"Oh, yeah. Of course," whispered Jack. He'dforgotten all about Teddy and Kathleen's book ofmagic rhymes!
Jack pulled the book out of his backpack. He andAnnie studied the table of contents.
"Stand on Water,"said Annie.
"Make a Stone Come Alive. Make Metal Soft. Turninto Ducks. Fly Through theAir--that's it!""No," said Jack. "Go back toMake a Stone Come Alive.""Why?" said Annie.
90"Because the lion's supposed to carry us," said Jack,"and he already has wings. But he's made of stone. Sowhat we need to do is make him come alive.""Oh, right," said Annie.
"But then what?" said Jack. "Where will we g?"o"Merlin's letter said an angel of gold would show usthe way, remember?" said Annie.
"Angel of gold?" said Jack. "Where are we going tofind that? And how will we find Neptune? How willhe help us save Venice?""Patience,"said Annie. "If we need more magic, we'll go backto the book.""Okay. But let's hurry," said Jack. He opened Teddyand Kathleen's book to the second rhyme. He took adeep breath. He looked down at the lion on the ledge.
Then he read in a loud, clear voice:
Stone so silent, cold, and hard, Cum-matta-lie, cummatta-skaard!
91[Picture: Under a starry sky, Annie and Jack lookdown at a large, winged lion.]
92A cracking sound seemed to come from deep withinthe lion's body. As Jack and Annie peered down atthe statue, the lion's stone mane ruffled into a mass ofshaggy fur. His stone back softened into a sleekgolden coat. His stone wings stretched into long,luminous feathers.
"Wow," breathed Annie. Jack couldn't speak. Beforetheir eyes, the statue had turned into a living lionwith magnificent golden wings. The lion shook hismane and yawned. He had huge, sharp teeth and along pink tongue. His ears twitched. His tufted tailswayed back and forth.
The lion crouched and leapt off the ledge like a cat.
He spread his wings and caught a strong current ofwind. His wings flapped, and he began circling abovethe square.
"Here! Here!" Annie shouted. She waved wildly.
The winged lion turned and flew back toward thetower. He glided silently onto the terrace, landing justa few feet away from Jack and93Annie. He stared at them with his golden eyes.
"You have to help us save Venice from a flooddisaster," Jack said.
"Can you carry us to Neptune?" said Annie.
The lion padded toward them. He kept staringstraight at them. He tilted his tremendous head andlet out a long growl, as if he was trying to answer.
"We have to climb on your back," said Jack.
"I hope we won't hurt you," said Annie.
The lion let out another growl, but he didn't soundangry. He sounded as if he was telling them to hurry.
He crouched down so they could climb on.
"I'll go first," Jack said to Annie. "I'll hold on to hismane, and you hold on to me." Jack slipped off hisbackpack and dropped it onto the terrace.
"Take the book of rhymes," said Annie.
"Got it," said Jack. He tucked the book under hisarm and carefully climbed onto the lion's back.
94Annie climbed on behind Jack and wrapped herarms tightly around his waist. Jack twisted his fingersinto the lion's mane. The mane felt surprisingly soft.
"Okay, we're ready," said Jack.
The lion stood up. He trembled slightly. Then heleapt off the terrace.
95[Picture: Jack and Annie ride on the back of the liontowards some fireworks in the dark sky.]
96"Ahh!" Jack yelled. The rhyme book slipped fromunder his arm and fell down into the flooded squarebelow.
"Oh, no! Our book!" cried Jack.
"Hang on!" cried Annie.
The lion flapped his great wings and rose throughthe sky. Jack pressed his knees into the lion's warmback and clung to his mane.
The lion flew toward the fireworks. A shower ofred sparks was opening like an umbrella. Booms andwhistles filled the night. Fiery bits rained downthrough the darkness, whistling into the canal.
"Help! We're heading straight into the fireworks!"cried Annie.
The lion dipped and turned away from thefireworks. The red showers gave way to bursts ofblue and green.
"Which way do we go?" shouted Annie.
As the lion flew back toward the square, Jack sawthe gold weather vane on top of the97watchtower.
It was in the shape of an angel.
