A Good Night for Ghosts

J ack was asleep. He was dreaming that he was sleeping on a boat. It was rocking back and forth, back and forth…
    “Jack.”
    Jack opened his eyes. It was just getting light outside. Rain was tapping against the window-pane.
Tappity-tap-tap
. Jack closed his eyes again.
    “Jack, get up.”
    Jack opened one eye and looked up. Annie stood next to his bed. She was already dressed.She was even wearing her raincoat. “They’re here,” she whispered.
    “No, they’re not,” Jack said. He closed his eye.
    “Yes, they are,” said Annie. “They’re waiting for us.”
    “How do you know?” Jack asked.
    “I dreamed it,” said Annie.
    “Oh, you dreamed it.” Jack turned over and pulled the covers over his head. “Go back to bed. It’s really early, and it’s raining.”
    “Come on, Jack,” said Annie. “I saw them. They were wearing their cloaks and looking out the tree house window.”
    “Great,” said Jack. “I just dreamed I was sleeping on a boat.”
    “But
my
dream was real, Jack,” said Annie.
    Jack pretended to snore.
    “Okay,” said Annie. “I guess you want me to go there all by myself. You want me to have a great adventure while you just lie here, dreaming about sleeping. If that’s really what you want, I’ll leave you alone.”
    “Good,” said Jack. “Have fun.”
    “Don’t worry, I will,” said Annie, and she left Jack’s room.
    Jack lay still for a moment, listening to the rain fall outside.
Darn
, he thought,
what if she’s right?
    Jack heaved a sigh. Then he climbed out of bed. He pulled on his clothes and grabbed his backpack. He slipped down the stairs, put on his rain boots and raincoat, then headed out the front door.
    Annie was standing on the porch, waiting for him. “Ready?” she said.
    Jack just grunted. But as he and Annie took off into the cool, rainy dawn, he woke up completely. As they charged up the sidewalk, Jack’s heart pounded with excitement. By the time they headed into the Frog Creek woods, Jack felt like he’d dreamed Annie’s dream, too.
    Raindrops tapped on tree branches. Jack and Annie scrunched over fallen red and gold leaves until they came to the tallest oak. Jack looked up.
    “Ta-da!” said Annie.
    The tree house
was
back. And Teddy andKathleen were dressed in their dark cloaks, looking out the window.

    A Good Night for Ghosts
    “Good morning!” called Kathleen.
    “We dreamed about you!” said Jack. “At least Annie did.”
    Teddy and Kathleen smiled, as if this news didn’t surprise them at all.
    Annie and Jack started up the rope ladder. When they climbed inside the tree house, they hugged the two young enchanters. “Welcome,” said Kathleen. Her beautiful sea-blue eyes sparkled.
    “Do you have a new mission for us?” said Jack.
    “Indeed,” said Teddy, smiling. “Just like last time, Merlin wants you to help a creative person bring his gifts to the world.”
    “And
this
will help you,” said Kathleen. She pulled a book from her cloak.
    “Great!” said Jack. He took the book from Kathleen. The cover showed a street parade with musicians playing trumpets and trombones. The title was
A History of New Orleans Music
.
    “New Orleans?” said Annie.
    “Yes, New Orleans, Louisiana,” said Kathleen.
    “You will love this city,” said Teddy.
    “Cool,” said Annie.
    “And here is your magic flute.” Kathleen picked up a gleaming silver flute from the corner of the tree house. It was the magic flute Jack had played on their adventure in Vienna, Austria. “Only this time…” Kathleen tossed the flute into the air. It hovered for a moment, then began to twirl around and around. There was a flash of blue light—and the flute was gone! Floating in its place was a shining brass instrument.
    Kathleen plucked the instrument from the air. “This time you will play a magic trumpet,” she said.
    “Oh, man,” breathed Jack. “That’s incredible.”
    “Yeah,” said Annie. “I’ve always wanted to play the trumpet.”
    Kathleen laughed. “Well, this is your chance,” she said. “The trumpet’s magic will make you a brilliant performer.”
    “But the magic can only happen once,” Teddy reminded Jack and Annie, “just as on your last journey with the magic flute. Play the trumpet only when you face your greatest danger.”
    “And while one of us plays, the other has to make up a song, right?” said Annie. “And whatever we sing will come true.”
    “Precisely,” said Teddy.
    “Um… what danger will we