just gets weirder and weirder,” Jack said.
A large family moved slowly through the gallery. Finally Ruthie motioned to Jack to walk back to the door. One more quick check around them and then Jack put the metal square in her palm, sandwiching the magic piece of metal between their hands. Ruthie felt the heat against her skin. The breeze came up, and the shrinking started. But she felt somehow different, almost stiff, like on some cold mornings when you’ve just gotten out of bed. She looked up to observe the alcove ceiling zooming way out as though expanding to sky height. And then it stopped!
Jack and Ruthie looked at each other; they were no longer shrinking but still stood about a foot tall, not five inches—far too big to get under the door, and way toovisible! In those couple of seconds only half thoughts could form in Ruthie’s brain, but one thing was clear to her:
We aren’t small enough!
Ruthie was about to do the only thing she could think to do: drop the metal square. But then—like an engine starting up again after a stall—the room began to swirl and continued to grow around them, stopping when they stood five inches tall. They hit the lumpy carpet and darted under the door just as a couple of kids came around the corner.
“Did you see that?” they heard a young boy say. “I saw some kind of really big bug just go under that door!”
“We barely made it,” Jack said. “This thing’s magic doesn’t work as fast as the key’s.”
“Maybe it’s just because it hasn’t been used in a long time,” Ruthie speculated.
“Yeah, maybe. Do you think anyone saw us shrink?”
“I’m not sure—I don’t think so,” Ruthie said, uncertain. “Let’s move down the corridor a ways before we get big again, just in case.”
The miniature Ruthie and Jack traveled along the corridor on their way to E27—Louisa’s room as they now thought of it. They passed two turns, then stopped dead in their tracks when, behind them, they heard the sound of the door being unlocked.
“Run!” Jack whispered. They scurried like frightened mice, hugging the baseboards. They didn’t stop until theywere at the end of the corridor, under the Japanese room. Then they heard footsteps followed by voices. They could just barely make out what was being said.
“Right here, that one up there,” a female voice said.
“That’s Dora’s voice!” Ruthie held her breath reflexively.
“These bulbs are always dying,” a male voice said. “Thanks for pointing it out.”
They heard the sound of some metal clanking and Dora talking to the man, who they judged was a maintenance worker changing a lightbulb.
“Would you mind leaving your stepladder here for a little while?” they heard Dora asking. “I’m taking a few notes and there’s nothing to sit on. This would be perfect.”
“Sure thing, ma’am,” the man agreed. “Just let one of us know when you’re all finished with it.”
“Thank you so much,” she said.
Then came the sound of the door opening and closing again. Ruthie looked at Jack and whispered, “Do you think they’re gone?”
“Let’s look.”
Ruthie tiptoed, even though part of her realized it was silly, since their tiny footsteps would be impossible for anyone to hear. Jack followed. Staying close to the wall, they peeked around each corner because they weren’t sure how far into the corridor Dora had come.
They made the last turn and saw the stepladder. Dorawas nowhere to be seen. They could see the door firmly closed at the end of the corridor. It appeared that she had left, leaving the ladder for another time, perhaps. But they had no idea when that might be: tomorrow, the next day, or in five minutes.
“Let’s go find Louisa,” Jack said without any hesitation.
“But what if Dora comes back?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jack replied.
“You’re right.” But Ruthie couldn’t shake the unease. It was something about how Dora had insisted the stepladder be left. She
A large family moved slowly through the gallery. Finally Ruthie motioned to Jack to walk back to the door. One more quick check around them and then Jack put the metal square in her palm, sandwiching the magic piece of metal between their hands. Ruthie felt the heat against her skin. The breeze came up, and the shrinking started. But she felt somehow different, almost stiff, like on some cold mornings when you’ve just gotten out of bed. She looked up to observe the alcove ceiling zooming way out as though expanding to sky height. And then it stopped!
Jack and Ruthie looked at each other; they were no longer shrinking but still stood about a foot tall, not five inches—far too big to get under the door, and way toovisible! In those couple of seconds only half thoughts could form in Ruthie’s brain, but one thing was clear to her:
We aren’t small enough!
Ruthie was about to do the only thing she could think to do: drop the metal square. But then—like an engine starting up again after a stall—the room began to swirl and continued to grow around them, stopping when they stood five inches tall. They hit the lumpy carpet and darted under the door just as a couple of kids came around the corner.
“Did you see that?” they heard a young boy say. “I saw some kind of really big bug just go under that door!”
“We barely made it,” Jack said. “This thing’s magic doesn’t work as fast as the key’s.”
“Maybe it’s just because it hasn’t been used in a long time,” Ruthie speculated.
“Yeah, maybe. Do you think anyone saw us shrink?”
“I’m not sure—I don’t think so,” Ruthie said, uncertain. “Let’s move down the corridor a ways before we get big again, just in case.”
The miniature Ruthie and Jack traveled along the corridor on their way to E27—Louisa’s room as they now thought of it. They passed two turns, then stopped dead in their tracks when, behind them, they heard the sound of the door being unlocked.
“Run!” Jack whispered. They scurried like frightened mice, hugging the baseboards. They didn’t stop until theywere at the end of the corridor, under the Japanese room. Then they heard footsteps followed by voices. They could just barely make out what was being said.
“Right here, that one up there,” a female voice said.
“That’s Dora’s voice!” Ruthie held her breath reflexively.
“These bulbs are always dying,” a male voice said. “Thanks for pointing it out.”
They heard the sound of some metal clanking and Dora talking to the man, who they judged was a maintenance worker changing a lightbulb.
“Would you mind leaving your stepladder here for a little while?” they heard Dora asking. “I’m taking a few notes and there’s nothing to sit on. This would be perfect.”
“Sure thing, ma’am,” the man agreed. “Just let one of us know when you’re all finished with it.”
“Thank you so much,” she said.
Then came the sound of the door opening and closing again. Ruthie looked at Jack and whispered, “Do you think they’re gone?”
“Let’s look.”
Ruthie tiptoed, even though part of her realized it was silly, since their tiny footsteps would be impossible for anyone to hear. Jack followed. Staying close to the wall, they peeked around each corner because they weren’t sure how far into the corridor Dora had come.
They made the last turn and saw the stepladder. Dorawas nowhere to be seen. They could see the door firmly closed at the end of the corridor. It appeared that she had left, leaving the ladder for another time, perhaps. But they had no idea when that might be: tomorrow, the next day, or in five minutes.
“Let’s go find Louisa,” Jack said without any hesitation.
“But what if Dora comes back?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jack replied.
“You’re right.” But Ruthie couldn’t shake the unease. It was something about how Dora had insisted the stepladder be left. She
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