A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (2 page)

Jack and Annie hurried up the rope ladder.
They climbed inside the tree house and hugged Teddy and Kathleen.

“We haven’t seen you guys in so long!” said Jack. “What have you been doing?”

“Oh, learning more magic—and practicing it,” said Teddy. “Turning frogs into boys.”

“And boys into frogs,” said Kathleen, smiling at Teddy.

“Yes, I rather enjoyed being a frog for a day,” said Teddy.

Jack and Annie laughed.

“We missed you!” said Annie.

“We missed you, too,” said Kathleen. “We were both delighted when Merlin told us it was time to send you on a new mission.”

“Does he want us to help another great artist give their gifts to the world?” asked Jack.

“Yes,” said Teddy. “So far you have helped Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Louis Armstrong, and Lady Augusta Gregory. Now your mission is to travel to Victorian England and help Charles Dickens.”

“His name sounds familiar,” said Jack. “But I can’t remember why.”

“Me neither,” said Annie.

“I am sure you will know a great deal about him by the end of your mission,” said Kathleen. “In the meantime, here is something to help you.” She reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out a book.

The cover showed two girls wearing long skirts and big bonnets. The girls were walking along a path lined with trees. Behind the trees were buildings with towers and tall chimneys.

“London?” said Jack. “That’s the city in England where we met William Shakespeare!”

“Yes, but Charles Dickens lived over two hundred years after Shakespeare’s time,” said Kathleen. “He lived in the 1800s, during Victorian times.”

“What’s that mean? ‘Victorian times’?” asked Annie.

“It means the years during which a queen named Victoria ruled the British Empire,” said Teddy.

“Cool, a queen,” said Annie. “But can I ask you something? This cover shows girls in long hoop-skirts like I wore when we went to the time of Mozart. It was really hard to run and do stuff in those clothes. Can I please wear something else?”

Teddy laughed. “Yes, I think we can arrange for you to wear more comfortable clothing,” he said. “But you may have to pretend to be a boy.”

“That’s okay,” said Annie.

“So do we have a magic instrument for this mission?” asked Jack.

“Indeed,” said Kathleen. “We gave you a magic flute to help Mozart, a magic trumpet to help Louis Armstrong, and a magic Irish whistle to help Lady Augusta Gregory. Do you still have the whistle?”

“Sure, we left it here,” said Annie. She grabbed the whistle from the corner of the tree house and gave it to Kathleen.

“Thank you,” said Kathleen. She tossed the whistle into the air. It spun around and around. There was a flash of blue. The whistle was gone. Floating in its place were a small violin and bow. Kathleen reached up and took them from the air.

“Here is a magic violin to help you on your journey,” she said.

“I really like violin music,” said Jack.

“Good,” said Kathleen. She handed the violin and bow to Jack. “Then on this mission, perhaps
you
should play while Annie makes up a song.”

“No problem,” said Annie. “And whatever I sing will come true, right?”

“Exactly,” said Teddy.

“Any more questions?” asked Kathleen.

“Nope,” said Annie.

Jack was sure he had more questions. But before he had time to think of any, Annie pointed to the cover of the book.

“I wish we could go there!” she said.

The wind started to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

J
ack and Annie were both dressed in brown-and-green velvet jackets and dark pants. They wore loose wool caps and shiny new boots. Jack’s backpack had become a green velvet bag with a brass buckle.

“Fancy clothes,” said Jack.

“Well, at least I’m not wearing a giant skirt, like I wore in Vienna,” said Annie.

“Yeah, and these boots aren’t full of holes, like the boots we wore in Ireland,” said Jack.

“So where did we land?” said Annie. She and Jack looked out the window.

The tree house had landed in a row of big trees. Beyond the trees was a grassy park with gardens and pathways.

Bordering the park was a busy road filled with horse-drawn carriages. Autumn sunlight shone on rooftops, towers, and church steeples. Black smoke rose from hundreds of chimneys.

“London looks great,” said Annie. “Let’s start looking for Charles Dickens.”

“Wait, I’ll check the book first,” said Jack.

Jack looked in the index of their book and found Charles Dickens. He turned to a page with a photograph of a handsome man with wavy brown hair and huge eyes. Jack read:

“Of all time?” said Annie. “Wow, he shouldn’t be hard to find.”

“Maybe he isn’t famous yet,” said Jack. “If he is, why would he need our help?”

“Good question,” said Annie. “Let’s start looking for the answer.”

“Okay, but first you’d better hide your pigtails,” said Jack.

“Oh, right. I’m supposed to be a boy,” said Annie. She tucked her pigtails under her cap. “In the past, girls didn’t have many choices, did they? How do I look?”

