Knight's Castle by Edward Eager

Author:Edward Eager
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Body, Juvenile Fiction, Philosophy, Fantasy & Magic, Magick Studies, Mind & Spirit, Classics, Metaphysics
ISBN: 9780547892580
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Published: 1972-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

5. The Greenwood Tree

Roger woke up the next morning to a chinking and a clinking and a coming and going of feet, all adding up to what he recognized all too well as the sound of Putting Away.

He opened his eyes and looked across the room. The Magic City was gone, except for the castle in one corner with a part of the park and the statue of St. George Peabody, and the dollhouse in the next corner, and some fake trees along the wall in between, and Prince John's court in the fireplace.

And in the middle of the room stood his mother, gazing round at her handiwork as though she found it good.

Roger sat up in bed. His mother met his accusing look. "I know," she said, defensively, "but it just Had To Be. Think of the poor maid who's supposed to clean in here."

At this moment Ann came rushing in from the hall. "They're gone!" she cried.

"What are?" said their mother.

"Who?" said Roger.

"Ivanhoe and Rebecca and that Brian." She turned on their mother. "What did you do with them?"

Their mother gestured vaguely toward the castle. "Whatever I found I put over there somewhere."

"Oh! Now we'll never know how they would have got back if you hadn't!" Ann wailed.

"Honestly!" said their mother. "You'd almost think the things were alive!"

Ann and Roger exchanged a look.

On the way to breakfast they met Eliza. She was full of excited plans. "What'll we do next?" she said. "It's my turn this time, 'cause I said dibs on it. What'll we make happen tonight?"

"Nothing," said Roger. "We can't." And he reminded her about magic going by threes.

"It would!" said Eliza, bitterly. "You'd almost think it tried to make things harder! How'll we exist in the meantime?"

"The meantime of what?" said Jack, coming into the dining room behind them.

"You wouldn't believe it if we told you," said Roger. And they proceeded to.

Luckily the custom at Aunt Katharine's was the sensible one of having the children eat by themselves, except on special occasions; so they were able to tell Jack all through breakfast with no fear of grown-up scoffing, and spill as much maple syrup as they wanted to, in their enthusiasm, without the tyranny of table manners to interrupt.

When they'd finished they could see he was impressed.

"Now do you believe in magic?" said Ann.

"There might be something to it," Jack admitted. "Maybe not magic, exactly. Maybe kind of extrasensory perception, more. Maybe next time I'd better come along. Look at it scientifically."

"Huh uh," said Roger. "No more science."

"Not that old science fiction stuff, real science," said Jack. "Examine the facts. I'll bring my camera. "

"That'll be nice," said Ann.

They all went up to Roger's room. "Just where did it happen?" said Jack, looking around and sniffing the air, as an inquiring photographer and scientific detective should.

"It's no use. It's too late. Mother picked up," Ann told him bitterly.

"That reminds me," said Roger. He went over and investigated the castle. Their mother had piled the soldiers every which way in the keep, and it took a long time to get them sorted.

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