Ch12-One Penguin at a Time

One Penguin at a Time "Penny! You came back! You are alive!" whispered Teddy. "Hurray!" Annie shouted. Teddy started crying again, but this time, he was laughing, too. Kathleen and Jack and Annie laughed with him, and the only tears now were tears of joy and relief. The little penguin blinked and looked at each of them, one at a time. Peep! Peep! Peep! Peep! she greeted them, waddling up and down the length of the table.

Teddy picked up Penny. He rubbed his cheek against her fuzzy head. "It's a miracle," he said softly. Trumpet blasts came from the distance. Startled, they all looked toward the window. Dawn light was creeping into Merlin's cottage. "I'm afraid you must go now," Kathleen said to Jack and Annie. "The sound of the trumpeters

means that Merlin and Morgan have returned from Avalon. We could never explain all of this to them!" Kathleen laughed as she put the emerald, the flower, the feather, and the panda bread into a deep pocket of her cloak. Then she looked at Teddy. He was hugging Penny and grinning as if in a daze. "Let us bring Penny with us, Teddy," she said. "We will lead Jack and Annie back to the tree house!" The sun was rising when they left the cottage. Kathleen's cloak billowed behind her as she led them all through the orchard back to the tree house. "Good-bye," said Teddy. "I—I thank you a million times. All of Camelot thanks you—or would thank you if they knew how you had helped me." "Yes, yes, they would!" said Kathleen. She hugged Jack and Annie. "Wait," said Jack, "what was the last part of the rhyme again, the part you just translated? Do you remember?" "Yes, I do," said Teddy. Then he recited the words from memory:

When these four things come together with the one who cast the spell, the spell will then be broken and all again be well. "Oh, now I get it," said Annie. "You broke the spell, Teddy. You broke it all by yourself. By feeling all the feelings you felt for Penny, you broke the spell." "Yes," said Kathleen. "I quite think that's what happened. The four things that Jack and Annie brought back did not break the spell. They only served to awaken feelings deep within you, Teddy. And that is what really broke the spell." "Yes. You must be right," said Teddy. "I'm sorry you two had to go to such trouble to help me, and that Kathleen had to worry so. Not only Penny, but all of you suffered on my behalf." "That's okay. We loved all our missions," said Annie. "We helped an elephant find her baby. We helped a funny dog find out that he was a great dog, and a president find hope, and some pandas find their way home."

"All because you were trying to help Penny," said Kathleen. "True," said Jack, stroking the little penguin. "It's weird how that works sometimes." The trumpets sounded again. "Hurry," said Kathleen. "They're getting closer." Annie brushed her hand down Penny's back. "Bye, Penny," she said. Peep. "And peep to you," said Jack. He kissed the top of the penguin's fuzzy head. Jack and Annie then scrambled up the rope ladder into the tree house. Annie grabbed the Pennsylvania book, while Jack hurried to the window. Sunlight poured into the tree house, making it blindingly bright. Trumpet sounds filled the fresh morning air. "I wish we could go home!" Annie said, pointing to a picture of the Frog Creek woods. "Farewell!" Teddy shouted from the dazzling light. "Thank you!" The wind began to blow.

The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still. "We're back," said Jack. He and Annie looked out the tree house window. Dappled light danced in the woods. As always, no time at all had passed in Frog Creek while they were gone. "Time for school," said Annie. Jack groaned. He was exhausted. Every muscle in his body ached. He opened his backpack and took out their guide book to Southwest China. "Hey, we forgot. Our breakfast sandwiches are in here," he said. "They must be cold by now," said Annie. "Who cares?" said Jack. "I'm starving." "Me too," said Annie. Jack gave Annie a cold egg sandwich. Then he unwrapped his own and took a big bite. "Yum!" he said. "It really tastes great."