Hatched

by Bruce Coville

  She claims, for reasons that are unclear, that this will be the best solution for everyone.

  Tuesday, July 14

  I have been neglecting my diary because I am in such a state of fuss.

  So now I need to do some catching up.

  To begin with, the sibs and I returned to the Enchanted Realm three nights ago.

  As expected, we came through at the exact place Violet had been waiting for me on my first return.

  I had asked C and V to go ahead of me so I could say good-bye to Bradley in private.

  I wanted to be alone for that. I knew, even before attempting it, that it would be hard to let go of a friend now that I had finally made one.

  It was a moment my heart will never forget.

  Once I had rejoined the sibs, we flew to Cyril’s watch spot.

  Also as expected, our parents were there, waiting for us.

  Many things were said then, an odd mix of “How could you?” and “Thank goodness you’re safe!” and “Do you have any idea how worried we were?” and “We’re so relieved!”

  Mom was madder than Dad, but she also cried more.

  Dad seemed oddly proud…especially when we showed him our medals.

  “We all have our tenth treasure!” said Violet excitedly.

  “And we earned them, really earned them!” added Cyril.

  “But Gerald was the leader,” said Violet. “That’s why his is gold and ours are silver. Also, Cyril has a special ribbon on his, because he was wounded in action!”

  Dad was jubilant until I said, “I have still shamed us, Father. I lost one of my treasures, on the homeward trip after the hunt. So I still have only nine.”

  “Lost a treasure?!” squawked Dad, as if it was the most horrifying thing he had ever heard.

  Which it probably was.

  Tomorrow is our Hatchday. Well, it is Violet and Cyril’s Hatchday. Mine does not come until the day after, though to avoid embarrassment to the family, we have always celebrated as if we hatched on the same day.

  It is a day I am now dreading.

  Especially considering the invitations that have gone out…

  You Are Invited!

  It is with enormous pride that Reginald and Cecelia Overflight invite you to the Tenth Hatchday celebration of their beloved triplets, Gerald, Violet, and Cyril.

  Place: Great Cavern of the Griffin Stronghold of the Northern Quarter

  Time: Festivities begin when the sun is directly overhead. (Note: Overnight accommodations are available for trolls and other sun-sensitive beings.)

  Schedule: First two hours will be for display of the grifflings’ hoards, including their Tenth Hatchday treasures, as required of each of the triplets.

  Next we will be treated to remarks by Artoremus Lashtail, High Lord of the Griffin Stronghold of the Northern Quarter.

  Following Lord Lashtail’s remarks will be a reception, with refreshments provided by the Lower Moldavian Dwarfs.

  Note: Cavern lighting provided as a special gift to the family by the Granite Valley Trolls.

  Wednesday, July 15

  This morning Violet and Cyril and I rose and groomed ourselves. Then we flew as a family to the Great Cavern of the Northern Aerie, which is where everyone’s Tenth Hatchday Ceremony takes place.

  All of our friends and relatives were there, as is customary. The Granite Valley Trolls had sent a small group to light the cavern, in honor of their long and happy connection to our clan.

  At the rear of the cave, on a long shelf of stone, our treasures had been laid out for all to admire. Though none would dare think to steal one, three of our cousins stood guard, because that is what griffins do. We are guardians of treasure.

  Presiding over the day was the High Lord of the Griffin Stronghold of the Northern Quarter, Artoremus Lashtail himself.

  I wanted to die.

  But something odd was happening.

  My cousins were congratulating me!

  Why would they be congratulating me when I had failed so spectacularly?

  I discovered the answer when the sibs and I went to stand behind our treasures, in order that we might explain them to the community. My brass armband was there!

  Not only that, there was something else that I had never before seen at a Tenth Hatchday gathering.

  I had been granted my Certificate of Independence!

  I am no longer a griffling! And I have skipped right over being a griffer. I am officially a griffin, free to come and go from our aerie as I wish!

  I was so startled, I could hardly focus on Artoremus Lashtail’s speech.

  Well, to be honest, his speeches are so long hardly anyone can focus on them. But I kept wondering what had happened, how this had come to be!

  All was explained at the party afterward when I rushed to my parents.

  Mom’s eyes twinkling, she said, “Gerald Overflight, if you ever again scare me like you did this last week, I will do more than keep good news from you! You had that little fright coming, my son.”

  “But what happened?”

  My father chuckled. “Zarnakk was spotted demanding a toll for passage by one of the other dragons. This is actually forbidden by the dragon code, and he had to surrender your armband. It was brought back to us two days ago.”

  “And the Certificate of Independence?” I asked.

  “That was decreed by Artoremus Lashtail when he heard the entire story of your adventures,” said my mother.

  So there it is. Instead of ten treasures, as I needed, and nine, as I feared, I now possess eleven treasures!

  Given how this all turned out, it is going to be hard for me to stay mad at Master Abelard.

  Cyril and Violet are wildly jealous, of course.

  I’m trying to control myself and not tease them about it too much.

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/18

  I have started working on a novel about a boy who meets a griffin. Last night I was up late, editing the first chapter, when I heard a knocking at my window.

  I looked up, then cried out in joy.

  It was Gerald!

  I flung open the window and stuck my head out.

  “Meet me at the barn!” Gerald said.

  “I’ll be right there!”

  “Good!” He banked left and glided toward the barn doors.

  I threw on my clothes—I had been wearing my pajamas—and tiptoed down the stairs. (Bibi and Herb had gone to bed an hour earlier and I didn’t want to wake them.)

  Once I was out of the house, I pelted toward the barn.

  “You came back!” I shouted, flinging my arms around Gerald. “You came back!”

  “Yes,” Gerald said proudly. “I have earned my Certificate of Independence and am now a griffin, not a griffling or a griffer. So I have a lot more freedom to do what I want. And what I wanted to do was come visit you.”

  “How long can you stay?” I asked.

  “All summer! And not just this summer. I hope to come back every summer…at least, as long as you want me to. We can spend the summers together, Brad. I can live in the barn, if it’s all right, but I should probably spend a lot of time in New Batavia so that I’m not detected here in the human world. But since you and I are now honorary citizens, we can go up or down the Enchanted Stair anytime we want.”

  “That’s wonderful!” I cried, so excited and happy that I nearly started dancing.

  “I hoped you’d think so,” Gerald answered.

  Then he crouched, grinned, and said, “Want to go for a ride?”

  How could I resist?

  I climbed on his back…and we took to the sky.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BRUCE COVILLE is the author of over one hundred books for children and young adults, including the international bestseller My Teacher Is an Alien and the wildly popular Unicorn Chronicles series. His work has appeared in more than a dozen languages and won children’s choice awards in over a dozen states. He has been, at various times, a teacher, a toy make
r, a magazine editor, a gravedigger, and a cookware salesman. He is also the founder of Full Cast Audio, an audiobook publishing company devoted to producing full cast, unabridged recordings of material for family listening. Mr. Coville lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife, author and illustrator Katherine Coville. Visit him at BruceCoville.com and TheEnchantedFiles.com.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  PAUL KIDBY is a self-taught artist whose first job was making false teeth. He eventually left the tooth business and became an illustrator. His work has appeared on computer game packaging, magazine covers, and bestselling books. Paul also enjoys sculpting, and his limited-edition bronzes are collected worldwide. Paul lives and works at his home studio in the south of England with his wife, Vanessa, and dog. When he is not painting, drawing, or sculpting, he is mostly found growing vegetables in his garden or walking in the countryside. Visit Paul at paulkidby.com.