think the wicked queen must be interfering with its magic. I see strange flashing lights and hear strange noises.”
“Let me see,” Martha said leaning over Ivy’s shoulder. “It sounds like what my dad’s electric razor does to the T.V.”
But Ivy shoved her away. “Wait,” she said. “I see something. It’s an eye. A Golden Eye.” Martha tried again to see, and Ivy said, “There. It’s gone again.”
“What is the Golden Eye?”
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to find out. The Globe has gone dark again. You can see for yourself.”
They both meditated for a while but with no results. Finally at the same moment they both looked at Josie who was sitting on the ground a few feet away.
“Josie,” Ivy said, “how can we chase away the sharls?”
But Josie was playing with a safety pin and a piece of orange peel and she wouldn’t pay any attention. She was making the safety pin talk to the orange peel.
“Josie,” Martha said. “What would you do if a sharl was climbing up that rock beside you right this minute?”
Josie made the safety pin say to the orange peel, “If you shut your eyes, a sharl can’t hurt you.”
“Did you hear what she said?” Martha asked Ivy.
“Umm,” Ivy said. “I think she means we have to find the Golden Eye and put it on the altar. Then when the sharls start coming, we all close our eyes—and then it happens.”
“What happens?”
“The terrible power of the Golden Eye.”
“But what is the Golden Eye?” Martha insisted.
“What is the Golden Eye?” Ivy asked Josie.
Josie put down the orange peel and put her finger on one eyelid. “Eye,” she said.
“The Golden Eye,” Martha said.
Josie sat very still with her finger still on her eye. Then she pointed off towards the southeast. “Way—way—over there,” she said. So although it was already rather late in the day for beginning an expedition, they started out. Josie was given the magic chopstick wand to hold in both her fat little hands like a divining rod. Then they headed her in the direction in which she had pointed, and gave her a slight push. Martha and Ivy walked one on each side and a half step behind.
The journey began in the direction of the freeway and the overhead pedestrian walkway that crossed it. Josie walked very fast for someone with such short legs—and very purposefully as if she knew exactly where she was going. When they got to the walkway, Josie stomped up the stairs, two steps for each stair, and down the other side again. Then, she pointed the wand back the other way and started to climb back up.
“What’s the matter?” Martha asked, thinking the wand had made a mistake. But Ivy only rolled her eyes and made an exasperated expression.
“She loves to climb over the walkway,” she whispered. She went to Josie and turned her back around. “No!” she said. “Don’t you remember? You are taking us to the Golden Eye.”
Josie stuck out her lip and pointed, arms length. “The Golden Eye just went back,” she said determinedly.
Martha giggled, and Ivy tried not to. “It did not,” she said firmly. “You ought not to be thinking about climbing stairs when you’re doing magic. Do you want me to let Martha carry the wand?”
Josie shook her head and turned around. The wand wiggled and pointed, and the expedition got back under way. They walked and walked further into the southern tip of the Rosewood Range than they had been before, until at last they came to a high iron fence.
It was an old fence, rusty and hung with dying vines, and beyond it lay what seemed to be the remains of a large garden. Through the fence, the dusty smell of dead plants and thirsty soil seemed to reach out and surround them.
Before long they were tiptoeing down a weed-choked dusty path that led upward under thinning trees. They wound their way up the hill until, coming out of the trees, they saw the charred and blackened ruin of a house. Staring at the dark and jagged silhouette,
“Let me see,” Martha said leaning over Ivy’s shoulder. “It sounds like what my dad’s electric razor does to the T.V.”
But Ivy shoved her away. “Wait,” she said. “I see something. It’s an eye. A Golden Eye.” Martha tried again to see, and Ivy said, “There. It’s gone again.”
“What is the Golden Eye?”
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to find out. The Globe has gone dark again. You can see for yourself.”
They both meditated for a while but with no results. Finally at the same moment they both looked at Josie who was sitting on the ground a few feet away.
“Josie,” Ivy said, “how can we chase away the sharls?”
But Josie was playing with a safety pin and a piece of orange peel and she wouldn’t pay any attention. She was making the safety pin talk to the orange peel.
“Josie,” Martha said. “What would you do if a sharl was climbing up that rock beside you right this minute?”
Josie made the safety pin say to the orange peel, “If you shut your eyes, a sharl can’t hurt you.”
“Did you hear what she said?” Martha asked Ivy.
“Umm,” Ivy said. “I think she means we have to find the Golden Eye and put it on the altar. Then when the sharls start coming, we all close our eyes—and then it happens.”
“What happens?”
“The terrible power of the Golden Eye.”
“But what is the Golden Eye?” Martha insisted.
“What is the Golden Eye?” Ivy asked Josie.
Josie put down the orange peel and put her finger on one eyelid. “Eye,” she said.
“The Golden Eye,” Martha said.
Josie sat very still with her finger still on her eye. Then she pointed off towards the southeast. “Way—way—over there,” she said. So although it was already rather late in the day for beginning an expedition, they started out. Josie was given the magic chopstick wand to hold in both her fat little hands like a divining rod. Then they headed her in the direction in which she had pointed, and gave her a slight push. Martha and Ivy walked one on each side and a half step behind.
The journey began in the direction of the freeway and the overhead pedestrian walkway that crossed it. Josie walked very fast for someone with such short legs—and very purposefully as if she knew exactly where she was going. When they got to the walkway, Josie stomped up the stairs, two steps for each stair, and down the other side again. Then, she pointed the wand back the other way and started to climb back up.
“What’s the matter?” Martha asked, thinking the wand had made a mistake. But Ivy only rolled her eyes and made an exasperated expression.
“She loves to climb over the walkway,” she whispered. She went to Josie and turned her back around. “No!” she said. “Don’t you remember? You are taking us to the Golden Eye.”
Josie stuck out her lip and pointed, arms length. “The Golden Eye just went back,” she said determinedly.
Martha giggled, and Ivy tried not to. “It did not,” she said firmly. “You ought not to be thinking about climbing stairs when you’re doing magic. Do you want me to let Martha carry the wand?”
Josie shook her head and turned around. The wand wiggled and pointed, and the expedition got back under way. They walked and walked further into the southern tip of the Rosewood Range than they had been before, until at last they came to a high iron fence.
It was an old fence, rusty and hung with dying vines, and beyond it lay what seemed to be the remains of a large garden. Through the fence, the dusty smell of dead plants and thirsty soil seemed to reach out and surround them.
Before long they were tiptoeing down a weed-choked dusty path that led upward under thinning trees. They wound their way up the hill until, coming out of the trees, they saw the charred and blackened ruin of a house. Staring at the dark and jagged silhouette,
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