Stage Fright on a Summer Night (2 page)

Jack and Annie sat on their porch. Lightning bugs blinked in the warm summer twilight.

“Wow, a shooting star!” said Annie, pointing at the sky.

Jack looked up, just in time to see a streak of light flash through the sky. The light hovered above the Frog Creek woods. Then it disappeared into the treetops.

Jack caught his breath. He turned to Annie.

“That was no shooting star,” he said.

“Right,” she said.

They jumped up. Jack grabbed his backpack from inside the front hall.

“Dad, Mom! Can we go out?” he called. “We'll be back soon!”

“Ten minutes, no more!” their mom said.

“Okay!” said Jack. He closed the door. “Let's go! Hurry!”

He and Annie ran across their yard. They ran down their street. They ran into the woods. They ran until they came to the tallest oak. They looked up.

“Yep,” said Annie.

Jack just smiled. He was too happy for words.

“That's our shooting star,” said Annie. “The magic tree house.”

She grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Jack followed.

When they climbed inside the tree house, they both gasped. A beautiful woman with long white hair stood in the shadowy corner.

“Hello, Jack and Annie,” said Morgan le Fay.

“Morgan!” Jack and Annie cried.

They threw their arms around her.

“Why are you here?” said Annie. “What do you want us to do for you?”

“You have already done many good things for me,” said Morgan, “and for King Arthur and Camelot. Now I want you to do something good for yourselves. You are going to learn magic.”

“Oh, wow,” said Annie. “Are we going to
become magicians? Will you teach us charms and spells?”

Morgan laughed. “There is magic that does not need charms or spells,” she said. “You'll find a special magic on each of your next four adventures.”

“How?” asked Jack.

“A secret rhyme will guide you on each journey,” Morgan said. “Here this is the first.” She held up a slip of paper.

Annie took the paper from Morgan and read the rhyme aloud:

“Turn daytime into night?” said Jack. “How can we do that?”

Morgan smiled.

“That's what you have to find out,” she said.

Jack had lots of questions. But before he could ask any of them, a flash lit up the tree house. He closed his eyes against the light. When he opened them, Morgan le Fay was gone. On the floor where she had stood was a book.

“Morgan didn't tell us enough,” said Jack.

“But she left this research book,” said Annie. She picked up the book. “And it'll tell us the first place to go.” She held the book up to the gray light at the window.

The cover showed a busy river with boats and a bridge. The title was

“What's o-l-d-e mean?” asked Annie.

“I think that's the old way of spelling
old,
” said Jack. “You say it the same.”

“So we're going to merry olde England to find magic?” said Annie. “That sounds fun. Ready?”

“I guess,” said Jack. He still wished they'd gotten more information from Morgan. But he pointed at the cover of their research book.

“I wish we could go there,” he said.

The wind started to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

The wind blew harder and harder.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

Warm daylight flooded into the tree house. Jack opened his eyes.

Annie was wearing a long dress with an apron. Jack was wearing a shirt with puffy sleeves, knee-length pants, and tights. Their shoes were leather slippers. Jack's backpack was now a leather bag.

“These clothes are weird,” said Jack. His voice was nearly drowned out by the sound of thundering wagon wheels coming from below.

“What's going on?” said Annie.

She and Jack looked out.

The tree house had landed in a patch of trees near a wide brown river. Wagons, carts, and people were heading toward the river.

Ferryboats, sailing ships, and white swans glided across the water.

“Wow, it's so busy,” said Annie.

Jack opened their research book and read:

“A queen? Cool,” said Annie.

Jack took out his notebook and wrote:

“I've never seen a bridge like
that,
” said Annie, looking to the left.

Jack looked with her. A giant stone bridge crossed the river. The bridge looked like a small town. It was crowded with houses, shops, and even a church.

Jack found a picture of the bridge in their research book. He read aloud:

“Oh, wow,” said Annie. “That must be where the song comes from.” She sang, “London Bridge is falling down, falling down … .”

While Annie sang, Jack took out his notebook and wrote:

“Let's go look for the magic,” said Annie. She read Morgan's note again:

Jack squinted up at the sky. It was very blue, without even a cloud.

“It's just not possible,” he said, shaking his head.

But he threw the research book and his notebook into his leather bag. Then he followed Annie down the rope ladder. When they reached the ground, they started walking toward the river.

“P-U!” Annie said, holding her nose.

The river smelled terrible.

No one else seemed to mind the smell, though. People were cheerfully piling into ferryboats or heading for the bridge. They all seemed happy, as if they were going someplace fun.

A group of ragged boys brushed past Jack and Annie. They were about twelve or thirteen years old. They were laughing and out of breath.

“Hurry! We'll be late!” one shouted.

The boys ran toward the stone gateway leading onto the bridge.

“Late for what?” said Annie. “What's on the other side of that bridge? Why are they in such a hurry to get there?”

“I don't know,” said Jack. He pulled out their research book. “I'll see what the book says.”

“No, let's just go—or
we'll
be late!” said Annie. She took off running.

“Okay, okay,” said Jack.

He put away the book and ran after her toward London Bridge.

Jack and Annie passed under the stone gateway that led onto London Bridge.