Carnival at Candlelight

by Mary Pope Osborne

  BONG!

  “At midnight two men will tell you the time,” said Annie.

  BONG!

  The two men struck the bell for the twelfth time and then stopped.

  “Come on!” cried Jack. “We have to climb that tower!”

  More fireworks thundered over the canal as Jack and Annie pushed their way back through the crowd. They ran into Saint Mark’s Square and splashed their way to the tall tower with the two men on top. They ran to the arched entrance of the tower and stepped inside. The air was damp and musty.

  “Stairs!” said Jack. He ran to a dark, winding stairway and started up. Annie followed. They climbed and climbed until they reached the top of the tower.

  Jack was breathing hard as he pushed open a heavy door that led out onto the bell terrace. The two statues were frozen on either side of the bronze bell.

  As soon as Jack and Annie stepped onto the terrace, the wind blew their hats off their heads. The air was filled with cracking and hissing sounds as more fireworks burst through the sky. Everyone on the waterfront was clapping and cheering.

  “What’s the next thing Merlin tells us to do to find Neptune?” Annie shouted.

  Jack pulled out Merlin’s letter. Holding on to it tightly as it flapped in the wind, he read aloud:

  The King of the Jungle will carry you there,

  Not over land, but high in the air.

  “The King of the Jungle is a lion,” said Annie. “So it sounds like we need to find a flying lion!”

  “Right,” said Jack. “But where?”

  “How about that one?” said Annie. She was pointing over the terrace railing.

  Jack looked down. Standing on the wide ledge below was the stone statue of a lion. Growing out of the lion’s back were two powerful-looking carved wings.

  “But that’s just a statue,” cried Jack. “How can a statue take us anywhere?”

  Annie grinned. “I think it’s time to use a little more magic,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah. Of course,” whispered Jack. He’d forgotten all about Teddy and Kathleen’s book of magic rhymes!

  Jack pulled the book out of his backpack. He and Annie studied the table of contents. “Make a Stone Come Alive,” said Annie. “Make Metal Soft. Turn into Ducks. Fly Through the Air— that’s it!”

  “No,” said Jack. “Go back to Make a Stone Come Alive.”

  “Why?” said Annie.

  “Because the lion’s supposed to carry us,” said Jack, “and he already has wings. But he’s made of stone. So what we need to do is make him come alive.”

  “Oh, right,” said Annie.

  “But then what?” said Jack. “Where will we go?”

  “Merlin’s letter said an angel of gold would show us the way, remember?” said Annie.

  “Angel of gold?” said Jack. “Where are we going to find that? And how will we find Neptune? How will he help us save Venice?”

  “Patience” said Annie. “If we need more magic, we’ll go back to the book.”

  “Okay. But let’s hurry,” said Jack. He opened Teddy and Kathleen’s book to the second rhyme. He took a deep breath. He looked down at the lion on the ledge. Then he read in a loud, clear voice:

  Stone so silent, cold, and hard,

  Cum-matta-lie, cum-matta-skaard!

  A cracking sound seemed to come from deep within the lion’s body. As Jack and Annie peered down at the statue, the lion’s stone mane ruffled into a mass of shaggy fur. His stone back softened into a sleek golden coat. His stone wings stretched into long, luminous feathers.

  “Wow,” breathed Annie. Jack couldn’t speak. Before their eyes, the statue had turned into a living lion with magnificent golden wings. The lion shook his mane and yawned. He had huge, sharp teeth and a long pink tongue. His ears twitched. His tufted tail swayed back and forth.

  The lion crouched and leapt off the ledge like a cat. He spread his wings and caught a strong current of wind. His wings flapped, and he began circling above the square.

  “Here! Here!” Annie shouted. She waved wildly.

  The winged lion turned and flew back toward the tower. He glided silently onto the terrace, landing just a few feet away from Jack and Annie. He stared at them with his golden eyes.

  “You have to help us save Venice from a flood disaster,” Jack said.

  “Can you carry us to Neptune?” said Annie.

  The lion padded toward them. He kept staring straight at them. He tilted his tremendous head and let out a long growl, as if he was trying to answer.

  “We have to climb on your back,” said Jack.

