A Perfect Time for Pandas: A Merlin Mission (5 page)

“You will need this,” said Dr. Ling. She pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and gave it to Annie. “It will be dark when you arrive. Wolong Town is without power, too.”

“Thanks,” said Jack.

“When you land, staff members from our office in Wolong Town will be waiting for you,” said Dr. Ling. “Have a safe trip, and thank you for everything. Good-bye, Jack and Annie.”

“Good luck rebuilding the panda center,” said Jack. “It’s an amazing place.”

Dr. Ling climbed out of the helicopter and waved. The military pilot hopped aboard. “The ride will be very noisy,” he told Jack and Annie, putting headphones over their ears. Then he took his seat. The two soldiers sat behind him.

A moment later, the engine roared and the blades started to spin. The helicopter shook; then it lifted off the ground and buzzed away from the panda center, through the darkening sky.

T
he helicopter flew over the broken bridge, over the blocked highway, and over the crumbling mountains of the Wolong Reserve. Soon it roared over Wolong Town.

The pilot landed in a large field lit by emergency spotlights. Two other helicopters were also in the field. Tents had been set up, and people were carrying the injured on stretchers to the helicopters.

When the blades completely stopped turning, Jack and Annie carried the sleeping cubs out of
the cabin and down the steps to the field.

“Jack! Annie!” someone called. Four women dressed in dark coveralls rushed to greet them. “We work for the panda center. Thank you for bringing the cubs to us!” one said.

Annie kissed each of the little pandas. “Be good now,” she said.

Then she and Jack handed them over to the women. “We really love them,” said Annie.

“I am so glad,” said one of the women. “We will get them to a safe new home very soon. Later the others will join them there.”

“We must help you, too,” said another woman. “Go with Mrs. Chang to our office, and she will locate your grandmother.”

“Oh, that’s okay …,” said Jack. “We know exactly where she is.” He started to back up.

Annie did the same. “That’s right,” she said. She pointed to the street. “We’re going to meet her in a restaurant in town.”

“Good-bye,” said Jack.

“Good-bye,” said Annie.

Before any of the women could speak, Jack grabbed Annie’s hand and started to run. They ran across the busy field, weaving around the tents and helicopters, doctors, nurses, and military people. When they came to the street, they stopped to catch their breath.

“Ready to go home?” asked Jack.

“No, wait,” said Annie. “We still have to find the special food.”

“No, actually, we don’t,” said Jack.

“What?” said Annie.

“I said we don’t have to look for the special food anymore,” said Jack.

“But why? What do you mean?” said Annie.

“We … don’t … have … to …
look
 … for … it,” Jack said.

Annie stared at him. “Are you saying we
have
it?” she asked.

Jack nodded, then pulled the hunk of panda bread out of his backpack. “It’s called panda bread! When I went to say good-bye to Bing-Bing, Master Lee was feeding it to her.”

“But what makes you think—” began Annie.

Jack held up his hand, interrupting her. “Panda bread is a healthy food,” he said. “It’s grainy and good, baked with love, tough as wood, round in shape, and the color of sand.
And
it’s given to those who have lost their land—the pandas at the center!”

“Perfect!” breathed Annie.

Jack held up the panda bread and looked at it. “This is why I think pandas will survive,” he said.

“Why?” asked Annie. “Because of panda bread?”

“Nope,” said Jack. He put the bread into his pack. “I think they’ll survive because people take responsibility for them. People make healthy bread for them and carry them to safety and raise money for them. And people speak up for them because they can’t speak up for themselves.”

“That’s it,” said Annie. “That’s what panda bread stands for! It stands for people protecting and saving animals.”

“Exactly,” said Jack. “And now we have to go save Penny.”

“Great,” said Annie. “I think the tree house is nearby.” She looked around. “Yes! It’s there, in that line of trees. See it?”

“Yep,” said Jack. “Let’s go!”

When they came to the grove of trees, Jack switched on their small flashlight. The beam of
light guided them to the rope ladder hanging in the dark.

“Wait! Our volunteer clothes!” said Annie.

They took off their coveralls and left them at the bottom of the tree. Then they climbed up the rope ladder into the tree house.

“Is everything still here?” asked Annie.

Jack shined the flashlight into a corner of the tree house. The light fell on the emerald rose, the white and yellow flower, and the gray goose feather. “It’s all here,” he said.

“Add the fourth thing,” said Annie.

Jack pulled out the panda bread from his backpack and placed it on the floor next to the feather.

“Good,” said Annie.

