seemed to be caught up in his work now. He handed John a jar of mint tea and gave the jar of pond water to Danny “Pile up some rocks over there,” he said, gesturing in two or three different directions at once. “Set the jars on the rocks. And be careful. Glass has a high degree of break-ability.” He nodded seriously and said, “Science taught me that.”
“About here?” John called. He and Danny stood on either side of where the window should be. Ahab ran from one of them to the other, then ran over and sniffed the doughnut basket, then ran to the
edge
of the woods and barked at the trees.
“That’s right,” Mr. Deener said without looking up. “That’s perfect. Ship shape. Spot on. Okey-dokey. Unscrew the lids please. That’s right. Now, Polly, take this jar of glass chips and carry it over yonder, in the direction of the moon.”
Polly followed his instructions, ending up a little way to the east of the invisible window. “That’s it,” Mr. Deener called to her. “That’s the ticket. Stand ready to hoist it into the moonlight!”
Hurriedly, he shoved the ends of the forked sticks into the ground and set the saucers into the forks, lining them up with the big glass lens, then standing back and looking at them over his thumb, like an artist. John and Danny walked back over and stood near Mr. Deener. Now that he was actually working, he didn’t seem at all confused or tired or even hungry. John almost believed that he
would
find the window. Even Danny looked hopeful.
“Glass magic,” Mr. Deener said, “always requires moonlight, and plenty of it. Moonlight and magic – it’s all a matter of reflection, like looking into the water and seeing your own face. Sometimes you look pretty good sometimes you look like an ape. Do you follow me?”
“I guess so,” Danny said, bending over to look through the big lens. “What about the cheese?”
“What do you mean?” Mr. Deener asked, picking the cheese up.
“What do we do with it?”
“Why, we eat it!” Mr. Deener said, then broke off a piece and fed it to Ahab before dropping it back into the nearly-empty basket.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” John and Danny said at once.
Mr. Deener snatched off the tablecloth and waved it at Polly who held her jar full of glass chips in the air. John and Danny watched through the big glass lens, waiting for the window to appear over the meadow.
Pale moonlight drifted out of the sky like soft snow. It swirled together in a little pinwheel above the jar that Polly held. The jar grew brighter and brighter, the light spinning faster and faster above it. Then, with a sound something like a wave washing across a sandy beach, the spinning moonlight shot straight through the jar and out the bottom, colored pink and green and blue by the glass chip.
Like lanterns suddenly switched on, the jars of pond water and tea glowed with colored moonlight that illuminated the three china plates, one after another, turning them pale green like seawater.
“Anything there?” Mr. Deener asked.
“Not yet,” John said.
“Of course not,” Mr Deener said, raising one finger into the air. “We’ve constructed a primary lens. Telescopic science requires us to provide a secondary lens, purely for the purpose of reflection.”
He picked up the coffee grinder then, pulling out a little wooden drawer from the bottom. After setting the grinder down, he licked his finger and held it up in the air. “Wind out of the east,” he said, stepping forward a few pace. “Look sharp!”
Then he dumped the wooden drawer upside down and poured out the crushed spectacles lens. And at that instant, as if illuminated by the glass dust, Mrs. Owlswick’s window floated over the meadow again, hanging in the sky like a framed picture.
Chapter 4: The Battle on the Meadow
The window was open, just as they had left it yesterday evening. John could see the bunk beds against the far wall, the circus poster, the bookshelf above the bed. It
“About here?” John called. He and Danny stood on either side of where the window should be. Ahab ran from one of them to the other, then ran over and sniffed the doughnut basket, then ran to the
edge
of the woods and barked at the trees.
“That’s right,” Mr. Deener said without looking up. “That’s perfect. Ship shape. Spot on. Okey-dokey. Unscrew the lids please. That’s right. Now, Polly, take this jar of glass chips and carry it over yonder, in the direction of the moon.”
Polly followed his instructions, ending up a little way to the east of the invisible window. “That’s it,” Mr. Deener called to her. “That’s the ticket. Stand ready to hoist it into the moonlight!”
Hurriedly, he shoved the ends of the forked sticks into the ground and set the saucers into the forks, lining them up with the big glass lens, then standing back and looking at them over his thumb, like an artist. John and Danny walked back over and stood near Mr. Deener. Now that he was actually working, he didn’t seem at all confused or tired or even hungry. John almost believed that he
would
find the window. Even Danny looked hopeful.
“Glass magic,” Mr. Deener said, “always requires moonlight, and plenty of it. Moonlight and magic – it’s all a matter of reflection, like looking into the water and seeing your own face. Sometimes you look pretty good sometimes you look like an ape. Do you follow me?”
“I guess so,” Danny said, bending over to look through the big lens. “What about the cheese?”
“What do you mean?” Mr. Deener asked, picking the cheese up.
“What do we do with it?”
“Why, we eat it!” Mr. Deener said, then broke off a piece and fed it to Ahab before dropping it back into the nearly-empty basket.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” John and Danny said at once.
Mr. Deener snatched off the tablecloth and waved it at Polly who held her jar full of glass chips in the air. John and Danny watched through the big glass lens, waiting for the window to appear over the meadow.
Pale moonlight drifted out of the sky like soft snow. It swirled together in a little pinwheel above the jar that Polly held. The jar grew brighter and brighter, the light spinning faster and faster above it. Then, with a sound something like a wave washing across a sandy beach, the spinning moonlight shot straight through the jar and out the bottom, colored pink and green and blue by the glass chip.
Like lanterns suddenly switched on, the jars of pond water and tea glowed with colored moonlight that illuminated the three china plates, one after another, turning them pale green like seawater.
“Anything there?” Mr. Deener asked.
“Not yet,” John said.
“Of course not,” Mr Deener said, raising one finger into the air. “We’ve constructed a primary lens. Telescopic science requires us to provide a secondary lens, purely for the purpose of reflection.”
He picked up the coffee grinder then, pulling out a little wooden drawer from the bottom. After setting the grinder down, he licked his finger and held it up in the air. “Wind out of the east,” he said, stepping forward a few pace. “Look sharp!”
Then he dumped the wooden drawer upside down and poured out the crushed spectacles lens. And at that instant, as if illuminated by the glass dust, Mrs. Owlswick’s window floated over the meadow again, hanging in the sky like a framed picture.
Chapter 4: The Battle on the Meadow
The window was open, just as they had left it yesterday evening. John could see the bunk beds against the far wall, the circus poster, the bookshelf above the bed. It
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