  “I hope we won’t hurt you,” said Annie.

  The lion let out another growl, but he didn’t sound angry. He sounded as if he was telling them to hurry. He crouched down so they could climb on.

  “I’ll go first,” Jack said to Annie. “I’ll hold on to his mane, and you hold on to me.” Jack slipped off his backpack and dropped it onto the terrace.

  “Take the book of rhymes,” said Annie.

  “Got it,” said Jack. He tucked the book under his arm and carefully climbed onto the lion’s back.

  Annie climbed on behind Jack and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Jack twisted his fingers into the lion’s mane. The mane felt surprisingly soft.

  “Okay we’re ready” said Jack.

  The lion stood up. He trembled slightly. Then he leapt off the terrace.

  “Ahh!” Jack yelled. The rhyme book slipped from under his arm and fell down into the flooded square below.

  “Oh, no! Our book!” cried Jack.

  “Hang on!” cried Annie.

  The lion flapped his great wings and rose through the sky. Jack pressed his knees into the lion’s warm back and clung to his mane.

  The lion flew toward the fireworks. A shower of red sparks was opening like an umbrella. Booms and whistles filled the night. Fiery bits rained down through the darkness, whistling into the canal.

  “Help! We’re heading straight into the fireworks!” cried Annie.

  The lion dipped and turned away from the fireworks. The red showers gave way to bursts of blue and green.

  “Which way do we go?” shouted Annie.

  As the lion flew back toward the square, Jack saw the gold weather vane on top of the watchtower. It was in the shape of an angel.

  “The angel of gold!” shouted Jack.

  The weather vane was no longer pointing north with the winds. The angel was turning slowly around and around, pointing in all directions.

  “Fly closer to the angel!” shouted Annie.

  The lion turned and flew toward the watchtower. As they drew near the golden angel, Jack called out, “Which way do we go? Which way?”

  The weather vane turned in a full circle and then came to a complete stop. The angel was pointing toward the southeast, over the choppy water.

  “To the sea!” Annie called over the wind.

  The lion turned and soared into the wind, his strong wings shining like gold.

  “Oh, wow!” cried Annie.

  The flying lion glided past the fireworks and over the wide canal. Leaving Venice behind, he flew high over the stormy seas.

  Jack gripped the lion’s mane with all his might. The lion sailed in and out of thick, fast-moving clouds. He flew above crashing waves and past bolts of lightning. He flew through screaming winds and pelting rain.

  In the middle of the sea, far from land, the lion began circling above the water. “What’s he doing?” cried Jack.

  “Looking for Neptune!” shouted Annie.

  “But Neptune’s not real!” said Jack.

  “I know!” shouted Annie. “We’ll have to use our imaginations! Like Lorenzo! Try to imagine Neptune!”

  Jack tried to imagine Neptune, but he was too scared to think clearly.

  “Neptune!” shouted Annie. “Rise from the water! Save Venice, Neptune! Help us!” Annie’s voice was lost in the wind.

  Jack wrapped his arms around the lion’s neck. He buried
his face in the lion’s mane. He tried desperately to imagine Neptune.

  The lion let out a roar. With his hands under the lion’s throat, Jack felt as if he himself were roaring. The lion roared again. The roaring made Jack feel stronger and calmer. The details of Tiepolo’s painting came into his mind.

  In his imagination, Jack saw Neptune, Ruler of the Seas, with his white beard and long hair, his strong arms and shoulders. He saw a lovely lady who was Venice, the Grand Lady of the Lagoon…. He saw Neptune giving the Grand Lady a gift….

  “I see something!” cried Annie.

  Jack opened his eyes and sat up. “Where?” he cried.

  “In the water!” said Annie.

  Clinging to the lion’s mane, Jack peered down into the darkness below. Lightning flashed over the sea. Jack saw a huge three-pronged spear rising out of the foaming, churning waves.

  The sea below the spear began to heave and billow. Lightning flashed again, and Jack saw a great mass of swirling seaweed rising from the waves. Not seaweed—hair! Jack realized. A man’s giant head and neck appeared above the surface of the water. Then the man’s massive shoulders, chest, and arms rose above the storm-tossed sea. The giant loomed high above them, as tall as a mountain.

