The Knight at Dawn (2 page)

“Aren't you going to write about the magic person?” said Annie.

“We don't know for sure if there is a magic person,” said Jack.

“Well, someone built the tree house in the woods. Someone put the books in it. Someone lost a gold medal in dinosaur time.”

“Medallion!” said Jack for the third time. “And I'm just writing the facts. The stuff we know for sure.”

“Let's go back to the tree house right now,” said Annie. “And find out if the magic person is a fact.”

“Are you nuts?” said Jack. “The sun's not even up yet.”

“Come on,” said Annie. “Maybe we can catch them sleeping.”

“I don't think we should,” said Jack. He was worried. What if the “magic person” was
mean? What if he or she didn't want kids to know about the tree house?

“Well, I'm going,” said Annie.

Jack looked out his window at the dark-gray sky. It was almost dawn.

He sighed. “Okay. Let's get dressed. I'll meet you at the back door. Be quiet.”

“Yay!” whispered Annie. She tiptoed away as quietly as a mouse.

Jack put on jeans, a warm sweatshirt, and sneakers. He tossed his notebook and pencil in his backpack.

He crept downstairs.

Annie was waiting by the back door. She shined a flashlight in Jack's face. “Ta-da! A magic wand!” she said.

“Shhh! Don't wake up Mom and Dad,” whispered Jack. “And turn that flashlight off. We don't want anyone to see us.”

Annie nodded and turned it off. Then she clipped it onto her belt.

They slipped out the door into the cool early-morning air. Crickets were chirping. The dog next door barked.

“Quiet, Henry!” whispered Annie.

Henry stopped barking. Animals always seemed to do what Annie said.

“Let's run!” said Jack.

They dashed across the dark, wet lawn and didn't stop until they reached the woods.

“We need the flashlight now,” said Jack.

Annie took it off her belt and switched it on.

Step by step, she and Jack walked between the trees. Jack held his breath. The dark woods were scary.

“Gotcha!” said Annie, shining the flashlight in Jack's face.

Jack jumped back. Then he frowned.

“Cut it out!” he said.

“I scared you,” said Annie.

Jack glared at her.

“Stop pretending!” he whispered. “This is serious.”

“Okay, okay.”

Annie shined her flashlight over the tops of the trees.

“Now what are you doing?” said Jack.

“Looking for the tree house!”

The light stopped moving.

There it was. The mysterious tree house. At the top of the tallest tree in the woods.

Annie shined her light at the tree house, and then down the tall ladder. All the way to the ground.

“I'm going up,” she said. She gripped the flashlight and began to climb.

“Wait!” Jack called.

What if someone was in the tree house?

“Annie! Come back!”

But she was gone. The light disappeared. Jack was alone in the dark.

“No one's here!” Annie shouted down.

Jack thought about going home. Then he thought about all the books in the tree house.

He started up the ladder. When he was nearly to the tree house, he saw light in the distant sky. Dawn was starting to break.

He crawled through a hole in the floor and took off his backpack.

It was dark inside the tree house.

Annie was shining her flashlight on the books scattered about.

“They're still here,” she said.

She stopped the light on a dinosaur book. It was the book that had taken them to the time of the dinosaurs.

“Remember the Tyrannosaurus?” asked Annie.

Jack shuddered. Of course he remembered! How could anyone forget seeing a real live Tyrannosaurus rex?

The light fell on a book about Pennsylvania. A red silk bookmark stuck out of it.

“Remember the picture of Frog Creek?” said Annie.

“Of course,” said Jack. That was the picture that had brought them home.

“There's my favorite,” said Annie.

The light was shining on a book about knights and castles. There was a blue leather bookmark in it.

Annie turned to the page with the bookmark.
There was a picture of a knight on a black horse. He was riding toward a castle.

“Annie, close that book,” said Jack. “I know what you're thinking.”

Annie pointed at the knight.

“Don't, Annie!”

“We wish we could see this guy for real,” Annie said.

“No, we don't!” shouted Jack.

They heard a strange sound.

“
Neeee-hhhh
!”

It sounded like a horse neighing.

They both went to the window.

Annie shined the flashlight down on the ground.

“Oh no,” whispered Jack.

“A knight!” said Annie.

A knight in shining armor! Riding a black horse! Through the Frog Creek woods!

Then the wind began to moan. The leaves began to tremble.

It was happening again.

“We're leaving!” cried Annie. “Get down!”

The wind moaned louder. The leaves shook harder.

And the tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster!

Jack squeezed his eyes shut.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

Jack opened his eyes. He shivered. The air was damp and cool.

The sound of a horse's whinny came again from below.

“
Neeee-hhhh
!”

“I think we're here,” whispered Annie. She was still holding the castle book.

Jack peeked out the window.

A huge castle loomed out of the fog.

He looked around. The tree house was in a different oak tree. And down below, the knight on the black horse was riding by.

“We can't stay here,” said Jack. “We have to go home and make a plan first.” He picked up the book about Pennsylvania. He opened it to the page with the red silk bookmark. He pointed to the photograph of the Frog Creek woods. “I wish—”

“No!” said Annie. She yanked the book away from him. “Let's stay! I want to visit the castle!”

“You're nuts. We have to examine the situation,” said Jack. “From home.”

“Let's examine it here!” said Annie.

“Come on.” He held out his hand. “Give it.”

Annie gave Jack the book. “Okay. You can
go home. I'm staying,” she said. She clipped the flashlight to her belt.

 

“Wait!” said Jack.

“I'm going to take a peek. A teeny peek,” she said. And she scooted down the ladder.

Jack groaned. Okay, she had won. He couldn't leave without her. Besides, he sort of wanted to take a peek himself.

He put down the book about Pennsylvania.

He dropped the castle book into his pack. He stepped onto the ladder. And headed down into the cool, misty air.

Annie was under the tree, looking across the foggy ground.

“The knight's riding toward that bridge, I think,” said Annie. “The bridge goes to the castle.”

“Wait. I'll look it up,” said Jack. “Give me the flashlight!”

He took the flashlight from her and pulled the castle book out of his pack. He opened it to the page with the leather bookmark.

He read the words under the picture of the knight:

Wow. Jack had weighed forty pounds when he was five years old. So it'd be like riding a horse with a five-year-old on your head.

Jack pulled out his notebook. He wanted to take notes, as he'd done on their dinosaur trip.

He wrote:

What else?

He turned the pages of the castle book.
He found a picture that showed the whole castle and the buildings around it.

“The knight's crossing the bridge,” said Annie. “He's going through the gate .…  He's gone.”

Jack studied the bridge in the picture.

He read:

Jack wrote in his notebook: