Chapter 6

Chapter 6 The four kids entered the royal dining room at seven o'clock. The table was set with a white tablecloth that reached the floor. The queen's best dishes sparkled under the candlelight. The king and queen smiled at the kids. "This is your night, Sammi. There will be no discussion of the missing gold," the king stated. In the middle of the table sat three large pizzas. "How did you know pizza is my favorite meal?" Josh asked, rubbing his stomach. Sammi grinned. "It's my favorite, too!" he said. A half hour later, only pizza crusts were left. A servant cleared the table.

"Time to open your presents," Sammi's mother said. Stacked on a nearby table were the gifts Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose had brought in their luggage. Dink's present was a book about Connecticut. He showed Sammi a map inside and pointed out Green Lawn. Josh gave Sammi a small wooden eagle. "I carved it myself," Josh said, blushing. "It's awesome," Sammi said. "Thanks, Josh!" Ruth Rose brought a travel-size Monopoly game. "I thought we could play after dinner," she said. "But watch out for Josh. He cheats!" The king set a large, gold-foiled box in front of Sammi. "This is from your mother and me," he said. "Happy birthday son." Sammi tore off the paper to find a new computer. He gave his mother and father hugs. "Thank you, it's just what I wanted!" "Now we can e-mail each other!" Ruth Rose said.

"Excellent," said the king. "And now, Yondo is going to entertain us." The king clapped his hands and the room lights dimmed. A door opened and everyone watched for the magician to enter. But there was no one there. "Yondo at your service," came a voice from the opposite side of the room. When they turned, Yondo stood at the end of the table, next to the queen. He was dressed entirely in white. "How did you get in here?" Sammi said. "There's only one door!"

Instead of answering, Yondo pulled a green bandanna out of Sammi's ear. For the next twenty minutes, Yondo amazed them with magic tricks, doing one right after the other. He tied knots in colored hankies and let the kids check that the knots were tight. Then he ran his hand over the knots, and the hankies separated. He turned normal eggs into rabbits and rabbits into beautiful doves. He wet two fingers and snuffed out a candle. Then he opened his mouth and breathed fire like a dragon. "For my final illusion, I will make one of you disappear," Yondo said to the small group. Then he pulled a large black cloth from a sleeve and shook it out, covering himself. When the cloth dropped, Yondo was gone. In his place stood a tall silver box about the size of an old-fashioned phone booth. A door in the box opened, and Yondo stepped out. But now he was dressed from head to toe in red. Yondo smiled at Ruth Rose. "Will you be my assistant?" he asked.

"Okay, but be sure to bring me back again," Ruth Rose said. Yondo led Ruth Rose into the box. He closed the door and draped the black cloth over it. Then he knocked on the cloth with his knuckle. "Are you still in there, Ruth Rose?" he asked. "No, I'm up here!" came Ruth Rose's voice from above their heads. Everyone looked up toward the ceiling. It was dark, so the king turned up the lights. Ruth Rose was nowhere in sight. Yondo knocked on the box again. "Ruth Rose, are you in there?" This time there was no answer. Josh let out a giggle. "She really did disappear!" he whispered. Yondo whisked the cloth away from the box and opened the door. It was empty. The three boys leaped up and examined the box.

"What're you all looking at?" Ruth Rose asked from behind them. The boys whipped around. Ruth Rose was back in her seat at the table. "How did you do that?" Josh asked Ruth Rose. "I'll never tell," she said. Just then a servant carried in a cake with ten lit candles on it. Yondo started to leave. "Please stay for some cake," the king said with a smile. "As long as you don't make it disappear!" Yondo smiled. "Only my piece will disappear," he said. Sammi made a wish and blew out the candles, and they ate.