A Perfect Time for Pandas: A Merlin Mission (6 page)

“And this is from China,” said Jack. He took out the panda bread and put it next to the feather.

“This is called panda bread,” said Annie. “It stands for protecting animals, for loving them and speaking up for them because they can’t speak for themselves.”

All four things were lit by the circle of glowing
lantern light, along with Penny.

“Teddy, stand closer, you’re the spell caster,” said Kathleen.

Teddy stood in front of the table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he raised his arms and exclaimed, “All four things are here with me, the one who cast the spell. Spell be broken! Penny, come back to life!”

Teddy opened his eyes. Everyone stared at Penny, waiting for something to happen.

They waited and waited.

“Please, Penny … come back to life,” whispered Teddy.

They all waited another long moment.

Slowly Teddy lowered his arms. “It’s not working,” he said quietly. “The spell to break the spell, it doesn’t work.” He picked up the small stone penguin and cradled her in his arms. “So you won’t come back to us,” he said. “You’ll never come back to us.” A tear fell from Teddy’s eyes, then another.

“Oh, Teddy,” said Annie.

Teddy wiped his face on the sleeve of his cloak.
“Don’t look at stupid me weeping,” he said.

“It’s okay to cry,” said Jack.

“Are you sad because you think Merlin will banish you from Camelot?” said Annie.

“No—no.” Teddy shook his head. “I’m sad because … well, what you’ve shown us—what you said to us just now—makes me terribly sad. The emerald makes me think how much Merlin loves Penny, and your flower makes me remember the joy she brought to everyone. And your gray feather makes me think how desperately Kathleen and I have been hoping we could undo the spell and bring Penny back to life. And your panda bread makes me think how I was supposed to protect Penny while Merlin was gone. But I didn’t care properly for her. I caused her harm instead…. I—I can’t change that now. I can’t, not ever, and I’m so sorry.” As Teddy wept, his tears fell onto the stone penguin.

“Teddy,” said Annie, “please don’t …” But then she stopped.

Peep
.

“Hush, Teddy,” Kathleen said. “Stop crying. Listen.”

Peep
.

Teddy and the others looked at Penny. As they watched, the baby penguin’s body turned from dull gray to soft white. She tilted her head. Her eyes blinked.

Peep
.

“P
enny! You came back! You are alive!” whispered Teddy.

“Hurray!” Annie shouted.

Teddy started crying again, but this time, he was laughing, too. Kathleen and Jack and Annie laughed with him, and the only tears now were tears of joy and relief.

The little penguin blinked and looked at each of them, one at a time.
Peep! Peep! Peep! Peep!
she greeted them, waddling up and down the length of the table.

Teddy picked up Penny. He rubbed his cheek against her fuzzy head. “It’s a miracle,” he said softly.

Trumpet blasts came from the distance. Startled, they all looked toward the window. Dawn light was creeping into Merlin’s cottage.

“I’m afraid you must go now,” Kathleen said
to Jack and Annie. “The sound of the trumpeters means that Merlin and Morgan have returned from Avalon. We could
never
explain all of this to them!” Kathleen laughed as she put the emerald, the flower, the feather, and the panda bread into a deep pocket of her cloak.

Then she looked at Teddy. He was hugging Penny and grinning as if in a daze. “Let us bring Penny with us, Teddy,” she said. “We will lead Jack and Annie back to the tree house!”

The sun was rising when they left the cottage. Kathleen’s cloak billowed behind her as she led them all through the orchard back to the tree house.

“Good-bye,” said Teddy. “I—I thank you a million times. All of Camelot thanks you—or
would
thank you if they knew how you had helped me.”

“Yes, yes, they would!” said Kathleen. She hugged Jack and Annie.

“Wait,” said Jack, “what was the last part of the rhyme again, the part you just translated? Do you remember?”

