Ch10-Candles in the Forest

TEN Candles in the Forest Golden light flooded the tree house. Jack and Annie looked out the window. It was early evening. The magic tree house had not landed in a tree. It had landed in a small clearing in a Camelot forest. All around, thousands of lanterns hung

from oak trees. Their candle flames shone on knights in gleaming armor and ladies in cone-shaped hats with flowing veils. Jack couldn't speak. Even Annie was speechless. Morgan le Fay stepped out from the crowd. The enchantress librarian was dressed in a long red velvet gown. Her white hair shimmered in the candlelight. "Welcome back, Jack and Annie," said Morgan. "Thank you," breathed Jack. "I'm sorry we're so dirty," said Annie. "We just played a tough game of soccer." "You look wonderful to us," said Morgan, smiling. "All of Camelot celebrates your return. Fifty-two times you have traveled to faraway places in my magic tree house. Fifty-two times you have proven your courage and kindness under the most difficult of circumstances. It is a magical number. The same number as there are weeks in a year." Carrying his staff, Merlin the magician stepped forward and stood beside Morgan. "Jack and Annie, I heard stories of your adventures long

before I met you," he said. "I could not believe two children would venture into the lands of dinosaurs, castles, ancient Egypt, and pirates and return unharmed. You even outsmarted me when you saved Morgan from a spell I had playfully put her under." Morgan gave Merlin a look. Then she turned back to Jack and Annie. "And we had fun, didn't we?" she said. "When we journeyed to the time of the ninjas, the rain forest, the Ice Age, and the moon?" "Yes, and Jack and I had fun when we solved your four riddles," Annie said breathlessly, "on the coral reef, in the Wild West, on the Serengeti plain of Africa, and in the Arctic." "And when we became Master Librarians," said Jack, "and rescued the four ancient stories from Rome, China, Ireland, and Greece." "And when you freed me from a spell!" said a voice from the crowd. "Woof, woof." "Teddy!" said Annie. The firelight shone on the young sorcerer's tousled red hair as he stepped forward.

"Remember when I was a dog?" Teddy said, grinning. Jack and Annie laughed and nodded. "And we escaped the Titanic," said Teddy, "and the buffalo stampede, the tiger in India, and the forest fire in the Australian outback?" "Yes!" said Jack and Annie. "And do not forget how you saved His Majesty from despair," said a woman in a snow-white gown. A veil hung from a wreath of blue flowers around her hair. Standing next to her was a man in a purple tunic and a red cape. On his head was a simple golden crown. "Queen Guinevere! King Arthur!" said Annie. "You brought me wisdom and courage from the American Civil War," said King Arthur. "And the Revolutionary War, a schoolhouse on the American prairie, and an earthquake in San Francisco." "And then you discovered the secrets of everyday magic," said Morgan, "from the people of the first Thanksgiving, the gorillas of the cloud forest, William Shakespeare, and friends in Hawaii."

"And you saved the four treasures of Camelot for Merlin," said King Arthur. Merlin laughed. "Yes, you outwitted the Dragons of the Otherworld, the Raven King, the Sea Serpent, and the Ice Wizard," he said. "And do not forget when Teddy and I journeyed with you to the four beautiful cities," said a young girl. Her dark hair curled down over her shoulders. Her sea-blue eyes shone in the firelight. "Ancient Baghdad, Venice, Paris, and New York?" she said. Jack nodded. "Hi, Kathleen," he said shyly. "And thank you, Jack and Annie, for saving another from a spell, too," said Kathleen, "on our mission in New York City." A white unicorn gracefully stepped forward and stood beside Kathleen. He lowered his head. "Dianthus!" said Annie. "The Wand of Dianthus helped you learn four secrets of happiness," said Merlin, "from Leonardo da Vinci, Basho the poet, the deep sea— and, best of all, from this little one you brought me from Antarctica." The magician picked up a baby penguin that had been hiding behind his cloak.

"Penny!" said Jack. "And four creative geniuses of history thank you, too," said Morgan, "for helping them begin the path to giving their gifts to the world." "Mozart and Louis Armstrong," said Jack, remembering their friends, "and Lady Gregory and Charles Dickens." "And thank you for helping Teddy to undo the spell he accidentally cast on Penny," said Merlin. "He confessed all to us later." "We went to the Taj Mahal in India for that," said Annie, "and met Saint Bernard dogs in Switzerland and Abraham Lincoln—"