Blizzard of the Blue Moon (8 page)

“And I’m sorry I left you stranded in the storm,” said Teddy. “But I knew you’d find your way to the Cloisters!”

“We thought you guys were these two kids following us, Balor and Grinda!” said Annie.

“Yes, we just saw you turn them into ducks!” said Kathleen. “Brilliant!”

“Who were they?” asked Jack.

“Apprentices of the Dark Wizard,” said Kathleen. “We didn’t know they were following you! Even
Merlin
didn’t know.”

“They were pretty creepy,” said Jack.

“Yeah, but they actually helped us without meaning to,” said Annie. “They knew the unicorn’s name.”

“We thought it was
Divine Flower of Rome,”
said Jack.

“I told Merlin that clue might be a bit difficult,” said Teddy. “Divine Flower is
dianthus
in Latin, the language of old Rome.”

“So do Grinda and Balor know Latin?” asked Annie.

“Hardly,” said Teddy. “The unicorn’s name is famous throughout the Otherworld. He is known for his great magic.”

“And for his goodness,” added Kathleen.

“We know about his goodness,” said Annie. “When he ran through the streets with his horn in the air, the blizzard ended. And everyone we passed cheered up and seemed to get more hopeful.”

“The Dark Wizard was trying to capture Dianthus so he could keep the unicorn’s good magic from the rest of the world,” said Kathleen. “Merlin will be very pleased that you have foiled the wizard’s plan.”

“In truth, I believe he would like to thank you himself,” said Teddy. He turned toward the yellow taxi parked by the curb.

The back door of the car opened, and two grown-ups stepped out: a tall, elegant woman wearing a wine-colored cloak and a man in a dark blue robe. The man had a long white beard. The woman had long white hair.

“Morgan! Merlin!” whispered Jack.

As the wizard and magical librarian of Camelot walked across the snow, Dianthus stepped forward to greet them. He bowed his head. Merlin tenderly stroked the unicorn’s white neck.

Morgan le Fay turned to Jack and Annie. “Hello,” she said, smiling. “It is good to see you both.” Her lovely voice washed over Jack like music.

“You too,” said Annie, hugging the enchantress.

“What are you and Merlin doing here?” Jack asked.

“I have always wanted to visit New York City,” said Morgan. “Teddy has just given us quite a ride in that taxi. Merlin had to tell him to slow down several times.” Morgan laughed and turned toward Merlin.

“Quite a ride indeed,” said Merlin. “Greetings to you both, Jack and Annie.”

“Greetings,” they said.

“Thank you for saving my beloved Dianthus,” said Merlin. “Long ago, he was stolen from Camelot by evildoers. He was rescued by magic weavers in the Netherlands. To keep him safe, they used their art to hide him in their tapestries. I knew I could entrust you two to set him free on the day the spell was to end. But your mission turned out to be more dangerous than I intended. I did not know the Dark Wizard had sent his apprentices to follow you and capture the unicorn.”

“Poor Grinda and Balor,” said Annie. “Now they’re ducks.”

“Oh, do not worry,” said Teddy. “The spell will wear off in a few days, and they’ll find their way home.”

“Yes,” said Kathleen, “and I am sure the Dark Wizard will have some other wicked plan for them.”

“Aye,” said Merlin, “but they will no longer have the use of their black rope.” He picked the rope up from the ground and handed it to Teddy.

“Take this back to Camelot and see that it is destroyed.”

“Gladly,” said Teddy.

“It must be terrible to work for the Dark Wizard,” said Annie. She looked at Merlin. “I’m glad we work for you instead.”

Merlin smiled. “And so am I,” he said. “On your last four missions, you and Jack have proved you know how to use magic wisely. And
for that, I now entrust you with one of Camelot’s greatest treasures.”

Merlin pulled a spiraled wand from his robe. “I give you the Wand of Dianthus,” he said. “As you can see, the wand is made in the shape of the unicorn’s horn. It has a bit of his magic in it.” Merlin held the silver wand out to Jack and Annie.

Jack took the wand from Merlin. It burned in his hand—with cold or warmth, he couldn’t tell which.

“With the help of the wand, you can make your own magic,” said Merlin.

“But you can only use it after you have tried your hardest,” said Morgan, “and remember that it can only be used for another’s good.”

“We’ll remember,” breathed Annie.

“Thank you,” said Jack. He unbuckled his briefcase and carefully placed the silver wand inside.

“We must leave you now,” said Merlin. He turned to Teddy and Kathleen. “You may ride Dianthus home to Camelot. I will be along shortly. But first, I would like to drive that taxi around New York City myself. Morgan, will you join me?”

“Indeed,” said Morgan. “But drive a bit more slowly than Teddy, please.”

“I promise nothing,” said Merlin. He looked
at Jack and Annie. “Good evening to you, my friends. I will call for you again soon.”

“Bye,” said Annie and Jack.

Merlin took Morgan’s arm, and the two walked back to the taxi and climbed into the front seat. The big yellow car sputtered and then took off wildly. As it careened up the avenue, Merlin blew its horn.

AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA!

J
ack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen laughed.

“My,” said Kathleen. “I believe I would much rather ride Dianthus than go with Merlin!”

The white unicorn knelt in the snow. Kathleen and Teddy climbed onto his back. Dianthus stood up.

