Dragon Keepers: The Dragon in the Library Part 11

"Wimp."

"Meanie."

"Wuss."

Emmy stepped between them. "No name-calling. Remember, sticks and stones can break your bones, but worms can never hurt you."

Jesse was so steamed, he didn't even bother to correct her.

Emmy added softly, "Keepers, we are in this stinky secret pa.s.sageway and we need to find out which way to go to get into the castle. So please stop being rude to each other and think. Remember what Balthazaar said. We need to use our brains. Both lobes. Or, in my case, all five."

Daisy threw up her hands in disgust. "You're so smart, why don't you you decide, decide, Dragon Brain Dragon Brain ?" ?"

Jesse stared at Daisy in astonishment. It was one thing to be rude to him. But there was no excuse for being rude to Emmy. It didn't, however, seem to bother Emmy in the least.

"Okay!" she said graciously. "Let's see: Jesse's toe is pointed right, so I say we go right."

"Thank you, Emmy," Jesse said with exaggerated politeness as he led the way down the pa.s.sageway to the right. Something came into view up ahead. At first he thought a woman was standing in 145.

their path, but then he saw it was a pillar with a woman's head carved into it. It was so creepy! The details in her face were strikingly lifelike--and somehow familiar, as he moved closer. The expression on her face was unnerving. Her eyes and mouth were wide open in a terrified scream. Farther down the pillar, two hands emerged from the stone. The longer he stared, the more he thought the face looked exactly like the nosy woman's who lived across the street.

"Hey, Daze, doesn't she look like Mrs. Nosy-Britches?" Jesse asked.

Daisy flicked it a glance as she pa.s.sed by. "Not really," she said.

Jesse walked on, but froze on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet when a blood-chilling scream echoed along the pa.s.sageway at his back.

"Help, police! It's a dragon! A real, live dragon, I tell you! After it!"

Jesse swung around and looked at Daisy and Emmy.

Daisy was clutching her elbows and her teeth were chattering in her head. "W-w-why are we stopping? Again?" Again?"

"Didn't you...?" Jesse started to say.

"Didn't I what what ?" Daisy asked snappishly. ?" Daisy asked snappishly.

Her nose was running and her lips were nearly 146.

blue, but it was obvious to Jesse that she hadn't heard the scream. Nor had Emmy. Both of them stared at him expectantly, impatient for him to move on. Only Jesse had heard the scream. He turned around and faced front. Or had he? Or had he? He stuck a pinky first in one ear and then the other and whirled it around vigorously. "I'm really starting to He stuck a pinky first in one ear and then the other and whirled it around vigorously. "I'm really starting to hate hate it down here." it down here."

"And I suppose you think I love it?" he heard Daisy mutter testily under her breath. He didn't like her tone, but he didn't want to start again, so he said nothing more.

They rounded another bend and all three of them stopped and sagged in dismay against the stone wall.

"You're kidding!" said Daisy.

"Give me a break," Jesse said.

They held their glowing stones up high to see better. Before them lay a vast chamber, filled with what looked like an acre of short walls forming different shapes--slight curves and hard L's L's and and U U 's and 's and S S 's and looping curlicues--set at odd angles, forming pa.s.sageways. 's and looping curlicues--set at odd angles, forming pa.s.sageways.

"I know what this is," Jesse said slowly. "It's a maze." Even in activity books, with a pencil in his fist, Jesse didn't like mazes.

Daisy blew the hair out of her eyes. "I suppose 147.

you're going to tell me that this isn't in the plans, either?"

Jesse shook his head slowly. "Nope," he said. "Okay, Emmy, which way now?"

Emmy looked around the maze. "Let's see...I like... that that way...over by that wall, there," she said, waving a talon in the direction of a short curved wall that was covered with a colorful mural. way...over by that wall, there," she said, waving a talon in the direction of a short curved wall that was covered with a colorful mural.

Jesse nodded and led them all past the curved wall. After seeing (and hearing) the scary screaming woman (who may or may not have been Mrs. Nosy-Britches), Jesse didn't want to look too closely at anything else in that place. Nevertheless, he felt his eyes being pulled toward the mural.

It showed a scene that looked familiar. He realized with a start that it was a painting of the small village in Tanzania where his parents were. Here was the hut where his parents lived, and there was the long, low tin roof of the clinic. And there was the bush in the background. He turned away quickly and shook his head. That can't be That can't be . The others filed right past the mural without even looking. Couldn't they see what he saw? . The others filed right past the mural without even looking. Couldn't they see what he saw?

