The Magician's Elephant (13 page)

B
ut it did happen.

And some small evidence of these marvellous events remains.

High atop the city’s most magnificent cathedral, hidden among the glowering and resentful gargoyles, there is a carving of an elephant being led by a boy. The boy is carrying a girl, and one of his hands is resting on the elephant, while behind the elephant there is a magician and a policeman, a nun and a noblewoman, a manservant, a beggar and a dog, and finally, behind them all, at the end, a small bent man.

Each person has hold of another, each one is connected to the one before him, and all are looking forward, their heads held at such an angle that it seems as if they are looking into a bright light.

If you yourself ever journey to the city of Baltese, and if, once you are there, you question enough people, you will – I know; I do believe – find someone who can lead you, someone able to show you the way to that cathedral, to that truth that Bartok Whynn left carved there, high up in the stone.

Acknowledgements

These people walked with me
through a long winter’s night:
Tracey Bailey, Karla Rydrych,
Lisa Beck, Jane St Anthony,
Cindy Rogers, Jane O’Reilly,
Jennifer Brown, Amy Schwantes,
Emily van Beek and Holly McGhee.
I am for ever in their debt.

www.themagicianselephant.com

Also by Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
The Tale of Despereaux
The Tiger Rising

Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
Mercy Watson Fights Crime
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig
Mercy Watson:
Something Wonky This Way Comes

Great Joy

For H. S. L. and A. M. T
.
They walked ahead of me
.
K. D
.

For Daniel Favini, who magically appeared in
my life and made my world blossom
.
Y. T
.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated, as they may result in injury.

First published 2009 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Text © 2009 Kate DiCamillo
Illustrations © 2009 Yoko Tanaka

The right of Kate DiCamillo and Yoko Tanaka to be identified as author and illustrator respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

This book has been typeset in LTC Pabst Oldstyle

Printed and bound in Italy

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-4063-2447-1

www.walker.co.uk