THE LEGACY OF TERABITHIA

by

Wordsmith

Chapter 10: Good News And Bad News

After they rested, Leslie and Jamie played a few more of Aunt Brenda's records. Then it was time for Jamie to go home. His parents were expecting him for dinner. Leslie showed him to the door. He put his boots on, then took his raincoat and hat off the rack and put them on.

"Well," Jamie said. "Time to go. I thank thee for a lovely time, milady." He smiled and bowed to her.

"Thou art more than welcome, my knight. Until the morrow... or Monday?"

"Until then."

Just as they embraced each other, Grandma bellowed "Leslie? Has Jamie left yet?" Startled, they shot out of each other's arms. Then Leslie's grandparents rushed into the living room.

"Uh, no Grandma," Leslie said. "He's still here."

"Good," said Grandma. "Jamie, Mr. Aarons and I just wanted to tell you what a pleasure it's been to meet you. You're always welcome to come over and play with Leslie."

Come over and play? Leslie thought. Oh, god... what am I, five years old?

"Thank you. Um, actually, Leslie and I were planning on going swimming either tomorrow or Monday... if it's alright with you."

"Sure," said Grandma. "We know she's in good hands with you. Just let us know when you're leaving and what time you think you'll be back."

"We will. Thanks."

Jamie picked up his umbrella.

"Well... bye, Leslie."

"Bye."

Jamie opened the door, pointed his umbrella forward, and pressed the button on the handle. It opened in plenty of time to shield him from the rain. Leslie watched him trot off. When he was out of sight, she went back to her room. Aunt Brenda's records were scattered on the bed, so Leslie packed them up in the case, which she set down next to the bureau. She looked at the record player and saw that she'd left a record on the spindle. The cover would still fit, so she let the record be. After she turned the record player off, closed the cover, and snapped the buckles shut, Leslie flopped down on her bed.

Jamie's only been gone a few minutes, and I miss him already, she thought. What am I going to do when I have to go back to Washington? She would have to face her parents' divorce without him. She would have to face all those phonies at school without him. Sure, she could call him on the phone and e-mail him, but it wouldn't be the same. She felt scared and sad at the same time. How did Dad ever survive after he lost Leslie Burke?

Of course, this was nothing like what her father went through. Dad thought that Leslie Burke would always be there for him, then one day, in a sudden, clawing stroke, she was ripped away from him forever. Leslie knew from the beginning that her time with Jamie was short. The most she could have hoped for is that somehow, she would be able to stay with her grandparents for the whole summer. She knew that wasn't likely. In fact, any day now, her parents could come for her, depending on how the retreat went. And then...

And then what?

Leslie mulled it over in her mind. Maybe she could talk Dad into visiting Grandma and Grandpa more often. After all, they're not getting any younger. Maybe she could talk both her parents into letting her spend some weekends in Lark Creek. That might work. Leslie felt a pang of guilt. It wouldn't be right, asking if she could spend some weekends with her grandparents when she knew full well that she really wanted to spend time with Jamie. She did want to spend more time with her grandparents, but she also wanted to see Jamie. Was that so bad?

And what about Jamie? What if he meets another girl at school or in his neighborhood – a girl who lives nearby and can spend lots of time with him? He was so sweet, smart, and talented, and with those blue eyes, what girl wouldn't fall for him? The very thought of Jamie with another girl made Leslie sick to her stomach. But she had to face reality. She lived at least an hour's drive away from Lark Creek.

Out of all the tree stumps in the woods, why did I pick that big one? Why did Jamie have to be up in that tree? I wish I never met him!

Leslie felt the hot tears welling in her eyes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it.

Of course she hadn't meant it. Meeting Jamie was the best thing that ever happened to her. He was the only one who understood her, the only one who treated her like a real person. To him, she was more than just Jess Aarons' daughter. He was no phony. He was the real thing. He reached out to her when she needed a friend. And she reached out to him. Despite his kindness, intelligence, and talent, Jamie was terribly lonely. She could see it in his eyes – the dark spirits that lurked behind the shimmering blue pools. He needed her as much as she needed him.

They needed each other. And that need wouldn't go away after Leslie went back to Washington. There must be a way...

"Leslie?" Grandma was calling for her. She knocked on the door, then opened it. Leslie quickly wiped her eyes on her shirtsleeve. Then she took a deep breath.

"Yes, Grandma?"

"Dinner's in an hour. Don't forget to wash up."

"I won't."

Dinner turned out to be leftover fried chicken, which still tasted great. Grandma made fresh biscuits to go with it, and homemade vanilla pudding for dessert. Leslie didn't say much during dinner. Afterward, she helped Grandma with the dishes. Then she went to her room.

Leslie changed into her nightgown, then opened a compartment in her suitcase and took out one of the books she'd brought with her. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. It was the third book in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Leslie had already read the first and second books – The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. She was looking forward to the third. They were fantasy novels about alternate worlds and universes, shape-shifting daemons, evil angels, something called Dust, and a smart, brash, and heroic young girl named Lyra Belacqua who finds herself at the center of a prophecy. There was also a love story. Lyra meets Will Parry, a boy from another world who becomes her first love. Leslie couldn't wait to read The Amber Spyglass and see how it all turns out.

