But do not fear
The way is clear.”
For moments, this threw everyone in the room into deep thought. Then Fred broke the silence. “I don’t like it,” he said. “What’s all this ‘tweet, tweet, tweet’ stuff? Sounds like Saturna’s out to get me. What does she have against birds? I ask you.”
“I don’t think she has a thing against birds, Fred,” Guinevere said quickly. “What she does have, it seems to me, is no talent. At least where poetry is concerned. ‘Tweet, tweet,’ indeed!”
“I certainly agree with that,” said Caruso. “But I don’t like the sound of some of the other stuff. Howling, and dancing, and bats, and vultures. It makes my shell crawl.”
“Well, it certainly doesn’t make me feel too comfortable,” I said. “Especially when you consider she’s probably referring to Pepperdine Elementary School, with me in it. But now I think there’s more reason to think that what you said earlier about Miss Switch not necessarily coming back as my teacher is dead right. Just think about it. ‘No one’s in sight/Except that fright.’ Who could ‘that fright’ be but Miss Blossom?”
“Beats us,” said Hector.
“But I’ll tell you all,” I said, “Saturna may be dead right about Miss Blossom not being Miss Switch, but she’s dead wrong about Miss Switch not knowing what might be going on. After all, look at us, talking to each other. She’s got to be here somewhere.”
“So, you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled tomorrow,” said Guinevere. “It’s going to turn out all right. I’m sure of it. Only now, Hector, Caruso, and Fred, we’d better tuck ourselves in for the night. Rupert must get his rest.”
With that, there was an immediate flapping of wings as Fred flew from my shoulder and ended up perched on the side of Caruso’s bowl. “Good night, Caruso!” he said,
“Good night, old fellow,” Caruso sang out.
Then Fred flew first to Guinevere’s and then to Hector’s cage. “Good night, you two!” he said.
“Good night, Fred!” they chorused.
But before Fred went to his cage to put himself to bed as he always did, he flew back and hopped on my shoulder. I felt a tiny peck on my cheek. “Good night, Rupert!” he said.
“Good night, Fred,” I said, and reached up to pat his head.
Then he flew off and hopped into his cage.
Moments later, after I turned out the lights, I heard something I hadn’t heard in a very long time. It was Caruso’s high little voice singing Brahms’ “Lullaby.” It was a comforting sound, and helped me to remember that I had the support of my pets in whatever might come. But even though I liked to think of myself as a fearless scientist, I really was scared. And I had to admit, I needed all the comfort I could get!
6
A Midnight Expedition
Even with the help of Caruso’s lullaby, I didn’t think I could ever get to sleep. Thoughts of all that had happened kept going round and round in my head, I finally did drop off, but I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep when I awoke with a sudden jolt. I looked at the clock by my bed. It was twelve midnight, right on the dot. I lay in my bed wondering what had awakened me. Then suddenly the picture jumped into my head. The picture became clearer, and my neck began to tingle.
What I was seeing was someone’s back. Someone with black hair in a bun. Someone in a gray dress. Someone in the library! Someone standing with her back to me, nose buried in a book, not moving an inch while I signed out my book at the desk. Just before I turned to leave, the person in the gray dress set her book back on the display shelf where she was standing. The Sorcery of Science! All at once I could even picture the very book. That must have been Miss Switch, and that was the sign! After all, Miss Switch was involved with one thing. I was involved with the other. What could be a clearer sign than that?
I knew almost at once what I had to do. I lay in bed for a few minutes, not moving a muscle, but with my skin creeping as I thought of what lay ahead. Then I slowly threw back my covers.
I decided not to turn on the light because I didn’t want to wake the pets and get them all disturbed over what I was about to undertake. But I managed to find my clothes and clanb into them. Then I grabbed my mini-flashlight from my bed table and started for the door. Before I’d reached it, however, I heard something come fluttering through the air and land squarely on my shoulder.
“What are you up to, Fred?” I whispered.
“More to the point, what are you up to?” he replied.
“I just woke up suddenly and remembered someone I saw who might be Miss Switch,” I said. “If it is, this is what she would be expecting me to do.”
“Which is?” inquired Fred.
“Meet her at Pepperdine,” I said.
“At midnight?” Fred gasped.
“That’s the usual time for this sort of thing,” I replied.
“Well, I’m going with you,” Fred said.
“What on earth for?” I asked. “This might turn dangerous.”
“Exactly,” said Fred. “That’s why I’m coming along.”
“Look, Fred,” I said, “I don’t mean to be insulting, but what could someone your size do if I got into trouble?”
“Who knows?” Fred replied. “But I can offer moral support. That’s worth something.”
I was beginning to get a stiff neck from whispering out of the side of my mouth to Fred, and I had a feeling he’d win out in the end, anyway. So I opened the door, crept out, tiptoed past my parents’ room, where they lay peacefully sleeping away, and made it to the front door. Then we set out from the house.
I have to admit it was ridiculously comforting to have Fred along with
