Carnival at Candlelight

men.
    BONG!
    “At midnight two men will tell you the time,”
said Annie.
    BONG!
    The two men struck the bell for the twelfth time and then stopped.
    “Come on!” cried Jack. “We have to climb that tower!”
    More fireworks thundered over the canal as Jack and Annie pushed their way back through the crowd. They ran into Saint Mark’s Square and splashed their way to the tall tower with the two men on top. They ran to the arched entrance of the tower and stepped inside. The air was damp and musty.
    “Stairs!” said Jack. He ran to a dark, winding stairway and started up. Annie followed. They climbed and climbed until they reached the top of the tower.
    Jack was breathing hard as he pushed open a heavy door that led out onto the bell terrace. The two statues were frozen on either side of the bronze bell.
    As soon as Jack and Annie stepped onto the terrace, the wind blew their hats off their heads. The air was filled with cracking and hissing sounds as more fireworks burst through the sky. Everyone on the waterfront was clapping and cheering.
    “What’s the next thing Merlin tells us to do to find Neptune?” Annie shouted.
    Jack pulled out Merlin’s letter. Holding on to it tightly as it flapped in the wind, he read aloud:
    The King of the Jungle will carry you there
,
    Not over land, but high in the air.
    “The King of the Jungle is a lion,” said Annie. “So it sounds like we need to find a flying lion!”
    “Right,” said Jack. “But where?”
    “How about
that
one?” said Annie. She was pointing over the terrace railing.
    Jack looked down. Standing on the wide ledge below was the stone statue of a lion. Growing out of the lion’s back were two powerful-looking carved wings.
    “But that’s just a statue,” cried Jack. “How can a statue take us anywhere?”
    Annie grinned. “I think it’s time to use a little more magic,” she said.

“O h, yeah. Of course,” whispered Jack. He’d forgotten all about Teddy and Kathleen’s book of magic rhymes!
    Jack pulled the book out of his backpack. He and Annie studied the table of contents.
“Make a Stone Come Alive,”
said Annie.
“Make Metal Soft. Turn into Ducks. Fly Through the Air
— that’s it!”
    “No,” said Jack. “Go back to
Make a Stone Come Alive.”
    “Why?” said Annie.
    “Because the lion’s supposed to carry us,” said Jack, “and he already has wings. But he’s made of stone. So what we need to do is make him come alive.”
    “Oh, right,” said Annie.
    “But then what?” said Jack. “Where will we go?”
    “Merlin’s letter said an angel of gold would show us the way, remember?” said Annie.
    “Angel of gold?” said Jack. “Where are we going to find that? And how will we find Neptune? How will he help us save Venice?”
    “Patience”
said Annie. “If we need more magic, we’ll go back to the book.”
    “Okay. But let’s hurry,” said Jack. He opened Teddy and Kathleen’s book to the second rhyme. He took a deep breath. He looked down at the lion on the ledge. Then he read in a loud, clear voice:
    Stone so silent, cold, and hard
,
    Cum-matta-lie, cum-matta-skaard
!

    A cracking sound seemed to come from deep within the lion’s body. As Jack and Annie peered down at the statue, the lion’s stone mane ruffled into a mass of shaggy fur. His stone back softened into a sleek golden coat. His stone wings stretched into long, luminous feathers.
    “Wow,” breathed Annie. Jack couldn’t speak. Before their eyes, the statue had turned into a living lion with magnificent golden wings. The lion shook his mane and yawned. He had huge, sharp teeth and a long pink tongue. His ears twitched. His tufted tail swayed back and forth.
    The lion crouched and leapt off the ledge like a cat. He spread his wings and caught a strong current of wind. His wings flapped, and he began circling above the square.
    “Here! Here!” Annie shouted. She waved wildly.
    The winged lion turned and flew back toward the tower. He glided silently onto the terrace, landing just a few feet away from Jack andAnnie. He stared at them with his golden eyes.
    “You have to help us save Venice from a flood disaster,” Jack said.
    “Can you carry us to Neptune?” said Annie.
    The lion padded toward them. He kept staring straight at them. He tilted his tremendous head and let out a long growl, as if he was trying to answer.
    “We have to climb on your back,” said Jack.
    “I hope we won’t hurt you,” said Annie.
    The lion let out