Christmas in Camelot - Mary Pope Osborne [8]
“I hate that!” he said.
“I told you it’s creepy,” said Annie. “But if we don’t wear it, we won’t get past the guards.”
“Yeah, I know, and we won’t have protection in the Otherworld,” said Jack. He took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Annie pulled the hood up again.
“I’ll hold on to the hood so it won’t blow off,” she said. “You just think about getting across that bridge. Nothing else.”
“But I can’t see my feet,” said Jack.
“You don’t need to see your feet to walk!” said Annie. “Come on. Do it for Morgan!”
“Right,” said Jack.
He and Annie stepped onto the bridge.
“Whatever you do, don’t look down,” said Annie.
As they started over the bridge, the wind whistled around them. Jack couldn’t help it—he looked down.
Not only was his body missing, but the fog beneath the bridge was moving in a wild, spinning whirl. Jack felt dizzy and faint. He stopped.
“Keep going,” whispered Annie.
Jack took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. Then he started walking again. He went slowly—step by step—toward the pale light beyond the bars of the gate.
In the flickering torchlight, the guards looked like giants. As Jack and Annie slipped invisibly by them, Jack held his breath.
How will we open the gate? he wondered.
“WHOOOSSSHHH!” said Annie loudly.
Jack’s heart nearly stopped. Had Annie lost her mind? “What are you doing?” he whispered.
“I’m the wind!” Annie whispered back. “WHOOOSSSHHH!”
Annie gave the gate a shove. It swung open, as if pushed by the wind.
Jack looked back and saw that the guards had turned in their direction.
“Quick!” whispered Annie.
She and Jack moved silently through the gateway.
“WHOOOSSSHHH!” said Annie.
She pushed the gate back. It shut with a clang. Through the bars, Jack saw the guards face the bridge again.
“Good work,” he said to Annie.
“Thanks,” she said.
Jack and Annie then turned away from the gate.
“Ohh!” whispered Annie.
“The Otherworld,” whispered Jack.
The Otherworld was completely different from the dark, cold world Jack and Annie had just left behind.
They were standing at the edge of a pale green meadow. The meadow was bathed in warm, rosy sunlight. Three horses—one black, one brown, one gray—were grazing nearby. On a hillside beyond the meadow, red and purple flowers sparkled like bright buttons.
“It’s so nice here,” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “Maybe we won’t need this anymore.” He pulled the hood of the cloak off their heads. He was relieved to see Annie’s face—and to see himself!
“What was the first rhyme again?” asked Annie.
Jack took out his notebook. He found the first rhyme and read aloud:
“Beyond the iron gate
The Keepers of the Cauldron wait.”
He looked around warily. “I wonder where the Keepers of the Cauldron are?” he said.
“What do you mean?” asked Annie. “We just sneaked past them. Remember? WHOOOSH?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “The rhyme says ‘beyond the iron gate.’ Those guards were standing in front of the gate. They weren’t beyond it.”
“Shh,” said Annie. “Listen.… ”
From over the hill came the faint sounds of sweet, joyful music.
“Maybe the Keepers of the Cauldron are playing that music,” said Annie.
“Maybe … ,” said Jack. He listened for a moment and smiled. The music made him feel light and happy.
“Let’s go meet the Keepers!” said Annie.
“Not so fast,” said Jack. “Shouldn’t we be invisible again? Just in case?”
“I guess so,” said Annie, sighing.
Jack pulled the hood of the cloak over their heads. Together, they started walking invisibly across the soft meadow. They passed the three horses and climbed the flower-covered hill. At the top, they looked down.
“Oh, man,” said Jack.
The hill sloped gently down into a misty green glade. In the middle of the glade, a band of musicians played flutes and pipes, drums and violins. Around the band, hundreds of dancers danced in a huge circle.
“The Keepers of the Cauldron!” said Annie.
The dancers and musicians were smiling and laughing. They wore blue coats and green coats, white gowns and yellow gowns. They wore sparkling red slippers and hats