Roaring sounds filled the night. Jack and Annie looked out the window and saw another helicopter coming in.

“Remember our helicopter ride in Antarctica?” said Annie. “When you hid Penny in your jacket?”

“I totally remember it,” said Jack. “We couldn’t let anyone see her and she kept peeping, so I had
to keep pretending to cough.” He thought about the penguin’s big eyes and her fuzzy little head. He thought about Teddy and Kathleen and the wonder and beauty of Camelot. Suddenly he couldn’t wait to be there and help bring Penny back to life. “Are you ready to go to Camelot?” he asked Annie.

“Absolutely!” she said.

Jack reached into his backpack again and took out their note from Teddy and Kathleen. He pointed to the word
Camelot
. “I wish we could go
there
,” he said.

A blast of light—

a roar of wind—

a rumble of thunder—

and all was quiet.

A
crescent moon hung low in the dark purple sky. A few stars still twinkled. Jack and Annie didn’t move for a moment, breathing in the clean, fresh air.

Jack broke the silence. “It looks like we made it to Camelot before break of day.”

“Yep. Where did we land exactly?” said Annie.

Jack turned on their flashlight. He pointed it out the window. The light shone on trees, their branches heavy with golden apples.

“I’ll bet we’re in the orchard where we landed
the last time we were here,” said Jack.

“Turn off the light,” whispered Annie. “I think I see something in the distance.”

Jack switched off the flashlight.

A different kind of light was shining in the dark orchard—a flickering light that moved toward them. Jack heard leaves crunching, twigs cracking, feet running, and voices whispering.

“Jack? Annie?” a boy called out.

“Is that you?” a girl said.

“Yes!” cried Annie. She scrambled down the rope ladder.

Jack gathered up the jewel, the flower, the feather, and the panda bread. He put them in his pack and carefully climbed down after Annie.

Teddy and Kathleen stood in a circle of lantern light, dressed in their long dark cloaks. They hugged Jack and Annie. “Welcome!” said Teddy. “We have been walking the grounds all night, waiting for you. Finally we saw a light above the orchard!”

“Our flashlight,” said Annie.

“And then we saw
your
light!” said Jack.

“We’re so glad you’re here!” said Kathleen.

“We are, too!” said Annie.

“Did you translate the last lines of the rhyme?” asked Jack.

“We did, indeed,” said Kathleen.

“And did
you
bring the four things to help us break the spell?” asked Teddy.

“We did, indeed!” said Annie.

“They’re all in my backpack,” said Jack.

“Wonderful,” said Kathleen. “We knew if anyone could find them, it would be you two.”

“You have brought the four special things, and now we are all together. It is time to undo the spell,” said Teddy.

“Yay!” said Annie.

“Yay, indeed,” said Teddy. “Come along! Before the sun rises!”

Teddy and Kathleen started back the way they’d come, and Jack and Annie followed. Together, they wove between the trees in the fresh dawn air.

Finally they all emerged from the orchard. Kathleen shined the lantern on the door of a wooden cottage.

“Merlin’s garden house,” said Jack.

“Yes,” said Teddy. “This is where we brought
Penny from her little nest in the castle. We hoped that she might come back to life in Merlin’s favorite place. But alas, she has not done so.” He sighed.

Teddy opened the door to the cottage, and they all stepped in. Jack shivered. It was damp and chilly inside, like a tomb.

Kathleen placed the lantern on a table in the middle of the room.

“There she is,” Teddy said sadly.

Penny stood on the table, lit by lantern light. The little penguin was as gray and lifeless as stone.

“Penny?” said Jack. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been so cute, so warm and … alive.

“Poor Penny,” said Annie. She touched the penguin’s beak and the top of her head.

“Bring forth the four things you found to break the spell,” said Teddy.

Jack reached into his backpack. “Here—this is the first thing we found. It’s from India,” he said. He took out the emerald cut in the shape of a rose. He placed the jewel in front of Penny, where it glowed in the lantern light.

“The emerald rose stands for love,” Annie said. “The kind of love that rises above our faults and mistakes.”

Jack pulled out the dried yellow and white flower and placed it next to the emerald rose. “This is from the Swiss Alps,” he said.

“The glacial buttercup stands for being like a little kid,” Annie said. “The joyful, open spirit of childhood.”

“This is from Abraham Lincoln, a great president of our country,” Jack said next. He took out the goose-feather quill and put it next to the flower.

“This quill pen stands for the deepest kind of hope,” said Annie. “The hope that one day all our sorrows will make sense.”