“I fear he let you out too soon,” said the driver. “You still have quite a distance to go.”
“ We do?” said Annie.
“Yes,” said the driver. “I have already delivered my employer and his family to the palace. I was waiting here until the party ended. But if you like, I can take you there. Young nobles should always arrive by coach.”
“Oh, thanks!” said Annie.
Jack straightened his shoulders and tried to look noble.
“My name is Josef,” said the man. “Come, let me help you up.” Josef held out his hand. Annie took it, and Josef helped her up onto a cushioned leather seat.
Josef helped Jack up, too. Then the friendly driver climbed onto a bench behind the milk white horses.
“Wow, I feel like Cinderella going to the ball,” Annie said to Jack.
Josef snapped the reins. The horses took off, and the guards opened the gates. The coach clattered over the cobblestones into an immense square.
The square was bathed in the last light of day. Monks in brown robes strolled around a huge fountain. Soldiers in uniforms rode on horseback. On the far side of the square was a long building. It had bright yellow walls and dozens of windows that flashed with the light of the setting sun.
“Is that the summer palace, sir?” Annie called to Josef.
“Yes, indeed,” Josef said over his shoulder. “And there is much more that you cannot see! Behind the palace is a garden of nearly three hundred acres. It has beautiful flowers, orchards, fountains, and a zoo.”
“A zoo?” said Jack.
“Hello, boy and girl!” came a high little voice. A closed blue coach passed them. A small boy wearing a white wig was calling from a window. He pointed at Jack and laughed. “Your wig is crooked!” he shouted in his high voice.
Before the boy could say more, someone pulled him back from the window, and the blue coach rumbled away.
“What an annoying kid,” said Jack. “Is my wig crooked?”
“A little.” Annie lifted Jack’s hat off. She tried to straighten his wig as they lurched and swayed on the cushioned seat. “There,” she said. “That’s better.”
Josef drove the horses to the front of the palace. The coach stopped near a staircase that led up to a terrace. Josef helped Jack and Annie down from their seat.
“I can tell this is your first visit to the palace,” said Josef. “At the door, you must show the guard in the red uniform your invitation. He will direct you to the receiving line.”
“The receiving line? What’s that?” said Jack.
“That is where you will wait to be introduced,” said Josef.
“Introduced to who?” asked Jack.
“To Her Imperial Majesty Maria Theresa. She is Archduchess of Austria; Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia; and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire,” said Josef.
“Oh, right,” said Annie.
Yeah, right, thought Jack. Help!
“Thanks for your help, Josef,” said Annie.
“Yeah, thanks a lot,” said Jack.
“You’re very welcome,” said Josef. “I hope you will enjoy yourselves at the party.”
“ We will,” said Annie. “Bye.”
As the coachman climbed back into his carriage, Annie turned to Jack. “This is so cool!” she said.
Not really, thought Jack. He didn’t know how he was supposed to act with Her Imperial Majesty whatever-the-rest-of-her-name-was! His hands felt clammy. “What do we do when we meet her? What do we say?” he asked.
“ We just watch what other people do,” said Annie, “and we copy them. Come on.”
Jack and Annie walked over to the sweeping stairway. They started up the steps, following the other party guests. The women all wore glittering jewels and gowns with giant hoopskirts. The men wore wigs with white curls flowing down over the collars of their long coats. All the clothes were made of silk and satin and velvet in rich colors and patterns.
“Oh, brother,” said Jack.
“What?” said Annie.
“There’s that kid who yelled at me,” Jack said.
The small boy from the blue coach was standing at the top of the stairs. He wore a lilac-colored coat with gold braid. A tiny sword hung from his side.
“A sword?” said Jack. “That’s ridiculous. He can’t be more than four or five years old.”
The boy turned and caught sight of Jack and Annie. A big smile crossed his round face. He waved at them.
“He’s cute,” said Annie. She waved back.
“Not really,” said Jack.
A man grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him into the palace.
“And he thought I looked funny,” said Jack. “How’s my wig now?”
