“Aggie!” The bear slapped his thighs with both paws and stood up, grinning a big, toothy grin. “Good to see you. And this must be Jack.” He leaned down and extended an enormous, furry paw to Jack, who took it and shook it while staring up at the very large bear.
“You’re a lot bigger than Hudson,” said Jack.
“Really, Jack?” Hudson objected. “That’s how you say hello?” He covered his face with his paws and shook his head. Albert laughed.
“Yes, I guess I am. Bigger. But not nearly as old, or nearly as smart. Right, Hudson?” He gave Hudson a friendly nudge with his elbow. Hudson staggered back a step, recovered, and then made a small bow.
“We’re going to start with a fishing lesson, down at the creek. After that, you can choose between swimming in the pond, or croquet here on the lawn. If you choose the pond, there is a stone skipping demonstration scheduled for this morning… Do you know how to skip stones?” Jack nodded yes. “After that, we’re going berry picking. Fresh berries, picked right from the vine, are the best, don’t you think? Lunch will be a picnic under the Wizardling’s tree (with or without ants), with watermelon for dessert, and a seed-spitting contest afterwards. I think there is a summer rain shower scheduled for 2 this afternoon, so we will spend some quiet time back here on the porch, reading and listening to the rain on the roof.
Maestro Softwhistle turned to the audience and gestured, beckoning for all to join in the dance.
“C’mon,” cried Aggie, pulling Jack along. “Now it’s our turn.”
“I don’t dance!” Jack protested.
“Then don’t,” Aggie laughed. “Walk. Stomp. Just do it to the beat.” She pulled Jack to into the growing crowd in the center of the glade. She held Jack’s hands as she began lifting her feet and stomping down, stomping to the beat.
“No one’s watching,” said Aggie. “No one cares. Just feel it.”
“I’m running,” said Jack. He dropped Hudson’s paw and trotted off. “Keep up if you can,” he shouted over his shoulder.
“Oh dear!” said Hudson. “I guess we’re going to run.” He tucked his chin down and took off after Jack, his short legs pushing as hard as they could. As Jack was busy looking at the unfolding landscape, loping along at an easy pace, it didn’t take Hudson long to catch up.
“Hello, Hudson,” said Jack, taking the bear’s paw again. “I never liked running before, but this is fun!”
Jack threw back the covers on his bed and sat up. It wasn’t any use, he was never going to get to sleep. His mind just wouldn’t settle down enough to allow it. He crawled out of bed and shuffled out to the porch, hoping that a good long stare at the night would help. He curled up in one of the chairs, pulled a blanket over himself, and sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
Jack jumped, startled by the sudden, silent appearance of Hudson next to his chair.
While they were chatting, Jack quietly removed the Keeper from his backpack. Luckily, Connie remembered that they were in the library, so he was able to retrieve Gran’s book without Miss Ida noticing. He quickly settled into a Reading Chair and opened the book.
“Stop that!” insisted Miss Ida, who had turned and saw what he was doing. “You can’t. You mustn’t. You don’t have a permanent card yet! I have to check you in!”
But as soon as he started to read, her objections stopped. The globe of light appeared, just like when Miss Ida had read. But this time, instead of merely encircling Jack and his chair, it slowly expanded, filling the room and pulling Hudson and Miss Ida into the experience.
The darkness was complete. Moments, minutes, hours… it was hard to tell how much time passed as Jack sat, hugging his knees. And then, he heard something. A chill ran up Jack’s spine. Hearing something in the dark is almost never a good thing. And, it was very close. Then, he heard tapping. Something moving and something tapping. His brain was almost too empty to respond. The tapping became more insistent. In the dark, Jack turned his head, afraid, looking in vain in the dark. But it wasn’t dark. There was a light. His backpack was glowing. Sparkling light was pouring out through the unzipped opening. And then the backpack began to shake. Jack thought he heard his name. He reached inside and touched the Keeper. There was a brief flash of light, like lightning in the night. Jack flinched, reacting to the sudden blast of light in the darkness. And then he heard a familiar voice.
Just inside the door, Jack saw a marble table with a curved bench, intricately carved with flower shapes and weavings of ivy. This is where I'm supposed to place my gift, he thought. Jack set his backpack down on the bench and pulled out the Keeper.
"How may I assist you?" the concierge asked after Jack tapped on the door.
"I need a dish of sweet cream, suitable for fairies," said Jack. "Can you find that for me?"
"One sweet cream in fine china." Immediately, the Keeper door opened, and Jack removed a dish of cream and set it on the table.