《神奇树屋》 第二十九册 Christmas in Camelot 07 A Good Trick

　　As the wind blew away more fog, Jack 1 and Annie saw abridge 2. It was made of thick wooden planks 3 held together withiron bands. It stretched all the way from the edge of the cliffwhere they were standing 4 to the iron gate.



"Come on, let's go!" said Annie.



"Wait!" said Jack. "What about the guards?" The two guards ingold armor stood perfectly 5 still. Their huge spears gleamed in thetorchlight.



"I don't know," said Annie. "Read the second rhyme.



Jack looked in his notebook and read aloud. "Four gifts youwill need-- The first from me.



Then a cup, a compass, And, finally, a key.""The first gift is the Christmas Knight's cloak," said Annie.



"Yeah, I guess it's supposed to help us some-how," said Jack.



He unbuttoned the cloak from around his neck. Then he heldit out to get a good look at it.



"Maybe it can make us invisible," said Annie. "That's nuts,"said Jack.



"Seriously," she said, "cloaks sometimes do that in stories.""Well, it didn't make me invisible, did it?" said Jack.



"Maybe you were wearing it wrong," said Annie. "Give it tome.""Oh, brother," said Jack. But he handed the cloak to Annie. Itflapped in the wind as she pulled it around her shoulders.



"Can you see me?" she said.



"Yes, Annie," said Jack, rolling his eyes. "I can see you."Jack looked back at the gate. Even if we get past the guards,what then? he wondered. The Otherworld swallowed upCamelot' s best knights 6. King Arthur said it was filled withmagic and monsters.



"Jack! Look at me now."Jack turned to Annie. She wasn't there.



"Where are you?" he said, staring at the darkness.



"Cool, it works!""Where are you?" Jack said again, turning around.



"Here."Jack felt a hand touch his face.



"Ahh!" he said, jumping back.



"It's me! I'm invisible! I pulled the hood 7 over my head. That'sthe trick."Jack felt a chill run down his spine 8.



"Oh, man," he whispered.



"Watch. I'm going to take the hood off." In a flash, Annie wasback. "It feels creepy to be invisible," she said.



Jack was speechless.



"The magic only happens when you wear the hood," saidAnnie. "Good trick, huh?""Uh--yeah," said Jack. He shook his head. "This is just tooweird.""Don't worry about it being weird 9. It's a great way to get pastthe guards," said Annie. "Plus it's a way to hide in theOtherworld. We don't know what we'll find there, right?""Yeah, right," said Jack. "Okay.""Good," said Annie. "Now, stand beside me and don't move."Jack put away his notebook. Annie threw the velvet 10 cloakover his shoulders and backpack.



"Great. It's big enough for both of us," she said. She carefullyarranged the folds around them. Then she pulled the huge hoodover both their heads.



Jack looked down. He couldn't see his body at all! He felt likehe couldn't breathe. In a panic, he threw off the hood.



"I hate that!" he said.



"I told you it's creepy," said Annie. "But if we don't wear it,we won't get past the guards.""Yeah, I know, and we won't have protection in theOtherworld," said Jack. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's doit."Annie pulled the hood up again.



"I'll hold on to the hood so it won't blow off," she said. "Youjust think about getting across that bridge. Nothing else.""But I can't see my feet," said Jack.



"You don't need to see your feet to walk!" said Annie. "Comeon. Do it for Morgan!""Right," said Jack.



He and Annie stepped onto the bridge.



"Whatever you do, don't look down," said Annie.



As they started over the bridge, the wind whistled aroundthem. Jack couldn't help it--he looked down.



Not only was his body missing, but the fog beneath the bridgewas moving in a wild, spin-ning whirl. Jack felt dizzy and faint.



He stopped.



"Keep going," whispered Annie.



Jack took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. Then hestarted walking again. He went slowly--step by step--toward thepale light beyond the bars of the gate.



In the flickering 11 torchlight, the guards looked like giants. AsJack and Annie slipped invisibly by them, Jack held his breath.



How will we open the gate? he wondered.



"WHOOOSSSHHH!" said Annie loudly.



Jack's heart nearly stopped. Had Annie lost her mind?



"What are you doing?" he whispered.



"I'm the wind!" Annie whispered back. "WHOOOSSSHHH!"Annie gave the gate a shove. It swung open, as if pushed bythe wind.



Jack looked back and saw that the guards had turned in theirdirection.



"Quick!" whispered Annie.



She and Jack moved silently through the gateway 12.



"WHOOOSSSHHH!" said Annie.



She pushed the gate back. It shut with a clang. Through thebars, Jack saw the guards face the bridge again.



"Good work," he said to Annie. "Thanks," she said. Jack andAnnie then turned away from the gate.



"Ohh!" whispered Annie.



"The Otherworld," whispered Jack.