Wizard of Washington Square Read Online Free PDF Page B

nothing happened, he closed his eyes, enjoyed the spinning, and wound up with his arms spread wide like airplane wings.
    “I think the Wizard is best,” said Leilah quickly.
    “What’s so good about him?” grumbled David.
    “Shut up,” Leilah hissed at him. “He’s never played before. So let him think he’s doing a good job.”
    “He already beat us both at hopscotch,” said David grudgingly. “I don’t think he deserves any special consideration at all.”
    “Well, I’m It, and I say the Wizard is best.” She called out to the Wizard, who was beginning to twirl his beard like a propeller. “Come on. You’re It.”
    “I was just getting ready for the takeoff,” said the Wizard. “Oh well, guess I’ll just have to cut the motor.” His beard stopped twirling, his arms lowered, and the Wizard stepped over to take his turn at being It.
    Tentatively he took David’s hand and swung David around. “Swinging here, swinging there, swinging statues everywhere,” he chanted. And then he let go.
    Next he took D. Dog by the paw. He had abandoned himself to the game and forgotten all about magic. The terrier had been chewing on the grass and a small dandelion was stuck to the corner of his mouth. The Wizard’s eyes glowed. The stars on his hat seemed to wink in and out. He closed his eyes and started to sing the tuneless “Swinging here, swinging there, swinging statues every—Oh dear!”
    “What is it?” asked David from a crouched position, his head between his knees.
    “I knew it would happen. I knew the magic would come when we least expected it.” The Wizard’s voice cracked in midsentence.
    David straightened up. Leilah came over.
    There, on the sidewalk before them, was a marble statue of a Scotty.
    “Why, what is that?” asked Leilah.
    “I’m afraid it’s David’s dog,” said the Wizard. “And he’s a real statue now.”

What the Tapestry Saw
    “I DON’T UNDERSTAND,” SAID LEILAH . “You mean a real statue?” She bent over to look at D. Dog more closely. It was true. Each detail of his nose and tail and whiskers and every single hair was visible. Even the dandelion in his mouth. But it was all in polished white marble.
    “But how could you?” asked David with a wail. “How could you do such a thing! He’s my dog. My only dog.”
    “I wish I knew how I did it,” said the Wizard. “I mean, if I knew, I could undo it easily. But I warned you about touching. Really I did. It’s the touching that does it.”
    “Well, you didn’t warn us enough,” said David belligerently. “How were we to know just how magic the touching could be? I thought it was just—you know, handkerchiefs in the air and signs. I didn’t know you meant to change my dog into… into…” and embarrassingly enough, David started to cry. Right there in the park in front of a girl.
    “I didn’t mean to do it,” the Wizard said. He started to pat David comfortingly on the back and caught himself in time. Looking at his own hand, he mumbled, “I must try to remember.”
    So Leilah did the patting instead. But David was not to be comforted. He picked up the marble dog and started slowly out of the park. He trudged past hopscotch games and children playing tag, past an old man with a chess set under his arm and a mother wheeling twins in an oversized carriage.
    “Wait,” called the Wizard, “maybe I could do something to help. At least I could try.”
    But David did not even turn back to look.
    “Perhaps you’ve done too much already,” said Leilah. She meant it to be consoling, but somehow it came out wrong.
    They watched as David came to the street, the statue cradled in his arms. Just as he started to cross, a taxi pulled up beside him and a man leaned out. He grabbed the statue from David’s hands and thrust something in its place. Then he closed the door and drove off uptown in the taxi. Stunned, David just stood there. And when he finally started yelling, it was too late. The taxi was lost in