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Authors: Elizabeth Winthrop

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BOOK: The Castle in the Attic
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“All right, you can come home and see it today, but you have to go to gymnastics practice with me first,” William said.

“I thought you had a practice yesterday.”

William looked away. “We have a big meet next month. The coach is really pushing us.”

“Sure, I'll come,” Jason said. “It's more fun than practicing the piano.”

The other members of the team were already on the floor warming up when they arrived.

“Hey, Lawrence, you're late.” Robert, the coach, never let them get away with anything.

“Sorry. Can my friend watch if he stays out of the way?”

“Sure. We're starting with floor work today. After you warm up, I want to see a round-off and then two back handsprings.”

“Are you going to spot me?”

“The first time. Then you're going to try it on your own. We still have to add the Arabian dive roll. The meet is exactly one month from today.”

Despite all the time and energy it took, William loved gymnastics. It was the only part of his life where having a small, wiry body really paid off. His moves were faster and more graceful than anyone else's, which improved the team's scores at the meets. But it also meant Robert was tougher on him.

“Stay here, William. I want you to try it again. The rest of the group can start work on the parallel bars.”
Robert walked across the room and put both hands on William's shoulders. “Remember, the back handsprings create the momentum and speed that you need for the dive roll. Focus on your shoulders. They will do the job of transferring the energy from your arms to the rest of your body.”

William plodded wearily back to the corner. This was the fifth time in a row. His arms and shoulders ached. He stopped in the corner and closed his eyes for a moment. Nobody spoke. He made himself forget about Jason waiting in the corner, about the Silver Knight waiting in the castle, about Robert's frown. He had to get the rhythm, the push, the sense of space from inside himself. One step and he started off with a powerful run, then did the round-off, and two tight handsprings. It was better, he knew that.

Robert nodded. “Join the rest of the group at the bars now.”

“He really pushes you,” Jason said on the way home. “Doesn't it get to you?”

William nodded. “Sometimes. But he's a good coach. And he's usually right.”

“The first four looked okay to me,” Jason said.

“I was crooked. I could feel it, and any judge would see it. Just like when you miss a note on the piano.”

Jason nodded.

“You boys look tired,” Mrs. Phillips said as they collapsed into the kitchen chairs. “Bad day at school?”

“Robert made me do the first part of my routine five times in a row,” William said. “Let's not talk about it.”

Mrs. Phillips put out another cup of juice and two cookies for Jason. When she turned back to the sink, William slipped a cookie into his napkin. Jason saw him but didn't say anything.

“I'll be in the front, turning over the other half of the flower bed,” Mrs. Phillips said. “What are you boys up to?”

“William's going to show me the castle,” Jason offered. “Is it true you gave it to him to keep forever?”

Mrs. Phillips glanced over at William. “Forever,” she said. “If he wants it that long.”

“Come on, Jason,” William muttered.

“I bet she's sad she's leaving,” Jason said as they went up the back stairs.

“She's not that sad or she wouldn't go,” William said.

“I bet—”

“I don't want to talk about her, Jason.”

“Okay, okay, sorry.”

They dumped their backpacks in William's room and
headed down the hall. “What's the cookie for?” Jason asked.

“What cookie?”

“The one you hid in your pocket.”

“Oh, that.” William opened the attic door. “I leave one up in the castle for a snack. Sometimes I sneak up here after bedtime.” He banged on the wall three times.

“Why are you doing that?” Jason asked.

“The light doesn't always go on at once. Banging the wall seems to help,” he said as he flipped the switch. “What's with all these questions?”

But Jason didn't answer. He had vaulted up the top three steps ahead of William and was already staring at the castle.

“I never thought it would be so big,” he said as he walked all the way around it. “Show me how the drawbridge works.”

William moved slowly to pull the lever, giving the Silver Knight as much time as possible to hide. He thought he saw something moving in the stable, but Jason didn't seem to notice. “You pull this chain here to raise the metal grating,” he said.

Jason tried it a couple of times. William sat back and let him explore the castle on his own. He was hoping Jason would finish quickly so that he could get
on with his bug search, but Jason was settling in for the afternoon.

“Where are all the soldiers?” he asked.

“It didn't come with any,” William lied.

“A castle isn't much fun without knights. Maybe we could pool our money and buy some.”

“Sure,” William said, but he knew he didn't sound very enthusiastic. He didn't want Jason around every afternoon, or he wouldn't have any time alone with the Silver Knight. He stood up. “We'd better go down now. I've got a lot of homework to do.”

“Aw, come on, I just got here,” Jason said. They looked at each other. “You act as if you really don't want me around.”

William didn't answer for a moment. He wanted to explain everything, but he couldn't tell about the Silver Knight and he was tired of lying. “It sounds stupid,” he said at last. “But I just want to be alone.”

“All right,” Jason said as he started down the stairs. “I guess I understand. ‘Bye, William.”

“ 'Bye.”

He knew Jason was hurt.
It's all Mrs. Phillips's fault
, he thought.
I wouldn't feel this way if she hadn't decided to leave
. He stood up.