She got into bed and started reading. She was glad she'd brought a few books. She needed something to take her mind off her troubles. She remembered how her dad's first novel had been a fantasy novel. Before that, all of his books had been picture books. Not that he didn't love drawing picture books, but he always wanted to write a novel. There were black ink drawings placed between chapters to illustrate certain scenes, but the book was still a novel. It was called Fairy Tale.

Fairy Tale was set during the Renaissance. It was the time of Kings and Queens and noble knights, of minstrels and magic, dragons and giants, and of course, fairies. It was also the time of the Black Death, a terrible disease that was spreading throughout the land. An old alchemist (a cross between a scientist and a wizard) called Hieronymous had discovered the secret of the Panacea – the "elixir of life" that could cure any disease. He used it to save many people from the Black Death

But then he became consumed by greed. Even though the Alchemist's Oath – the sacred promise an alchemist makes to serve those in need – forbade him from doing so, Hieronymous decided that he should be paid for his services, and paid handsomely. King Gerard the Good, ruler of the land, had no choice but to surrender his kingdom's riches, for Hieronymous was the only one who could make the Panacea. Without it, the Black Death would ravage the kingdom.

After there were no more riches left, Hieronymous refused to make more Panacea for the King. As the Black Death spread throughout the kingdom and infected many of his subjects, the King sent parties of knights to search for Hieronymous' lair and make him give them the recipe for Panacea. None of the parties ever returned.

Hieronymous didn't need Panacea to make him rich anymore; he had discovered another secret: the formula for turning lead into gold. That would make him the richest man in the world! But there was a problem - the formula called for a half-cup of boiled fairy wings, and Hieronymous didn't have any. Since humans can't see fairies, the old alchemist prepared a potion that would give him feesicht – fairy sight.

What Hieronymous didn't know was that there were two poor peasant children who had been born with feesicht – 10-year-old Julian and his bratty little sister Mariel - and they had seen him hunt and capture most of the fairies in their little village, Fairy Glen. With the help of their friend – a foul tempered but good-hearted fairy named Archibald - Julian and Mariel track Hieronymous to his secret lair and turn one of his own potions against him, changing the old alchemist into a rat.

With the fairies saved, Julian and Mariel search Hieronymous' lair for the Panacea recipe. In one room, they find what they think is a collection of life-sized stone statues. But they quickly realize that the statues are really the King's missing knights! The kids search through Hieronymous' library of alchemy books and find the formula to bring the knights back to life. Then, Mariel accidentally knocks over a vase and breaks it, revealing the Panacea recipe that had been hidden inside.

The grateful knights proclaim that the Panacea recipe – and the riches it would bring to its owner – rightfully belongs to the kids for risking their lives to fight the evil Hieronymous and save the knights. Poor as they are, Julian and Mariel don't want to profit from the suffering of others. They decide to give the recipe to King Gerard so that enough Panacea can be made to treat everyone infected with the Black Death. The kids' unselfishness is rewarded; while they were away, their parents became infected with the disease, but after the King begins distributing the Panacea, Julian and Mariel's parents are among the first to be treated and cured.

Of all her father's books, Fairy Tale was one of Leslie's favorites, second only to Bridge To Terabithia. It was a huge bestseller, which surprised Dad's publishers. They were sure it wouldn't be as popular and successful as his picture books. But it was. And it was controversial, too, though Dad was no stranger to controversy. Little kids loved his Kalama Zoo series of picture books, but more than a few adults complained about them.

The books were about the animals in a zoo called Kalama Zoo. One of the animals was a cantankerous, potty-mouthed rhinoceros named Hornsby who had a habit of swearing whenever he got angry – which was often. There were no actual swear words in the Kalama Zoo books. Instead of using words, Dad drew symbols to represent Hornsby's colorful language. When Leslie was about five years old, she read the first book in the series, Something New At Kalama Zoo.

In the book, a new animal is brought to stay at Kalama Zoo – a monkey named Simi. But the clever monkey escapes before the zookeepers can put him into the monkey habitat. He runs around the zoo and wreaks all kinds of havoc. In one scene, Simi climbs up an apple tree that overlooks Hornsby's bathing pond and throws an apple at him. It bounces off the rhino's head and he yells OW! What the #$%&?! Then another apple hits him! When he looks up and sees the monkey in the tree, he warns him: Bean me with another apple, and I'll make mashed bananas out of you!

Simi does his best to annoy all the animals in the zoo. When they finally corner him, he explains that he was deliberately causing trouble so that the zookeepers would send him back to Africa. He was just homesick. The other animals tell Simi that Kalama Zoo is actually a nice place to live and offer to be his friends. Simi agrees to live in the monkey habitat and not cause anymore trouble. But in the last scene, while Hornsby is talking to his girlfriend – a lady rhino named Rhonda – he gets hit in the head with an apple again. He looks up, sees Simi sitting in the tree laughing, and says I hate that $*%&#! monkey.