He grabbed Daisy's arm. "Look!" he said, pointing to the mural.

She turned her head. "So?" she said. "It's a painting of dogs playing poker. What about it?"

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"It's a picture of my parents' village in Africa," Jesse insisted.

"Poker game," Daisy said.

"Africa," Jesse said.

"Poker game."

"Africa."

"Keepers!" Emmy broke in. "It's a blank wall. You're both seeing things that aren't there. Beware."

Uh-oh. We are in big trouble now , Jesse thought. He led them onward into a small circle of pillars, each one--like the one he had seen earlier--having a lifelike face carved into it. The first one Jesse came to was a woman with curly hair poking out from beneath the bill of a baseball cap. When he saw the curl in the bill and the team logo on the front of the cap, he gaped. It was his mother's lucky Boston Red Sox cap, the one she always wore--with her lab coat and scrubs and her bright red high-top sneakers--whenever she went to work in the clinic. As he watched, the eyes of the statue widened, and then the face smiled. Jesse pointed at her and stuttered, "M-m-m-m--" , Jesse thought. He led them onward into a small circle of pillars, each one--like the one he had seen earlier--having a lifelike face carved into it. The first one Jesse came to was a woman with curly hair poking out from beneath the bill of a baseball cap. When he saw the curl in the bill and the team logo on the front of the cap, he gaped. It was his mother's lucky Boston Red Sox cap, the one she always wore--with her lab coat and scrubs and her bright red high-top sneakers--whenever she went to work in the clinic. As he watched, the eyes of the statue widened, and then the face smiled. Jesse pointed at her and stuttered, "M-m-m-m--"

The statue's mouth opened and spoke: "Oh, Jesse, baby! Daddy and I have missed you so much. You need to come back to us. Aunt Maggie called, Jess, and do you know what she said? She said you and Daisy have been fighting and you need some 149.

time apart. She says you've been a rude and sullen kid lately--a real junkyard dog. n.o.body's blaming you, Jess. You're just homesick. I hate to say I told you so, but didn't I tell you this would happen, sooner or later?"

"N-n-n...w-w-w--" Jesse still couldn't get a single word out. All he could think was How did my mother get down here? How did my mother get down here?

Ignoring his distress, Jesse's mother went on. "I know you've done your best to make this crazy arrangement work, and you've done a great job so far. But it couldn't last, don't you see? Daisy is a growing girl. She needs some girlfriend time. So does Emmy. Emmy's reached the age when a he-Keeper is really inappropriate. She needs a she-Keeper now, not you. But I I need you, Jess, so come home. Now!" Two arms poked out from the stone and reached for him as if she wanted to draw him into the stone with her and back to Tanzania. need you, Jess, so come home. Now!" Two arms poked out from the stone and reached for him as if she wanted to draw him into the stone with her and back to Tanzania.

Jesse turned to Daisy. "Is it true?" he asked.

"Is what what true?" Daisy looked at him strangely. true?" Daisy looked at him strangely.

"Please explain why we have stopped again," said Emmy.

"My mother," he said, pointing to the statue.

"What?" Daisy asked in utter bafflement.

"My mother just told me you're sick and tired of me visiting and you need girlfriend time!" he said, 150.

his voice tightening. "She said Emmy needs a she-Keeper and now I can't be her Keeper anymore."

"How could your mother be down here? And how could she know about Emmy?" she said irritably. "Jesse Tiger, what in the Sam Hill are you talking about?" The tips of Daisy's pointy elfin ears were an angry red.

"My mother is here," Jesse insisted.

Daisy stamped her foot impatiently. "We don't have time time for this, Jess," she said. "Look around you! Can't you see what's going on!" for this, Jess," she said. "Look around you! Can't you see what's going on!"

While they had been arguing, the pillars had gradually moved closer together. Now not even Daisy could fit her body through the s.p.a.ces in between them. "We're trapped!" she said.

But Jesse was determined to get Daisy to see what he saw. He gestured toward the pillar. "Why don't you ask her yourself."

"Fine!" Daisy barged past him and squared off with the statue. Jesse was wacky. Not only was this not her aunt Judith, Jesse's mother. It wasn't even a woman! It was clearly a man...with a spiky beard and a dapper bow tie. Daisy's eyes widened and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Professor Andersson? Is that you?"