Teddy smiled down at Jack and Annie. “You know ’tis a very great honor to be given the Wand of Dianthus,” he said.

“I know,” said Jack shyly. “Thanks for getting us to the right place at the right time today.”

“Hey, were you guys in Venice, looking out for us there, too?” said Annie. “And Baghdad? And Paris?”

The two young enchanters looked at one another. Then they nodded their heads.

“We knew it!” said Annie. “Thanks for helping us!”

“And thanks for the book of magic rhymes,” said Jack.

“You are most welcome,” said Teddy. “And now we must go. We hope to see you again soon.”

“Good-bye, Dianthus,” said Annie. She stroked the unicorn’s neck one last time.

Dianthus lowered his head and stared at her with his soft blue eyes. They sparkled in the last bit of daylight. Annie stood on her toes and whispered in the unicorn’s ear. Then she stepped back.

Dianthus snorted. He raised his head. Then he leapt forward. In a flash of silver, the unicorn and his two riders were gone.

Standing in the cold dusk, Annie stared silently into the distance.

“What did you say to him?” asked Jack.

“I told him he had to go with Teddy and Kathleen,” Annie said. She blinked back tears. “I told him they would show him the way home now.”

“Oh,” said Jack. He put his hand on Annie’s back. “Don’t worry. We’ll see Dianthus again someday. I just feel it.”

Annie smiled. “You’re starting to sound like me,” she said.

“Uh-oh,” said Jack. He shivered. Night was falling fast. “Ready?”

“Sure, let’s go,” said Annie. She followed Jack to the tree house and up the rope ladder. They climbed inside and looked out the window.

The lights of New York City were starting to come on. A full moon was rising over the snow-covered park.

“Hello, blue moon,” said Jack.

“Good-bye, blue moon,” said Annie.

Jack picked up the scroll from Merlin. He pointed to the words
Frog Creek
in Merlin’s note. “I wish we could go home!” he said.

The wind started to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

* * *

A cold wind blew through the Frog Creek woods. A few fat snowflakes drifted into the tree house. Jack and Annie were dressed in their own clothes again. Jack’s briefcase had turned back into a backpack.

Jack quickly opened the pack and looked inside. “Good,” he said. “The Wand of Dianthus is still there.”

“Should we take it home with us?” asked Annie.

“I think so,” said Jack. “We can keep it safe
until our next mission.” He pulled Teddy and Kathleen’s book of rhymes out of his pack.

“I guess we can keep our book of rhymes as a souvenir,” Jack said. “We won’t be using it anymore since we’ve used up all the rhymes.” He stuffed the book back into his backpack.

“We haven’t used
all
of them,” said Annie. “We still have one left, remember?
Find a Treasure You Must Never Lose.”

“Oh, I already used that one,” said Jack. “Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed his pack and started down the rope ladder.

“What do you mean you already used that one?” Annie said as she followed him down. “When did you use
that
rhyme?”

Jack stepped onto the ground. “How do you think I found you when you got lost in Central Park?” he said.

“Wait, you thought
I
was a treasure?” said Annie.

Jack shrugged. “I guess,” he said. “At least today I did.”

Annie smiled. “Cool,” she said. “Thanks for finding me when you got lost.”

“Not me,
you,”
said Jack. “You’re the one who got lost.”

“No,
you,”
said Annie.

“You,”
said Jack.

“Youyouyouyouyou!” said Annie.

Jack laughed. “Whatever,” he said. “Let’s go have some of Dad’s hot chocolate.”

The snow began to fall harder. As the cold wind rattled the bare trees of the Frog Creek woods, Jack and Annie hurried home.

The Great Depression:
Today, older New Yorkers remember the Great Depression as one of the most difficult times in the city’s history. Lasting from 1929 to about 1939, the Depression was a time when all of America, as well as much of Europe, suffered terrible economic problems that caused many people to lose their jobs.

Subways:
Today, millions of people ride the New York subways every day. There are over 400 miles of tracks. Riders no longer drop coins or tokens into a slot in the turnstiles, though. They now slide a MetroCard through an electronic card reader.

Central Park:
Today, more than 250,000 people might visit Central Park on a warm weekend and picnic, jog, skate, bicycle, listen to music, or walk dogs. Designed over 150 years ago, Central Park was the first major park created entirely for public use. Its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, believed that nature could lift the spirits of city dwellers and bring together people from all walks of life.

Belvedere Castle:
Today, Belvedere Castle in Central Park serves as a nature observatory. If you live in New York City, you have often heard on TV or radio: “The temperature in Central Park is … “ That information is coming from the weather instruments that are still housed in the castle.

John D. Rockefeller:
Today, America remembers John D. Rockefeller as once being the richest man in the country. After founding the Standard Oil Company, he focused on giving away half of his fortune. Through the generosity of his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a small museum in Fort Tryon Park in the northern part
of the city was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That museum is known as the Cloisters.

The Cloisters:
Today, the Cloisters is filled with approximately 5,000 works of medieval art, including many works from Rockefeller’s own medieval art collection, such as the famous Unicorn Tapestries.

Unicorns:
Today, unicorns appear in old stories from countries all over the world, most notably China, India, and medieval Europe. There is no proof that unicorns ever actually existed, though. The only land animal with a single horn is a rhinoceros.