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tree house will take us back.”
    He and Annie looked up at the magic tree house at the top of the oak. A sudden gust of wind rustled the leaves.
    Jack and Annie turned back to Merlin and Teddy. But they were gone. Bright yellowleaves swirled and danced in the spot where they’d been standing.
    â€œWow …,” said Annie.
    â€œYeah …,” said Jack.
    â€œWell,” said Annie, sighing. “Onward?”
    â€œ
Home
ward!” said Jack.
    Annie started up the rope ladder. Jack followed. When they climbed inside the tree house, Merlin’s leaf invitation was fluttering off the floor. Before it could blow out the window, Annie grabbed it. She pointed to the words
Frog Creek.
    â€œI wish we could go there!” she said.
    The wind started to blow.
    The tree house started to spin.
    It spun faster and faster!
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.
    * * *
    Jack opened his eyes. He and Annie sat quietly on the floor of the tree house for a moment. Jacklooked out the window. High overhead, a bird was soaring through the dusky sky.
    Jack could hardly believe that just a little while ago, he had been a bird himself.
    â€œReady to go home?” said Annie.
    Jack nodded. There was no way to explain what had just happened to them, he thought. There was no way to even talk about it.
    Annie carefully placed Merlin’s autumn leaf in the corner of the tree house, next to their Royal Christmas Invitation. Then she and Jack climbed down the ladder and started through the woods.
    In the gathering dark of Halloween night, nothing seemed very spooky. Jack knew all the trees. He knew the familiar path out to their street.
    As he and Annie headed toward home, three creatures stepped onto the sidewalk in front of them—a hideous witch, a grinning skeleton, and a huge, hairy eyeball.

    The creatures cackled and rattled and hissed.
    Jack and Annie laughed.
    â€œOh, brother,” said Jack.
    â€œGood costumes,” said Annie.
    Jack and Annie crossed their yard and climbed their front steps. “Are you ready for trick-or-treating?” said Annie.
    Jack pushed his glasses into place. “You know, I think maybe I’ll stay home this year,” he said, “and help Mom and Dad give out the treats.”
    â€œYeah, maybe I will, too,” said Annie. “But I think I’ll wear my vampire-princess costume anyway.”
    Jack smiled. “Cool,” he said.
    Then he and Annie slipped inside their warm, cozy house—and closed the door against the dark of All Hallows Eve.

F airy tales and mythology often inspire ideas for my work. While I was writing
Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
, details of old stories from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England, and Persia found their way into my story. For example, in a book of Celtic tales from Ireland and Wales, I read many stories about people being transformed into animals. I also read about an army of ravens called the “raven troops.” In a collection of stories from
The Arabian Nights
, I came across a magnificent bird called the Roc. All these legends stirred my imagination—and thenext thing I knew, I was writing a story in which my characters transformed into ravens and saved the life of an amazing bird named Rok.
    When researching the ancient world of the British Isles, I learned that it was common for people to have awe and respect for sacred stones. I learned, in particular, about a famous stone in Scotland known as the “Stone of Destiny,” which is surrounded by myth and legend. The stone was once used in sacred ceremonies for enthroning kings. This information inspired me to create Merlin’s “Diamond of Destiny.” And where did I get my idea for Teddy’s magic hazel wand? For many years, I have loved a certain poem by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats. In the first stanza of “The Song of Wandering Aengus,” Yeats writes:
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my