22 The Magic

CHAPTER 22 The Magic Everything that happened in the garden seemed magical: the plants grew, the seeds took root, and the children changed for the better. Ben would talk to them about gardening and about Colin's mother. "She loved plants that could almost touch the sky. She said the blue sky always looked so joyful," he shared. One day Colin told Mary, Dickon, and Ben to stand in a row. "I'm going to try a

scientific experiment," he announced grandly. "I'm going to discover all about magic—just like scientists study electricity. Mary knows about it because she's from India where they believe in magic. Dickon is an animal charmer. I learned to stand up here. So each day, I'm going to say, 'Magic is in me. Magic is making me well. Magic is making me as strong as Dickon.' Will you help me by saying the words?" "What should we do?" Mary asked. It seemed rather mysterious. Colin had them sit in a circle. He began to chant. Over and over he said, "Being alive is the magic. Being strong is the magic. The magic is in me. It's in all of us!" After some time Colin announced, "Now I'm going to walk around the garden." He led the way. Dickon walked on one side and Mary on the other, followed by Ben,

the squirrels, the fox, and the lamb. Every few yards they stopped to let Colin rest. Colin held on to Dickon's arm, but managed a few steps alone. He kept repeating his chant until he had circled the whole garden. "I did it!" he cried. "The magic worked. My first scientific discovery! "Dr. Craven mustn't know," Colin warned. "No one can know until I can walk and run like other boys. I'll keep coming here and back in my wheelchair. But when my father returns to Misselthwaite, I'll walk into his study and say, 'Here I am, like any other boy! I'm well, and I will live to be a man!'" "He won't believe his eyes," Mary said happily. "After my experiment is over," Colin told them, "I'm going to become an athlete." Ben almost jumped up with excitement. "We'll teach you to box. You can be the

champion prizefighter of England!" he declared. Colin was quick to correct him. "I shall not be a prizefighter. I shall be a scientific discoverer." Ben humbly pulled his cap down and said, "I beg pardon, sir." But under his cap, Ben's eyes twinkled with delight. He knew the boy was gaining in strength and spirit.