Chapter Eight (part c)

Jennifer and Jamie walked off down the path. A moment later Rachael caught up with them "So where are you going?" she asked.

"It's a secret," said Jamie.

"I thought so!" said Rachael and she looked very interested. "So tell me what it is, okay?"

'We're looking for new-moon stones," said Jennifer.

"New-moon stones?" said Rachael. 'What're they?"

"They're very special," explained Jamie.

"Yeah? Are they valuable?"

"Very," said Jamie. "They're magic! Show her Jenny!"

Jennifer held up the pendulum for Rachael's inspection.

"Isn't that the rock you got yesterday," asked Rachael.

"That's right," said Jennifer."It's a new-moon stone we borrowed from the sprite, the one you don't believe in."

"And it's magic?" asked Rachael suspiciously.

"It sure is!" said Jamie. "I'm going to get one of my own and so is Jenny. You can find one too if you come."

"So what kind of magic does it do?" demanded Rachael.

Jennifer showed her. Rachael wasn't all that impressed.

"That's it?" said Rachael. "All it does is just swing around in the air! I thought you said it was magic?"

"It is!" said Jamie and he looked to Jennifer for help.

"Well, it kept us from falling in the stream which is more than you can say," said Jennifer and she pointed down at Rachael's sneakers.

'Was that splash you?" said Jamie and he laughed.

"So what if I did fall in," said Rachael. "You would've too if you'd walked on that board. It was rotten."

"The reason we didn't was because the pendulum told us not to," said Jamie. "It knew that board was no good!"

Jennifer explained how the pendulum worked and Rachael scowled as she listened. Then she shook her head.

"Just a coincidence," she said. "Just dumb luck."

"It was not!" protested Jamie.

"Don't be stupid," Rachael told him. "Nobody's stupid enough to ask a stupid rock what they should do!"

"We are!" said Jamie. "And it's not stupid!"

"It's the only way to find the place where the new-moon stones appear," said Jennifer.