... ...
“Neeee-hhhh!”
A horse’s whinny.
Just then the clouds parted. A full moon was shining in the sky. A pool of light spread through the mist.
Then Jack and Annie saw him just a few feet away. The knight.
He sat on the black horse. His armor shone in the moonlight. A visor hid hisface. But he seemed to be staring straight at Jack and Annie.
Chapter 9 Under the Moon
Jack froze.
“It’s him,” Annie whispered.
The knight held out his gloved hand.
“Come on, Jack,” Annie said.
“Where are you going?” said Jack.
“He wants to help us,” said Annie.
“How do you know?”
“I can just tell,” said Annie.
Annie stepped toward the horse. The knight dismounted. The knight picked Annie up and put her on the back of his horse.
“Come on, Jack,” she called.
Jack moved slowly toward the knight. It was like a dream.
The knight picked him up, too. He placed Jack on the horse, behind Annie.
The knight got on behind them. He slapped the reins.
The black horse cantered beside the moonlit water of the moat.
Jack rocked back and forth in the saddle. The wind blew his hair. He felt very brave and very powerful. He felt as if he could ride forever on this horse, with this mysterious knight.
Over the ocean. Over the world. Over the moon.
A hawk shrieked in the darkness.
“There’s the tree house,” said Annie. She pointed toward a grove of trees.
The knight steered the horse toward the trees.
“See. There it is,” Annie said, pointing to the ladder.
The knight brought his horse to a stop. He dismounted and helped Annie down.
“Thank you, sir,” she said. And she bowed.
Then Jack. “Thank you,” he said. And he bowed also.
The knight got back on his horse. He raised his gloved hand. Then he slapped the reins and rode off through the mist.
Annie started up the tall ladder, and Jack followed. They climbed into the dark tree house and looked out the window.
The knight was riding toward the outer wall. They saw him go through the outer gate.
Clouds started to cover the moon again.
For a brief moment, Jack thought he saw the knight’s armor gleaming on the top of a hill beyond the castle.
The clouds covered the moon completely. And a black mist swallowed the land.
“He’s gone,” whispered Annie.
Jack shivered in his wet clothes as he kept staring at the blackness.
“I’m cold,” said Annie. “Where’s the Pennsylvania book?”
Jack heard Annie fumble in the darkness. He kept looking out the window.
“I think this is it,” said Annie. “I feel a silk bookmark.”
Jack was only half-listening. He was hoping to see the knight’s armor gleam again in the distance.
“Okay. I’m going to use this,” said Annie. “Because I think it’s the right one. Here goes. Okay. I’m pointing. I’m going to wish. I wish we could go to Frog Creek!”
Jack heard the wind begin to blow. Softly at first.
“I hope I pointed to the right picture in the right book,” said Annie.
“What?” Jack looked back at her. “Right picture? Right book?”
The tree house began to rock. The wind got louder and louder.
“I hope it wasn’t the dinosaur book!” said Annie.
“Stop!” Jack shouted at the tree house.
Too late.
The tree house started to spin. It was spinning and spinning!
The wind was screaming.
Then suddenly there was silence.
Absolute silence.
小时候没书看，或者没心思看书，导致看的书少之又少。现在回头补补童话书，意外地发现原来给儿童写的书也可以这么精彩（即使作为成人，仍然觉得这套书挺精彩的）。要是小时候的自己能看到这样的书，该有多幸福。