  “Neptune!” cried Annie.

  The lion let out a roar and then another and another.

  Lit by flashes of lightning, Neptune’s face looked as if it had been weathered by thousands of years of wind and sand and waves. He had deep-set eyes, craggy cheeks, a white beard, and tangled hair hanging to his shoulders.

  “Neptune, save Venice from the flood!” cried Jack.

  “Please!” called Annie. “Save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon!”

  Neptune looked at them for a moment. Then, with his powerful arms, he lifted his spear and thrust it down into the waves. When the spear pierced the surface of the water, the sea made a gurgling sound—and then a long slurp, as if water were flowing down a drain.

  The thunder and lightning stopped. The storm-tossed waves grew calm. The wind died to a gentle breeze. The clouds parted, and the stars shined brightly.

  Neptune raised his spear. He nodded to Jack and Annie and the lion.

  “Thanks!” cried Annie.

  “Thanks!” shouted Jack. The lion roared again.

  Then Neptune began to sink back into the sea. His long arms … huge shoulders … thick neck … craggy face … floating hair—all disappeared. The prongs of his spear sank below the surface of the water.

  The Ruler of the Seas was gone. Only a shimmering whirlpool swirled in the moonlight.

  Jack could hear the flapping of wings and the sound of steady breathing. The lion flew in circles above the whirlpool. Then he soared in a great arc up through the sky.

  “We’re going back now!” cried Annie.

  Jack lowered his head. He buried his face again in the lion’s shaggy, wet mane. He didn’t look up. He was too tired to think as he gave himself over to the lion’s wondrous powers of flight.

  The lion carried Jack and Annie back through the dawn. As they glided over the calm sea, the waters sparkled with light from the rising sun.

  By the time the lion reached the skies over Venice, darkness had turned to day. Shades of lavender glowed above the city’s towers, domes, and spires. Venice was veiled in a soft pink light.

  The lion flew to Saint Mark’s Square. He glided toward the clock tower, moving more and more slowly. Finally, he landed softly, like a cat, on the terrace of the tower.

  Jack took a deep breath and stroked the lion’s golden mane. Then he and Annie climbed off the lion’s back. Jack’s legs felt wobbly. He clutched the lion for a moment to get his balance.

  The lion let out a low growl. He turned his huge head and licked Jack’s hand. His rough tongue felt like sandpaper. Jack laughed.

  Annie laughed, too, as the lion licked her. “You were magnificent,” she said.

  “Yeah,” said Jack. “That was a great ride.”

  The lion let out a long purr. Then he pulled away from the two of them and padded to the edge of the terrace.

  The lion gave Jack and Annie one last look over his shoulder. Then he leapt over the terrace railing and landed silently on the ledge below.

  Looking over the railing, Jack and Annie watched the living lion become a statue again. In an instant, his shaggy mane, golden back, powerful legs, tufted tail, and feathered wings all turned to carved gray stone.

  “Oh,” said Jack sadly. He missed the living lion hiding inside the stone statue.

  A thundering BONG! made Jack and Annie jump. Beside them, the two bronze men were striking their gigantic bell. They struck it six times.

  “It’s six in the morning,” said Annie. “We were gone a long time.”

  “Yeah,” said Jack.

  “Hey, look at the angel weather vane now,” said Annie.

  Jack looked up at the gold angel on top of the watchtower. The weather vane was turning in the wind. It suddenly stopped and pointed toward the west.

  “Remember the last lines from Merlin’s letter?” said Annie. She recited them from memory:

  An angel of gold will show you the way

  To the sea by night, and home by day.

  “I guess now that Venice is safe, the angel is telling us it’s time to go home,” said Jack.

  “Yep,” said Annie.

  Jack picked up his backpack, and he and Annie headed down the stairs of the tower. When they reached the bottom, they stepped out of the darkness into the bright morning light.

  Only a few puddles of water dotted the square. Carnival had ended. The people in costumes had all gone home. A flock of pigeons fluttered noisily about the cobblestones, picking at orange peels, squashed grapes, torn ribbons, and feathers. There was no sign of the flood except for some patches of seaweed.