“Yes, I do,” said Teddy. Then he recited the words from memory:

“Oh, now I get it,” said Annie. “
You
broke the spell, Teddy. You broke it all by yourself. By feeling all the feelings you felt for Penny, you broke the spell.”

“Yes,” said Kathleen. “I quite think that’s what happened. The four things that Jack and Annie brought back did not break the spell. They only served to awaken feelings deep within you, Teddy. And that is what really broke the spell.”

“Yes. You must be right,” said Teddy. “I’m sorry you two had to go to such trouble to help me, and that Kathleen had to worry so. Not only Penny, but all of you suffered on my behalf.”

“That’s okay. We loved all our missions,” said
Annie. “We helped an elephant find her baby. We helped a funny dog find out that he was a great dog, and a president find hope, and some pandas find their way home.”

“All because you were trying to help Penny,” said Kathleen.

“True,” said Jack, stroking the little penguin. “It’s weird how that works sometimes.”

The trumpets sounded again.

“Hurry,” said Kathleen. “They’re getting closer.” Annie brushed her hand down Penny’s back.

“Bye, Penny,” she said.

Peep
.

“And
peep
to you,” said Jack. He kissed the top of the penguin’s fuzzy head.

Jack and Annie then scrambled up the rope ladder into the tree house. Annie grabbed the Pennsylvania book, while Jack hurried to the window.

Sunlight poured into the tree house, making it blindingly bright. Trumpet sounds filled the fresh morning air.

“I wish we could go home!” Annie said, pointing
to a picture of the Frog Creek woods.

“Farewell!” Teddy shouted from the dazzling light. “Thank you!”

The wind began to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

* * *

“We’re back,” said Jack. He and Annie looked out the tree house window. Dappled light danced in the woods. As always, no time at all had passed in Frog Creek while they were gone.

“Time for school,” said Annie.

Jack groaned. He was exhausted. Every muscle in his body ached. He opened his backpack and took out their guide book to Southwest China. “Hey, we forgot. Our breakfast sandwiches are in here,” he said.

“They must be cold by now,” said Annie.

“Who cares?” said Jack. “I’m starving.”

“Me too,” said Annie.

Jack gave Annie a cold egg sandwich. Then he unwrapped his own and took a big bite. “Yum!” he said. “It really tastes great.”

“This is
our
panda bread,” said Annie, “made with love by Mom, one of our keepers.”

Jack laughed. “Right.”

“So the panda bread stands for protecting the pandas,” Annie said between bites. “I think it stands for protecting birds, too, like Penny.”

“Of course,” said Jack, his mouth full.

“And trees and other plants,” said Annie.

Jack nodded as he chewed.

“And dolphins and whales and fish,” said Annie. “All the stuff in the ocean …”

Jack nodded again.

Annie finished her sandwich and wiped her mouth. “In fact, there are
millions
of things to protect,” she said.

“Whoa, slow down,” said Jack. He pulled on his backpack. “One panda at a time.”

“Right,” said Annie. “One penguin at a time.”

“Right,” said Jack.

The two of them climbed down the rope ladder. Then they hurried through the Frog Creek woods, finally on their way to school.

O
n May 12, 2008, the Great Sichuan Earthquake killed many thousands of people in Southwest China. Though the quake devastated the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center, all the workers and all but one of the giant pandas survived. The pandas have since been relocated to other panda reserves, until the Wolong Center is rebuilt.

News of the disaster in China brought a great deal of attention to the pandas, and support for these beloved animals increased.

Many organizations were already working hard to save pandas from extinction—groups such as Pandas International, the World Wildlife Fund, the Giant Panda Conservation Fund, and the China Conservation and Research Center for
the Giant Panda. In fact, pandas have become a symbol for the protection of all endangered species of wildlife.

The panda’s roly-poly body and innocent, shy eyes evoke feelings of awe and wonder, tenderness and compassion. Pandas seem to bring out the best in people. And that is only one of about a thousand good reasons why we should keep them living on this earth.