“You can come out now,” William called to Sir Simon as he rummaged around in a trunk for a small cardboard box.

Something moved behind the stable door, and the small knight appeared. “You didn't give me much warning,” he shouted up at William.

“Sorry,” William said. “I didn't know Jason would run up the stairs so fast. I've got to go now. It'll be dark soon, and I want to find a bug so we can test the token. I found a cardboard box to keep it in.”

“I hate to trouble you further, William, but might you have something to eat?”

“Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you a cookie,” William said, digging down into his pocket. “It's mostly crumbs now, but that makes it perfect for you. Be back later,” he called from the bottom of the steps.

“Jason left quickly,” Mrs. Phillips said as he joined her in the flower bed.

“He had to go home,” William said. “Have you seen any bugs around here? I need one for my science class.”

She handed him the trowel. “Help yourself. All sorts of things are feeling the spring and stirring around.”

It was a warm afternoon for April. They worked side by side in silence. William found two sow bugs and put them in the cardboard box with some dirt and a couple of leaves. Then he worked on the flower bed with her.

“Have you been playing with the Silver Knight?”
she asked after a long silence.

He didn't lift his head or answer for a minute. He hadn't thought yet whether he should tell her about Sir Simon.

“Yes,” he said. “He told me a very long story yesterday about where he came from.”

Mrs. Phillips smiled. “Did he, now? He never talked to me all those years I played with him. There was that legend about him. Maybe it's the same one the Silver Knight told you.”

William shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. She wasn't taking him seriously.

“Oh, there's that gray cat from next door,” she said. “Chase it away, will you, William? Every time it gets close I start to sneeze.”

By the time he got back she had gathered up the gardening tools and gone inside. They said no more about the Silver Knight.

CHAPTER 6

It was past nine. William had finished his homework and his supper. Once he had said good night to his parents and Mrs. Phillips, he crept upstairs to the attic with the two bugs, his flashlight, and his magnifying glass. He wanted to take a closer look at the token.

The knight was waiting for him. The round circle of the flashlight found him in the middle of the courtyard.

“Could you bring up a candle next time you come? I have preparations to make, and I find it difficult to work when there is no moon.”

William smiled. “I can leave a small lamp on all night if that would give you enough light. Nobody will notice it from the outside because the nearest house is hidden by a row of trees.”

The Silver Knight watched from the lowered drawbridge as William connected two extension cords and dragged an old bedside lamp over to the castle. “We don't use candles anymore, Sir Simon. Somebody discovered electricity about a hundred years ago. If we flip this,” William pushed the light switch, “a light goes on.”

“A miracle,” said the knight, his eyes blinking in the sudden brightness.

“I brought two bugs and my magnifying glass. Oh, and this,” William said, producing a small plastic container filled with cut-up food of various sorts. “None of this will go bad, so you can eat whenever you want instead of always having to wait for me.”

William put his hand through the doors of the kitchen and propped the container on its side against the back wall of the room. That way the knight wouldn't have to climb into it to reach his dinner. Sir Simon picked through the small bits of dried fruits, granola, cracker crumbs, and crumbled potato chips. He scooped a selection of foods onto his plate.

“Could you please move this wooden table to the courtyard?” Sir Simon asked. “I have always fancied eating in the open air, and it would mean you and I could talk while I dine.”

The knight stood out of the way in the corner of the
kitchen as William arranged the table and two benches in the middle of the courtyard. Sir Simon settled down to eat.

“I do not mean to be critical, my lord, but I do long for a good slice of venison and a tankard of dark ale.”

“We have deer in the woods, Sir Simon, but I don't think I'd be too good at shooting them,” William said with a smile. “While you're eating, could I see the token again? I'd like to take a closer look at it under my magnifying glass.”

The little knight produced the token from his pouch and handed it over. Holding the medallion carefully in his palm, William moved close to the light to look at it. The head of Janus was clearly carved in the metal, and the leer on his face looked evil under the magnifying glass. William handed it back. “Was Janus smiling on the other side of the token?” he asked as he got out his box of bugs.

“I doubt he was smiling, but, as I recall, the expression was a friendly one,” Sir Simon said, making room on the table.

William lifted the top of the box and peered in at the two bugs. “Well, they're still alive,” he announced. “Are you ready? They're quite big. If they come out of the box quickly, they might knock you over.”

Sir Simon looked mildly alarmed.

“What word are you going to use this time?” William asked.

“ ‘Janus,' ” said Sir Simon. “It seems the obvious one.”

He stood at the ready with the token held out in front of him. William tipped the gray creatures out onto the table. They moved away sluggishly at first, unused to their new freedom. William glanced at the knight. When he looked back at the table, the sow bugs were gone.

“What happened?” he cried. The knight pointed at the floor where two specks of black pepper seemed to be moving about by the table legs.

“They reached the edge of the table just as I said ‘Janus,' ” Sir Simon exclaimed. “We have found the word that makes the token work!” He walked over and speared both beetles cleanly with his dagger before William could stop him.

BOOK: The Castle in the Attic
8.43Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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