Annie giggled. “It’s crooked again,” she said. “And your ears are poking out. Hold on.”
Jack and Annie stopped on the stairs. Annie grabbed both sides of Jack’s wig and gave it a good yank.
“Move along, children. You’re holding up the line!” a woman behind them said.
Annie picked up her hoopskirt, and she and Jack hurried up the stairs. At the top, Jack pulled their invitation out of his pocket again. He led Annie into the palace and showed the invitation to a guard in a red uniform.
“Follow the line through the lantern room and into the Great Rosa Room,” the guard said.
Jack saw a line of party guests walking slowly through a candlelit room. He and Annie quickly joined the line. The room was filled with sounds of whispering and the rustling of silk.
A young girl in a white dress with red roses was standing near Jack and Annie. When the line moved, Jack waited for the girl to go ahead.
The girl smiled. “I’m not in line,” she said in a soft voice. “I’m waiting for my brother.”
Jack nodded, and he and Annie stepped forward. Jack craned his neck to get a better view inside the Great Rosa Room. He couldn’t see Her Imperial Majesty yet, but he could see part of the fancy room with its red velvet chairs and gold-trimmed, glossy white walls.
Another guest entered the Great Rosa Room, and Jack and Annie took a step closer to the door. Now Jack could see Her Imperial Majesty. She was a tall, plump woman dressed in a blue silk gown with ruffles. To Jack’s surprise, the little kid with the sword was sitting on her lap! A long row of older children stood behind her.
Jack turned to Annie. “Who do you think those kids are?” he asked.
Annie shrugged.
“They are the children of Her Imperial Majesty,” said the girl who had spoken to Jack earlier. “The imperial children.”
“Thanks,” said Annie.
“The imperial children look pretty unfriendly,” Jack whispered to Annie. The little boy with the sword was the only one smiling.
“Well, it must be really hard to just stand there wearing stiff clothes and wigs while people are being received,” Annie whispered back.
“Prepare yourselves. You are next,” a servant at the door said to Jack and Annie.
Oh, no! thought Jack. He’d been too busy looking at the imperial children to watch the guests in front of him. “What do we do when we meet Her Imperial Majesty?” he asked Annie frantically.
“I don’t know! I forgot to watch!” she said. Annie turned to the girl in the white dress. “Um— excuse me? Can you tell us what to do when we meet Her Imperial Majesty?” she asked.
The girl leaned close to Annie and whispered, “Enter the room and announce your names. Then walk to the middle of the room. You must curtsy; he must bow. Next go directly up to Her Imperial Majesty and do the same.”
“Got it,” said Annie.
“Oh, and remember—” the girl said to Jack, “do not rise from the second bow until Her Imperial Majesty tells you to. Do not even look up. Rise only when she says ‘rise.’ Then step backward out of the room.”
“Backward?” said Jack.
“Yes. You must never turn your back on Her Imperial Majesty,” said the girl. “It would be considered very bad manners.”
The servant at the door turned and nodded to Jack and Annie. The two of them stepped into the Great Rosa Room.
“Annie of Frog Creek!” Annie said loudly.
“Jack, also of Frog Creek!” said Jack.
Jack and Annie walked slowly to the center of the room; Her Imperial Majesty and the imperial children watched them closely. The little boy with the sword waved at them. Annie curtsied and Jack gave a low bow.
Then Jack and Annie walked closer to Her Imperial Majesty. She had a double chin, a high forehead, and lots of teeny blond curls. Jack smiled at her, but her pale face stayed very serious.
Annie curtsied again, and Jack gave a second bow. As he bowed, he remembered that it was bad manners to rise or look up before Her Imperial Majesty told him to.
Jack stared at the shiny buckles on his shoes, waiting to hear Her Imperial Majesty say “rise.”
Maybe I’m not bowing low enough, Jack thought. He bent over a few inches more. To his horror, the silver flute slipped out of his coat pocket! It clattered to the floor. As Jack grabbed it, his hat fell off.
The imperial children snickered.
