Earthquake in the Early Morning - Mary Pope Osborne [8]
Jack covered his face. When he peeked over the tops of his fingers, he saw Morgan le Fay.
“Morgan!” Jack and Annie cried joyfully.
They both hugged her.
Morgan hugged them back.
“We found the four special writings for your library!” said Jack.
Annie picked up the list and the letter. Jack picked up the slate and the sign.
“Here they are!” he said.
They started to give everything to Morgan. But she held up her hand.
“Do not give them to me,” she said. “Someone else needs them more.”
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed through the tree house again. There came a great roar, then silence.
When Jack and Annie opened their eyes, they were no longer in the magic tree house.
They were standing in a huge, shadowy room. The room smelled wonderful—like leather, books, and a wood-burning fire.
Flames crackled in a huge stone hearth. Along the walls were rows and rows of tall bookcases filled with books.
“Welcome to my library,” Morgan said softly.
“Wow,” whispered Jack.
“Someone here is waiting to meet you,” said Morgan. “I told him that two special messengers would soon arrive.”
“Where is he?” asked Annie.
Morgan pointed to a man dressed in dark blue in a corner of the library. He sat in a chair. His head was bowed. His hair was black streaked with silver.
“He looks tired,” Annie whispered.
“Yes, he and his knights have been defeated,” Morgan said quietly. “He has given up all hope for his kingdom.”
“How can we help him?” asked Annie.
Morgan looked down at the special writings that Jack and Annie held.
“Would it help if we showed him these?” Jack asked.
Morgan smiled.
“Come on, let’s show him!” said Annie.
They crossed the room and knelt before the tired-looking man.
“Excuse me,” Annie said.
The man looked up. He had sad gray eyes.
“We’re Morgan’s messengers. We’ve come to help,” said Jack.
The man shook his head.
“I don’t understand,” he said in a deep, tired voice. “You are children. How can you help?”
“Sometimes children can help a lot,” said Annie. “Jack and I have helped a general, and we helped wounded soldiers.”
“We helped people caught in an earthquake and a twister,” Jack added.
The man straightened up a little. “That is brave,” he said.
“We want to share how we did it,” said Annie. She held up the list from the Civil War.
“This tells you how to help wounded people,” she said. She held up the letter from the Revolutionary War.
“And this tells you that even when things look their worst, you shouldn’t give up,” she said.
Jack held up the slate from the pioneer schoolhouse.
“This says, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,’” he said. Then Jack held up the piece of wood from the San Francisco earthquake.
“And this says that when you’ve lost everything, you can still have hope,” he said.
The man studied the four special writings. Then he looked at Jack and Annie with piercing gray eyes.
“You were both very kind to find all these things and bring them to me,” he said. “Are you magic?”
“Oh no,” said Annie. “Morgan is magic. We’re just ordinary kids.”
The man smiled. He seemed less sad and weary now.
“And I am just an ordinary king,” he said softly. “I suppose if two ordinary kids can find courage and hope, then an ordinary king can find it, too.”
The man slowly stood up.
“I will go now and speak to my knights,” he said. “I will share the wisdom you have brought me.”
He wrapped his cape around him. He bowed to Jack and Annie.
“Thank you,” he said. Then he strode bravely out of Morgan’s library.
“Yes, thank you,” said Morgan, walking over to Jack and Annie.
“You’re welcome,” they said.
“These are for your library,” said Jack. He and Annie gave Morgan the four special writings.
Morgan smiled.
“Their wisdom will help many readers who come here,” she said.
“Great,” said Annie.
“It’s time for you to go home now,” said Morgan.
Jack looked around Morgan’s library. He hated to leave. It was the most wonderful room he’d ever seen.
“Don’t worry. You can come back,” said Morgan, reading his mind. “You must come back, for