Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville

Author:Katherine Coville
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HMH Books

 Chapter Three

Jack is halfway up the great mountain. The trees are thinning out, and he notices the stumps of some that have been cut down. Finally, he comes to a clear stream and stops for a rest, leading Baxter to drink, then dunking his own head in the cold water. The going has been rough and is becoming even more so; the land is getting steeper now, and he and Baxter are tiring more easily. Still, the giant’s footprints make a plain path up the slope, and Jack is eager to see what there is to see above the clouds that encircle the mountaintop. He shakes the water from his head like a wet dog does and decides to proceed on foot, leading the horse by his bridle. It will be slower, but Baxter will be more sure-footed without the added weight.

Several hours later, they reach the misty underside of the clouds. Baxter seems nervous, prancing and whinnying in the white vapor. Jack stops again, tying the horse to a tall standing rock. He makes up his mind to go forward by himself. He fixes the knot for Baxter’s reins so that if he doesn’t come back, the horse can eventually pull himself free. “Goodbye, Baxter, old friend,” he says, giving him a carrot. “You’re a good horse.”

Not knowing what lies ahead, Jack feels that it’s wise to put on the appalling skunk oil that Briar gave him to disguise his human odor. It makes it almost impossible to breathe, but it may save his life, so he rubs it into his skin and clothes until he positively reeks with it. Squaring his shoulders, he goes on his way.

As he continues upward, the cloud closes in around him until he can see only a few yards ahead. He can still hear Baxter whinnying nervously, the sound eerily muffled in the thick mist. Finally, the cloud becomes so thick that Jack can no longer see where he’s putting his own feet. Everything around him is white, and he has lost all sense of direction. He proceeds blindly until the surface he’s walking on begins to feel soft and spongy, and he sees a hint of blue sky ahead. In another minute he emerges from the cloud and a cold wind whips his hair over his eyes. When he brushes the hair away, he is amazed to see that he has strayed far from the side of the mountain onto the cloud itself, which seems to be the only thing holding him up!

He stomps a few times to be sure of the terrain and finds that it’s much like walking in snow, only squishing slightly with each step. He looks about. Behind him is the mountaintop and the afternoon sun. All around him is the azure sky and, stretching away as far as he can see, the white, fluffy top of the cloud that he has just climbed through. And there in the east, away in the distance, is a big, grand

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