  Jack turned and looked up at the clock tower. The morning sun cast a rosy light over the lion’s stone body. The lion stood with pride and dignity, watching over Saint Mark’s Square, his great powers a secret to everyone but Jack and Annie.

  “Thanks again,” said Annie to the lion.

  “Yeah, thanks,” whispered Jack. Then he sighed, exhausted. “Home?” he said. Annie nodded.

  As Jack and Annie headed across the square, two sweepers were cleaning up the remains of Carnival.

  “Oh, wow!” cried Annie. She ran toward the sweepers. Just as they were about to scoop up a pile of trash, she snatched something from the ground.

  Annie ran back to Jack.“Look!” she said, and held up Teddy and Kathleen’s book of magic rhymes.

  “Oh, great!” said Jack. He took the little book from her. It was damp from the floodwaters, but all the writing was as clear as ever.

  “We have eight rhymes left,” said Jack, “for our next three journeys.” He dropped the rhyme book into his backpack.

  As Jack and Annie left Saint Mark’s Square, they saw Venice starting to wake up—ordinary, everyday Venice, not the Venice of Carnival. Men, women, and children were opening stalls and putting out goods to sell. Cobblers were sitting at their workbenches, and cats were stretching in the chilly sunlight. The old man was walking his fat little dog, Rosa. He waved at Jack and Annie, and they waved back.

  “No one knows Venice was almost destroyed by a flood last night,” said Jack.

  “And no one knows we helped save her,” said Annie. “They just think we’re a couple of ragged clowns.”

  Jack smiled. He’d forgotten they were still wearing their Carnival costumes. Now their clown suits were dirty, torn, and soaking wet. Their hats were gone. And somewhere, in the floodwaters or on the flight to Neptune, Jack’s slippers had lost their bows.

  “How will we get back to the tree house now?” asked Annie.

  “I don’t know,” said Jack. “I guess we’ll have to find a boat to take us there.”

  As they scanned the waterfront, Jack saw a boy sitting at the edge of the water on a small stool. The boy was painting.

  “Hey, isn’t that
Lorenzo Tiepolo?” said Jack. He and Annie hurried over to the boy.

  “Hi, Lorenzo!” said Annie.

  Lorenzo glanced up and smiled. “Hello, Annie and Jack,” he said.

  Jack and Annie looked at Lorenzo’s painting. It showed pink light shimmering on blue water. “That’s beautiful,” said Annie.

  “It is only the background,” said Lorenzo. He squinted at the canal. “Soon I will add gondolas and people. Then, probably, I will add something not real at all, something from my imagination.”

  “Hey, guess what! We saw Neptune last night,” said Annie.

  “You did?” said Lorenzo.

  “We found him far out at sea,” said Jack. “He looked just like he looks in your dad’s painting.”

  “We rode to him on the back of the flying lion on the clock tower,” said Annie.

  Lorenzo nodded. “I am glad Neptune still lives in the deep sea,” he said. “And I am glad one of our lions still flies. Many people believe all the magic has left our world.”

  “The magic will never leave,” said Annie, “not if painters like you and your dad keep painting.”

  Lorenzo looked thoughtful. Then he picked up his small canvas and handed it to Jack. “You and Annie take this and finish it,” he said. “Paint what you saw on your visit to Venice.”

  “Really?” said Jack. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” said Lorenzo. “You and Annie have the gift of imagination. Use it to make something magical.”

  “We will,” said Annie.

  “Thanks,” said Jack. “We’ll start painting as soon as we get home.”

  “Hey, Jack!” said Annie. She pointed at a gondola docked nearby. It looked like the same boat that had brought them to Carnival the night before. Inside were the same two people: the gondolier and the person with the lantern. Their candle had gone out, but they were both still wearing black cloaks, white gloves, and masks with bird beaks.

  “Maybe they can take us back to the tree house,” said Jack.

  “Excuse me,” Annie called. “Can you give us a ride back to the island?” Annie pointed across the water.

  The gondolier nodded.

  “Great!” said Annie. “Bye, Lorenzo! Thanks!” And she and Jack hurried to the landing where the gondola waited for them.