressed in their long dark cloaks. They hugged Jack and Annie. "Welcome!" said Teddy. "We have been walking the grounds all night, waiting for you. Finally we saw a light above the orchard!" "Our flashlight," said Annie. "And then we saw your light!" said Jack. "We're so glad you're here!" said Kathleen. "We are, too!" said Annie. "Did you translate the last lines of the rhyme?" asked Jack. "We did, indeed," said Kathleen. "And did you bring the four things to help us break the spell?" asked Teddy.

"We did, indeed!" said Annie. "They're all in my backpack," said Jack. "Wonderful," said Kathleen. "We knew if anyone could find them, it would be you two." "You have brought the four special things, and now we are all together. It is time to undo the spell," said Teddy. "Yay!" said Annie. "Yay, indeed," said Teddy. "Come along! Before the sun rises!" Teddy and Kathleen started back the way they'd come, and Jack and Annie followed. Together, they wove between the trees in the fresh dawn air.

Finally they all emerged from the orchard. Kathleen shined the lantern on the door of a wooden cottage. "Merlin's garden house," said Jack. "Yes," said Teddy. "This is where we brought Penny from her little nest in the castle. We hoped that she might come back to life in Merlin's

favorite place. But alas, she has not done so." He sighed. Teddy opened the door to the cottage, and they all stepped in. Jack shivered. It was damp and chilly inside, like a tomb. Kathleen placed the lantern on a table in the middle of the room. "There she is," Teddy said sadly. Penny stood on the table, lit by lantern light. The little penguin was as gray and lifeless as stone. "Penny?" said Jack. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been so cute, so warm and… alive. "Poor Penny," said Annie. She touched the penguin's beak and the top of her head. "Bring forth the four things you found to break the spell," said Teddy. Jack reached into his backpack. "Here—this is the first thing we found. It's from India," he said. He took out the emerald cut in the shape of a rose. He placed the jewel in front of Penny, where it glowed in the lantern light. "The emerald rose stands for love," Annie said. "The kind of love that rises above our faults and

mistakes." Jack pulled out the dried yellow and white flower and placed it next to the emerald rose. "This is from the Swiss Alps," he said. "The glacial buttercup stands for being like a little kid," Annie said. "The joyful, open spirit of childhood." "This is from Abraham Lincoln, a great president of our country," Jack said next. He took out the goose-feather quill and put it next to the flower. "This quill pen stands for the deepest kind of hope," said Annie. "The hope that one day all our sorrows will make sense." "And this is from China," said Jack. He took out the panda bread and put it next to the feather. "This is called panda bread," said Annie. "It stands for protecting animals, for loving them and speaking up for them because they can't speak for themselves." All four things were lit by the circle of glowing lantern light, along with Penny. "Teddy, stand closer, you're the spell caster," said Kathleen.