Hatched

  I nearly fainted at those words. And I was enormously relieved when Gerald answered, “That is not possible. Name something else.”

  “What do you have? And don’t tell me rabbits! I am not interested in snack food. I want something of value!”

  After a long silence, Gerald surprised me by saying, “I can give you my armband. It was worn by Alexander the Great.”

  “No!” Violet cried. “You can’t give up one of your treasures!”

  “I’ll do what I have to do,” Gerald answered, his voice grim.

  Zarnakk laughed again. “I know about those armbands, griffin. Alexander wore one every day for years. They’re common as mice.”

  “Not this one,” Gerald replied. “This is a rare and special armband. Alexander wore it during many battles, and it is imbued with his spirit.”

  “A likely story,” snorted the dragon.

  “Actually, I think it’s true,” said Violet. “Gerald is my brother and he’s always been kind of a siss…” She paused, and I could tell she was looking for a word that wouldn’t be too insulting. “He’s always been very…shy. I am astonished at the way he has been speaking to you.”

  “Me too,” Cyril put in. “I think that armband must have special powers. I’ve never heard Gerald talk like this.”

  I heard a note of admiration in Cyril’s voice and hoped that Gerald caught it, too.

  “Very well,” said Zarnakk. “I accept the armband in return for passage through the cliff.”

  “Bradley?” whispered Gerald.

  I knew what he was asking. I slid from his back, then removed the bronze band from his foreleg. I heard him choke back a sigh as I did.

  I carried the armband to the dragon. It was, hands down, the single most terrifying thing I ever have done. As I got closer the heat was almost more than I could bear. Green, yellow, and red flames flickered around the edges of the creature’s nostrils, which were so big I could have stuck my head inside them.

  When I was close enough, the dragon stretched its massive claws forward. With surprising delicacy, it took the bronze band from my trembling fingers.

  I backed away quickly.

  “You may pass!” roared the dragon.

  Then it spread its enormous wings and flew away.

  Wednesday, July 8 (continued)

  I had felt completely calm while negotiating with the dragon, but as soon as Brad removed the armband I nearly collapsed in terror.

  I was not sure I could make it through the cliff now, even though I had done it once already. It felt as if all my courage had gone with the armband. Making it worse was the grief and guilt that I felt for having given up one of my treasures!

  Before I could tell the others I wasn’t sure I could go on, Cyril said, “That was amazing, Gerald. How did you think up such a good lie so quickly?”

  “What lie?” I asked, puzzled.

  “About the armband, of course!”

  “That wasn’t a lie,” I said. “Master Abelard told me the armband’s true power just before we came here.”

  Cyril laughed. “I always thought that gnome was kind of shifty. Listen, Gerald, I tried the armband on before I gave it to you. There was nothing magic about it.”

  I was staggered by this. Not because Master A had lied to me. I had already learned that he was deceitful. What startled me was what Violet now put into words: “Gerald, that means that all the boldness you’ve been showing came from you.”

  I shook my wings and stood up straight.

  “Overflights unite!” I cried. “Through the cliff!”

  Brad climbed back onto my neck. Then I launched myself into the air. Using all my strength, I hurtled forward at top speed, struck the stone wall, and went straight through.

  I heard Brad scream, but I guess his belief was not required.

  Moments later Violet and Cyril popped through after me.

  “We did it!” cried Violet.

  “Follow me!” I ordered. (Which I now realize was kind of silly—what else were they going to do?)

  We had not been flying for more than five minutes when a ray of green light flashed past.

  “Lasers!” shouted Brad. “Dive! Dive!”

  “Cyril! Violet! Get as close to the treetops as you can!” I ordered as I headed downward.

  More flashes of green light—and a shriek of pain from Cyril! “My butt!” he shrieked. “Something got me in the butt!”

  “Dive!” repeated Brad.

  Soon we were skimming above the treetops, below the sight of this terrible “radar” and the things that fired “lasers.”

  I led the way back to the field behind Brad’s house, where we touched down.

  “My butt really hurts!” complained Cyril.

  “You’ve been wounded in the line of duty,” Violet said. “You can take pride in that!” Then she looked around and said, “Great Izzikiah, we’re actually in the human world.”

  “Hope we don’t get into too much trouble for this,” muttered Cyril.

  We made our way back to the tree that led to New Batavia, where we found Karel Hummel waiting for us.

  “I was too nervous to stay below,” he explained as he opened the doorway that led us back to the underground city.

  I warned my siblings about the pressure they would feel, and then we started down to New Batavia, bunnies and all.

  By Marta Joosten

  The city received unexpected good news today on the matter of the wetlands project that has threatened to destroy our homes. In a daring move, two of our guests—Gerald Overflight and Bradley Ashango—made an unauthorized exit to Up Above and then journeyed to the Enchanted Realm.

  There, with the help of Gerald’s siblings, Violet and Cyril, they caught some two dozen pink rabbits that our friends from the Gnome Protective Association are confident can be used to convince the authorities that the wetlands project must go to its second-choice location.

