Part 24 (2/2)

”Who's that?” Marie called, his eyes still tightly shut.

”It's me,” said Jack. ”Jack.”

Marie's eyes flew open. All the boys were staring now.

Marie asked, ”What happened to you?”

Jack grinned. ”A lot. Remember when I bought that bean? Well, then-”

”No,” said Marie. ”I mean, what happened to your skin? Did you fall in a toilet or something?” The boys exploded with laughter.

Jack looked down at his skin. It did look disgusting. He said, ”I got this from going in the stomach of a fire-breathing beast!”

”That's funny. My toilet breathes water,” said Marie, and the boys roared.

”I did!” Jack insisted. ”I did!”

The boys laughed harder.

Jack stood, staring at them. A dim and distant wisdom tickled his brain. He shook it off and turned for his house. He came to the front door. He took a deep breath.

Before he could take the doork.n.o.b, the door opened itself. His father stood in the doorway.

A moment of silence.

And then, ”Jack?”

Jack nodded.

Jack's father threw his arms around his son.

Jack's father made him some food, he helped him wash himself, and he told Jack to lie down. He needn't worry about ch.o.r.es for a little while. He looked like he'd had a rough time of it.

”I missed you,” his father said. ”I feel bad about how I acted.”

Jack nodded. But he was already staring out the window, watching the boys play blindman's bluff.

The next day, he was outside with them, going with them down to the river, running with them across the fields.

Soon, that old song came back.

Marie had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Marie had a little lamb whose fleece was black as coal.

”Don't sing that,” Jack would say. ”It isn't funny.” So the boys would sing it louder.

Everywhere that Marie went, Marie went, Marie went, everywhere that Marie went the lamb was sure to go.

”Please stop!”

It made the children laugh and play, laugh and play, laugh and play, it made the children laugh and play to see the lamb follow.

”STOP IT!” Jack would shout. And the boys would roar with laughter.

Jack tried to just be with the boys. Not follow them. Just be with them. He even tried to tell them of the places he'd been, the things he'd done. But they didn't believe him. Jack was a dreamer. And a follower. Always was, always would be.

They teased him mercilessly. And when they weren't teasing him, they were mocking each other. Jack hated it.

And the song. The song would not go away.

Marie had a little lamb, little lamb . . .

And then, one day, Jack had had enough.

Marie had been teasing him for hours, calling him ”toilet” for his blisters and scabbing skin, and asking why he followed them around so much. The boys sang the lamb song again and again and again.

Jack stood there, taking it, trying to laugh-as his face turned red and he squinted his eyes against the tears.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw three ravens fly past. He did not know if they were the talking ravens or not. They could have been regular ravens, for all he knew.

But when he saw them, he remembered something that the talking ravens had said. Something he had not understood at the time. When you do what you want, not what you wish . . .

And suddenly he realized, I wish I could be friends with these boys. But I do not want to be. I do not think I like them at all.

And without another word, he turned around and walked away.

It was one week earlier that Jill left the frog on the edge of the well and promised she'd come and visit him soon.

He looked unhappily into the mossy, smelly darkness. ”You'd better . . .” he said. She smiled.

Jill headed for the front of the castle. She started walking very slowly, her stomach turning over and over. Then she walked faster. And faster. And faster. Soon, she was running. She came to the castle gate.

The guards took one look at her and said, ”Princess?” Jill nodded, her eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g, her throat too thick for words.

”The princess is home!” they shouted. ”The princess is home!” The call was taken up all throughout the castle. Jill ran to the great door, and then through the grand hall, and finally up the steps that led to the throne room. And as she ran, she heard, ”The princess is home! The princess is home!” echoing from the walls, and also laughter, and whooping, and even some weeping.

Jill burst into the throne room. Her father jumped nearly a foot at the sound of the door banging open. He cried, ”Darling!” But Jill ran for her mother. Her mother had turned, and her eyes were wide like moons, and Jill catapulted herself into her arms. And, burying her face in her mother's neck, she said, ”Mommy.”

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