The Magic Tree House - An Hour for Oblivion

Chapter One

Chapter One

It was late when their plane landed at the Harrisburg International Airport, but Jack and Annie were too excited to care about the hour. It had been over three years since they’d seen their parents and tomorrow was their mother’s birthday. Jack had flown in from San Francisco and Annie from Seattle. Their planes landed within a half hour of each other, something they’d planned ahead of time.

“How long until we get to Gran and Grandpa’s?” Julia asked, tugging on Jack’s hand. Her long, brown hair fell lazily around her tired, half-closed eyes. Although eleven years old and in middle school, she looked so much younger right now. Smiling, Jack told his daughter, “Not long, sweetie. Less than an hour.”

“An hour?” Malcolm asked in an exasperated tone. “That’s like so long!”

Grabbing her son in an exaggerated side-hug, Annie said, “We’ve been on a plane for nearly five hours, Malcolm. Another hour won’t hurt you.”

“No,” he said, “but it might kill me.”

Three years younger than his cousin, Malcolm made up for the age difference with advanced classes in school and an insatiable love of reading.

They didn’t have to wait long at the car rental kiosk and were soon on their way to the quiet town of Frog Creek. Rolling the driver-side window down, Jack smiled, breathing in the familiar scent of Pennsylvania. The further they went, the more excited he felt. The chill October air helped to keep him awake and the full moon seemed to race along side them above the hills to the left.

“You feel it too, right?” he asked.

“It’s been forever since high school, but I never seem to get Frog Creek out of my head,” Annie replied wistfully. “We have our own families and lives, but there’s something about our home town that won’t let go.”

They turned onto their parents’ driveway a little after ten o’clock. After a great deal of hugging, the kids were spirited away to bed, Julia in Jack’s old room and Malcolm in Annie’s. While their parents conversed in quiet voices downstairs, Julia stared around the room, her eyes finally drawn to the tree just outside the window. Could it be the same tree her father had stared at when he was a little boy?

Malcolm, nestled in the covers of Annie’s bed, stared up at the ceiling with similar thoughts. Did Mom stare at the ceiling like this when she was little? Was this where her bed was or had it been moved?

All these idle thoughts and wonderings, however, fell away as sleep blanketed both children.

*     *     *

“Malcolm,” someone whispered. “Malcolm, wake up.”

Breaking the surface of sleep, Malcolm turned toward the voice and opened his eyes.

Julia’s face floated before him.

“It can’t be morning already,” he said, his voice slurry.

“It’s not,” she said. “It’s two in the morning.”

Malcolm groaned, turned back over and pulled the pillow over his head.

“I saw something strange,” Julia coaxed. “Outside my window.”

Malcolm grunted from beneath the pillow.

“It looked like a jack-o’-lantern with a candle lit inside. It’s on the other side of the yard near the woods.”

Turning back around, Malcolm said, “But we’re supposed to carve pumpkins with Gran and Grandpa on Sunday before we leave.”

“I know,” Julia sighed. “That’s why it’s so strange.”

“Ugh, fine,” he said, getting out of bed. “Show me.”

Walking quietly past the first guestroom, Malcolm peeked inside and watched the sleeping form of his mother. He looked back at Julia and gave a thumbs-up. Julia nodded. They continued downstairs and avoided the living room where Jack rested on the couch.

Finally, they reached the kitchen window and looked out across the yard. Just as Julia had said, a frail, orange light flickered on the border of the distant lawn and woods. It did, in fact, look like a jack-o’-lantern.

“Who put it there?” Malcolm asked.

Julia shrugged. “I don’t know, but it could be dangerous.”

Malcolm turned to her. “You’re right. All those leaves could catch on fire. We should go blow the candle out.”

Quietly, they pulled on their jackets and slid bare feet into sneakers. With great care, they opened the front door and made their way across the wide lawn. The night was cool and crisp with the tang of wood smoke. Oak, Maple and Poplar leaves crunched softly beneath them as they reached the object in question.

“It is a jack-o’-lantern,” Malcolm said, kneeling down to it.

Julia crouched beside him and leaned over the exposed top. Blowing quickly, the small tea candle inside guttered, then went out. The moon and streetlights beyond gave enough light to see by, but the absence of warm candlelight brought a shiver to both of them.

“Who do you think put it out here?” Julia asked.

Before Malcolm could answer, a bright flash and a dull whomp came from the woods beyond.

“What was—?” Malcolm began, then covered his eyes.

A gust of warm wind blew into them, which wouldn’t have been that odd had it not been late October. What made it even stranger was the fact that it came from within the woods, beneath and between the great trees.

Julia and Malcolm looked at each other, exchanging nervous grins.

“Just a quick look,” Julia said, “then we go back before anyone wakes up.”

Malcolm nodded and Julia took his hand. Together, they stepped forward and allowed the autumn woods to swallow them. For the first few steps, it was difficult to see, but soon the brush cleared and they found themselves on an overgrown path. The bright disc of the moon above offered just enough silvery light to navigate safely.

“This is awesome!” Malcolm said in a hushed tone.

Julia agreed, though said nothing as they crept forward. In less than a minute, the path opened up onto a small meadow. The ground was probably green and mossy during warmer months, but now offered a mosaic of leaves. Above them, the black oval of night was relived only by the watchful moon.

“No way!” Malcolm said aloud, pointing to his left.

“What?” Julia whispered.

Following his line of sight, she gasped when she saw the tree house. It wasn’t just the tree house, but how high up it was. The tree it had been built around was easily the largest in the woods.

“There aren’t any low branches to climb on,” Malcolm said, pacing around the trunk of the tree. “How do you—?”

Before he could finish his question, a long rope ladder unspooled from high above and gave out about a foot from the ground.

They both laughed nervously.

“Okay, just a quick look,” Julia said. “Then we go back for real.”

“Right,” Malcolm agreed, following his cousin up the ladder. A lazy breeze gained a bit of strength and spun encouragingly up behind them.