  While everyone in New Batavia is enormously relieved by this development, what the youngsters have done is not free of controversy.

  First off, there is the matter of their leaving New Batavia without permission. “They were here under protective guard until it was determined whether it was safe to allow them to return to the human world. They had no business leaving, no matter how supposedly noble were their intentions,” thundered Councilman Pieter de Muis, who is demanding a complete investigation of the covert operation.

  Compounding the situation is the fact that the youngsters took with them a brass armband once worn by Alexander the Great, which was one of the “treasures” that had been deposited as bond for the griffin’s tutor, Abelard Chronicus, who is still awaiting trial for his unauthorized entry into New Batavia.

  There is a further complication. It appears, though it is not confirmed, that Overflight and Ashango were aided in leaving the city by Karel Hummel, the very gnome who had been in charge of bringing them in.

  There is a suspicion that it was also Hummel who obtained the armband for them.

  The armband has not been returned. According to the griffins, it was used in the Enchanted Realm to pay a toll to a dragon.

  The city council will be meeting tonight to determine how to deal with these issues. The meeting is open to all citizens.

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/9

  By the god of fresh-baked apple pies, I swear my Bibi is the best! Not only did she mail the journal entries for me, she actually wrote a couple of new ones to keep me up-to-date!

  “It wasn’t hard to copy the style,” she said drily. Then she gave me a look and added, “Can you tell me why you are pretending to be a simpleton?”

  I decided to put it on the line. “I got tired of getting beat up for being smart. I had enough of that at the last school. I didn’t want it to continue this year.”

  Bibi took that in for a second, then said, “I think your mother and I need to have a little talk with your school before the fall session begins. And with you, too.” But that was a
ll she said about it, since we had much bigger issues to deal with—namely, the meeting of the city council that night. Gerald and I broke a lot of rules for the Pink Bunny Adventure, and it turns out that not everyone is happy about it.

  Honest to Pete, I get the impression that some of these gnomes think following the rules is more important than saving their city from drowning!

  In other news: The gnomes are taking care of Cyril’s wounded backside. He was lucky in that the laser only grazed his butt. But it did burn off a line of fur. The gnomes say it might not grow back.

  I get the feeling he is secretly proud of having a scar earned during an adventure.

  The triplets seem to be getting along quite well. I can tell that Gerald is pleased but cautious. He is probably afraid of more teasing. But it’s clear that Violet and Cyril are now looking at him as their leader.

  Selections from the minutes of the New Batavia City Council

  July 9

  The meeting was called to order at eight p.m. by Mayor Bronk.

  The regularly scheduled agenda was set aside for a discussion of the Incident of the Pink Rabbits.

  The conversation was…lively. Some felt that there should be swift punishment for those who left the colony without permission and for anyone who was involved in helping them, most specifically Karel Hummel. Council-man de Muis, in particular, was adamant that while this event may have had a good result, the failure to go through proper channels was an insult to the colony and its leadership, and those involved should be punished.

  However, the great majority of speakers were in favor of the endeavor. In the end, a vote was made to present the three griffins and the human boy with medals of honor for their efforts in saving the city from a watery doom. And, having been proved true friends of New Batavia, they are now free to come and go as they wish. They will always be welcome in our midst.

  Respectfully submitted,

  Elsa Vanderhoff

  City Scribe

  Friday, July 10

  I have earned my tenth treasure!

  It is a medal…a gold medal!

  This is a matter of great pride.

  However, I have also lost one of my treasures, which is a matter of great shame.

  I do not know if I can go back to the Enchanted Realm.

  “You have to come back,” Violet has been insisting. “Mom and Dad will go nuts if you don’t.”

  Even Cyril wants me to come back!

  Here is today’s poem:

  Every night, every day,

  I feel terror and hope.

  If I do head for home

  Will I be able to cope?

  I am so proud of what I have done.

  I am so fearful of going home.

  Notice of Banishment

  On this day, July 10, let it be known that for his defiance of authority, his insistence on pursuing forbidden research, and his numerous lies and deceits—as revealed by the ongoing investigation into his life and work—the gnome Abelard Chronicus is henceforth to be spoken of as “Abelard Chronicus, Rogue.”

  That is, when he is spoken of at all.

  This should be rare, as Abelard Chronicus, Rogue, is no longer welcome at the University Enchantica.

  As a result, it is the decision of the High Council of the North American Realm that Abelard Chronicus, Rogue, shall be evermore banished to the place to which he has departed…a place that, as per the rules of the Council, shall not be named in this document!

  Signed,

  Troll

  Chief Legal Officer

  Enchanted Realm

  North America

  From the Notebook of

  Abelard Chronicus

  July 11

  The order of banishment came today. It was not unexpected. Even so, I will admit that it stung a bit to read the thing.

