Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve - Mary Pope Osborne [2]
Jack looked at their clothes. He was wearing a knee-length tunic and tights. Annie was wearing a long dress with an apron.
“Camelot costumes,” Jack said softly.
They looked out the window together. They were high in a huge oak tree in a thick forest.
The afternoon sun was low in the autumn sky.
“So what do we do now?” said Jack.
“The invitation says we’re supposed to meet Merlin in the heart of the oak,” said Annie.
“Yeah, but what does that mean?” said Jack, scowling. “The heart of an oak?”
“Let’s go down and try to figure it out,” said Annie.
She carefully placed their invitation in a corner of the tree house. Then she and Jack climbed down the rope ladder. They stepped onto the leafy ground. In the fading daylight, they began circling the base of the giant oak.
They walked all the way around, until they came to the rope ladder again.
“We’re back where we started,” said Jack. “We never found the heart.”
“Wait a minute,” said Annie. “What’s that?” She pointed to a long, thin crack in the bark of the tree trunk. A sliver of light seemed to be coming from the crack.
Jack touched the bark around the light. He pushed. The crack got bigger.
“It’s a secret door!” said Jack. He pushed harder. Creak. A tall, narrow door swung into the tree. Light streamed from inside.
“We found it,” whispered Annie, “the heart of the oak.”
Jack nodded.
“Let’s go in,” said Annie. They slipped through the narrow doorway into the bright hollow of the tree trunk.
Jack couldn’t believe his eyes. The round room was lit with hundreds of candles. Shadows danced on the curved brown walls.
This isn’t possible! thought Jack. The heart of the oak seemed much bigger than the tree itself!
“Welcome,” said a deep, whispery voice.
They turned around and saw an old man sitting in a carved wooden chair. He had a long white beard and wore a red cloak.
“Hi, Merlin,” said Annie.
“Hello, Annie. Hello, Jack. It is good to see you again,” the magician said. “I am grateful for the help you gave us on Christmas Eve in Camelot. Now Morgan and I believe you might be able to help us again.”
“We’d love to!” said Annie.
“The whole future of our kingdom depends upon your success,” said Merlin.
“Are you sure you want us?” Jack asked. “I mean, we’re just kids.”
“You have passed many tests for Morgan,” said Merlin. “Are you not Master Librarians and Magicians of Everyday Magic?”
Jack nodded. “Yes, we are,” he said.
“Good. You will need all your skills on this mission,” said Merlin. “You will also need a helper and guide from our world, the world of magic and legend.”
“Are you coming with us?” asked Annie.
“No,” the magician said. “Your guide shall be one much younger than I. He is in my library now. Yesterday he brought me some books I had requested from Morgan’s library.”
Merlin rose from his chair. “Come,” he said, leading them to a door in the curved wall. He opened it and stepped into another room. Jack and Annie followed him.
The musty room was filled with scrolls and ancient-looking books. Sitting on the floor was a boy about eleven or twelve years old. He was reading by the light of a lantern.
“Your helper and guide,” Merlin said to Jack and Annie.
The boy looked up. He had a friendly, freckled face and dark, twinkly eyes. He broke into a big grin.
“Arf, arf!” he said.
“Teddy!” cried Annie.
Jack couldn’t believe it! Their helper was the young sorcerer who was training as Morgan’s apprentice!
Merlin, for once, looked surprised. “You already know each other?” he asked.
“Yes, we met a while ago when I accidentally changed myself into a dog!” said Teddy.
“Morgan wanted to teach Teddy a lesson,” explained Annie. “So she sent him with us on four tree-house journeys before she changed him back into a boy. He saved us on the Titanic. And he saved us from a buffalo stampede!”
“And from a tiger in India,” said Jack, “and a forest fire in Australia.”
“Wondrous journeys, indeed,” said Merlin. “I am glad you are already friends. Your friendship may help you on this mission.”
“What is our mission?” asked Annie.