Into the Wildewood Read Online Free PDF

street?
    They both stared at him.
    “Do you think he did it?” Keelie looked down at the stupid cat. “I thought he was the one who made the trees mad, using one for a scratching post or something.”
    Knot batted at a huge green acorn that had rolled in with Keelie. It skittered across the pine floor like a rolling marble. Knot ran after it, pawing it until the acorn twirled round and round like a lopsided top.
    “No, it wasn’t him.” Dad was talking to her, but looking over her shoulder. Keelie turned to follow his gaze.
    He was staring at the puppet woman and the hundreds of acorns carpeting the ground in front of her shop. He obviously thought something was up. Dad closed his eyes. When he opened them, he frowned. His eyes looked spooky. “The oaks will be quiet for a while.”
    Lulu’s splotches had disappeared, and she was hanging marionettes on a spinner rack. The woman stared back, but turned away with a fearful look in her eyes.
    “Come with me, Keelie,” he said loudly. “I’m opening these crates in the back, and I want you to see where I keep my packing supplies.” He lowered his voice and put his head near hers. “What did she say to you?”
    “Nothing, really. She told me her name is Lulu. She has the greatest shop with all these cool puppets. What’s up with the oaks, though? They’re totally cranky.”
    “More than cranky. And they’re not responding to us. They’ve been like this for years, but usually a little care comforts them, calms them down.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I fear it may be serious. If only I could speak to the unicorn.”
    “Want me to find him?” She cringed inwardly. Her voice had come out high-pitched, like an eight-year-old begging for a treat.
    “Stay out of the forest, and don’t ask again. These trees are old, Keelie, the survivors of a logging camp which existed here about thirty years before they built the dam and power plant upstream. The Faire is built over the old logging campground, and some of these buildings stood then. It’ll be a long time before the forest recovers.”
    That would explain the hemlock post’s image. “The trees aren’t this obnoxious every year, are they?” If so, this would have been called the Haunted Forest instead of the Wildewood Faire.
    “It was a beautiful forest.” Dad’s eyes grew misty as he remembered. “There were no elves to perform the tree Lorem, so the energy and spirits of the fallen trees haunt these lands, and something has awakened them. That’s one reason why I don’t want you going near the unicorn. He’s powerful and protective of the forest, and he may not hesitate to use your magic for his purpose.”
    Fear skipped up Keelie’s spine. “There’s not another Red Cap, is there?”
    “No, no evil fairies, just the Faire director that I have to get ready for. She’s a beast of a woman.”
    Keelie had filled with yearning when Dad said “unicorn.” She knew he was in the forest, and even though Dad had warned her about his glamour, she didn’t want to resist the compulsion to go into the woods. What could the unicorn do to hurt her? Dad watched her with a suspicious expression that said I know you’re up to somethin g. If she did go into the forest, she’d need to divert his attention.
    “Why were the oaks throwing acorns at Lulu? She’s really nice.” The puppet lady had a right to be freaked about the acorns.
    “I don’t know. She’s new. The children’s costume shop used to be there, but the owner got sick this spring. Admin scrambled for someone to fill the slot, and Lulu was looking for a new home for her puppet business.”
    “Is she an elf?” Lulu didn’t look like an elf, and she was too nice to be one, but there was something magical about her.
    “No, she’s human, but she makes me uncomfortable. She’s odd. Steer clear of her until I know what it is, okay?”
    “But she’s so nice. I like her. ”
    “Keelie!”
    “Okay, but can I