Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 46 (2 page)

O
ne summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. It was filled with books. A boy named Jack and his sister, Annie, soon discovered that the tree house was magic, and just by pointing at a book, they could go to any time and any place in history. While they were gone, no time at all passed back in Frog Creek.

Jack and Annie eventually found out that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the legendary realm of Camelot. They have since traveled on many adventures in the magic tree house and have completed many missions for both Morgan le Fay and Merlin the magician. On these journeys, they often received the help of two young enchanters from Camelot named Teddy and Kathleen.

Now Teddy and Kathleen are in desperate
need of Jack and Annie’s help. While Merlin and Morgan were away, Teddy accidentally put a spell on Penny, Merlin’s beloved penguin, and turned her into a stone statue. Teddy fears that he could be banished from the kingdom unless Jack and Annie can save Penny.

Teddy and Kathleen have found an ancient spell that will undo the one that Penny is under. To make the spell work, Jack and Annie must go on four adventures to collect four special things. They have just returned from a magic tree house journey to India, where they found the first thing: an emerald in the shape of a rose.

Now they are waiting for Teddy and Kathleen to send word about what they must find next.…

“J
ack, Jack!” whispered Annie.

Jack opened his eyes. He’d been dreaming about running away from cobras. “What’s wrong?” he said, sitting up in bed. It was still dark outside.

“Nothing’s wrong,” whispered Annie. “We have to go to the tree house and come back before it’s time to get ready for school.”

“The tree house?” said Jack sleepily.

“Teddy and Kathleen may have translated the next lines of the spell,” said Annie. “We have to see if they’re there, or if they’ve sent a message.”

“Huh?” said Jack. He was still half-asleep.

“We have to find the
second
thing to break the spell that turned Penny to stone!” said Annie. “Remember? Come on, Jack, wake up!” She shook his shoulder.

“Okay, okay. We have to get the second thing!” Jack jumped out of bed. “I’m ready!”

“No, you’re not,” said Annie. “You have to put your clothes on. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Annie left the room, and Jack quickly changed out of his pajamas and into jeans and a sweatshirt. He picked up his backpack and reached into an inside pocket. He pulled out the emerald rose they’d found in India. It was the first thing Teddy and Kathleen needed to break the spell and bring Penny back to life.

Jack grabbed his notebook and a pencil from his desk. He put them into his backpack along with the emerald rose. Then he slipped quietly out of his bedroom and down the stairs.

Annie was waiting on the front porch. The sky
was just starting to become light. The spring air was damp and cool. Jack was glad that he had worn his sweatshirt.

“All set,” said Jack. “Let’s go.”

Jack and Annie ran across the wet grass of their front yard and dashed down the sidewalk. The houses they passed were all quiet, but the world of nature was awake with birdsong and dogs barking in the distance.

Jack and Annie crossed the street and headed into the Frog Creek woods. It was hard to see in the shadowy dark, but they were so familiar with the path to the tallest oak that they quickly found their way.

The tree house was there, waiting for them. But no one was looking out the window.

“Darn, no Teddy and Kathleen,” said Annie.

“Well, at least they sent the tree house,” said Jack. “That must mean they were able to translate the next part of the ancient spell. They must have stayed in Camelot to work on the rest.”

“Yeah, probably,” said Annie. She grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Jack followed her.

Inside the tree house, daylight was starting to creep through the windows. Jack saw a small
scroll on top of a book in the shadows. “That’s it!” he said. He picked it up and read aloud:

The second thing to break the spell
is a white and yellow flower.
Live its meaning for yourself,
if only for an hour.

“A white and yellow flower?” said Annie. “Well, that sounds easier than finding an emerald shaped like a rose.”

“Okay. But where do we go to look for it?” said Jack. He picked up the book from the floor and read the title aloud:

“What’s that mean?” asked Annie. “The Swiss Alps?”

“Those are mountains in the country of Switzerland,” said Jack. “People ski there and stuff. The Alps are the mountains they climb in
The Sound of Music.
”

“Oh,
that
place!” said Annie. “Great!”

“Look, there’s a bookmark,” said Jack. He turned to a page marked with a blue velvet ribbon. There was a picture of tall mountain peaks and an open, snowy area surrounded by rocky slopes. The caption read:
The Great Saint Bernard Pass.

“That must be the exact place we’re supposed to go,” said Jack. “Ready?”

“Hold on—there’s something else,” said Annie. She picked up a small blue bottle from the floor of the shadowy corner. The bottle had a label on it. She read aloud:

“Whoa,” said Jack.

“
Anything
we want?” said Annie.

“That’s what it says,” said Jack.

“This is going to be so much fun!” said Annie. “Let’s get going.”

Annie handed Jack the bottle. He carefully put it and the scroll into his backpack. Then he pointed at the picture of the Great Saint Bernard Pass in their Alps book. “I wish we could go there!” 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 swept through the window. The purple light of the setting sun filled the tree house. Jack and Annie wore scratchy wool pants, shirts, hats, scarves, and gloves, and leather shoes. Jack’s pack had turned into a leather bag. When he opened it, he saw the scroll and the blue bottle inside—along with his notebook and pencil and the emerald rose.

“So these are the Swiss Alps,” said Annie, shivering and looking out the window. “Pretty, but cold.”

Jack looked out with her. The tree house was
nestled between gray boulders on a mountain slope. Snowy peaks loomed overhead. Below the peaks was the snow-covered pass they had seen in the picture. Smoke rose from a tall building.

“This must be the Great Saint Bernard Pass,” said Jack. He picked up their book and turned to the page with the bookmark and read:

“So that building must be the monastery,” said Jack.

“Great,” said Annie. “We can start our mission by going there.”

“Okay,” said Jack. “But I don’t get it. To save Penny we have to find a white and yellow flower. And we have to live its meaning, if only for an hour—whatever that means.”

“We’ll figure it out,” said Annie.

“Let’s hope,” said Jack. “But where do we find flowers
here
?”

Jack and Annie looked out at the treeless landscape of ice, snow, and rock. “Well, there must be flowers
somewhere
,” said Annie.

“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Maybe Teddy and Kathleen made a mistake and sent us to the wrong place.”

“They’ve never made a mistake before,” said Annie.

“Uh, excuse me. Teddy didn’t make a mistake turning Penny into stone?” said Jack.

“Okay, good point,” said Annie. “But let’s head to the monastery before it gets dark. We can ask about flowers there.”

“But what if—” started Jack.

“Stop worrying,” interrupted Annie. “Our book says the monks welcome cold, weary travelers. I’m cold, and your questions are making me weary. Come on.” She climbed out the window into the snow.