“T he weather’s getting warmer,” said Jack. He and Annie were walking home from school under a cloudless May sky. A warm breeze blew through the leaves on the newly green trees.
“I love it,” said Annie. “It makes me feel like something good’s going to happen.”
“Something good already happened,” said Jack. “My teacher finally gave back my story today.”
“The one about our adventures in the tree house?” asked Annie.
“Yep. She said I have a fantastic imagination,” said Jack.
“Great!” said Annie.
“And she loved your drawings for the story, too,” said Jack. “She said you’re really talented.”
“That’s nice!” said Annie. “Maybe she loved the sparkle pens I used.”
“The only thing she didn’t love was the type I chose,” said Jack. “She said it was hard to read because it was too fancy.”
“I really like that curly type,” said Annie.
“Me too,” said Jack. “But it’s no big deal—she still gave me an A plus.”
“Wow, cool,” said Annie.
As they reached the edge of the Frog Creek woods, a gust of wind shook the tree branches. Jack’s baseball cap blew off. He grabbed his cap from the sidewalk. The wind blew harder.
“What’s happening?” said Annie.
Suddenly two figures rushed out of the woods. Their dark cloaks flapped behind them as they hurried toward Jack and Annie.
“Teddy!” said Annie.
“Kathleen!” said Jack.
The red-haired teenage boy and the beautiful girl with dark wavy hair ran to Jack and Annie and hugged them.
“You must come with us to the tree house!” said Kathleen. “Hurry!”
“Why? What’s up?” said Jack.
“We’ll explain when we get there!” said Teddy. He and Kathleen turned and started back into the woods. As Jack and Annie raced after them, sunlight slanted through the leafy treetops.
Soon they all came to the tallest oak tree. “Up, up!” cried Teddy.
One by one, Teddy, Kathleen, Jack, and Annie scrambled up the rope ladder and climbed into the magic tree house. When they were all inside, Teddy heaved a sigh. “My friends, we desperately need your help,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” asked Annie.
“We made a terrible mistake!” said Kathleen.
“No, it was me, just me,” said Teddy. “I made the mistake.”
“What did you do?” said Jack.
“I turned Penny into a stone statue,” said Teddy.
“Penny?” said Annie. “A statue?”
“Oh, no,” said Jack. He loved the little orphan penguin that he and Annie had found on one of their adventures. Penny had helped save Merlin’s life.
“It was an accident,” said Kathleen.
“It was stupidity!” said Teddy. “We were in Morgan’s library, and I was looking at spells in her books. Morgan forbids us to try any spells on our own, but I disobeyed when I found a simple one that turns things into stone. I thought I’d just give it a quick try—I turned an apple, a goblet of water, and a writing quill all to stone!”
“Teddy was pointing at a walking stick by the doorway, reciting the words of the spell,” said Kathleen. “And just as he finished, Penny wandered in, and the spell hit
her
!”
“And now she’s a stone statue,” Teddy said miserably.
“That’s terrible,” said Annie.
“Well, can’t you just ask Merlin or Morgan to use their magic to bring Penny back to life?” asked Jack.
“No, no, they must never learn anything about this! If they do, I …” Teddy shook his head and looked away.
“Merlin and Morgan are both in Avalon for the Festival of May,” said Kathleen. “If they discover what Teddy has done, we fear Merlin will banish him from the kingdom.”
“Really?” said Annie.
“Yes, Merlin will be enraged,” said Kathleen. “Penny is the very heart of our kingdom. We all love her very much.”
“Me too,” said Jack. He thought about the penguin’s fuzzy head, the funny way she peeped, the way she loved and trusted everyone.
“The good news is that we have found a rhyme that tells
“I love it,” said Annie. “It makes me feel like something good’s going to happen.”
“Something good already happened,” said Jack. “My teacher finally gave back my story today.”
“The one about our adventures in the tree house?” asked Annie.
“Yep. She said I have a fantastic imagination,” said Jack.
“Great!” said Annie.
“And she loved your drawings for the story, too,” said Jack. “She said you’re really talented.”
“That’s nice!” said Annie. “Maybe she loved the sparkle pens I used.”
“The only thing she didn’t love was the type I chose,” said Jack. “She said it was hard to read because it was too fancy.”
“I really like that curly type,” said Annie.
“Me too,” said Jack. “But it’s no big deal—she still gave me an A plus.”
“Wow, cool,” said Annie.
As they reached the edge of the Frog Creek woods, a gust of wind shook the tree branches. Jack’s baseball cap blew off. He grabbed his cap from the sidewalk. The wind blew harder.
“What’s happening?” said Annie.
Suddenly two figures rushed out of the woods. Their dark cloaks flapped behind them as they hurried toward Jack and Annie.
“Teddy!” said Annie.
“Kathleen!” said Jack.
The red-haired teenage boy and the beautiful girl with dark wavy hair ran to Jack and Annie and hugged them.
“You must come with us to the tree house!” said Kathleen. “Hurry!”
“Why? What’s up?” said Jack.
“We’ll explain when we get there!” said Teddy. He and Kathleen turned and started back into the woods. As Jack and Annie raced after them, sunlight slanted through the leafy treetops.
Soon they all came to the tallest oak tree. “Up, up!” cried Teddy.
One by one, Teddy, Kathleen, Jack, and Annie scrambled up the rope ladder and climbed into the magic tree house. When they were all inside, Teddy heaved a sigh. “My friends, we desperately need your help,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” asked Annie.
“We made a terrible mistake!” said Kathleen.
“No, it was me, just me,” said Teddy. “I made the mistake.”
“What did you do?” said Jack.
“I turned Penny into a stone statue,” said Teddy.
“Penny?” said Annie. “A statue?”
“Oh, no,” said Jack. He loved the little orphan penguin that he and Annie had found on one of their adventures. Penny had helped save Merlin’s life.
“It was an accident,” said Kathleen.
“It was stupidity!” said Teddy. “We were in Morgan’s library, and I was looking at spells in her books. Morgan forbids us to try any spells on our own, but I disobeyed when I found a simple one that turns things into stone. I thought I’d just give it a quick try—I turned an apple, a goblet of water, and a writing quill all to stone!”
“Teddy was pointing at a walking stick by the doorway, reciting the words of the spell,” said Kathleen. “And just as he finished, Penny wandered in, and the spell hit
her
!”
“And now she’s a stone statue,” Teddy said miserably.
“That’s terrible,” said Annie.
“Well, can’t you just ask Merlin or Morgan to use their magic to bring Penny back to life?” asked Jack.
“No, no, they must never learn anything about this! If they do, I …” Teddy shook his head and looked away.
“Merlin and Morgan are both in Avalon for the Festival of May,” said Kathleen. “If they discover what Teddy has done, we fear Merlin will banish him from the kingdom.”
“Really?” said Annie.
“Yes, Merlin will be enraged,” said Kathleen. “Penny is the very heart of our kingdom. We all love her very much.”
“Me too,” said Jack. He thought about the penguin’s fuzzy head, the funny way she peeped, the way she loved and trusted everyone.
“The good news is that we have found a rhyme that tells
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