Moonlight on the Magic Flute: A Merlin Mission (5 page)

“ We have to get out of here
now,
“ Jack whispered to Annie. “Soon we’ll be the only ones left standing.”

“Like musical chairs,” said Annie.

“Right,” said Jack. “Forget dinner. Let’s go look for where the artists are staying. We can’t wait for Nan to ask her dad.”

As all the guests sat down, Jack and Annie hurried toward the door.

“Jack the Clown!” came a high voice.

Jack looked over his shoulder. Wolfie was waving from one of the tables.

Annie waved back.

“Don’t wave! Keep going,” said Jack. He grabbed Annie’s hand and pulled her out of the party room. They hurried into yet another elegant
room with red velvet furniture and gold-trimmed walls.

“Keep going,” said Jack. He led the way into another fancy room.

“Jack and Annie, wait!” came a cry.

“I hear Wolfie!” said Annie.

“Darn!” Jack quickly closed the door behind them. “Keep moving!” he said.

“ We can’t,” said Annie. “That’s mean. We should wait for him.”

“But he’ll slow down our mission!” said Jack. “When are we going to get started?”

“Calm down,” said Annie. “We’ll just tell him we can’t hang out with him now because we have something important that we have to do.”

Jack heaved a sigh. “Okay.”

“Jack! Annie!”

Jack opened the door.

Wolfie ran right into him. “There you are!” the little boy said, smiling. “I was looking for you!”

“No kidding,” said Jack.

“Yes!” Wolfie said. “Are you leaving?”

“Not yet, we have to do something important,” said Jack. “And you can’t come with us.”

Wolfie’s smile vanished.

“Sorry,” said Jack.

“But I want you to come to the garden with me,” said Wolfie.

“Not now,” said Jack. “Wolfie, listen to me. Listen carefully. Annie and I have to do something really, really important. And we have to do it all by ourselves.”

Wolfie’s bottom lip started to quiver.
Oh, no,
thought Jack.
He’s going to cry.

A tear ran down the little boy’s cheek.

“Aww, Wolfie, don’t cry,” Annie said gently.

“Wolfie! Wolfie!” someone called. Nan burst into the room. “Wolfie, what are you doing? Papa is very upset!”

“I want to play with Jack and Annie,” said Wolfie. Another big tear ran down his cheek.

“Please, Wolfie,” Nan begged. “You know you have a big responsibility tonight. You have to—”

“No!” wailed Wolfie, stamping his foot. “No, no, no! I never get to play!”

“Wolfie, stop!” said Nan. “Please do not be this way. Not now, of all times! You will kill Papa!”

“Wolfie! Wolfie!” came a deep voice.

“He’s in here, Papa!” Nan called. “Come, Wolfie.” She took Wolfie’s hand, but he pulled away from her.

“No! I want to play!” shouted Wolfie. And he charged out of the room.

“Wolfie?” A portly man in a wig burst through another door. “Where is he? Where is my son?”

“Oh, Papa!” said Nan. “Wolfie ran away!”

“Ran away?” The man threw his hands in the air. “ We must find him!” he cried.

“Papa, calm down!” said Nan.

“ We will fail utterly without him!” cried her papa. And he rushed out of the room.

“Papa! Papa!” yelled Nan. And she hurried after her father.

“G
ood grief,” breathed Jack. “That family has problems.”

“Maybe we should help them,” said Annie.

“No, we can’t,” said Jack. “Right now we have our
own
problem. We have to start working on our mission. Darn! I should have asked Nan’s dad about the artists in the palace.”

“I think he’s too upset to think about that now,” said Annie.

“You’re right,” said Jack. “So we need to find some friendly people who work here and ask them.”

“Let’s go look for help,” said Annie.

As Jack and Annie started toward the door, Nan rushed into the room again. “Has Wolfie come back?” she asked frantically.

“I’m afraid not,” said Annie.

“Oh, dear! Papa will die if Wolfie doesn’t return soon!” said Nan, near tears. “Can you help me find him, please?”

“Well, we’d
really
like to,” said Jack, “but—”

“Please!” said Nan again. “Please?”

Jack sighed. “Okay,” he said. “Sure.”

“Thank you!” said Nan. “The palace is very large. I’ll go this way, and you go that way. Surely one of us will find him!” She hurried out of the room.

“I’ll bet I know where Wolfie is,” said Annie. “The garden. Remember he kept talking about the garden?”

“Oh, yeah. I think the garden is below that terrace where I went after everyone laughed at me,” said Jack. “Let’s go check.”

Jack led Annie back through one of the elegant
palace rooms and into the party room. Everyone was still seated, eating dinner and talking loudly. No one noticed as Jack and Annie hurried through the double doors and slipped into the room off the terrace.

Jack opened the door, and he and Annie stepped outside. The air was chilly, but it felt good. Jack pulled off his hat and his wig. He gave his head a good scratch.