“Fine,” Jack said.

“Good, let’s go,” said Annie.

As Annie climbed out of the tree house, Jack unbuckled the green velvet bag. He put their research book and magic violin and bow inside. Then he buckled the bag and followed Annie down the ladder.

When Jack stepped off the ladder, he heard jingling in his coat pocket. He reached in and pulled out a handful of coins. “Hey, I have money!” he said.

Annie dug into her pockets. “Me too!” she said.

“Great,” said Jack. “I didn’t like being poor on our last two missions.”

Jack and Annie crunched through fallen leaves
until they came to the open park area. A man stood on a platform giving a speech. Women pushed baby buggies. Children sailed toy boats on a pond.

“We have to ask someone for help,” said Annie, looking around. “Excuse me!” she called to a woman in a flowery bonnet. “Do you know where Charles Dickens lives?”

“Why, yes, he and his family live at One Devonshire Terrace,” the woman said, “below Regent’s Park.”

“Thanks,” said Annie.

“That was easy,” said Jack as the woman strolled on.

“I guess he’s already famous,” said Annie.

“Yeah,” said Jack, pulling out their book again. “Let’s see if there’s a map.” He thumbed through the book until he found a map of London. “Here it is. Regent’s Park.” He looked up. “Where are we now?”

“That sign over there says Hyde Park,” said Annie.

“Wrong park,” said Jack. He looked at the map again. “Okay. Hyde Park is here … and Regent’s Park is here. They’re pretty far away from each other.”

“That’s okay,” said Annie. “We have money, and London has carriages. This will be fun!”

“Right,” said Jack. “Let’s go catch a ride.”

Jack and Annie hurried over the grass to the busy street bordering the park. Carriages of all shapes and sizes clattered over the cobblestones. Four high-stepping horses pulled an elegant black coach. Two donkeys pulled an old wooden wagon with benches.

“Excuse me!” Jack called to the driver of a small red carriage waiting on the street. “Can you take us to One Devonshire Terrace, below Regent’s Park?”

The driver smiled down from his seat. “Indeed, sir!” he said. “I would be proud to carry two fine young gentlemen across our fair city.”

Jack caught Annie’s eye and smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

“Climb into my cab, if you please,” said the driver. “Where are you gentlemen from?”

“Frog Creek,” said Annie in a deep voice.

“Frog Creek!” said the driver. “Lovely place, I’m sure.” Then he flicked the reins, and his fat little horse started clopping up the cobblestone street.

In the cool autumn air, the red cab clattered by toy shops, bootmakers, and hatmakers. The cab passed brick mansions with gardens and ornate buildings with turrets and towers.

“This is a beautiful city,” said Annie.

“Yeah,” said Jack. He pulled out their book and turned to the beginning. One of the first pages showed a portrait of a plump-faced woman in a red robe. She wore a small crown on her head.

“Wow,” said Annie. She stuck her head out the
window of the cab and called up to the driver, “Excuse me, sir! Where’s the queen today?”

“I believe she’s on holiday with Prince Albert,” said the driver.

“How long has she been queen?” asked Annie.

“Let’s see, she was crowned and moved into Buckingham Palace six years ago,” the driver said.

“Thanks!” said Annie. She sat back in her seat. “I love this time in history, with a queen, a prince, and a palace.”

“Yep,” said Jack. He read on:

Jack glanced out the window. The people on the sidewalks
did
look wealthy. Women and girls dressed in ruffles and ribbons strolled in and out
of elegant shops. Boys wore frilly white shirts. Men wore top hats and suits.

Jack read on:

“Whoa,” said Annie. “Maybe I don’t love this time as much as I thought.”

The horse and cab came to a halt. “Here we are!” the driver called. “One Devonshire Terrace.”

Jack closed their book and looked up. The cab had stopped in front of a high brick wall with an iron gate. Jack and Annie stepped down to the sidewalk. The driver climbed off of his perch.

“How much do we owe you?” asked Jack.

“One shilling, if you please, sir,” said the driver.

Jack reached into his pocket and took out a large coin. He had no idea how much it was worth, but he gave it to the driver. “I hope this is enough,” he said.

The man’s eyes grew wide. “Why, good heavens, I should say it is! Thank you, gentlemen! Thank you! Thank you! My children thank you! All the good, hardworking people of the world thank you! Shall I come to pick you up later?”

“Sorry, but we don’t know how long we’ll be here,” said Jack.

“Well, perhaps I’ll pass by this way now and again,” the driver said. “If I see you, I shall certainly stop. I’m always pleased to carry such fine young gentlemen!” The man bowed. Then he climbed back up onto his bench. “Good day, good sirs!” he called, tipping his hat.