  On the other hand, it also gave me a chuckle, as I am ordered to remain in the very place that I’ve been seeking for nearly three centuries!

  Eduard and I raised a tankard of the city’s excellent gnome ale over that tonight.

  It is so good to have my twin back! And I’ve been offered a job teaching at the school. It’s not a university-level position, but I think I can be happy working with young people for the rest of my life.

  Alas, I shall be losing Gerald as a student. He is returning to the Enchanted Realm tonight.

  I shall miss the griffling. I take pride in the fact that he has grown and performed beyond all my expectations.

  In the end, I think this trip was good for him.

  Or is that merely self-justification?

  From the Journal of Bradley Ashango

  (Summer Assignment)

  7/14

  I met a griffin in my grandmother’s barn. He was big and fierce-looking. But he was also kind of a scaredy-cat.

  We made friends. We went on an adventure together. It was frightening but fun.

  Now the griffin has gone home. I miss him. A lot.

  (3 paragraphs, 3 sentences each.)

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/14

  I have not felt like writing here for a while.

  That’s because Gerald and his sibs left for the Enchanted Realm three nights ago.

  I hadn’t realized how much I would miss him.

  The night of their departure, Bibi and I walked the triplets to the church. We didn’t talk much while we were walking.

  It’s easy to be quiet in the dark, at night.

  And, to be honest, I didn’t know what to say.

  When we reached the transit point, Bibi used my cell to take a picture of me with the three griffins.

  Then it was time for them to go.

  “You two go first,” Gerald told Violet and Cyril. “I want to talk to Bradley for a little bit.”

  “Oh no!” Violet replied. “If we come home without you, Mom and Dad will skin us alive!”

  “I’ll come through in a few minutes,” Gerald promised. “This passage point will bring you through to where Violet was waiting. But Mom and Dad should be waiting where Cyril was stationed, since that is where we left the note for them. Wait for me to come through, and we will fly to greet them together.”

  “I will make certain Gerald keeps his promise to join you,” Bibi said.

  That satisfied Violet and Cyril, since when Bibi makes a promise you just know she is going to keep it.

  It was interesting to watch Cyril and Violet go widdershins around the church. To be more precise, it wasn’t the going that was so fascinating. It was the moment when they completed the third circuit and then vanished right before our eyes! As they did I heard a snapping sound that reminded me of lightning. A sharp, pleasant odor lingered behind them.

  Bibi looked at Gerald and me. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to say good-bye,” she said. Then she stepped back into the woods that grow up to the edge of the church lawn.

  “Well,” said Gerald.

  “Well,” I said.

  “I’m going to miss you,” he whispered.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I replied.

  I was trying hard not to cry. But I so much didn’t want him to go! I don’t have many friends, and I had never had a friend like Gerald. He was funny and fussy and I would trust him with my life. Heck, I had trusted him with my life! Even though we hadn’t known each other all that long, it was hard to think of life without him. How can you experience something like meeting a griffin and then just have it all be over, gone, ended?

  When my father died, I had stopped believing that good things could ever happen to me.

  Then Gerald happened and proved me wrong. He brought magic back into my life. He made me believe again…believe that I could be happy.

  And now he was going away.

  “Can I have a hug?” he whispered.

  I didn’t know it was possible to hug a griffin, but I was willing to try. I stepped forward and put my arms around his neck.

  He wrapped his wings around me, then rested his beak on m
y shoulder and whispered, “Thank you, Bradley Ashango.”

  I hugged him tighter and replied, “Thank you, Gerald Overflight!”

  We let each other go, and he went widdershins around the church three times.

  After he was gone, Bibi and I walked home in silence.

  She kept an arm around my shoulder all the way.

  That night I cried myself to sleep.

  THE NEW YORK TIMES

  PINK RABBITS FOUND IN UPSTATE TOWN

  By Barbara Block

  The small town of Vande Velde’s Landing, mostly known for its claim to be host to a colony of gnomes, has a new bit of fanciful lore to add to its repertoire: pink rabbits!

  The rabbits were first noticed by Agatha Riddlehoover, who spotted them in her garden. Using a live-catch trap, Mrs. Riddlehoover gathered three of the rabbits and brought them to a town meeting.

  Not surprisingly, people assumed that the creatures were some sort of hoax, most likely white rabbits that had been dyed pink.

  However, at Mrs. Riddlehoover’s insistence, genetic testing was done.

  To the astonishment of everyone, except perhaps Mrs. Riddlehoover, the rabbits are indeed a unique species.

  This discovery has serious potential to impact a wetlands preservation project that was scheduled for the area, one that would have affected the acreage next to Mrs. Riddlehoover’s farm. She has been a longtime opponent of the plan, which was one reason there was so much skepticism about the rabbits when she brought them in.

  Due to their unique gene sequence, the rabbits will almost certainly qualify as an endangered species. Once this is certified, the wetlands project will have to move to the second-choice location, which is far from Mrs. Riddlehoover’s farm.