Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

did
not
come naturally to him. They came from hard work and more practice than most people could endure.”
    Jack thought about how he and Annie had only done their magic tricks
once
, with the help of themagic mist. No wonder they’d failed so spectacularly the second time.
    “So his secret is
hard work
?” said Annie.
    “You’ve got it, kiddo,” said Bess. “But that’s not such a big secret, is it? Anyone would have to work hard to be truly great at something.”
    “Yeah, they would,” said Jack.
    “Oh, wow,” Annie whispered to Jack. She pointed at his hand.
    Jack looked down and smiled. The Ring of Truth was finally glowing.

A nnie grinned at Jack. “Done!” she whispered.
    “Done!” Jack agreed. “Now we can leave.”
    “Harry and I have to go, too,” said Bess. “I want to get him out of here before he attracts the wrong types.”
    “Hooligans and crazy fans?” asked Annie.
    “You got it,” said Bess. “Harry!” she called. “Time’s up!”
    Harry excused himself from the crowd of people and walked back to the bench. “Thanks, sweetheart,” he said. “I couldn’t escape.” Hewinked at Bess, then looked at Jack and Annie. “They think I do truly magical things. But it’s not true. It’s all just entertainment. It’s all tricks.”
    “Harry’s never seen anyone do a trick he couldn’t do himself,” said Bess.
    “That’s a fact,” said Harry. “Nothing. Ever.”
    “Amazing,” said Annie.
    “Amazing, yes, but it’s also a great sadness,” said Harry, frowning. “The world’s lost its wonder for me. I would be so happy just
once
to see a bit of magic I could never do or never explain.”
    “Really?” said Jack.
    “Yes, but it’s not going to happen,” Harry said with a sigh. “Well, I’m ready, my love. Let’s go home.”
    “Yes, let’s,” said Bess, standing. She looked at Jack and Annie. “Which way are you two going?”
    “Just down that way,” Jack said. And then he had a great idea. He smiled at Annie. “Let’s walk them as far as the Japanese Tea Garden.”
    Annie’s eyes lit up. She seemed to know what Jack was thinking. “Good plan!” she said.
    “Sure, let’s all go together,” said Bess.
    Harry, Bess, Jack, and Annie all stepped down from the terrace and started up the broad avenue. The band was playing “After the Ball Is Over.” The crowd had thinned out. The lights were starting to dim.
    “What a fantastic park,” said Harry. “Did you try many rides? The pirate ship? Or the navy ship sailing the deep ocean? The Arctic trip?”
    “No, but we’ve done all those things before,” said Jack.
    “Did you get to experience the cyclone attraction, too?” said Bess. “The volcano? The big fire?”
    “Actually we’ve experienced all
those
things, too,” said Jack.
    “Really?” said Bess. “So you must have been in this park a long time?”
    “No, I was talking about real life,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “My sister and I travel in a magic tree house to different times and places and have lots of adventures.”
    Annie grinned. “Jack’s telling the truth,” shesaid. “We’ve been all through time.”
    Harry and Bess chuckled. “Sounds like a good act,” said Harry.
    “It does, doesn’t it?” said Bess delightedly. “Where else do you perform your act, besides Coney Island?”
    “We don’t really perform this act for anyone,” said Annie. “It’s usually a secret.”
    “But we’ll show it to
you
,” said Jack.
    “Lucky us,” said Bess, winking at Harry.
    “The tree house is parked in the Japanese Tea Garden,” said Annie. “You want to see it? It’ll only take a minute.”
    “Sure, why not?” said Harry.
    Bess and Harry followed Jack and Annie over to the wooden gate that led to the Japanese Tea Garden. They followed them through the gateway, up the pebble path, and over the small arched bridge to the cluster of trees.
    “There,” said Annie. She pointed up at one of the trees.
    “A tree house! Well, how about that?” saidHarry. He sounded genuinely surprised. “I never knew that was here.”

    “That’s because it’s only been here for a few hours,” said Annie.
    “You want to watch us take off?” asked Jack.
    “Take off?” said Bess.
    “Yep, the tree house is going to take us back home to Pennsylvania now,” said Jack, “to a time more than a hundred years from today.”
    “In the future,” Annie added.
    Bess and Harry laughed. “You two might be the looniest kids in the