Annie looked down at the moonlit garden. “Do you think that’s the garden Wolfie was talking about?” she said.

The silver light of the full moon shone on a large square with flower beds and fountains. Woods bordered the square. Cricket sounds filled the night.

“Probably,” said Jack. “Wolfie!”

There was no answer.

“Let’s go down and look for him,” said Annie.

Leaving his wig and hat behind, Jack followed Annie down the stone stairway. As they started
across the square, a strange sound came from the woods:
AI-YEE!

“What was
that
?” said Jack.

Two creatures scampered out from the trees.

“Ahh!” said Jack.

“Don’t worry,” said Annie. “It’s just a squirrel and a cat.”

The squirrel dashed over the flower beds and disappeared. The cat ran after it.

“Yeah, but what was that noise from the woods?” said Jack. “I’ve never heard a squirrel or a cat make a sound like that.”

Another sound came from behind the trees:
WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!

“What was
that
?” Jack said.

“An owl maybe?” said Annie.

“I’ve never heard an owl make a noise like that!” said Jack. “Have you?”

KER-LOO! KER-LOO!

“Yikes! What was
that
?” said Annie.

“I don’t know. Those woods sound like a jungle,” said Jack.

“Wolfie!” yelled Annie.

There was no answer. Wind shook the treetops. The cricket chirps grew louder.

“This place feels really weird. Let’s go back inside,” said Jack. “I don’t think Wolfie’s out here.”

“Wait a minute,” said Annie. “I think I just heard him.”

Jack and Annie both listened. A faint little cry came from the woods. “Annie! Jack!”

“Wolfie
is
out there!” said Annie. “Wolfie!” She picked up her hoopskirt. She hurried across the square and disappeared down a path that led into the woods.

“Annie, wait!” Jack called. He started after her, but then—

WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!

Jack froze. He was
sure
the whooping sound wasn’t coming from an owl.

EEE-EEE!

Was that Annie screaming?
Jack wondered. “Annie?” he yelled. He dashed across the moonlit garden and ran down the path to the woods. He
stopped between the trees. “Annie?” he called’ again.

EEE-EEE!
Something leapt down from a tree branch and landed on the path. “Ahhh!” said Jack, jumping back. It looked like a baboon!
EEE-EEE!
The baboon bounded away!

KER-LOO! KER-LOO!
Jack looked up. Overhead a huge crane glided through the air.
KER-LOO! KER-LOO!

AI-YEE!
A crowned peacock stood in the moonlight, fanning its green and gold tail feathers.

What’s going on?
Jack thought.
This is crazy!

AI-YEE!
the peacock cried again.

Jack heard a rustling in the bushes. Something was moving through the woods, grunting, snorting, and growling. A huge bear lumbered onto the moonlit path! Standing on its hind legs, the bear looked about ten feet tall. It growled.

“Hi?” Jack croaked.

The bear growled again. It stepped toward Jack, raking the air with its huge claws.

Jack began backing away. Then he turned and ran as fast as he could. As he wound his way between the trees, he could hear the bear crashing through the woods behind him.

WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!

A dog-like animal bounded across Jack’s path. Jack recognized it. It was a laughing hyena—a creature he and Annie had seen on the plains of Africa!
What’s going on?
Jack wondered again.
Where are these animals coming from?

“Jack!” yelled Annie. “Over here!”

Annie was hiding behind a tree. Jack ran over and crouched beside her. He could hear the bear growling and thrashing through the brush.

“A huge bear’s chasing me!” Jack said.

“I know! He was chasing me, too!” said Annie.

“I saw a baboon, a hyena, and a crane!” sputtered Jack. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know!” whispered Annie. “Look!”

From behind the tree, they watched an ostrich prance through the moonlight. Behind the ostrich,
a gazelle stepped softly over the path in the woods, looking from side to side. Then the peacock strutted back into sight, fanning its luminous feathers.

“It’s like a zoo in these woods,” said Jack.

“Oh, wow, that’s
it
!” said Annie.

“What do you mean?” said Jack.

“The
zoo
! That’s where they’re from!” said Annie. “Remember our coach driver said the palace had a zoo!”

“But zoos have cages!” said Jack. “The animals don’t just roam around free!”

“Jack! Annie!” Wolfie’s voice was close by.

“That’s Wolfie again!” said Annie. “Oh, wow. I’ll bet
Wolfie
let the animals out of their cages.”

“Help!” Wolfie called.

“Oh, man, that kid’s crazy,” said Jack.

“I know, but we have to help him!” said Annie.

Annie picked up her skirt. She and Jack crept from their hiding place and walked cautiously down the path.

“Jack! Annie! Help me!”

Jack and Annie kept going, stepping in and out of the shadowy moonlight. Suddenly Annie gasped and pointed. Wolfie was sitting in the crook of a tree up ahead.

A large spotted animal was crouched below him.

“A leopard!” whispered Jack.

The leopard looked up at Wolfie and growled.