The Knight at Dawn

sounded like a horse neighing.
    They both went to the window.
    Annie shined the flashlight down on the ground.
    â€œOh no,” whispered Jack.
    â€œA knight!” said Annie.
    A knight in shining armor! Riding a black horse! Through the Frog Creek woods!
    Then the wind began to moan. The leaves began to tremble.
    It was happening again.
    â€œWe’re leaving!” cried Annie. “Get down!”
    The wind moaned louder. The leaves shook harder.
    And the tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster!
    Jack squeezed his eyes shut.
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.
    Jack opened his eyes. He shivered. The air was damp and cool.
    The sound of a horse’s whinny came again from below.
    â€œ
Neeee-hhhh
!”
    â€œI think we’re here,” whispered Annie. She was still holding the castle book.
    Jack peeked out the window.
    A huge castle loomed out of the fog.
    He looked around. The tree house was in a different oak tree. And down below, the knight on the black horse was riding by.
    â€œWe can’t stay here,” said Jack. “We have to go home and make a plan first.” He picked up the book about Pennsylvania. He opened it to the page with the red silk bookmark. He pointed to the photograph of the Frog Creek woods. “I wish—”
    â€œNo!” said Annie. She yanked the book away from him. “Let’s stay! I want to visit the castle!”
    â€œYou’re nuts. We have to examine the situation,” said Jack. “From home.”
    â€œLet’s examine it here!” said Annie.
    â€œCome on.” He held out his hand. “Give it.”
    Annie gave Jack the book. “Okay. You cango home. I’m staying,” she said. She clipped the flashlight to her belt.

    Â 
    â€œWait!” said Jack.
    â€œI’m going to take a peek. A teeny peek,” she said. And she scooted down the ladder.
    Jack groaned. Okay, she had won. He couldn’t leave without her. Besides, he sort of wanted to take a peek himself.
    He put down the book about Pennsylvania.
    He dropped the castle book into his pack. He stepped onto the ladder. And headed down into the cool, misty air.

Annie was under the tree, looking across the foggy ground.
    â€œThe knight’s riding toward that bridge, I think,” said Annie. “The bridge goes to the castle.”
    â€œWait. I’ll look it up,” said Jack. “Give me the flashlight!”
    He took the flashlight from her and pulled the castle book out of his pack. He opened it to the page with the leather bookmark.
    He read the words under the picture of the knight:
    This is a knight arriving for a castle feast. Knights wore armor when they traveled long and dangerous distances. The armor was very heavy. A helmet alone could weigh up to forty pounds.
    Wow. Jack had weighed forty pounds when he was five years old. So it’d be like riding a horse with a five-year-old on your head.
    Jack pulled out his notebook. He wanted to take notes, as he’d done on their dinosaur trip.
    He wrote:

    What else?
    He turned the pages of the castle book.He found a picture that showed the whole castle and the buildings around it.
    â€œThe knight’s crossing the bridge,” said Annie. “He’s going through the gate .…  He’s gone.”
    Jack studied the bridge in the picture.
    He read:
    A drawbridge crossed the moat. The moat was filled with water, to help protect the castle from enemies. Some people believe crocodiles were kept in the moat.
    Jack wrote in his notebook:

    â€œLook!” said Annie, peering through the mist. “A windmill! Right over there!”

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    â€œYeah, there’s a windmill in here, too,” said Jack, pointing at the picture.
    â€œLook at the
real
one, Jack,” said Annie. “Not the one in the book.”
    A piercing shriek split the air.
    â€œYikes,” said Annie. “It sounded like it came from that little house over there!” She pointed through the fog.
    â€œThere’s a little house
here
,” said Jack, studying the picture. He turned the page and read:
    The hawk house was in the inner ward of the castle. Hawks were trained to hunt other birds and small animals.
    Jack wrote in his notebook:

    â€œWe must be in the inner ward,” said Jack.
    â€œListen!” whispered Annie. “You hear that? Drums! Horns! They’re coming from the castle. Let’s go see.”
    â€œWait,”