"The angel of gold!" shouted Jack.
The weather vane was no longer pointing northwith the winds. The angel was turning slowly aroundand around, pointing in all directions.
"Fly closer to the angel!" shouted Annie.
The lion turned and flew toward the watchtower.
As they drew near the golden angel, Jack called out,"Which way do we go? Which way?"The weather vane turned in a full circle and thencame to a complete stop. The angel was pointingtoward the southeast, over the choppy water.
"To the sea! "Annie called over the wind.
The lion turned and soared into the wind, hisstrong wings shining like gold.
"Oh, wow!" cried Annie.
The flying lion glided past the fireworks and overthe wide canal. Leaving Venice behind, he flew highover the stormy seas.
Jack gripped the lion's mane with all his98might. The lion sailed in and out of thick, fast-moving clouds. He flew above crashing waves andpast bolts of lightning. He flew through screamingwinds and pelting rain.
In the middle of the sea, far from land, the lionbegan circling above the water. "What's he doing?"cried Jack.
"Looking for Neptune!" shouted Annie. "ButNeptune's not real!" said Jack.
"I know!" shouted Annie. "We'll have to use ourimaginations! Like Lorenzo! Try to imagine Neptune!"Jack tried to imagine Neptune, but he was tooscared to think clearly.
"Neptune!" shouted Annie. "Rise from the water!
Save Venice, Neptune! Help us!" Annie's voice waslost in the wind.
Jack wrapped his arms around the lion's neck. Heburied his face in the lion's mane. He trieddesperately to imagine Neptune.
The lion let out a roar. With his hands under99the lion's throat, Jack felt as if he himself wereroaring. The lion roared again. The roaring made Jackfeel stronger and calmer. The details of Tiepolo'spainting came into his mind.
In his imagination, Jack saw Neptune, Ruler of theSeas, with his white beard and long hair, his strongarms and shoulders. He saw a lovely lady who wasVenice, the Grand Lady of the Lagoon. . . . He sawNeptune giving the Grand Lady a gift. . . .
"I see something!" cried Annie.
Jack opened his eyes and sat up. "Where?" he cried.
"In the water!" said Annie.
Clinging to the lion's mane, Jack peered down intothe darkness below. Lightning flashed over the sea.
Jack saw a huge three-pronged spear rising out of thefoaming, churning waves.
The sea below the spear began to heave and billow.
Lightning flashed again, and Jack saw a great mass ofswirling seaweed rising from the100waves.
Not seaweed--hair! Jack realized. A man's giant head and neckappeared above the surface of the water. Then theman's massive shoulders, chest, and arms rose abovethe storm-tossed sea. The giant loomed high abovethem, as tall as a mountain.
101[Picture: A tall man with no shirt, long scragglyhair and a long scraggly beard stands holding a pitchfork, while lightning strikes around him.]
102"Neptune!" cried Annie.
The lion let out a roar and then another andanother.
Lit by flashes of lightning, Neptune's face looked asif it had been weathered by thousands of years ofwind and sand and waves. He had deep-set eyes,craggy cheeks, a white beard, and tangled hairhanging to his shoulders.
"Neptune, save Venice from the flood!" cried Jack.
"Please!" called Annie. "Save the Grand Lady of theLagoon!"Neptune looked at them for a moment. Then, withhis powerful arms, he lifted his spear and thrust itdown into the waves. When the spear pierced thesurface of the water, the sea made a gurgling sound-and then a longslurp,as if water were flowing down a drain.
The thunder and lightning stopped. The storm-tossed waves grew calm. The wind died to a gentlebreeze. The clouds parted, and the stars shinedbrightly.
103Neptune raised his spear. He nodded to Jack andAnnie and the lion.
"Thanks!" cried Annie.
"Thanks!" shouted Jack. The lion roared again.
Then Neptune began to sink back into the sea. Hislong arms . . . huge shoulders . . . thick neck . . .
craggy face . . . floating hair--all disappeared. Theprongs of his spear sank below the surface of thewater.
The Ruler of the Seas was gone. Only a shimmeringwhirlpool swirled in the moonlight. |