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["Bus Stop"] When all the kids at the bus stop realized that all the grownups had vanished, they knew that someone had to step up and bring order to this new world and fast. When they realized the bus wasn't coming and there obviously wasn't gonna be any school today, Nora and Luke jumped on their bikes and went through the whole neighborhood, knocking on doors and calling all the kids in every house to a meeting in their front yard. And one by one, kids started trickling out of their houses. Some looked scared and some looked confused. And a few were still in their pajamas, but all of them came and Nora counted heads. Everyone seemed okay, except for the one person who was missing. Hey, where's Mia? Nora said. Mia was Nora's friend and she lived a ways down the street. She was an only child, which meant she had no brothers or sisters to keep her company. Nora grabbed her bike and without another word, she pedaled down the street as fast as she could. Sure enough, when she got there, Mia was home alone, sitting on the front porch with her dog curled up in her lap. Mia, Nora said. Pack a bag, you're coming to stay with us. Mia's face went from worried to relieved in about half a second. Really? Really, Nora said, and bring your dog too. Meanwhile, Luke was on the phone calling his friends Owen and Logan. Hey, are your parents gone too? Come over, bring food if you have it and bring your brother and sister too. By that evening, Luke and Nora's house was full. There were kids on the couch and kids on the floor. Altogether, there were about 15 kids now living under one roof. And somehow, it actually worked. They split up chores and some kids made mac and cheese and some kids cleaned up. The older kids made sure the younger ones were okay and Luke turned out to be a surprisingly good scrambled egg maker. Nora made the schedule and kept everyone on track and told all the kids' stories before bed. But they were only the fun kind, not the scary kind. In the best part, there was no school. At first, that felt pretty amazing. It was kind of like having your friends over to play and having a sleepover every single day and night. But after a few days, something strange started to happen. They actually kind of missed school a little bit. Not the homework part, but like the learning part and seeing their other friends part and just the normal stuff. Nobody expected to miss it at all, but they kind of did. We need to figure out how to get them back, Luke said one night. Our parents and our teachers and everyone and all the kids nodded, but nobody had any idea where to start. That's when a boy sitting in the corner of the living room slowly raised his hand. He was one of the neighborhood kids, quiet and a little bit odd with round glasses and an old fashioned way of talking. And nobody knew him that well. I think, he said carefully, I might know what to do. Everyone turned and stared at him. My grandfather has been teaching me things from his book of magic. Really? Well, who's your grandfather? Nora asked. The boy paused. His name is Merlin. He said quietly, you know, the Merlin. And nobody spoke for a moment. Wait, Luke said slowly. He mean like the actual wizard Merlin. That's your grandfather? And the boy nodded as if it were perfectly ordinary. The very same. And just last week, right before all of this happened, he showed me something in his book of magic about exactly this. What? What kind of magic, Luke asked? The old kind, the boy said. And I think I know the spell to bring everyone back. He paused, but it only works if you actually mean it. Mean what? Nora asked. And the boy looked around the room at all the tired, hungry faces. You have to truly believe that your parents matter. Even when they drive you crazy, even when you fight with them, because without them, none of us would be here at all. And nobody argued with that. After a week of just eating cereal and macaroni and cheese, nobody had anybody to tuck them in at night. It was kind of hard to argue with anything. Okay, Nora said. What do we need to do? Well, the boy said. It's actually pretty simple, but remember, you have to mean it. Everyone hold hands, okay? And repeat after me. And the 15 kids stood together in the living room. They reached out and held hands. And Mia's dog sat in the middle because she wanted to help too. The boy closed his eyes and spoke slowly. And the other kids repeated every word. Parents are good, parents are great. When they come back, we'll celebrate. Huh, that's pretty simple. And for a moment, nothing happened. But then, everyone froze. Nora walked to the front door and opened it. And there stood her mom and dad. And behind them, stretching all the way down the driveway and up the street as far as Nora could see, were the parents of every single kid. And not just the kids in the house, like every kid everywhere, they all showed up right here. And for about two seconds, nobody moved. And then the whole house erupted. Kids ran and cried and laughed and shouted and jumped into their parents' arms all at once. Even Mia's dog was spinning in circles and barking. It was the most beautiful chaos anyone had ever seen. And when things finally settled down, Luke crossed his arms and looked up at his dad. Okay, Luke said, where were you? And before dad could answer, someone else stepped through the door. He was an old man with a silver beard, a rumbled coat covered in faded stars, and the kind of eyes that looked like they had seen just about everything. He was out of breath and his hat was on sideways. I can explain, he said. Nora stared and said, wait, aren't you? My name is Merlin. The old man said, straightening his hat, and I owe you all a very big apology. The room went completely silent. And remember the boy with the round glasses? He was still standing in the corner and he gave a small wave. That's my grandpa, he said. And Merlin just sighed and rubbed his forehead. My brother Anton, who's always been more curious than is good for him, he got into my book of magic while I wasn't looking. He found a spell and he cast it just to see what would happen. And well, as you know, what happened was that every grownup vanished. Well, where do they all go, Nora asked? Well, you see, they went to what we call a parallel world, identical to this one in every way. Same houses, same streets, the same sky, except there were no children there at all. Your parents were just as confused as you were. I promise you that. And Luke looked at his dad and said, so you didn't just go on vacation without us? Dad had the decency to look a little embarrassed and said, well, it was actually terrifying, he said. We had no idea where all you kids were. We were all panicking. And Nora chimed in and said, hey, what about all the babies? You know, like the little ones who couldn't take care of themselves? And Merlin smiled for the first time. Ah, yes, well, luckily I did actually plan for that long ago. I build a protection into every spell in that book. Any child too young to look after themselves would go right along with their parents, no matter what. Nobody too young or unable to take care of themselves was ever left alone. And he looked around at the room full of kids. You were the ones back when I made that experimental spell who I trusted to manage this place. And Anton Luke said, where is he right now? Merlin's smile faded just slightly. He glanced toward the window and then back at the children. That is a very good question. That night after all the other kids had gone home and the house was finally quiet again, Luke and Nora laid in their beds in the dark. Hey Nora, Luke whispered. Yeah, said Nora. Do you think Anton is still out there somewhere? And Nora was quiet for a second. Probably, she said. And if he found that spell in the book of magic, who knows what else he might have found? Luke pulled his blanket a little tighter. I wonder what he's gonna do next, he said. And Nora was quiet for a moment. I don't know, she said. But tonight, mom and dad are home. And that's enough for me. Luke listened to the sound of his parents moving around downstairs, the familiar creak of the floorboards and the clink of the dishes in the sink. He hadn't realized until just now how much he had missed those sounds. Yeah, he said. Me too. And they both drifted off to sleep. ["Sleeping With You"] Hey there, Storyland fans. If you've been enjoying the podcast, I've got some great news. Right now, you can find the Storyland Collection Volume 2 Enchanted Journeys and Hidden Treasures. That's right, now you can pick up both Volume 1 and Volume 2 and experience all the stories in their true chronological order, professionally remastered for the best listening experience. You can find them on audiobooks.com, the Spotify audiobooks marketplace, Apple Books, Hoopla, Google Play, and Audible. Just search for Storyland, all one word, and you'll find them there. And if you're looking for even more magic, don't forget about Luke and the Magical Marker, my illustrated book that's also available on Amazon. It's the perfect read for kids who love creativity and adventure. And finally, if you've been enjoying the podcast, I would love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is so much fun to read what listeners have to say about the show and it helps the Storyland podcast grow. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you again in the next adventure.
