10 A Touch of Magic

Chapter 10 A Touch of Magic “ Oh, man, ” whispered Jack. He was lying on the floor of the tree house. He was wearing his pajamas and rain poncho again. “ You okay?” Annie asked. “ Yeah. You?” said Jack. “ My heart’s beating really fast, ” said Annie. “ Mine, too, ” said Jack. He thought of the Titanic sinking into the cold black sea. His eyes filled with tears.

“ It was terrible, ” he said. Annie nodded. Jack could see tears on her cheeks. Teddy licked Jack’s face. “ Hey, ” said Jack. “ How did you get out of my knapsack?” Teddy whined. Jack and Annie stroked his furry head and ears. “ I think he has a touch of magic, ” said Annie. Slowly, Jack sat up. “ He saved our lives, ” he said. “ And now we have the first gift to break the spell he’s under, ” said Annie. She turned on her flashlight. She shined it on the silver pocket watch that hung from her neck.

“ Lucy’s gift, ” she said. The watch had stopped. The hands were at 2: 20. Jack was silent. Then he sighed. “ That’s exactly when the ship went down, ” he said. Annie looked at him. “ I guess that’s when time stopped for the Titanic, ” she said. Jack nodded. Annie put the pocket watch on top of Morgan’s note. “ A gift from a ship lost at sea, ” she said softly. They were both quiet. Then Jack took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. Annie stood up. She took a deep breath.

“ I’m ready to go, ” she said. “ Let’s put Teddy in your pack and take him home with us. ” She shined her flashlight around the tree house.

“ Teddy?” she said. There was no sign of the little dog. “ He’s not here, ” said Annie. “ What are you talking about?” said Jack. “ We were just petting him. ” “ He’s up to his magic tricks again, ” said Annie. She sighed. “ We’ll have to go home without him. ” “ But what happened to him?” said Jack. “ I don’t know, ” said Annie. “ But I have a feeling we’ll see him again soon. ” She started down the rope ladder. Jack looked around the tree house one last time. “ Teddy?” he said. But the tree house was quiet. Jack pulled on his backpack and climbed down the rope ladder. Annie was waiting for him.

Without a word, Jack took her hand. The rain had stopped. But water still dripped from the trees. Stars glittered overhead in a clear sky. Silently, Jack and Annie left the Frog Creek woods. They walked up the dark street to their house and climbed the steps to their porch. Before they went inside, they looked out again at the night. “ Time might have stopped for the Titanic, ” Jack said. “ But books and memories keep the Titanic alive, don’t they? It’s a true story, but it’s also like a myth now. ” “ Yeah, ” said Annie. “ And every time the story’s told, we wish it had a different ending. ” Jack nodded. That was exactly how he felt.