She reached up and touched the face. It came to life beneath her hand.

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"Thank you, child. It is, indeed, I," said the stone lips of the professor.

"Really?" she said to him.

"Would I lie?" he said.

"We're stuck in this circle," she said. "Professor, please, tell us, how do we get out of this maze!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, my girl," said the professor.

"Why not?" Daisy asked.

"This plan of yours has roundly backfired. I appreciate the effort you have made to free me, but once again, you have placed your dragon in the path of gravest peril. And you have no one to blame but yourself."

"Oh!" was all Daisy could say. Her lower lip was trembling so badly, she couldn't speak.

The professor went on. "I suspect that Jesse, if given half a chance, would have come up with a far more prudent plan. But you never give him a chance, do you? That's because you have a fatal flaw: you are incapable of listening to others. Because you are incapable of real sharing. Real sharing requires heart, and that, dear girl, you are sadly lacking. Jesse has heart to spare, and that is why he is the real Keeper, and you, I fear, are merely an interloper."

"Stop it!" she burst out.

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"Stop what?" Emmy asked in a small voice. "Jesse, Daisy, get ahold of yourselves, please?"

Tears stung Daisy's eyes. "Can't you see the professor?" she asked Emmy.

Emmy shook her head sadly. "No," she said. "I see nothing. I see a stone pillar and nothing more."

"It's not stone. It's the professor. And he says I'm heartless and a bad Keeper. Is it true, Emmy?" she asked.

"No. You have a very warm heart and are a very, very, very good Keeper," Emmy said. "Plus you have been very patient with my being such a snapdragon. So I will try to be patient with you and Jesse while you forget to use your brains."

"Why do you like Jesse more than me?" Daisy pressed on. "Is it because he's the one who found you? Is it because he's the one who named you?"

"No, Daisy Flower," Emmy said. "I chose you both because I like you both...the best."

Jesse shouted at Emmy. "No, you don't! You want a she-Keeper! I'm inappropriate inappropriate now that you have wings!" now that you have wings!"

"Jesse, Daisy, listen to me," Emmy said. "Stop this!"

"Why don't you just admit it!" Jesse shouted. "You like Daisy more than me!"

Daisy shouted over him. "Come on! We all 153.

know you like Jesse more. That's why you spoke to him first from inside your thunder egg! Did you call out to Daisy Flower? No, you called out to Jesse Tiger! Because he's a boy, and you like boys better!"

Emmy shook her head violently. "No, no, no, no, no! I can't listen to much more of this," she said, backing away from both of them.

"But you slept in her sleeping bag last night. Why not mine?" Jesse asked.

"Because Daisy doesn't kick in her sleep," Emmy said.

"I don't care what anybody says, I'm not going back to Tanzania. I'm staying in Goldmine City and fighting for my rights as a Dragon Keeper. Emmy, Daisy, you guys can't do this to me." Jesse's voice cracked. "You can't shut me out. Being a Dragon Keeper means everything everything to me!" to me!"

Jesse and Daisy stood toe-to-toe, their fists clenched. Then both of them burst into tears.

Emmy said, "I'll just leave. Maybe Mr. Wink will let me back into the Scriptorium, and I can dust the books and tend the stacks and wait for my mother to find me... if if she ever finds me...and if she doesn't, I guess I will just be an orphan, a dragon without a Keeper, the saddest creature in all the domains." She heaved a shaky sigh and slipped easily between the pillars. she ever finds me...and if she doesn't, I guess I will just be an orphan, a dragon without a Keeper, the saddest creature in all the domains." She heaved a shaky sigh and slipped easily between the pillars.

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Daisy stopped crying and wiped her face on her sleeve. "No, don't, Emmy!"

"I am leaving you now," said Emmy. "Farewell, my Keepers."

"Don't leave, Emmy!" Jesse called out to her.

Together the cousins grabbed her tail and tugged.

"We're sorry!" Jesse said. "Please stay."

"You have to!" Daisy begged. "It's not safe for you alone."

Emmy was just opening her mouth to reply when they heard the sound of stone grinding against stone just overhead. A panel in the ceiling slowly opened and captured Emmy in a stark rectangle of light. Instantly turning sheepdog, she began barking ferociously at whoever was up there.

"Come back here, Emmy!" Jesse and Daisy whispered loudly, crouching behind the pillars. "Hide!"