Clutching the flute, Jack reached for his hat with his other hand. But when he grabbed his hat, his wig fell off! Jack reached for his wig, but powder got in his nose, and he sneezed. As he sneezed, he slipped on the polished floor and fell to his knees. Gripping his wig, his hat, and his flute, Jack scrambled back up to his bowing position. But he still hadn’t heard Her Imperial Majesty tell him to rise!
The imperial children laughed loudly. Jack even heard Her Imperial Majesty laughing! She probably can’t speak because she’s laughing so hard, thought Jack. He didn’t know what to do. His face was burning hot. You’ve got to get out of here! he told himself.
Still bowing, Jack began backing up with little steps—until he bumped into a wall.
As the imperial children howled with laughter, Jack turned his head and saw Annie peeking out from a doorway, giggling. He backed over to her.
Annie grabbed his coattails and pulled him out of the Great Rosa Room.
The imperial children clapped and cheered. Jack heard one of the girls say between gulps of laughter, “Who was that fool?”
“That was Jack of Frog Creek!” answered the small boy in his high voice. And they all laughed loudly again.
Annie was laughing so hard that she could barely stand up. “What—what happened to you in there?” she said. “After I curtsied, I left. When I looked back in the room, you were still bowing!”
“She didn’t say ‘rise’!” said Jack.
“Yes, she did, dummy!” said Annie.
“Well, I didn’t hear her!” said Jack. He turned away from Annie and started walking as fast as he could. He strode through one elegant room into another. He didn’t know where he was. These rooms all look the same, he thought angrily, with stupid velvet furniture and stupid gold-trimmed walls.
“Jack, wait!” Annie called. She hurried after him.
Jack kept walking, desperate to get far away from the scene of his disaster. Finally he came to a door that led outside. He opened it and stepped out onto a long marble terrace overlooking the back of the palace. Bright silvery light from a full moon shone on a huge garden.
Jack stood in the chilly air, trying to calm down. He took a deep breath. He desperately wanted to run back to the tree house and go home.
“Jack!” Annie slipped out to join him. “I’m sorry I called you a dummy,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t hear her say to rise,” said Jack. “And the flute fell out of my coat and my hat came off … and my wig … and I sneezed and I slipped…. Come on, let’s leave. We can go down these stairs.”
“No, we can’t leave now,” said Annie. “ We have a mission from Merlin. Don’t feel bad. Hardly anyone saw what you did.”
“Yeah, except Her Imperial Majesty and all those imperial kids,” said Jack. “They all laughed at me.”
“They weren’t being mean,” said Annie. “You were funny. Here, give me your wig.”
Jack handed Annie his wig, and she put it back on his head and straightened it.
“Your hat,” she said.
Jack gave her his hat, and she placed it over his wig. “Hide the flute,” said Annie.
Jack stuck the silver flute back into his pocket. “I don’t know what we need this flute for,” he said. “There’s nothing dangerous here. I don’t get this whole mission.”
“We’ll figure it out. Let’s just go back in,” said Annie. She pulled Jack back inside the palace.
“So what do we do now?” asked Jack.
“We should find the party we were invited to,” said Annie. “That must be what Merlin wanted us to do.” She pointed across the room. People were streaming through a set of doors into another room. Loud party noises came from inside: the chatter of guests, tinkling china, and harp and violin music.
Jack pulled back. But Annie took him by the arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll bet there are hundreds of people in there,” she said. “We’ll get lost in the crowd.”
“But what about all those kids and Her Imperial Majesty?” Jack asked.
“They don’t care about us,” said Annie. “They have too many other guests to think about. Come on.” Annie led Jack through the double doors into the party room.
“Whoa,” breathed Jack. He and Annie stopped and stared.
The party room was the size of a football field. Grand paintings covered the towering ceiling. Everything was trimmed in gold. The glossy white walls and tall mirrors reflected the glow of at least a thousand candles.
Musicians played harps and violins while hundreds of guests stood around long dinner tables, chatting and laughing. Women fanned themselves, their diamonds and rubies flashing in the candlelight. The air smelled of perfume, powder, and roses.