Leslie had never laughed so hard in her life. Even though she was too old for picture books now, she still re-read the Kalama Zoo books whenever she needed a good laugh. Of course, not everybody laughed at them. Some parents' groups accused her father of encouraging little kids to swear like Hornsby. Some even demanded that the books be removed from school libraries.

When Fairy Tale became a bestseller, The American Way, a conservative activist group, called the novel "insidious socialist propaganda in the guise of a fairy tale." Dad thought that was funny. But he wasn't laughing when Bridge To Terabithia received the most criticism of all. He couldn't imagine that such a profound and moving story would provoke such anger. When he went on The Oprah Winfrey Show to defend the book, he looked very uncomfortable. Oprah couldn't understand the criticism, either. She loved Bridge To Terabithia.

Leslie tried to concentrate on her reading, but the words seemed to go out of focus, along with her thoughts. There was a knock at the door, and Grandma said, "Leslie? Can I come in, dear?"

"Sure, Grandma."

Leslie put down The Amber Spyglass as her grandmother walked into the room.

"Doing a little reading, I see?"

"Yeah."

Grandma sat down on Leslie's bed.

"You know, your grandpa and I meant what we said about your friend Jamie. He's always welcome here. We were mighty relieved, seeing that he was such a nice and well-mannered young man. And handsome, too. It's no wonder you're sweet on him."

"Grandma..." Leslie felt herself blush.

"Now, now. I may be old, but I'm still a woman, and a woman can tell. This is the best time in a young girl's life, you know."

"Yeah, that's what Aunt May Belle told me."

"It's not exactly the best of times for you, though, is it?"

"No. Not really."

Grandma ran a hand through Leslie's hair and rested it on her cheek. It felt so warm and soothing. She smiled warmly. "I know, dear. I know." She kissed Leslie on the forehead.

"You know, staying here in Lark Creek... it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't think I'd survive one day without my computer, but... I really don't miss it that much. I know I could always use Jamie's if I wanted to – or if I needed to – but I don't. Jamie and I had a lot of fun playing Aunt Brenda's old records. You don't mind if I keep them and the record player in my room for a while, do you?"

"No, not at all!"

Grandpa appeared in the doorway. "Having a little girl talk, are we?"

"Just a little," said Grandma. "I'll leave you to your reading, dear."

"I think I'll go to bed soon," Leslie replied.

"Good night, dear," Grandma said.

"Good night, honey," said Grandpa.

"Good night."

After they left, Leslie read a few more chapters of The Amber Spyglass, then marked her place, put the book on the nightstand, and turned out the light.

The next morning, Leslie felt like cereal for breakfast, so Grandma fixed her a big bowl of Rice Krispies with sliced banana. After she ate, Leslie decided not to call Jamie until lunchtime. He should be back from church by then. She showered, dressed, and watched CNN Sunday Morning with her grandparents.

Later, while Grandma was making lunch, the phone rang.

"Leslie! It's Jamie!" Grandma called from the kitchen.

He must have read her mind!

Leslie took the cordless phone, ran to her room, closed the door, and plopped down on her bed.

"Hi, Jamie!"

"Hi!"

"You get back from church?"

"Yup. I'm getting my neck out of the noose right now."

"Noose?"

"That's what I call this stupid necktie. It feels like a noose."

"You have to wear a suit to church?"

"Yeah, but in the summer, I can wear a short-sleeved dress shirt and no coat."

"So... are we going swimming today?"

Jamie sighed. "Well, I have good news and bad news... what do you want to hear first?"

"Oh, boy... better give me the bad news first."

"The bad news is that I can't see you today. You know... it's Sunday, a family day. Though on Sunday afternoons, I usually stay in my room and avoid my family."

Leslie chuckled. "What's the good news?"

"It's very good news, actually. I asked my parents if I could go with you to the fireworks... and they said yes!"

"Great! That is so awesome!"

"I know. I can't wait until Wednesday!"

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, I'm all yours. You want to go swimming or do something else?"

"No, let's go swimming! I'm dying to go back to the Enchanted Cove."

"Okay, then – swimming it is! I'll bring the picnic lunch."

"Oh no, you made lunch last time. This time, I'll make us lunch."

"Are you sure? It's no problem..."

"I'm sure, Jamie. I'm making us lunch, and I won't take no for an answer."

"All right, then. My dad says that when a woman has her mind set on something, there's no point in arguing."

Leslie laughed. "You got that right, buster!"

After Jamie stopped laughing, he said, "When and where do we meet?"

"Meet me here around 9AM."

"Okay. It's a date!"

"Yeah... it's a date!"

"Well, I have to go. Zackass wants to use the phone."

"Okay. Bye, Jamie. See you tomorrow."

"See you. Bye."

Leslie hung up the phone and brought it back to its base in the kitchen.

Yeah, she thought to herself, smiling. It's a date.