Moonlight on the Magic Flute: A Merlin Mission (8 page)

“We’re magicians,” said Annie.

“It would seem so,” said Josef, smiling. He tipped his hat. “Well, I had better return now. Good night, my young friends.”

“Good night, Josef,” said Jack and Annie.

Josef flicked the reins, and the milk white horses clomped back toward the palace gates.

“Nice guy,” said Jack. “Let’s go.”

Jack and Annie ran to the trees that lined the cobblestone street. “There!” said Annie. She grabbed the rope ladder.

Annie started up to the tree house. Jack followed her. When they got inside, they looked out the window at the full moon shining over Vienna, Austria.

“Good-bye, Wolfie,” said Annie.

“Good luck, kid,” said Jack.

Then Jack picked up the envelope from their
invitation. He pointed at the words
Frog Creek.
“I wish we could go there!” he said.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

Jack opened his eyes. “Ahhh,” he sighed with relief. They were back in the Frog Creek woods. They were wearing their own clothes again. Jack was holding the magic flute.

“Ready?” asked Annie.

“Totally” said Jack.

Jack carefully laid the flute in a corner of the tree house. Then he and Annie climbed down the rope ladder and started for home.

Jack was in such a good mood, he nearly bounced through the woods. The sun was going down, dappling the ground with lovely light. The air was soft and smelled like new leaves. Jack knew a good dinner was waiting for them at home.

When Jack and Annie came out of the woods, they took off running down the street. They crossed their yard, scrambled onto the porch, and banged through the front door.

“We’re back!” Annie called.

“Just in time,” their dad said from the kitchen. “Dinner’s in a few minutes.”

“Quick, before we eat …,” Jack said to Annie. He led her over to the computer. He sat down and typed in one word:
Mozart.

There were 48,400,207 entries.

“Whoa!” said Jack. He clicked the first one. He read aloud:

“ Yes!”
said Annie.

As Jack scrolled down, three words leapt out at him. He gasped. “Listen to this!” he said. And then he read to Annie:

Annie smiled at Jack. “Wolfie kept his promise,” she said. “He never forgot us.”

B
orn in Austria in 1756, Mozart was baptized Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. When Mozart was three years old, his father, Leopold, began teaching him to play the organ, the violin, and the harpsichord (an early piano-like instrument). Mozart started to write his first musical compositions when he was only five.

In October 1762, Leopold took Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna (also called Nannerl), to Vienna to play for the Empress Maria Theresa
and her court at her summer palace, known as Schönbrunn Palace. According to a letter from his father, during the visit the young Mozart clambered onto the lap of the empress and hugged and kissed her. The only time he did not behave like a small child was when he sat at the harpsichord to play. His genius then stunned everyone in the court.

For the next three years, Mozart and Nannerl toured the capitals of Europe as child wonders. Nannerl was considered to be as talented as her brother. But this changed when she and Mozart grew older and he began performing his own compositions. Today many consider Mozart the best classical composer who ever lived.

The summer palace of Empress Maria Theresa actually had one of the first zoos in the world. It was built in 1752 by her husband, Emperor Franz Stephan, who had a great interest in natural history. The zoo at first housed mostly exotic waterfowl. But over the years, more and
more wild animals were brought there from expeditions all over the world. In 1828, the arrival of the first giraffe caused a huge sensation. Today the Schönbrunn Zoo is still a favorite tourist spot in Vienna.

Here’s a special preview of
Magic Tree House #42
(A Merlin Mission)
A Good Night For Ghosts

Available now!

Excerpt copyright ©
2009
by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

J
ack was asleep. He was dreaming that he was sleeping on a boat. It was rocking back and forth, back and forth…

“Jack.”

Jack opened his eyes. It was just getting light outside. Rain was tapping against the window-pane.
Tappity-tap-tap
. Jack closed his eyes again.

“Jack, get up.”

Jack opened one eye and looked up. Annie stood next to his bed. She was already dressed.
She was even wearing her raincoat. “They’re here,” she whispered.

“No, they’re not,” Jack said. He closed his eye.

“Yes, they are,” said Annie. “They’re waiting for us.”

“How do you know?” Jack asked.

“I dreamed it,” said Annie.

“Oh, you dreamed it.” Jack turned over and pulled the covers over his head. “Go back to bed. It’s really early, and it’s raining.”

“Come on, Jack,” said Annie. “I saw them. They were wearing their cloaks and looking out the tree house window.”

“Great,” said Jack. “I just dreamed I was sleeping on a boat.”

“But
my
dream was real, Jack,” said Annie.

Jack pretended to snore.

“Okay,” said Annie. “I guess you want me to go there all by myself. You want me to have a great adventure while you just lie here, dreaming about sleeping. If that’s really what you want, I’ll leave you alone.”

“Good,” said Jack. “Have fun.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” said Annie, and she left Jack’s room.

Jack lay still for a moment, listening to the rain fall outside.
Darn
, he thought,
what if she’s right?

Jack heaved a sigh. Then he climbed out of bed. He pulled on his clothes and grabbed his backpack. He slipped down the stairs, put on his rain boots and raincoat, then headed out the front door.

Annie was standing on the porch, waiting for him. “Ready?” she said.

Jack just grunted. But as he and Annie took off into the cool, rainy dawn, he woke up completely. As they charged up the sidewalk, Jack’s heart pounded with excitement. By the time they headed into the Frog Creek woods, Jack felt like he’d dreamed Annie’s dream, too.

Raindrops tapped on tree branches. Jack and Annie scrunched over fallen red and gold leaves until they came to the tallest oak. Jack looked up.

“Ta-da!” said Annie.

The tree house
was
back. And Teddy and
Kathleen were dressed in their dark cloaks, looking out the window.

A Good Night for Ghosts

“Good morning!” called Kathleen.

“We dreamed about you!” said Jack. “At least Annie did.”

Teddy and Kathleen smiled, as if this news didn’t surprise them at all.

Annie and Jack started up the rope ladder. When they climbed inside the tree house, they hugged the two young enchanters. “Welcome,” said Kathleen. Her beautiful sea-blue eyes sparkled.

“Do you have a new mission for us?” said Jack.

“Indeed,” said Teddy, smiling. “Just like last time, Merlin wants you to help a creative person bring his gifts to the world.”

“And
this
will help you,” said Kathleen. She pulled a book from her cloak.

“Great!” said Jack. He took the book from Kathleen. The cover showed a street parade with musicians playing trumpets and trombones. The title was
A History of New Orleans Music
.

“New Orleans?” said Annie.

“Yes, New Orleans, Louisiana,” said Kathleen.

“You will love this city,” said Teddy.