Chapter 13

After dinner, Sally led Merlin and Scottie upstairs to the room where the two of them were to spend the night. The room wasn’t too big and it wasn’t too small-- it was just right-- and there in the middle of the room was a big bed covered with lots of dolls. “How do you like your room?” Sally asked.

“It’s pink,” Scottie said, “and what’s with all the dolls?”

“Oh, I forgot,” Sally grinned as she reached for the switch on the wall, “you probably prefer blue with Teddy bears. How’s this?”

With a flip of the switch the room went from pink to blue and the dolls all turned to Teddy bears. “Wow,” Scottie asked, “how did you do that?”

“I just flipped the switch on the wall from girl to boy,” Sally answered. “That’s all.”

“Quack?” Merlin asked wondering if it was magic.

“I don’t think so,” Sally answered. “All I did was flip the switch, doesn’t everyone’s house do the same?”

“Not ours,” Scottie said. “All the switched do in our house is turn out the lights.”

“Really,” Sally said. “All you do here is say, lights out.” And with that the lights went out.

“Quack!” Merlin shouted and the lights came back on.

“Merlin’s scared of the dark,” Scottie explained. Of course he never bothered to mention he too was scared of the dark, probably more so than Merlin.

“Well why don’t we just have dim lights?” Sally asked, and the lights came back on but not nearly so bright as before. “Is that better, Merlin?”

“Quack.” Merlin seemed to be much happier.

“This bed is soft,” Scottie said as he and Merlin lay down on the bed. “Is this a feather bed?”

“QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!” Merlin shouted as he leapt from the bed to the floor, began flapping his wings, and running circles around the room! “QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!”

“Oh no,” Sally exclaimed, “I would never have a feather bed, Merlin.”

“Quack?” Merlin asked.

“No Sweetie, this bed is filled with cotton candy just like every other bed in the house, okay?”

“Quack,” Merlin agreed as he hopped back up on the bed.

“You boys get a good night’s sleep,” Sally said as she walked out of the room. “We’ve got to get up early so we can go out in the garden and pick fresh hot dogs to sell tomorrow.”

“Quack?” Merlin asked, but Sally had already left the room and Scottie was fast asleep.

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