“Okay! Let’s talk about our mission,” said Annie. “ We have to help a brilliant artist get on the right path to bring joy to the world.”
“Yeah, but first we have to find one …,” said Jack.
“Right, so let’s look around,” said Annie.
Jack and Annie started drifting together through the huge room. Jack gazed at the grownups. Dressed in their finery, they all looked pretty much the same. What does a brilliant artist look like? Jack wondered.
“Jack of Frog Creek!” came a high little voice.
Oh, no! thought Jack. He whirled around.
The boy with the tiny sword was grinning up at him. “I have been looking all over for you!” he said.
“Hi!” said Annie. “What’s your name?”
“Wolfie,” said the boy.
“That’s a funny name,” said Annie.
“So is Jack of Frog Creek!” said Wolfie. His eyes shone as he looked up at Jack. “Are you a clown?” he asked.
Annie giggled.
“Yeah, that’s right, I’m a clown,” said Jack.
“How old are you, Wolfie?” said Annie, changing the subject.
“Six!” the little boy said.
“Six?” said Jack. This kid looked more like a four-year-old, he thought, five at the most.
“And I’m eleven,” a girl said.
For the first time, Jack noticed the girl standing behind Wolfie. She wore a white dress with red roses. She was the girl who had helped them in line!
“Hi!” said Annie.
“Hello again,” the girl said in a soft, lovely voice. “I am Wolfie’s sister.”
Jack felt his face grow red. The girl must have seen him make a fool of himself.
“My name is Nannerl,” said the girl.
“Nan-nerl?” said Annie, trying to pronounce her name.
The girl smiled. “You can call me Nan if you like,” she said. “Wolfie and I enjoyed your performance in the Great Rosa Room, Jack. You must be very proud. Her Imperial Majesty does not laugh easily.”
Jack shrugged and scratched his wig. He wondered if the girl was joking. But she looked serious, so he decided not to tell her he hadn’t meant to be funny.
“Do you call your mother ‘Her Imperial Majesty’?” Annie asked Nan.
Nan looked confused. “No.”
“ We call her Mama!” said Wolfie.
“But you just said Her Imperial Majesty doesn’t laugh much,” said Annie.
“Oh, Her Imperial Majesty is not our mother!” Nan said. “Our mother is back home in Salzburg. We are just visiting the palace.”
“Then why was Wolfie sitting on Her Imperial Majesty’s lap?” asked Annie.
“Because she likes me very much!” Wolfie piped up.
Oh, brother, thought Jack.
“Wolfie, be modest,” said Nan, shaking her head. “Actually, Wolfie jumped in her lap when we presented ourselves. I tried to grab him, but Her Imperial Majesty wanted him to stay with her.”
“Were all those other kids imperial children?” Annie asked.
“Oh, yes,” said Nan. “Papa taught me all their names before we came here: Leopold, Ferdinand, Maximilian, Joseph, Maria Antonia, Maria Caroline, Maria Josepha, Maria Amalie, Maria Elisabeth, Maria Christina, Maria Johanna, and Maria Anna.”
“Hmm,” said Jack. “Maria’s a popular name around here.”
Nan laughed. Jack liked making her laugh.
“Hey, look at me!” said Wolfie. He pulled off his wig. He pretended to sneeze and then fell to the floor. “I’m Jack the Clown!” he said.
“Ha-ha. Very funny,” said Jack, forcing a smile. He’d had just about enough of Wolfie.
“Nan, we have a question for you,” said Annie. “Do you know if there are any brilliant artists here at the party?”
“I haven’t really been in Vienna long enough to meet many people,” said Nan. “But Papa told me that artists do live—”
“Wait!” Wolfie broke in. He jumped to his feet. “I know someone here who is very brilliant.”
“Who?” asked Annie.
“Me!” said Wolfie. And he bowed.
“Wolfie,” said Nan, shaking her head.
“Right,” said Jack. He turned back to Nan. “What were you about to say?”
Moonlight on the Magic Flute Page 2
