Grandfather and Mrs. McGregor were back home when the children returned from QuestMaster.
“I read your note about your meeting at QuestMaster,” Grandfather said to the children. “So how did Watch do on his first day of work?”
“Watch took a long doggie break instead of a coffee break,” Henry said, trying to look serious. “C.D. isn’t sure he wants to hire Watch unless he learns how to type with his paws.”
Grandfather and Mrs. McGregor laughed at the thought of Watch sitting at the computer instead of under it.
“Seriously, though,” Henry continued, “there wasn’t any meeting. C.D. thought someone at the studio was playing a prank on us.”
“You know, I wondered about this meeting,” Mrs. McGregor said, “since Andy Porter came by again while you were gone. It seemed odd that he wouldn’t be at the meeting, too. Since he worked on the computer before, I let him in. Oh, dear, I hope there isn’t a problem.”
Jessie felt sorry for Mrs. McGregor. She was only trying to help. “That’s okay. We were having a bit of trouble with the computer. Now maybe Andy fixed it. Thanks.”
The computer was still on in the den.
“Gee, why is the Ringmaster II screen on if Andy was working on the network?” Jessie asked.
Henry tried to check his e-mail, but the QuestMaster network still didn’t work. “I guess Andy didn’t have any luck. Now, I wonder why he booted up Ringmaster II.”
Henry hit the start button. The Magician came on-screen. “I’m not going to play a real game,” Henry said. “I just want to try a few things, like finding Nadje again. When we were with C.D., I was beginning to think we imagined her.”
“There she is, Henry,” Soo Lee said when she saw the two-faced woman again.
“Good. I guess our minds weren’t playing tricks after all,” Jessie said, looking on.
An amazing thing happened when Henry slid the computer mouse over to Jessie. When she mistakenly brushed the right button on the mouse key, a message came out of Nadje’s mouth. Henry read it to the others:
“I need to discuss the situation as soon as possible. Let’s meet at 3:00 Tuesday. I just hope no one follows me.”
“What does that mean?” Soo Lee asked her cousins. “Is Nadje a real person? Is she going to come over here?”
Henry sat back in his chair. “Something is definitely going on that isn’t part of Ringmaster II. Part of a real message got mixed up with the game.”
“This is getting spooky,” Soo Lee said.
Violet put her arms around Soo Lee and Benny. Soo Lee was right. This game was getting spooky. The computer seemed to be giving the Aldens messages somehow!
“Okay, there’s Arthur, the older boy character,” Jessie said. “He’s watching Nadje chase the Magician, and he looks really worried.”
“Let’s see if Arthur has any spells to rescue the Magician,” Henry said. When Henry clicked on the boy’s saddlebag, a stone fell to the ground and a message appeared.
Violet read the words:
“Now the son must save the father,
So use the spell to help another.
Nadje’s watching, so take care,
To use the stone that’s fallen there.”
Before the Aldens had time to use the computer mouse, Nadje grabbed the stone.
“Should we call C.D. and have him come over to see what’s going on with this game?” Henry said. “He didn’t even know about Nadje.”
“Not yet,” Jessie answered. “I have a funny feeling this game is just for us.”
“The only character who can move now is Arthur,” Violet noted. “He must be the one who has to save the Magician.” The children studied the screen for clues.
Benny noticed a fountain by the side of the road. “Maybe the fountain has magic water. But be careful in case the water is poison like in the other game.”
Like Benny, Soo Lee had sharp eyes. “Look, there are birds drinking the water and flying around. That probably means it’s safe to drink.”
When Violet clicked on the fountain, the children heard the tinkling sound of water on the computer speaker. This meant the boy, Arthur, could drink the water.
“The water’s safe!” Henry said. “Good for you for figuring that out. Maybe you can even figure out how to help him get the magic stone away from Nadje.”
Jessie had some ideas. “Can I try? I have a feeling Arthur is the key to freeing the Magician from Nadje.”
Because of the many odd sounds coming from the computer speaker, the children barely heard the phone ring.
Finally Henry realized the ringing sound was coming from the hallway, not the computer speaker. He raced to answer the phone. The children heard him talking to someone.
“That was C.D.,” Henry said when he returned to the den. “He’s curious about how we’re doing with the game, but he won’t have time to meet today. He said he’s driving up to Hampstead to get the special chip Jane was supposed to pick up. It turns out she never showed up. And know what else? He can’t find Ned or Andy, either.”
“Did you tell him about all the strange things happening in Ringmaster II?” Violet asked.
Henry shook his head. “Not yet. I want to figure out a few things on our own first. But he said there’s a meeting tomorrow when he gets back. He wants everybody there. Let’s talk with him then.”
“Sure thing. Hey, you know what?” Jessie asked. “We’re not getting anywhere with this game right now. Why don’t we go into town and pick up a copy of Fix-It software so we can fix the network?”
Henry agreed. “Good idea, Jessie. I’ll shut down Ringmaster II.”
“Wait! Not yet!” Benny cried. “Look at the water fountain again. Doesn’t it look just like the one on Old Post Road?”
The other children stared at the screen.
“You know what? You’re right, Benny,” Jessie said. “It’s a copy of the stone fountain they used to use for horses in the days before cars—the one on the road between Greenfield and Burrville.”
“Can we go see it? Maybe it’s a clue. Please? Please?” Benny begged.
“And what about the ‘three o’clock’ message that came out of Nadje’s mouth?” said Violet. “Maybe that is part of the clue, too!” Jessie agreed. “You could be right, Violet. Let’s be at the fountain at three. We can walk. It’s only about a mile away. We’ll stop by Computer City on the way back.”
Henry shut down the game. “I suppose the fountain could be some kind of clue in the game. Or else the designers are copying stuff from around Greenfield, like the Brass Horn or this fountain, just because they like it.”
Benny was ready for an adventure. “Now we can be in the game, too.” |