Eve of the Emperor Penguin (7 page)

Annie pulled Morgan’s rhyme out of her pocket and read the last part:

“Let’s go!” said Jack. “Speed to Camelot!”

Annie pointed to the word
Camelot
and said loudly and clearly: “I wish we could go there!”

A blast of light—

a roar of wind—

a rumble of thunder—

and, of course,

they were
there.

P
eep.

Penny’s head was sticking out of Jack’s jacket. Jack and Annie were wearing their own clothes again—their jeans, jackets, hats, and scarves. All their heavy cold-weather gear for Antarctica was gone.

“We’re in Camelot,” said Annie, looking out the window.

Jack took Penny out of his jacket and held her up to the window so she could see the grounds of King Arthur’s castle.

The tree house had landed in an apple tree in an orchard. In the near distance, castle towers rose into a late-afternoon sky. Several knights on horses were riding away from the castle.

“Jack! Annie!”

Teddy and Kathleen were running through the orchard, between the trees, over fallen golden leaves and apples.

Jack and Annie waved at them.

“Oh, I just thought of something,” said Jack. “We forgot to find out the fourth secret.”

“What do you mean?” said Annie. “It’s Penny.”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Jack. “Remember, Leonardo da Vinci told us a secret of happiness has to be available to everyone. Not many people can have their own baby penguin.”

“Oh, right,” said Annie.

“Jack! Annie! Come down!” Teddy and Kathleen called from below.

“We’re coming!” said Annie.

Jack put Penny inside his jacket, then carefully
climbed down the rope ladder after Annie.

“Oh! What did you bring back with you?” said Kathleen.

Penny was peeking out of Jack’s jacket again. “A baby penguin for Merlin,” said Annie.

“Look at her!” said Kathleen. “She’s beautiful!”

“Indeed!” said Teddy, petting Penny’s downy head.

Peep.

“She wants to help Merlin,” said Annie.

“Then let us hurry to him at once,” said Teddy. “Come, follow us.”

Kathleen and Teddy led the way between the trees to a small wooden cottage at the edge of the orchard.

“Merlin’s in
there
?” asked Jack.

“’Tis a garden house he always loved as a child,” said Teddy. “Morgan thought he would find comfort there. But alas, he seems to have found nothing but more grief. He will eat nothing, and he has not spoken for days.”

Teddy opened the door to the cottage and ushered Annie and Jack inside.

Morgan was sitting by Merlin’s bed. Late-afternoon light slanted through the window onto the magician’s face. He lay very still. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded on his chest.

A chill went through Jack. Merlin hardly looked alive.

Morgan turned around. She, too, looked tired, but her face brightened when she saw Jack and Annie. “Thank goodness you have come!” she said.

Annie crossed the room and hugged Morgan. Jack stepped forward with Penny. “Look what we brought for Merlin,” he whispered.

“Oh!” said Morgan. The enchantress gently touched the little penguin. “She is lovely indeed,” she whispered. “Thank you for bringing her.”

Morgan turned back to Merlin. “Merlin?” she said. “Jack and Annie from Frog Creek are here. They want to talk with you.”

Annie stepped forward, while Jack stood in the shadows with Penny. “Hi, Merlin!” said Annie. “How are you doing?”

The magician didn’t open his eyes. But he nodded to let Annie know he heard her.

“We have four secrets of happiness to share with you,” said Annie. She reached into Jack’s backpack. She pulled out the poem that the poet Basho had given them on their trip to old Japan.

“Listen, here’s a poem from a man named Basho,” said Annie. She read the short poem:

“The secret of happiness for Basho was that he paid attention to small things in nature,” explained Annie.

Merlin nodded slowly. “Nature,” he said in a raspy voice.

“That’s right,” said Annie. “And we brought
you this, too.” She pulled out the angel picture Leonardo da Vinci had drawn. She held it up to show Merlin.

“This is an angel drawn by a great genius named Leonardo da Vinci,” said Annie.

Merlin opened his eyes and peered at the drawing.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” said Annie. “The secret of Leonardo’s happiness was that he had great curiosity about everything—angels, art, noses, feathers, flowers, flying. Every day he felt happy when he learned something new.”

Merlin nodded as he stared at the angel sketch. “Curiosity,” he breathed.

“Yes. And here’s the third secret,” said Annie. She reached into Jack’s pack and pulled out the nautilus shell they’d been given on their trip to the deep ocean.

“A sea creature once lived inside this shell,” said Annie. “We learned from an ocean scientist that a secret of happiness is having compassion
for all living things, from a tiny shell creature to a giant octopus.”

Merlin took the shell from Annie. He cupped his hands around it and closed his eyes. His face softened. “Compassion,” he said. But still he didn’t smile.

Jack sighed.
Maybe Merlin isn’t going to get better,
he thought.

“Give him Penny now, Jack,” whispered Annie.

Jack stepped out from the shadows.

“Merlin,” he said, “we don’t actually know what the fourth secret of happiness is, but we want to give you something else.”

Merlin looked at Jack.

Jack held up the tiny penguin. “Her name is Penny,” he said.

Merlin just stared at Penny. He looked confused.

“She’s an orphan,” said Jack. “Her parents were lost in a terrible storm.”

Merlin frowned. “She is very small,” he said hoarsely.

“Yes. And she wants to live with you,” said Annie.

“The emperor of the Cave of the Ancient Crown wants you to take care of her,” said Jack. “He says she is very brave and full of joy.”

Jack set Penny on the floor. Standing alone, the penguin looked tiny and fragile.

“Go to Merlin,” Jack urged Penny.

Penny waddled across the floor to Merlin. Her little body rocked stiffly from side to side as she held out her wings to keep her balance.

Penny stopped in front of Merlin. The little penguin and the old magician stared at each other for a moment. Merlin’s expression didn’t change.

Peep!
said Penny.
Peep! Peep!

Merlin’s face twitched. Then he began to laugh. At first his laughter seemed more like coughing than laughing, as if he hadn’t laughed in a long time. But then his laughter grew louder. He stood up and scooped the baby penguin into his arms.

Merlin hugged Penny to his chest, pressing her against his long white beard. His face settled into a warm smile.

“It is your destiny to care for her, Merlin,” said Morgan. “The emperor of the Cave of the Ancient Crown has sent her to you. He is very wise.”

Merlin nodded. Then, cradling Penny in his arms, he walked to the doorway of the cottage and looked out. “The air smells like ripe apples and wood smoke today,” he said.

“Yes, my old friend, it does,” said Morgan. She wiped tears from her eyes.

Merlin turned back and looked at Jack and Annie. “Thank you for bringing—What did you say her name was?”

“Penny,” said Annie.

“Ah, yes,
Penny
… to me,” said Merlin. “And thank you for your other gifts as well. I will never forget the secrets you have shared with me.”

“You’re welcome,” said Jack and Annie.

Peep.

“Yes, yes,” Merlin murmured to the baby penguin. “You will stay with me. And we will have a happy time together. Let us go into the orchard and I will show you the rising moon.”

Merlin put Penny down on the ground. The baby penguin took tiny quick steps alongside the magician as they walked into the orchard. The two strolled together between the trees, and a round moon rose over the kingdom of Camelot.

“W
ell done,” Teddy said softly.

“Indeed,” said Kathleen, smiling at Jack and Annie.

Morgan smiled at them, too. “Thank you for your four secrets,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” said Annie. “But we’re not exactly sure what the fourth secret is.”

“I told Annie I don’t think it can be a baby penguin,” said Jack. “Because in our time people aren’t allowed to have baby penguins.”

“That is true,” said Morgan. “But people can
always take care of someone—or some creature—who needs them.”

“So
that’s
the secret?” said Annie.

Morgan nodded. “Taking loving care of another can make one very happy,” she said. “Like the other three secrets, it helps us look outside ourselves. Then we can better see all the gifts the world has to offer.”

“Yeah, taking care of Penny really took my attention off myself,” Jack said. “I forgot about a million things I was worried about.”

“I know you will miss her,” said Morgan. “But I imagine you will see her again someday.”

“So are we going on another mission soon?” asked Annie.

“Return home and rest first, and we will send for you again,” said Morgan.

“Can you try to make it really soon?” said Annie. “We don’t like long rests.”

Morgan laughed. “We will see,” she said.

“Oh, before we leave, I want to take a picture
of you three guys,” said Annie. “It’s for my family project at school. You seem like a family to me. Look this way, please.”

Annie aimed her camera at Morgan, Teddy, and Kathleen. “Smile!” she said.

“What are you doing?” asked Teddy. “What are you holding?”

“It’s a camera,” said Annie. “Just smile. Say
cheese.
”

“Cheese? Why ‘cheese’?” said Teddy.

Click! Flash!

“Got it.” Annie put her camera back into her pocket.

“What was that? What did you do?” asked Teddy.

“It’s hard to explain,” said Jack. “It’s like magic. From our time.”